James Harris Simons (1938 – 2024) was a mathematical genius, a shrewd investor, and a compassionate philanthropist. While his financial achievements and mathematical prowess are undisputable, his commitment to helping people worldwide will be his eternal legacy.
https://www.nicksimonsfoundation.org
https://www.nsi.edu.np/
Simons was often labelled the ‘Quant King’. He was a great investor and a successful hedge fund manager, excelling in mathematics and differential geometry. He worked as a codebreaker during the Vietnam War and lectured at Stony Brook University.
In 1982, he founded Renaissance Technologies, a hedge fund that pioneered quantitative trading and revolutionised investing. With its Medallion fund, this company became the most profitable investment firm in history.
In 1994, Simons and his wife, Marilyn, established the Simons Foundation, which has invested billions of dollars in scientific research, education initiatives, and hundreds of humanitarian causes.
In 2003, his son Nick drowned while swimming in Bali. Before his demise, Nick came to Nepal to volunteer in 2002. Fascinated by Nepal, he spent nine months actively working on community health projects despite the cultural and linguistic barrier. After he returned home, he shared his experience and fondness of Nepal with his mother. Nick was determined to become a physician and dedicate his life to improving the health sector of developing countries, particularly Nepal.
Devastated by the loss, Jim and Marilyn embarked on a series of visits to Nepal. They witnessed a healthcare system struggling to serve its rural population, and they initially began by funding a new maternity ward for the Patan Hospital.
They established the Nick Simons Foundation in 2005. It has supported initiatives that have contributed significant resources to creating a sustainable legacy. In 2006, they set up the Nick Simons Institute.
Jim and Marilyn Simons witnessed a healthcare system struggling to serve Nepal’s rural population and supported initiatives that have contributed significant resources to creating a sustainable legacy.
NSI has invested over $100 million in Nepal’s health sector becoming a cornerstone of the country’s healthcare infrastructure. NSI expanded into rural Nepal and trained healthcare workers in regional, subregional, and district hospitals. NSI trains those healthcare workers who are most likely to have an impact in rural institutions, equipping them to perform needed tasks in the absence of a doctor—from anaesthesia assistants to primary emergency care to skilled birth assistants. When COVID-19 hit Nepal in 2020, NSI mobilised support for local and national governments and distributed comprehensive care ventilators to seven hospitals.
NSI currently provides vital training, equipment, and budgetary support to district hospitals and health facilities nationwide, primarily focusing on remote areas.
Milan Bishwakarma is a regular contributor to Nepal Connect.
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