Campus News

Among the newly endowed chairs, five are new UMass Memorial Health chairs, made possible through the long-standing partnership with UMass Chan.

Virology experts gather at UMass Chan Medical School for 2024 MassCPR Symposium learn about biology and infectious mechanisms of viruses.  

UMass Chan is looking for new members to join the Committee on Equal Opportunity and Diversity to continue the momentum of its 2024 Diversity Summit.  

The environmental justice program is a partnership between the Office of Sustainability, the Diversity and Inclusion Office and the Lamar Soutter Library.

Jean A. Frazier, MD, will step down as executive director at the end of the year, a position she has held since 2015.

The 2024 Nobel Prize Symposium in Washington, D.C., was hosted by the Embassy of Sweden and the National Academy of Sciences.

In a new Voices of UMass Chan podcast, Jason Kim, PhD, discussed his research into the link between Alzheimer’s disease and type 2 diabetes.  

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UMass Chan Medical School AI scientist Feifan Liu, PhD, associate professor of population & quantitative health sciences, is leading studies to develop AI models aimed at advancing health equity in predicting risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.  

The VA Summer Research Program, established in 2022 to strengthen and diversify the VA scientific workforce, will remain at UMass Chan for another five years. The research program at UMass Chan is the only site of 25 nationally that is solely focused on women’s health.  

Mailings about the risks of certain drugs given to people with dementia showed no effect in reducing prescriptions, a study led by UMass Chan researchers finds. But there are lessons to be learned.  

Infectious disease expert Sandeep Jubbal, MD, discusses the state of COVID-19 today, the importance of vaccination and his recommendations for people diagnosed get the virus.  

People who had a history of bicycling for exercise reported a lower prevalence of knee pain and had a lower prevalence of radiographic osteoarthritis and symptomatic osteoarthritis, according to a large study from the Osteoarthritis Initiative.  

A ceremony for the conferral of the degree was held in the Graduate Auditorium at the School of Medicine at the University of Crete.

UMass Chan’s 2024 Diversity Summit called on members of the UMass Chan community to adopt new methods that allow for access to entry and success for staff and faulty.  

UMass Chan and UC Davis School of Medicine have partnered, earning a two-year American Medical Association ChangeMedEd Equity, Diversity and Belonging grant to enact socially conscious admissions reform at UMass Chan and create a toolkit for other medical schools to emulate.  

UMass Chan and the entire UMass ecosystem are poised for further breakthrough advances in biomedical research, university leaders and congressional delegation members tell ARPA-H director at Medical School visit.  

Mary Ahn, MD; Kavita Babu, MD; and Milagros Rosal, PhD, completed executive leadership programs.

The UMass Chan Cares campaign provides faculty, students and employees the opportunity to donate to a wide range of causes they care about.

In a new Voices of UMass Chan podcast, Crista Johnson-Agbakwu discusses underrepresentation in medicine, health equity and the impact of mentorship on her career.

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The Diversity and Inclusion Office releases its annual report.

MD/PhD student Michelle Narváez Ramos is researching antimicrobial peptides and their effect on bacteria to make antibiotics more effective.  

UMass Chan cardiologists explain what the new risk calculator means and what exciting new research is taking place to help patients better control their risk.

The Conversation Weekly podcast interviewed UMass Chan Nobel Laureate Victor R. Ambros, PhD, to learn more about his role in the discovery of microRNA and what comes next. Dr. Ambros shares the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with collaborator Gary B. Ruvkun, PhD, of Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School.  

Victor Ambros, PhD, shared his gratitude to his wife and collaborator, Rosalind “Candy” Lee, as well as to the Medical School and scientific community, at a celebration of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine he co-received with Gary Ruvkun, PhD, professor at Harvard Medical School, for their discovery of microRNA.  

Two signature events coordinated by the Diversity and Inclusion Office, the Latino Medical Student Association, the UMass Chan student chapter of the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science and UMass Chan interest group Happy Feet concluded the celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month. Organizers hope the events will lead to more programming that centers Latinx students and bring the community together.    

The UMass Chan Medical School community embraced its newest Nobel Laureate on Monday, Oct. 7, after Victor Ambros, PhD, was named the co-recipient of the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his co-discovery of microRNA. See how the day unfolded in this video.

Victor R. Ambros, PhD, has garnered international media attention after he was awarded the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his role in the discovery of microRNA.  

Students in the Ambros lab at UMass Chan Medical School and 2006 Nobel Prize winner Craig Mello, PhD, celebrated their mentor, Victor Ambros, PhD, as he received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Gary Ruvkun, PhD, for their discovery of microRNA.  

William Flavahan, PhD, is one of 40 recipients of the $1.5 million NIH Director’s New Innovator Award, designed to support early career investigators who are proposing bold research.

Although Victor Ambros, PhD, was scheduled to move his lab into a new building today, the announcement that he and Gary Ruvkun, PhD, were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their discovery of microRNA, put those plans were put on hold. Read more about how his day unfolded.  

Watch a video of the UMass Chan Medical School press conference on Monday, Oct. 7, held after the announcement that UMass Chan researcher Victor R. Ambros, PhD, was a co-recipient of the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his discovery of microRNA.

Internationally renowned geneticist and pioneer of microRNA, Victor R. Ambros, PhD, who will share the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his co-discovery of microRNA, is the Silverman Chair in Natural Sciences and professor of molecular medicine at UMass Chan Medical School in Worcester, Mass.

UMass Chan Medical School researcher Victor R. Ambros, PhD, will share the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his co-discovery of microRNA, the very short, single-stranded RNA molecules that are now understood to play a critical role in post-transcriptional gene regulation.  

The Lancet Psychiatry Commission, a report on the current state and changing landscape of youth mental health, was recently released, with contributions from UMass Chan.  

A study by UMass Chan researchers on variations in medications used in nursing homes for patients with Alzheimer’s and other dementias found that antidementia drug use varied by geographic region, while use of antipsychotics was associated with poorer nursing home quality and patient factors.

More than $650,000 was raised for the 26th annual UMass Cancer Walk.

Engineers from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation were guided around campus blindfolded by medical students to help highlight the challenges faced by visually impaired people.  

A memorandum of understanding was officially signed between UMass Chan and Hallym University earlier this year.

UMass Chan GEP to DNP student Jacqueline Waweru, RN, is studying mental health. In the future, she hopes to run her own clinic in Worcester and Nairobi.  

The two published papers both started with a single question: “What regulates the immune response in C. elegans?”

Christopher Teng, MD, a glaucoma and cataract expert from Yale School of Medicine, has been appointed the new chair of the Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences, beginning in January.  

A group of UMass Chan Medical School students and staff members spent their Saturday morning instructing a hands-only CPR and AED training for nearly 50 parishioners at St. Anne Church in Southborough.

Discussing the COVID-19 vaccine with vaccine-hesitant patients can be frustrating, a focus group of primary care providers reported in a recent study led by Kimberly Fisher, MD. But having the vaccine available in the clinic, as well as incorporating motivational interviewing techniques, may offer a way forward.  

Artists share what “Advancing Belonging Together” means to them through original artwork at a new exhibit coordinated by the Advocacy Subcommittee of UMass Chan’s Committee on Equal Opportunity and Diversity in partnership with the Lamar Soutter Library.  

UMass Chan Medical School scientists Marcus Ruscetti, PhD, and Prabhani Atukorale, PhD, have developed a new, dual immunotherapy approach that may potentially change the way clinicians treat pancreatic cancer.  

A $5 million philanthropic gift from UMass Memorial Health and $2.5 million in matching funds from the University of Massachusetts Foundation will allow UMass Chan to establish five new ‘UMass Memorial Health’ endowed chairs. Furthermore, seven additional new endowed chairs are being established, meeting the institutional goal of 75 endowed chairs by 2025.  

Chancellor Michael F. Collins kicked off a new Voices of UMass Chan podcast season by highlighting the growth and future of UMass Chan Medical School.  

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More than $36,000 in grant funding from the UMass Chan North Quadrant Support Services initiative was awarded to 29 teachers and staff at eight North Quadrant schools in Worcester.

UMass Chan’s annual Diversity Summit on Oct. 30 will feature a poster session and a speaker program focused on faculty recruitment and retention as well as collective responsibly in ensuring diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging standards are met and maintained at all times at UMass Chan.  

Two new donor-funded fellowships are being launched this year at UMass Chan to recruit recent postdoctoral scientists and, through intensive mentoring and resource support, foster their development as independent investigators. The fellowships align with the vision embodied in The Morningside Foundation’s transformational $175 million gift in 2021.  

Four faculty members were honored with chancellor’s medals, and seven others were invested as named professors at the annual Convocation and Investiture celebration.

The Morningside Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences’ largest qualifying class was honored in a ceremony on Sept. 11. Four PhD candidates received the Zelda Haidak Award in Cell Biology.  

Guests speakers Judy Hanlon, pastor at Hadwen Park Congregational Church, co-founder of the LGBT Asylum Task Force, and member of the Southern New England Conference Immigration, Refugee and Asylum Task Team; and Al Green, ministry director of the LGBT Asylum Task Force, talked about the work of the task force and sought to inspire change through personal stories.  

The Tan Chingfen Graduate School of Nursing presented 49 Doctor of Nursing Practice students with their white coats on Tuesday, Sept. 10, in a celebration signifying their transition into clinical practice.

The Tan Chingfen Graduate School of Nursing at UMass Chan Medical School celebrated 34 new nurses from fields as diverse as criminal justice, design and teaching at the Graduate Entry Pathway Pinning Ceremony on Monday, Sept. 9.  

The 235 UMass Chan medical students in the Class of 2028 received white coats on Sept. 6. The White Coat Ceremony is a milestone moment for first-year medical students as they slip into freshly ironed coats and join the medical profession.

Leadership, health systems science and interprofessional education at the core of new regional campus in Burlington

Festivities kick off on Friday, Sept. 6, with the T.H. Chan School of Medicine White Coat Ceremony, welcoming the new class of medical students into the medical community.

Shan Lu MD, PhD, co-authored a pair of studies related to the Phase I clinical trial of a polyvalent DNA/prime-protein boost vaccine to prevent HIV, marking the latest step in a decades long quest to harness the power of DNA vaccines to address a major global health need.  

The Department of Dermatology embraces diversity, equity and inclusion work through a systematic evaluation of self, practices and policies.  

Andrés Colubri, MFA, PhD, and his lab have partnered with a team at Massachusetts General Hospital on a mobile app that enables infectious disease research and can keep international travelers healthy.

Recently published analyses from the Women’s Health Initiative found that hormone therapy reduces bothersome symptoms of menopause among women under 60 or in early menopause, but it does not prevent cardiovascular disease or other chronic diseases. Nursing professor Sybil Crawford discusses what research suggests about staying healthy throughout a woman’s middle and later years.  

UMass Chan Medical School and Worcester’s health care organizations are embarking on a collaborative electronic health data-sharing initiative to understand health inequities, trends, risk factors and outcomes surrounding opioid use disorders.  

Postdoctoral fellow Samara Vilca, PhD, has been awarded the second phase of the National Institutes of Health Blueprint and BRAIN Initiative Diversity Specialized Predoctoral to Postdoctoral Advancement in Neuroscience Award.  

The T.H. Chan School of Medicine welcomed 235 medical students on Monday, Aug. 19. The largest class in school history includes the first cohort of students in the new LEAD@Lahey track.

A recently published study by UMass Chan Medical School researchers found that young adults 18-30 years old rated informational Instagram posts about e-cigarettes higher in message and source credibility when the posts came from a health expert compared with a friend or social media influencer.  

The cover story of the summer 2024 issue of @umasschan magazine highlights the design features of the new education and research building that opened in June. The story details the ways in which it supports the institution’s aspirations for long-term environmental sustainability while simultaneously fostering unique collaborations intended to spark scientific breakthroughs.

PhD student Nathan Glassy discovered his passion for science while working as a music teacher in Louisiana. His quest to discover how music impacts the mind led him to studying neuroscience and then how mindfulness practice could help opioid users with anxiety, depression or PTSD at UMass Chan.  

A family whose child has a rare neurological disease, SPG4, visited UMass Chan Medical School’s scientists to learn about development of a gene therapy for the disease. The family is raising funds to support the research in the Translational Institute for Molecular Therapeutics. 

Jennifer Tjia, MD, MSCE, is senior author on a perspective recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine that calls for increased awareness, training and commitment to routinely collecting data on patients’ sexual orientation and gender identity to reduce disparities among LGBTQ+ people to improve care.  

Twenty-five Worcester high school students and recent high school graduates are participating in this year’s Dynamic Futures program.

A new clinical training program that aims to increase access to comprehensive obesity care is launching next summer at UMass Chan Medical School. The program will accept one fellow each year.

Thirty college students participated in the 2024 Summer Undergraduate Research Program at UMass Chan Medical School, refining their career goals through networking with peers and mentors, collaborative research and developing critical thinking skills.  

The Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology and the Collaborative in Health Equity partnered to put on the event, “Day in the Life of an OB-GYN" on July 22.

The Remillard Family Community Service Fund awarded grants to support innovative projects led by UMass Chan Medical School faculty, residents, staff and students that address social determinants of health, increase equitable and affordable access to care, and develop and expand community outreach programs.

A biochemical breakthrough using simple carbon atoms by Ken Yamada, PhD, and Anastasia Khvorova, PhD, has dramatically improved the stability and efficacy of a potential oligonucleotide therapeutic platform in mice.

UMass Chan researchers are about to enroll patients from UMass Memorial Health and Baystate Health in an innovative study comparing post-acute rehabilitation services provided in a patient’s home to those in traditional inpatient skilled nursing facilities.

Madona Azar, MD, MPH, explains that metabolic liver disease, particularly metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease, is alarmingly common. It affects one in four people world-wide and its progression, especially in those with diabetes or obesity, can lead to severe liver damage and other health issues. Early diagnosis and lifestyle changes are crucial for managing this condition.  

Three UMass Chan medical students received Mick Huppert Community Health Scholar Awards in 2024. Their Worcester-based projects aim to improve preventive care for women with substance use disorder, increase affordable dental care, and educate adolescents about substance use disorder.  

Research aimed at identifying the mechanisms that promote resistance to radiation therapy in patients with triple negative breast cancer is underway at UMass Chan Medical School by Arthur M. Mercurio, PhD, thanks to a new $2.6 million cancer research award from the National Institutes of Health.

Nineteen rising high school juniors and seniors spent their summer participating in the immersive 2024 High School Health Careers Program at UMass Chan Medical School.  

U.S. News & World Report 2024 rankings of America’s Best Grad Schools place UMass Chan in the top tier of medical schools across the nation for primary care education.  

The UMass Chan Medical School Office of Communications was recognized this spring by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), the New England Society for Healthcare Communications, the PR Club of New England and Provoke Media for outstanding work promoting the institution.  

Stroke survivors often experience spatial neglect, an underdiagnosed condition impairing their ability to navigate their surroundings. In a new article for The Conversation, A.M. Barrett, MD, chair and professor of neurology, and Kevin Houston, OD, MSc, associate professor of neurology, highlight prism adaptation therapy as a promising treatment. This simple, effective therapy significantly improves patients' spatial awareness and independence.

PhD candidate Jacob Stillman has been awarded a Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award Individual Predoctoral Fellowship to further his research on remyelination, targeting diseases such as multiple sclerosis that disrupt how the brain and body communicate.  

Summer Thyme, PhD, is the recipient of a five-year, NIH-funded research award to study intellectual disability in neurodevelopmental disorders using zebra fish as a model organism.

The Lupus Center at UMass Chan is participating in a clinical research study, exploring the use of CAR T cell treatment in lupus nephritis for severe or nonresponsive lupus.

Awards of $50,000 were distributed to support ground-breaking and interdisciplinary research in the neurosciences.

As the National Institutes of Health’s All of Us Research Program, a large, diverse database, enters its second five years of funding at UMass Chan, investigators are pursuing more studies in population health with a focus on including groups traditionally underrepresented in biomedical research.  

BRIDGE Innovation and Business Development at UMass Chan Medical School has set aside nearly $2 million in funding for six faculty-led research projects that hold promise for translation to clinical application and commercialization.  

The UMass Chan Medical School Department of Microbiology and Physiological Systems is now the Department of Microbiology, according to Beth McCormick, PhD.  

Elizabeth Osa-Agbontaen, RN, plans to celebrate unity and community as UMass Chan Medical School’s student representative on the UMass Board of Trustees. Her scholarly work focuses on mitigating Black maternal health mortalities.  

Research by Andrei Korostelev, PhD, and Anna Loveland, PhD, shows that the ribosome plays an unexpected role in the activation of angiogenin, allowing it to cleave transfer RNA, thereby halting protein production. These findings shed new light on angiogenin functioning and may have important implications for the design of cancer therapeutics and neurodegenerative disease treatments.  

Summer Programs aimed at addressing issues of STEM representation prove to be beneficial for UMass Chan Medical School and the interns involved.  

UMass Chan Medical School and QurAlis Corporation, a clinical-stage biotechnology company investigating treatments for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, frontotemporal dementia and other neurodegenerative and neurological diseases, have formed a collaboration to investigate an antisense oligonucleotide technology for the potential treatment of fragile X syndrome.  

The Robert W. Finberg Physician-Scientist Training Program is named in honor of the late Robert W. Finberg, MD, chair emeritus and distinguished professor of medicine.  

College students enrolled in the Summer Enrichment Program highlight their educational goals and what they have learned from guest speakers, making connections with peers and research projects.  

UMass Chan Medical School and pharmaceutical company Astellas Pharma Inc. have entered into a sponsored research agreement to proceed with research for an adeno-associated virus vector mediated gene therapy for the treatment of Alexander disease, a fatal, ultra-rare disease.

The year-end celebration highlighted the 22 students enrolled in Postbaccalaureate Research Education Program and the Initiative for Maximizing Student Development program who completed major milestones.  

Medical student Akanksha Nagarkar is teaching high school students the impact of food on health through a nonprofit organization she launched in 2018 called M.E.A.L. (My Education, Action and Lifestyle) Inc.