Message from the Chancellor

The start of our 2021 fiscal year on July 1, 2020, marked our 50th year educating the next generation of physicians as the commonwealth’s first and only public medical school. Yet, the significance of this milestone was overshadowed by the COVID-19 pandemic that was in full swing at that time. Public health considerations necessarily garnered our collective attention. Infection control measures such as mask wearing, social distancing and working remotely, were commonplace and served as constant reminders of how much our everyday lives had been upended by an invisible pathogen.

Despite the challenges and distractions brought forth by the ever-evolving pandemic, our medical school remained open, operational, productive and, most importantly, safe. Our people came together in a collaborative, caring and collegial manner to advance our mission-critical work and to contribute in sustained and meaningful ways to the state’s pandemic response. Our clinical faculty and residents were our region’s frontline health care workforce; our researchers pursued critical research projects and clinical trials; our staff worked alongside administration officials to help execute on the state’s pandemic response; and our students volunteered countless hours of service to community-based and public health efforts.

On June 30, 2021, we concluded a most successful fiscal year that saw us thrive and reach new levels of accomplishment despite the complexities and uncertainties associated with the ongoing pandemic. Through it all, we have depended on and benefitted from the wonderful support of our partners and benefactors. Through your generous giving, you demonstrate your trust and confidence in our institution, our people and our ability to change the course of the history of disease. And thanks to you and so many others, we are doing just that.

As we look ahead to our next 50 years of growth, evolution and impact, we have reason to be optimistic and even bullish about our future. Sustained by your ongoing support and buoyed by a transformational $175 million gift from The Morningside Foundation and the Chan family made at the start of our new fiscal year, the commonwealth’s only public medical school is poised to do more for more people in more places in the years ahead.

Thank you for being our steadfast partners.

With great appreciation,

Michael F. Collins, MD, FACP
Senior Vice President for the Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts
Chancellor, UMass Chan Medical School^*