James Eugene Dalen, MD, MPH (left), former chair of the Department of Internal Medicine and interim chancellor, and Susan Hockfield, PhD, former president of MIT, are this year's honorary degree recipients at the 40th annual Commencement.
UMass Chan’s 40th Commencement ceremony will take place on Sunday, June 2, at noon under a giant tent on the Campus Green. The newly opened Albert Sherman Center will play an important role in the day’s activities, hosting the pre-Commencement brunch and serving as a staging area for participants.
Honorary degrees will be awarded to cardiologist James Eugene Dalen, MD, MPH, dean emeritus and professor emeritus of the University of Arizona College of Medicine and executive director of The Weil Foundation, for his pivotal role in the early history of UMass Chan, and to former MIT President Susan Hockfield, PhD, for her distinguished scientific career and her exceptional leadership skills.
The School of Medicine will confer 118 MDs, with about 50 percent going on to graduate who will be heading into primary care residencies. Additionally, five students will receive MD/PhDs. Thirty-two PhDs and one master’s degree will be awarded to graduates of the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. The Graduate School of Nursing will award 49 master’s degrees, two post-master’s certificates, two doctor of nursing practice degrees and one PhD.
James Eugene Dalen, MD, PhD
In 1975, Dr. Dalen was named chairman of the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine at UMass Chan and went on to lead the Department of Medicine after it was combined with the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine. He served as interim chancellor of UMass Chan from 1986 to 1987. His leadership in recruiting distinguished faculty, and advancing internal, family, cardiothoracic and vascular medicine, are credited with helping to change the perception that patients needed to travel to Boston to get the best treatment for the most serious conditions.
A graduate of Washington State University and the University of Michigan, where he received a master’s degree in psychology, Dalen received his MD at the University of Washington. From 1967 to 1975, he was an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and a cardiologist at Peter Bent Brigham Hospital (now Brigham and Women’s Hospital). During that time, Dalen made seminal strides in the diagnosis and understanding of pulmonary thromboembolism, pulmonary hypertension and rheumatic valvular disease.
Dalen became dean of the University of Arizona College of Medicine in 1988 and vice president for health sciences in 1995. He held both positions until 2001. During his tenure, the university established its College of Public Health, the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine and the Arizona Telemedicine Program, among many other important programs.
Susan Hockfield, PhD
In the first year of her presidency, Dr. Hockfield inaugurated the MIT Energy Initiative, a massive research and education program to address one of the world's most pressing needs. Long an advocate for the research university as an engine of innovation and economic growth, Hockfield also worked to shape emerging national policy on energy technology and next-generation manufacturing. In June 2011, President Obama asked her to co-chair the steering committee of the Advanced Manufacturing Partnership.
A graduate of the University of Rochester who earned her