Lois Green remembered at UMMS for involvement on many fronts
A bastion of the Worcester community for decades, longtime benefactor and educator Lois B. Green, MPA, lost her battle with cancer at age 80 on Saturday, Dec. 18. Along with the countless individuals and institutions whose lives she enriched, the UMass Medical School community remembers Green for her indefatigable energy, enthusiasm and generosity. A longtime friend and supporter of the Medical School and its clinical partner, UMass Memorial Health Care, Green’s legacy will live on through her significant contributions to their shared missions of research, clinical care, education and public service.
Above and beyond providing considerable philanthropic support to UMMS and UMass Memorial, Green enriched the education of medical and nursing students as an instructor in family medicine & community health. She received numerous accolades and honors—including an honorary doctorate from UMMS in 2002. But Green was especially proud of being named the first director of the Medical School’s Geriatric Community Clerkship. In that role, she introduced medical students to the community services available to help the elderly. She often remained in contact with students for years after.
“Lois was a dedicated teacher to many generations of our students,” said Michele Pugnaire, MD, senior associate dean for educational affairs. “She was a personal friend and role model to many.”
When she was guest speaker at the 2005 Women’s Faculty Awards luncheon, Green explained her commitment to numerous voluntary leadership roles, saying, “Important decisions demand that relationships are built and teamwork applied. Women value these components and bring them to the table.” Herself a cancer patient when she participated in the 7th annual Walk to Cure Cancer in 2005, she characteristically deflected the spotlight to others. After walking miles to raise money despite being in the middle of chemotherapy and radiation treatment, Green said, “Looking at the crowd here today I am so proud to live in a community where everyone gives so much." Upon her passing, the UMass Medical School is equally proud that someone who gave so much of herself was, and will continue to be through her ongoing legacy, a member of our community.
In 2009, Green published her memoir, The Last Chapter, after learning that her recurrent breast cancer was untreatable.
