Newsletter

It is an honor to serve as Interim Chair of Ophthalmology since April and as Director of the Residency Program since June 2023. I appreciate everyone who works in the Eye Center - technicians, staff, faculty and residents.

 Seven years ago, I was given the opportunity to have oversight responsibilities of the Ophthalmology Clinic. At the same time, the search for a new department chair was underway and the clinic manager was transitioning to retirement.

I am delighted to share with you our new UMass Insight Newsletter, Summer 2022 edition. Shlomit Schaal, MD, PhD, MHCM

I am delighted to share with you our new UMass InSight Newsletter, Winter 2022 edition. Shlomit Schaal, MD, PhD, MHCM

I am delighted to share with you our new UMass InSight newsletter, summer 2021 edition.

My name is Brian Gibbs and I was recently recruited to serve as Vice President and Chief Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Officer for UMass Memorial Health Care.

The UMass Memorial Board of Trustees and I commend you on the dedication and empathy you’ve shown to your patients and colleagues during this crisis. We know the daily sacrifices you’ve been making and couldn’t be prouder. The Eye Team rocks!

Our patients, community and caregivers can all be very grateful for your commitments to excellence and exceptional teamwork that have resulted in many outstanding improvements over the last several years. You’re simply amazing!

Looking at the UMass Memorial Eye Center (no pun intended!), I see a team that has developed into a highly effective group of caregivers. It’s an accomplishment that has made you exemplary no matter the challenge — whether it’s onboarding new team members, serving your many patients as you grow, or working across the many sites you’ve expanded to.

At this time of year when family and gratitude are foremost in our minds and in our holiday celebrations, I humbly urge you to take a moment to reflect on the unique qualities of physician/patient relationships. Our patients come to us seeking good health, comfort and expertise.

It is with great admiration and pride that I have watched the growth and success of the Department of Ophthalmology and the UMass Memorial Eye Center over the past couple of years. A new dynamism and energy has been instilled which, I believe is directly attributable to the influence of Dr. Shlomit Schaal, the Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences.

I am exceptionally proud of the accomplishments that our caregivers from the UMass Memorial Eye Center have achieved this past year. It has been a year marked with growth and transformation for the Eye Center.

The UMass Chan Medical School (UMMS) looks forward with great anticipation to the ongoing growth and maturation of the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, under the leadership of Shlomit Schaal, MD, PhD, our dynamic new Chair.

You are receiving this first edition of the UMass Insight (UMI) newsletter, because of your valuable support of our Department’s mission. In this new quarterly newsletter, we highlight events and progress within the Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences at the UMass Chan Medical School.