Stories of Giving

Meghan Banik Sass, MD’03, R’05, F’09, and Ugyen Sass, recently endowed a fund for autism research at UMass Chan on behalf of their family, which includes daughter Rosie, age 13, along with Vivian.

As an esteemed professor of surgery emeritus and founding chief of the Division of Vascular Surgery, Bruce Cutler, MD, has built an enduring legacy at UMass Chan Medical School, well-known among the division for his fierce commitment to providing the highest standard of patient-centered care. Now, Dr. Cutler’s decadeslong connection to UMass Chan has evolved to cherished benefactor, alongside his wife, Kim, with the establishment of the Cutler Chair in Vascular and Endovascular Surgery.

For 40 years, Gerard R. (Gerry) Cox, MD’83, MHA, has built a distinguished medical career rooted in government and military service, including his current role as the assistant under secretary for health for quality and patient  safety in the Veterans Health Administration. Now, Dr. Cox is building a legacy in medical education through a scholarship he funded with his wife, Catherine W. Cox, RN, PhD, to benefit students at UMass Chan Medical School.

More than 2,500 people took part in the 25th annual UMass Cancer Walk presented by Harr Toyota at Polar Park on Sunday, Sept. 24. Participants raised nearly $750,000 to support adult and pediatric cancer research and clinical trials at UMass Chan Medical School.

“Enjoy your time with him,” said the genetic counselor. Linda and Tommy Pham’s son, Raiden, had just been diagnosed with UBA5 disorder, an ultra-rare, life-threatening disease with no available treatments, and these words signified a devastating take on his prognosis. 

On Nov. 1, scholarship donors and scholarship recipients came together at UMass Chan Medical School’s Albert Sherman Center to celebrate student achievement, gratitude and the spirit of giving back. The evening marked the in-person return of this cherished annual event. 

On Oct. 18, Chancellor Michael F. Collins hosted a dinner to celebrate those champions of science who generously supported UMass Chan Medical School’s pandemic response through gifts to the COVID-19/Pandemic Research Fund and/or the Vaccine Corps—collectively donating nearly $3.44 million.

In keeping with UMass Chan Medical School tradition, outstanding faculty were honored at the Convocation and Investiture ceremony on Thursday, Sept. 14, part of the annual week of festivities marking the start of a new academic year. The generosity of donors who stepped up to establish new endowed chairs—invaluable mechanisms for honoring and supporting accomplished faculty—featured in the celebration. 

An internationally renowned expert in the treatment of male infertility, Peter Schlegel, MD'83, has left an indelible mark on the field of urology. Together with his family, Dr. Schlegel recently established an endowed scholarship fund at UMass Chan Medical School, giving back to the institution he recognizes as central to his successful career. 

Before he passed away in June 2022 after a two-year battle with cancer, John F. Sullivan, MD’06 R’12, expressed his wish that a neuropsychiatry lecture fund be established in his memory, making an enduring mark on the field to which he dedicated his career.