Photo: Faith Ninivaggi
David D. McManus, MD’02, ScM’12, MBA, the Richard M. Haidack Professor in Medicine, chair and professor of medicine, renowned clinical and research cardiologist, and expert in digital medicine, was named incoming chancellor of UMass Chan Medical School today.
The University of Massachusetts Board of Trustees unanimously approved UMass President Marty Meehan’s nomination of Dr. McManus at a special meeting on Tuesday, April 7. He will be the first alumnus to lead UMass Chan.
“Dr. McManus is the right leader to guide UMass Chan Medical School into the future,” said Meehan. “His pioneering work in digital health care and AI, his deep experience in both the clinical and research fields, and his vision and collaborative nature, reflect the very best of UMass Chan.”
“It is always exciting when the best candidate is not only deeply familiar with the opportunities and challenges of the university, but is a product of it,” said UMass Board of Trustees Chairman Stephen Karam. “Because of his background, experience and character, Dr. McManus is simply the best person to lead UMass Chan during this period of immense transformation in medicine, society, research and medical education.”
“As a graduate and a faculty member, I am deeply honored by the opportunity to serve as a steward of this world-class medical school,” said McManus. “The groundbreaking discoveries that happen in laboratories at UMass Chan Medical School, in the classroom and at the bedside, are life-changing, and I will work tirelessly alongside the exceptional faculty, staff, students and community to continue advancing together. This institution has given me so much professionally and personally, and I will lean into this role with every fiber of my being to guide this institution through this moment of enormous change in medicine, education and society.”
“As a graduate and a faculty member, I am deeply honored by the opportunity to serve as a steward of this world-class medical school”
McManus leads delivery of innovative and high-quality patient care, education programs, and transformative basic and clinical research. As chair of medicine, he oversees 16 divisions, more than 370 faculty members, 80 principal investigators and more than $70 million in annual research funding. He has built a culture of innovation and excellence that has made UMass Chan a destination for top academic talent, while expanding research programs and improving the department’s overall performance.
He is the founding director of UMass Chan’s Program in Digital Medicine, has secured more than $140 million in NIH funding and published more than 400 scientific papers. He also leads efforts to train the next generation of health care innovators through programs funded by the NIH and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. He was the principal investigator on the Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics, known as RADx, grant, awarded by the NIH during the COVID-19 pandemic to bring innovative strategies for testing. He has earned recognition as a 2026 Innovator in Healthcare by the Boston Business Journal.
McManus completed his internal medicine residency at the University of California San Francisco before returning to UMass Chan, where he completed a cardiovascular medicine fellowship and a clinical cardiac electrophysiology fellowship. He earned a master's degree in clinical investigation from UMass Chan in 2012 and an Executive MBA from MIT’s Sloan School of Management in 2025. He is a native of Acton, Massachusetts, and earned his undergraduate degree from Brown University.
“This search was comprehensive, inclusive and selective,” said UMass Trustee and UMass Chan Chancellor Search Committee Chair David Brunelle. “The caliber of candidates drawn to this role speaks to the strength and national reputation of UMass Chan Medical School. Dr. McManus advanced through that process because the search committee saw in him what virtually everyone who works with him sees: a visionary leader who cares deeply about the Medical School and the people it serves. He is someone who will do everything in his power to lead it through its next evolution.”
“I applaud President Meehan and the Board of Trustees’ appointment of David McManus to serve as the next chancellor of UMass Chan Medical School,” said Michael F. Collins, MD, senior vice president for the health sciences and chancellor of UMass Chan. “It’s an important moment in the history of an institution when a distinguished alumnus can assume this most important leadership position of his alma mater. I am heartened by Dr. McManus’ selection, and I pledge my full support during and after our transition as his success and the success of UMass Chan remain my foremost and enduring priority.”
“The history of partnership and innovation between UMass Memorial Health and UMass Chan Medical School is unparalleled, guiding generations of clinicians through the journey of learning how to serve others with compassion, excellence, humility and an understanding of what’s possible through innovation. We can’t imagine a more talented and thoughtful leader to undertake the role of chancellor than Dr. David McManus, who has already left an indelible mark on the lives of countless patients throughout Central Massachusetts,” said Eric Dickson, MD, president and CEO of UMass Memorial Health. “I look forward to working with Chancellor McManus to strengthen the ties that bind our institutions to achieve even greater feats for academic medicine and the future of clinical care.”
“Dr. McManus advanced through the process because the search committee saw in him what virtually everyone who works with him sees: a visionary leader who cares deeply about the Medical School and the people it serves”
"After meeting a number of excellent candidates as part of the search process, I am confident Dr. McManus brings exceptional experience and a strong vision for leading UMass Chan in its next chapter. I’m looking forward to strengthening the partnership between UMass Chan and UMass Amherst on behalf of the common good,” said Javier A. Reyes, chancellor of UMass Amherst and member of the search committee.
McManus will succeed Collins, who announced in June 2025 that he would step down from his role as chancellor in June 2026 after serving for nearly 20 years.
At the special Board of Trustees meeting, Meehan said of Collins: “By any measure, UMass Chan has thrived under the leadership of Chancellor Collins. He guided UMass Chan Medical School during a period in which it transformed into one of the very best medical schools in the country for primary care education, for research and for its service to its home state. He has left a lasting mark on this institution and on all the people who learn, teach, discover, research and innovate here.”
About the Search Process
In October 2025, Karam and Meehan appointed a distinguished and broadly representative group of health care professionals, UMass faculty, business leaders, community stakeholders and alumni to lead a comprehensive search for the next chancellor of UMass Chan. Worcester area resident and UMass Trustee David Brunelle, co-founder and managing director of North Pointe Wealth Management, chaired the search committee.
The search committee received input from a wide range of university stakeholders, including community leaders, students, faculty, staff and alumni throughout the search process. National executive search firm Isaacson Miller, which aided in the search process, reviewed more than 100 candidates, and the search committee interviewed the top 10. On Monday, March 30, the search committee unanimously voted to recommend four finalists to Meehan, indicating that all four were qualified and capable to lead the Medical School. One finalist subsequently withdrew from consideration. Meehan organized campus visits for three finalist candidates to solicit feedback from the UMass Chan community before making his recommendation to the Board of Trustees.
