MATTHEW J. COLLIN, MD, HONORED BYWORCESTER DISTRICT MEDICAL SOCIETY

November 18, 2004

WORCESTER  , Mass.  — Matthew J. Collins, MD, has been named the 2004 winner of the A. Jane Fitzpatrick Community Service Award by the  Worcester District Medical Society (WDMS) . Dr. Collins is assistant professor of family medicine & community health at the University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS), and vice president of medical services for the Family Health Center of Worcester, where he also coordinates one of UMMS’ community-based family medicine & community health residency programs.

The A. Jane Fitzpatrick Community Service Award is granted annually to recognize a

Central Massachusetts health care professional for contributions to improve the health and well-being of the community above and beyond usual professional duties. Collins’ patients at the Family Health Center are often Worcester ’s neediest, including many patients from the city’s large community of recent Vietnamese immigrants. Having been to Vietnam during his own UMMS residency, Collins brings cultural competency to better meet the health care needs of this medically underserved population. A dedicated educator, Collins cultivates cultural competency amongst his students as well as his patients, explaining that, “When you’re in primary care, you’re responsible for people of all backgrounds. Medical schools need faculty who can understand and can teach this.”

The Worcester District Medical Society represents over 1,400 physicians and medical students in

Central Massachusetts . The University of Massachusetts Medical School is one of the fastest growing medical schools in the country, and a perennial top finisher in the annual US News & World Report ranking of primary care medical schools.

Contact:  Sandra Gray, 508-856-2000,  sandra.gray@umassmed.edu