Richard M. “Dick” Schulze
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Dick Schulze is excited when he sees the advances in healthcare taking place today — and even more so when he envisions the vast potential developing technologies hold for the future.
He looks ahead to a world in which artificial intelligence (AI) alters the trajectory of healthcare, utilizing expertise from every corner of the globe to help doctors make decisions that are both faster and better.
"If you perform sophisticated brain surgery and you can look at the best approaches from anywhere and see exactly what worked, you're only going to do a better job for patients," explains Dick, the founder of Best Buy and chairman of the Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation.
Dick believes that Mayo Clinic, with its multidisciplinary expertise and history of innovation, is the healthcare organization best positioned to lead this revolutionary change. In 2024, the Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation made a generous gift to Mayo Clinic focused on education and artificial intelligence, establishing the Richard M. Schulze Innovation Awards in Artificial Intelligence.
These awards foster entrepreneurial activities that utilize AI to create new education methodologies, ultimately transforming patient outcomes.
"Mayo Clinic has tremendous value because they're all about learning," says Dick, recognized as a Philanthropic Partner for his generosity to Mayo Clinic. “They’re all about diagnostics and putting the best possible treatment plans in place for patients.”
Artificial intelligence at Mayo is going to empower doctors, surgeons and specialists to be even better at what they do.
— Dick Schulze
Mayo Clinic's inaugural Richard M. Schulze Scholars in Artificial Intelligence are tackling a wide range of topics. They're developing AI-powered digital avatars to guide surgical simulation and multilingual patient education. They are also creating coaching systems that help medical trainees with communication skills, wellness and specialty-specific training.
AI is also enhancing Mayo Clinic’s educational mission. Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science is infusing the ethical and responsible use of AI technology into the student experience. Mayo Clinic learners are building skills and competencies that will allow them to adapt as healthcare changes and to develop fusion skills, which combine the strengths of humans and machines to achieve superior outcomes for patients.
The Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation’s philanthropy fuels collaboration across disciplines that optimizes education for the healthcare needs of the future.
“We give to people that use our support to be exponentially more successful,” Dick says. “I’m convinced that artificial intelligence at Mayo is going to empower doctors, surgeons and specialists to be even better at what they do, because they’ll be able to call on information from around the world.”