Founding chief of vascular surgery at UMass Chan deepens his legacy through endowed chair

As an esteemed professor of surgery emeritus and founding chief of the Division of Vascular Surgery, Bruce Cutler, MD, has built an enduring legacy at UMass Chan Medical School, well-known among the division for his fierce commitment to providing the highest standard of patient-centered care. Now, Dr. Cutler’s decadeslong connection to UMass Chan has evolved to cherished benefactor, alongside his wife, Kim, with the establishment of the Cutler Chair in Vascular and Endovascular Surgery. 

Dr. Cutler recalls his first visit to the site that would soon become UMass Chan Medical School’s main campus in Worcester.

“It was in 1960,” said Dr. Cutler. “I rowed crew in college, and in 1960 the Eastern Sprints were held on Lake Quinsigamond for the first time. My parents came to watch the rowing and had a picnic lunch while sitting in a field where the power station parking lot is now located. Little did I think at the time, that 14 years later I would begin a 36-year career at the same location.” 

But first, Dr. Cutler would earn his medical degree at Harvard Medical School, followed by an internship and residency at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). His training was interrupted by service in Vietnam, where he was commanding officer of a medical battalion (MASH Hospital) and where he was awarded two Bronze Stars and two Air Medals. He was later assigned to the surgical staff at Kirk Army Hospital in Aberdeen, Maryland, before returning to MGH to complete his surgical residency. A fellowship in vascular surgery at Baylor University  Medical Center followed.

Dr. Cutler was recruited to UMass Chan in 1974 by H. Brownell Wheeler, MD, the founding chair of surgery. At the time, vascular surgery was a new surgical specialty, and Dr. Wheeler gave Dr. Cutler the exciting opportunity to build a new division in this emerging field.

Under Dr. Cutler’s direction, vascular surgery at UMass Chan developed into a highly regarded division that trains leaders in vascular care and innovates through research. He is widely remembered as an exceptionally dedicated physician who put the well-being of his patients above all else.

“I am especially proud of the Division of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery’s commitment to education,” he said. “In addition to teaching clinical vascular surgery to medical students and surgical residents, the division has offered post-graduate training in vascular surgery since 1983, when it was one of the first programs to be certified by the American Board of Surgery. Since its inception, we have trained over 40 vascular surgeons who have gone on to practice across the country, with a few coming back to UMass Chan.”

Retiring in 2010, Dr. Cutler continues to be actively involved in the Medical School as a member of the admissions committee, a role he deeply values. 

Together with his wife, Kim, a graphic artist and potter, the Cutlers established the Cutler Chair in Vascular and Endovascular Surgery. Their generosity brings an invaluable source of discretionary funding to the Division of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery which, at the chief’s direction, may be used to turn bright ideas into research projects, sponsor unique educational experiences for motivated learners and faculty, or launch new initiatives to improve patient care. 

The inaugural Cutler chair is held by Andres Schanzer, MD, professor of surgery and population & quantitative health sciences and chief of the Division of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery.

“This gift is transformational and reflects a key inflection point for the division that Bruce worked so hard to establish, build and grow over his career here,” said Dr. Schanzer. “It is already allowing us to move the division forward in ways that are simply not possible without the funds that come with a gift like this. From my perspective as a leader of our division, having an endowed chair was our most critical unmet need, and the Cutler family has so generously stepped up to meet this need. The impact has been immediate and enormous, allowing us to remain laser-focused on achieving our goal to be an academic center of excellence that transforms the understanding and treatment of vascular disease.”

Said Dr. Cutler, “Our gift is one of gratitude to the Medical School and to the many faculty, staff and students who served to make my career at UMass Chan so satisfying.”