Varanasis donate $1 million to nursing program

Gift will provide hands-on experience to future nurse practitioners

By California State University, Bakersfield

June 17^th, 2021

Dr. Uma R. Varanasi and Sita Varanasi have donated $1 million to support California State University, Bakersfield’s Family Nurse Practitioner Program. The gift will establish a graduate program simulation lab, named in their honor, as well as fund equipment and operational expenses.

“We are extremely grateful for Dr. Varanasi’s generous gift to CSUB. With this extraordinary donation, the Family Nurse Practitioner Program at CSUB will have a much more robust graduate program simulation center with a significantly expanded standardized patient program and state-of-art equipment,” said Dr. Heidi He, director of the graduate nursing program.

Dr. Uma Varanasi and Sita Varanasi are long-time residents of Bakersfield, immigrating from India in 1980. Dr. Uma Varanasi is a nephrologist (a medical doctor who specializes in kidney diseases) and Sita Varanasi is a retired accountant who earned her degree at CSUB. The couple have a long history of philanthropy in the community and said they hope their recent donation will benefit both students and the region by educating outstanding nurse practitioners.

“We have been here for 41 years and I have been successful — but being successful is not the only criteria in life,” Dr. Uma Varanasi said. “We wanted to be of some value to the community where we spent more than half of our life.”

CSUB’s Master of Science in Nursing - Family Nurse Practitioner Program is the only such program in approximately a 100-mile radius. Since 2014, the program has graduated 68 nurse practitioners, and over 90% of its graduates remain in the region. The program was named among the best in the nation by GraduateNursingEDU.

There are approximately 20 students studying in the Family Nurse Practitioner Program each year, and over 220 students studying for their bachelor’s degree in nursing at CSUB.

“The Family Nurse Practitioner Program offered by the Department of Nursing at CSUB has a tremendous positive impact on our community,” said Dr. Todd McBride, interim dean of the School of Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Engineering. “The need for health care professionals in our area has never been greater. This generous gift will provide the resources necessary to create a state-of-the-art training facility for the next generation of family nurse practitioners graduating from CSUB. I am excited for both our students and for the community because this gift will continue to make a huge difference for years to come.”

Varanasis donate $1 million to nursing program

In the new simulation lab, nursing students will have the opportunity to work with patients and practice their critical clinical skills in a safe environment. As a medical doctor, Dr. Uma Varanasi knows how important these skills are.

“We need nurses, good nurses, and they are going to be the backbone of the medical community,” he said.

In the past, Dr. Uma Varanasi and Sita Varanasi donated $100,000 to support CSUB’s Guardian Scholars Program, which helps former foster youth be successful in higher education. They have established scholarships at CSUB for nursing and accounting students. They also support pre-K-12 education and poverty alleviation causes through scholarships and food donations.

“It’s very rewarding,” Sita Varanasi said. “It feels great. It feels great that somebody else is being educated with the little help that we are able to provide. And hopefully, in the future, in their life when they’re successful, they can provide help to somebody else.”

CSUB President Lynnette Zelezny said the gift from the Varanasis will yield benefits for generations.

“With this generous support of CSUB’s family nurse practitioner students, Dr. Varanasi is prioritizing the health and well-being of our entire region. Access to primary health care is a challenge in the Central Valley, and Dr. Varanasi is meeting that challenge with solutions and vision, which will yield benefits for generations,” Dr. Zelezny said. “Thank you, Dr. Varanasi, for this gift that will improve access for our community’s families and for your faith in the excellence of CSUB’s Family Nurse Practitioner Program.”