UMass Chan community members commended for compassionate care; 41 inducted into Gold Humanism Honor Society

On Wednesday, May 27, the UMass Chan Medical School chapter of the Gold Humanism Honor Society inducted 41 members who have demonstrated compassionate, patient-centered care. The new inductees include 31 MD and MD/PhD students from the Class of 2027, six residents, and four faculty members. As is the tradition, a graduating student was also honored during the induction ceremony, which was held in the Albert Sherman Center Auditorium.

Hugh J. Silk, MD, MPH, professor of family medicine & community health and the chapter’s co-advisor, noted in welcome remarks that membership can’t exceed 15 percent of the class, and that it is the class who rates their classmates in four categories (person, team, family and community) before candidates move to the next stage in the selection process.

“I think it's truly a wonderful thing to be recognized by your peers,” Chancellor Michael F. Collins said during his opening remarks.

Michael C. Ennis, MD, professor of family medicine & community health and the chapter’s co-advisor presented the student Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award to Sara Buscher, a member of the T.H. Chan School of Medicine Class of 2026 who will begin her residency in pediatrics at Massachusetts General Hospital. The faculty winner of the Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award, James Carroll Jr., MD, delivered an emotional keynote address.

“The world of patient care appears radically different than it did 10 years ago, especially with the materialization of so many obstacles to humanism: obstacles to compassion, empathy, kindness, expertise, critical thinkers,” said Dr. Carroll, a 2018 inductee. “Learn the first names of your unit administrators, talk to the maintenance team, fill out surveys for the IT staff, say good night and thank you to the staff every single time you leave. It all adds up.”

Carroll began his remarks by acknowledging his mentors, as well as his wife, Kavita Babu, MD, former professor of emergency medicine and the 2024 recipient of the Faculty Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award.

During the pinning portion of the ceremony, GHHS members in the Class of 2026 introduced each inductee in the Class of 2027 by sharing why they were chosen to join the honor society. Many of the inductees are student leaders in the Worcester Free Care Collaborative; others were recognized for their advocacy in the refugee community and hands-only CPR education. The student inductees then pinned the residents and faculty members they selected for induction based on their experiences during clerkships and rotations.

In his closing remarks, Terence R. Flotte, MD, the Elisabeth Chair for the Dean of Medicine, executive deputy chancellor, provost and dean of the T.H. Chan School of Medicine, shared the history of the Gold Humanism Honor Society. Founded in 2002, the society is a signature program of the Arnold P. Gold Foundation, an international nonprofit committed to fostering and maintaining a culture of compassion, caring and respect in health care. The Gold Foundation is named after Arnold P. Gold, MD, a pediatric neurologist.

“The induction is a call to action—a call to continue in your careers to do the good work that is an essential element of being a caring physician,” Dean Flotte said.

UMass Chan’s newest GHHS inductees are: