Worcester Foundation  for Biomedical Research

Hudson Hoagland Society –
Two Decades of Discovery

"One of the greatest discoveries ever made… is that if men with imagination and discipline are allowed to investigate problems that deeply excite their curiosity, they may turn up discoveries of very great social significance."

  - Hudson Hoagland
Co-founder of WFBR

The Hudson Hoagland Society was founded in 1985 to recognize major annual contributors to the WFBR. Named in honor of the Worcester Foundation's co-founder, the Society brings together individuals who share a commitment to advancing biomedical research.

From its original 56 charter members, the Society has grown to 225 members from all over the United States.

Since its founding, it has contributed more than $4 million to research.

Membership is open to individuals who contribute $1,000 or more to the Worcester Foundation's Annual Research Fund.

The Worcester Foundation welcomes philanthropic gifts to research at all levels. To learn more about the Hudson Hoagland Society, call Lizabeth Rombousek at 508-856-5540 or email:Liz.Rombousek@umassmed.edu.

The Worcester Foundation for Biomedical Research (WFBR) is a nonprofit organization internationally recognized for its historic contributions to biology and medicine. 

The Worcester Foundation was initially an independent research institute, founded in 1944 by Drs. Hudson Hoagland and Gregory Pincus.  It merged with the University of Massachusetts Medical School in 1997. 

Today, the Worcester Foundation is devoted to supporting basic biomedical research and continues to help the Medical School achieve national prominence. 

To learn more about the Worcester Foundation for Biomedical Research, call Linda Platzer, 508-856-5518

From the Worcester Foundation Director

I wish to express my sincere thanks for all the support the Hudson Hoagland Society has provided to biomedical research. The Annual Research Grants made possible by Hudson Hoagland  Society gifts are supporting some of the most innovative and medically promising work being done on our campus. Federal grants come and go. You are the enduring foundation of our work.

With profound appreciation,

Thoru Pederson, PhD, Director
Worcester Foundation for Biomedical Research

Our Legacy 

Drs. Gregory Pincus’ and M.C. Chang’s work in the 1950s to develop the Pill, the world’s first oral contraceptive, was the earliest and best known of the WFBR’s contributions. Building upon that discovery, Dr. Chang proceeded to do pioneering research on in vitro fertilization techniques, paving the way for the subsequent success of the procedure in humans.

In the early 1970s, a team of Worcester Foundation scientists led by Dr. V. Craig Jordan, conducted the first systematic laboratory study of the anti-tumor actions of tamoxifen, an anti-estrogen drug that subsequently revolutionized the treatment of breast cancer.  Another class of drugs for breast cancer, called aromatase inhibitors, was also pioneered at the Worcester Foundation, by Dr. Angela Brodie.

Our Future

Worcester Foundation scientists have joined with basic scientists at the UMass Medical School to become one research unit. As in the past, Worcester Foundation philanthropic funds, including the Hudson Hoagland Society funds, are overseen by the Foundation's Board of Trustees and are used to support the most promising and innovative research. 

Annual Research Fund

Since 1998 the WFBR, in affiliation with the Hudson Hoagland Society, has awarded more than $2 million in innovation grants of up to $35,000 to 75 researchers at the UMass Medical School. The Worcester Foundation's Board of Trustees allocates these funds directly to research projects through a competitive review process.

These "seed" grants allow a researcher to pursue new, innovative research for which he or she may not yet have funding. The Annual Research Fund has helped accelerate research in cancer, heart disease, ALS, Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, AIDS, multiple sclerosis, and other areas.

"Small research grants to faculty are critical. They permit scientists to take risks - which is a prerequisite for creative work - and they teach new faculty to believe in themselves at the very time they are most often filled with fear and self-doubt."  

- Phillip Zamore, PhD,
Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology. 
2000 recipient of Annual Research Fund award for RNA silencing 

"The grant came at a time in my research career when I had very exciting but controversial research data. I had a difficult time getting conventional funding because of the controversial nature of the work. The grant enabled me to complete studies and continue this direction of research. Since publication in SCIENCE, and completion of additional experiments funded by the grant, I have successfully obtained two National Institutes of Health grants." 

- JeanMarie Houghton, MD, PhD,
Assistant Professor of Medicine, GI Division. 2005 recipient of Annual Research Fund award for gastric and colon cancer