The Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce is celebrating a longtime UMass Chan Medical School educator at its Diverse Professionals Roundtable annual recognition and networking event on Sept. 19.
Robert E. Layne, MEd, assistant dean for outreach programs and director of the Worcester Pipeline Collaborative, is receiving the BIPOC Community Leader Award from the Diverse Professionals Roundtable, a Chamber of Commerce program designed to support the development of professional and personal relationships among senior leaders of racial and ethnic diversity in Central Massachusetts.
The BIPOC Community Leader Award is given to an individual who is a professional of color and has demonstrated leadership qualities and commitment to support the community in the Worcester region.
“I am really thrilled and pleasantly surprised. The fact that an organization outside of the UMass Chan community recognizes the work that we do here for the Worcester community is quite an honor,” Layne said.
Layne has directed outreach programs at UMass Chan since 1996. He oversees the High School Health Careers Program and the Summer Enrichment Program, two of several programs at UMass Chan designed to encourage, educate and challenge young people from backgrounds underrepresented in medicine to consider and successfully pursue careers in science and health care fields.
“I don’t do this work alone. We have a team here that works with me, and we provide students opportunities and give them a boost up and the tools to move forward,” Layne said.
In 2023, Layne received the Chancellor’s Award for Advancing Institutional Excellence in Diversity and Inclusion.
