In 2024, UMass Chan Medical School celebrated its second Nobel Laureate, opened the new education and research building and welcomed the first medical students to the new regional campus in Burlington.
UMass Chan made global headlines in October when Victor R. Ambros, PhD, the Silverman Chair in Natural Sciences and professor of molecular medicine, was named the co-recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Dr. Ambros and his longtime collaborator, Gary B. Ruvkun, PhD, of Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School travelled to Stockholm to receive their awards in December.
World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, PhD, visited Worcester in June for the ribbon cutting ceremony for the 350,000-square-foot new education and research building, designed to maximize collaboration in areas such as gene therapy, the neurosciences and molecular medicine. Dr. Tedros, as he is known, delivered the keynote address and received an honorary Doctor of Science degree.
Also in June, Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey delivered the Commencement address to students from the Tan Chingfen Graduate School of Nursing, the Morningside Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and the T.H. Chan School of Medicine, which was ranked in July as the best medical school in the Northeast for primary care education by U.S. News and World Report.
The T.H. Chan School of Medicine’s largest class, 235 strong, arrived in August, with 32 students enrolled in the new LEAD@Lahey track, which has a special emphasis on leadership, health systems science and interprofessional education. UMass Chan-Lahey students spend time in Worcester and at Lahey Hospital & Medical Center in Burlington.
Additionally, UMass Chan was named one of The Boston Globe’s Top Places to Work for the third consecutive year in December; faculty, staff and students give back to the community, racking up 1,800 hours through the UMass Chan Cares Volunteer Initiative; and more than 2,000 people participated in the 26th annual UMass Cancer Walk presented by Harr Toyota, which raised more than $650,000 for cancer research. Also in 2024, the Diversity and Inclusion Office hosted the campus’s first Community Baby Shower, expanded the Summer Learning Opportunity and held its annual Diversity Summit.
Watch the year in review video above. A version with audio description is available here.
