UMass Chan Giving

12/23/2025

UMass Chan has two new endowed chairs, made possible by the generosity of the Meyers Primary Care Institute, Inc. and Mrs. Betty Brudnick.

The UMass Board of Trustees voted to approve the establishment of the Meyers Chair in Geriatric Medicine and the Brudnick Family Chair in Neuropsychiatry.

12/16/2025

Accentuating an extraordinary career in public service, Carolyn Clancy, MD’79—recent recipient of an honorary degree from UMass Chan Medical School—has established a scholarship alongside her husband, Bill Kaplan, to help medical students at UMass Chan pursue their own dreams of serving others through compassionate health care.

In addition to the recent gift, Dr. Clancy and her husband have included UMass Chan in their estate plans, with a generous bequest intended to fully support the tuition of multiple in-state medical students in the future—a profound legacy that will help shape the future health care workforce.

Accentuating an extraordinary career in public service, Carolyn Clancy, MD’79 has established a scholarship alongside her husband, Bill Kaplan, to help medical students at UMass Chan pursue their own dreams of serving others through compassionate health care.

12/02/2025

Today is ! 💙

Your generosity makes a difference. When you give to UMass Chan Medical School, you help advance groundbreaking research and train the next generation of health care leaders.

Every gift—big or small—fuels discoveries that improve lives and strengthens our mission to create a healthier future for all.

Join us and make an impact today: https://ow.ly/seEk50XAkuT

11/21/2025

Firefighters face unique physical and mental health risks.

UMass Chan Medical School and the Last Call Foundation are working together to bridge the gap between care providers and the fire service through research, education and advocacy.

“By building knowledge that can be replicated and serve as a model for others, there’s potential for monumental change in the fire service,” said Jason Burns, executive director of the Last Call Foundation and a Fall River firefighter. https://www.umassmed.edu/giving/impact/stories-of-giving/2025/05/last-call-foundation/

While firefighters risk their lives each day on the job responding to emergencies, they also face long-term health risks due to repeated exposure to toxic chemicals and other hazards. To help care providers better recognize, understand and treat the distinct physical and mental health impacts of the...

11/13/2025

We recently spoke with Jane Lizotte, who initiated Shrewsbury’s Turkey Trot for the Memory in honor of her father, the Honorable Francis P. O'Connor, following his passing from Alzheimer’s disease in 2007.

A generous portion of funds raised through the 2024 event are supporting the research of Honghuang Lin, PhD, professor of medicine and co-director of the Program in Digital Medicine at UMass Chan Medical School.

Learn more about this growing Thanksgiving tradition and how it unites a community to take a stand against Alzheimer’s disease.

Since 2011, Shrewsbury’s Turkey Trot for the Memory has united the local community on Thanksgiving morning to run or walk in support of people and families facing Alzheimer's disease.

10/29/2025

Jean A. Frazier, MD, immediate past executive director of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver Center at UMass Chan, has dedicated her career to improving the lives of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, autism and behavioral health disorders—work inspired by her beloved sister, Carol.

To honor Carol’s life and Dr. Frazier’s legacy, the Carol Frazier Fund has been established to support the Shriver Center’s vision of advancing inclusion, wellness and opportunity for people with disabilities.

Learn more: https://ow.ly/UYCq50Xk2lb

UMass Chan Medical School Shriver Center/UMass Chan Medical School

The Carol Frazier Fund offers a flexible, ongoing stream of support to advance the Shriver Center’s vision of maximizing inclusion, freedom and wellness for people with disabilities, under the guidance of the executive director.

10/21/2025

Joan Vitello-Cicciu, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, FAHA, FAAN, dean of the Tan Chingfen Graduate School of Nursing, has established a new award in memory of her late husband, Gerald (Jerry) Cicciu, a lifelong supporter of nurses and innovator in medical device sales and development.

The Cicciu Nursing Excellence in Interprofessional Leadership Award will recognize an outstanding master’s level nursing student at UMass Chan Medical School who has demonstrated leadership skills within an interprofessional context.

As the only nursing school in Massachusetts embedded within a medical school, the Tan Chingfen Graduate School of Nursing is uniquely positioned to prepare nurses to lead interprofessional teams and shape the future of health care.

Learn more about the award and the inspiring story behind it.
https://ow.ly/QGyr50XfOFP

10/15/2025

The Department of Family Medicine & Community Health at UMass Chan Medical School is celebrating its 50th anniversary—and an impactful legacy in family medicine education and patient-centered primary care.

Illuminating the milestone year is a new fund honoring the department’s former chair, Daniel H. Lasser, MD, MPH, which will boost efforts to train the next generation of family physicians and pursue innovations in medical education and practice.

The department was the first of its kind in New England and a founding department at the Medical School, with a massive educational footprint that has left an indelible mark on primary care in Massachusetts.

Of the more than 2,500 active licensed family physicians in Massachusetts, one in five completed their medical education at UMass Chan, touching the lives of countless individuals and families throughout the commonwealth.

Read more about the department’s extraordinary legacy: https://www.umassmed.edu/giving/impact/stories-of-giving/2025/05/family-medicine-50th-anniversary-and-lasser-fund/

10/03/2025

The Central Massachusetts community filled Polar Park on Sunday, Sept. 28, for the 27th annual UMass Cancer Walk. Thousands of participants gathered to honor loved ones, celebrate survivors and raise vital funds to directly sustain cancer research and clinical trials at UMass Chan.

The 27th annual UMass Cancer Walk at Polar Park raised more than $450,000 to support cancer research and clinical trials at UMass Chan.

09/19/2025

Nine faculty members were honored and invested as endowed professors at UMass Chan Medical School's annual Convocation and Investiture ceremony.

Four faculty members were honored with chancellor's medals at the annual Convocation and Investiture ceremony.

09/03/2025

The Angel Fund for ALS Research "is like a backbone and not just financially, but also by creating awareness and all these community outreach events that they do. We’re so incredibly grateful for their support,” said PhD student Sushmita Nayak in this video highlighting ALS research at UMass Chan.

08/19/2025

The Gates Foundation is awarding UMass Chan Medical School faculty $3 million to conduct research aimed at improving pregnancy outcomes and gut health in women from low- and middle-income countries.

The two awards will help fund research aimed at improving pregnancy outcomes in women from low- and middle-income countries.