At a glance |
|---|
|
Photo: Faith Ninivaggi
Chancellor David McManus, MD’02, ScM’12, MBA, presented his inaugural Convocation address on Thursday, Sept. 17, laying the groundwork for his administration and setting the direction for UMass Chan Medical School into the future.
Chancellor McManus, who took the helm as the first alumnus to lead the institution in June, proposed a singular mission: “To ascend as one of the great public health sciences institutions in the world and serve as a beacon of the democratic ideals of higher learning.”
“Here at UMass Chan, we possess a rare and powerful combination of advantages: excellence in discovery and translation, an unwavering ambition to be great, and a deep commitment to one another that amplifies our collective strength,” he told the assembly in the Albert Sherman Center Auditorium.
“When UMass Chan decides that something matters, this institution has an extraordinary capacity to make it happen. Our task now is to bring that capacity to the next generation of challenges,” McManus said. “But above all, to be ambitious about the difference that a great public health sciences university can make in the world.”
The Convocation and Investiture proceedings were opened with remarks by 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; and UMass President Marty Meehan, followed by a video message from Governor Maura Healey.
“UMass Chan Medical School is a source of great pride for Massachusetts. From your groundbreaking research and clinical trials to training future doctors, nurses and scientists, UMass Chan is shaping the future of medicine, and that work matters to our entire state,” Gov. Healey said.
The event was attended by city and state leaders, including state Sen. Robyn Kennedy, Worcester Mayor Joe Petty, City Manager Eric Batista and former Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito, as well as University of Massachusetts Board of Trustees Chair Stephen Karam and Trustees David Brunelle, Joseph Sullivan, Betsy Scheibel, Charles Wu, Juana Matias, student representative and MD/PhD student Jayne Vogelzang and former trustee Norm Peters.
Photo: Faith Ninivaggi
UMass Memorial President and CEO Eric Dickson, MD’95, Catherine Jones, MD’93, and senior hospital leadership were also in attendance.
A highlight of the annual ceremony was the announcement of the 2026 recipients of the Chancellor’s Medals for excellence in teaching, scholarship, service and clinical excellence.
Stacy E. Potts, MD, professor of family medicine & community health and senior associate dean for Graduate Medical Education and Clinical Affairs, received the Chancellor’s Medal for Distinguished Teaching. Dr. Potts was invited to present the 2027 Last Lecture, a celebration of teaching, and received the Manning Prize, a $10,000 award established by former UMass Board Chair Robert Manning and his wife, Donna Manning.
“You have shaped the lives and careers of hundreds of aspiring primary care physicians through your generosity, wisdom and unwavering commitment to teaching,” McManus said during his presentation of the medal to Potts.
The Chancellor’s Medal for Distinguished Clinical Excellence was presented to: Jennifer S. Daly, MD, professor of medicine and clinical chief, infectious diseases and immunology, UMass Memorial Health; and Andres Schanzer, MD, the Cutler Chair in Vascular and Endovascular Surgery and professor of surgery.
McManus described Dr. Daly as “a widely respected physician with nearly four decades of exceptional service as an infectious disease consultant and leader of programs that serve our most vulnerable patients.”
“A distinguished infectious disease physician, you have cared for some of our most complex patients,” McManus said. “One of your patients summed it up when he said, ‘Her care is nothing short of outstanding. I can go anywhere I choose, but I will always stay with Dr. Daly.’”
McManus said Dr. Schanzer is “a world-renowned academic surgeon, innovator and mentor who has transformed the field of vascular surgery.”
“Our colleagues say that you are ‘one of the reasons they are proud to come to work.’ You are widely respected, combining clinical excellence with humility and professionalism,” McManus said.
Daly and Schanzer are invited to co-lead the first-year class in the recitation of the Oath of Maimonides at the 2027 White Coat Ceremony.
Zhiping Weng, PhD, the Li Weibo Chair in Biomedical Research and professor and chair of genomics & computational biology, received the Chancellor’s Medal for Distinguished Scholarship.
Photo: Faith Ninivaggi
“A pioneer in deciphering functional elements of the human genome using advanced computational methods, you generate meaning from vast genomics and epigenomics datasets,” McManus said. “Dr. Weng is among the most accomplished and consequential computational biologists of our generation.”
Weng will present the plenary lecture at this fall’s research retreat.
The Chancellor’s Medal for Distinguished Service was awarded to Stephen B. Erban, MD, professor of medicine. A primary care doctor and an informaticist, Dr. Erban was credited with helping to implement the electronic health record, establishing telemedicine in primary care and founding the UMass Chan clinical informatics fellowship.
McManus said of Erban, “You have a unique talent for turning complicated clinical data and technical jargon into tools that actually make day-to-day patient care safer and easier.”
He was invited to carry the Medical School’s ceremonial mace at events throughout the academic year.
McManus said he will present the inaugural Chancellor’s Medal for Distinguished Academic Citizenship at a future event.
The following faculty members were honored and invested as endowed professors:
Andrew R. Tapper, PhD, professor of neurobiology, was appointed to the Brudnick Family Chair in Neuropsychiatry.
Jennifer Wang, MD, professor of medicine, was appointed to the Herman G. Berkman Chair in Diabetes Care Innovation.
Samir Malkani, MD, professor of medicine, has been appointed the inaugural holder of the John P. Mordes, MD, and Regina M. Yando, PhD, Chair in Medicine.
Johanna M. Seddon, MD, ScM, FARVO, FASRS, professor of ophthalmology & visual sciences, director of the Macular Degeneration Center of Excellence and director of the Retina Service at UMass Memorial Eye Center, was appointed the inaugural holder of the Dr. Eileen L. Berman and Stanley I. Berman Foundation Chair in Biomedical Research II.
Edwin D. Boudreaux, PhD, professor of emergency medicine, psychiatry & behavioral sciences, and population & quantitative health sciences; was appointed the inaugural holder of the Dickson Family Chair in Emergency Medicine.
David Michael Dosa, MD, MPH, professor of medicine and chief of the Division of Geriatric Medicine, was appointed the inaugural holder of the Meyers Chair in Geriatric Medicine.
The full Convocation and Investiture ceremony can be seen on the UMass Chan YouTube channel.
