UMass Chan Giving

06/02/2026

Gerald Chan, venture capitalist, scientist and philanthropist responsible for the 2021 $175 million transformational gift to UMass Chan Medical School, delivered the Commencement address to a capacity crowd and received an honorary degree on Sunday, May 31.

Read his message to the Class of 2026: https://ow.ly/WAbZ50Z6PGh

05/18/2026

Congratulations to the 2026 UMass ALS Cellucci Fund Boston Marathon team for raising more than $75,000! 🎉

Your dedication and hard work are inspiring. Thank you for your support of ALS research at UMass Chan Medical School!

05/12/2026

Tiffany A. Moore Simas, MD’00, R’04, and her husband, Brett Simas, have established the Moore Simas Family Scholarship at UMass Chan Medical School to support medical students with demonstrated financial need.

Both Central Massachusetts natives, Tiffany and Brett say their gift reflects the profound impact the Medical School has had on their lives, their family and the community.

“UMass Chan has left an indelible mark on our family, and we feel tremendous gratitude,” said Brett. Tiffany added, “I attribute where I am professionally to UMass Chan. I’ve been afforded opportunities at every step in my career as a student, resident, faculty and chair.”

A new scholarship from Tiffany A. Moore Simas, MD’00, R’04, MPH, MEd, MHCM, and her husband Brett Simas, MBA, will ease the financial stress on aspiring physicians at UMass Chan Medical School.

05/05/2026

After losing their 17-year-old son, Patrick, to the aggressive brain cancer glioblastoma, Meg and Michael Halvorsen created a co****le tournament in his honor to support pediatric brain cancer research at UMass Chan Medical School.

This high-energy event, which echoes Patrick’s own spirit of compassion and resilience, helps bring hope to patients and families in Massachusetts and beyond.
https://ow.ly/k2wV50YVh59

04/28/2026

Grateful for the affordable, high-quality medical education that helped launch his distinguished career at the leading edge of new health care technologies—and inspired by UMass Chan’s enduring focus on primary care—Mark A. Goldberg, MD’86, and his wife, Nancy, are giving back.

Their new scholarship will bring financial assistance to deserving medical students, empowering them to pursue their chosen paths in medicine with less concern about educational debt. https://ow.ly/NWPP50YRjwI

UMass Chan Medical School

Mark A. Goldberg, MD’86, and his wife, Nancy E. Goldberg, of Lexington, recently endowed a scholarship at UMass Chan Medical School to help offset the cost of tuition for students pursuing medicine.

04/22/2026

We hope to see you at this year's UMass Cancer Walk on Sunday, Sept. 27 at Polar Park. Register today!

Registration is now open for this year’s UMass Cancer Walk!

Join us Sunday, Sept. 27 at Polar Park—go solo or gather your superhero team for a joyful day that celebrates the heart of our community.

Every dollar raised supports cancer research and clinical trials at UMass Chan Medical School and stays 100 percent local.

Register now: https://ow.ly/wbcE50YKvaY

04/14/2026

Ahnyia Sanders, second-year student in the T.H. Chan School of Medicine, is deeply committed to supporting women of color as they navigate pregnancy and the postpartum period.

Thanks to a 2025 Remillard Family Community Service Fund award, she is able to work with that population to improve health outcomes.

Her Remillard project, Prenatal Breastfeeding Education, addresses the No. 1 barrier to sustained, exclusive breastfeeding—a lack of prenatal education—and aims to increase breastfeeding initiation and duration rates among Black families in Worcester, which, according to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, are among the lowest in the state.

The second-year student is deeply committed to supporting women of color as they navigate pregnancy and the postpartum period.

04/07/2026

Congratulations, Dr. McManus!

UMass President Marty Meehan just announced that David McManus, MD’02, MSc’12, will be the next chancellor of UMass Chan Medical School: https://direc.to/o2A_

Dr. McManus, the Richard M. Haidack Professor in Medicine, chair and professor of medicine, will succeed Chancellor Michael F. Collins in July after Collins retires as chancellor.

Congratulations!

03/31/2026

The Hall Family Global Nursing Fund is supporting meaningful global connections for UMass Chan nursing students.

The Hall Family Global Nursing Fund sponsored a nursing panel last week that connected students in their first year of the DNP program at UMass Chan with BSN students at the American University of Armenia.

A student-led panel discussion emphasized how nursing education shapes practice, advances the quality of health care and strengthens communication across the health care team.

The Hall Family Global Nursing Fund, established with a gift from Kimberly Hall, FNP, DNP’19, her husband Bruce Hall, and their children, supports travel expenses and stipends for UMass Chan nursing students engaged in global health programs. Read about global health initiatives here: https://direc.to/o8vz

03/24/2026

Rhea Kukkal and Jenna Patel, fourth-year medical students in the T.H. Chan School of Medicine, have spent their final year at UMass Chan Medical School creating a handbook for patients who have recently arrived in the country to aid them in accessing and navigating the health care system in the Worcester area.

Their project, Bridging the Gap, was one of 11 funded by a 2025 Remillard Family Community Service Fund grant supporting projects that address social determinants of health, equity and affordable access to care.

The project is supported by a 2025 Remillard Family Community Service Fund grant.