Doranne and Randall “Randy” Hudson, MD’78, will be speaking to third- and fourth-year medical students in the T.H. Chan School of Medicine at UMass Chan Medical School as part of the inaugural Hudson Lecture on Monday, Sept. 19. The lecture is the first in a series made possible by the Hudson Leadership Development Fund endowed by the couple last year.
Dr. Hudson is an anesthesiologist and internist who focused his career on critical care, taking care of patients and leading organizations. Doranne Hudson, MBA, built her career as senior vice president at Hallmark and led a $2 billion business unit for the company. Together, the Hudsons have made it their mission to encourage others to become effective leaders.
“The characteristics of leadership are teachable and learnable,” said Dr. Hudson. “In fact, Doranne developed a leadership program specifically for the St. Luke’s system to teach physicians how to be leaders.”
Establishing the Hudson Leadership Development Fund for future generations of physicians was born out of Dr. Hudson’s fondness for his alma mater.
“I felt UMass Chan Medical School did an extraordinary job while I was there. It was a formative experience that helped me make the right choices,” he said. “The state of Massachusetts invested in me, and I wanted to give back.”
Terence R. Flotte, MD, the Celia and Isaac Haidak Professor, dean of the T.H. Chan School of Medicine and provost and executive deputy chancellor, is looking forward to the Hudsons’ lecture on why everyday leadership matters for physicians.
“This is a true gift of time, talent and treasure,” said Dean Flotte. “Their foresight in establishing this fund will help prepare our students as they take on significant leadership responsibilities over the course of their careers, and having the Hudsons, with their own vast leadership experience, share their knowledge with our students is exciting.”
Annual lectures will be geared toward medical students who are transitioning from the classroom to the clinic. Dr. Hudson will work closely with UMass Chan to extend the lecture concept with auxiliary activities including shared readings, small-group workshops and seminars.
