Voices of UMass Chan

In a new Voices of UMass Chan podcast, Crista Johnson-Agbakwu, MD, professor of obstetrics & gynecology and population & quantitative health sciences and executive director of the UMass Chan Collaborative in Health Equity, shares her journey from a first-generation Caribbean immigrant to accomplished physician and health equity advocate.

Chancellor Michael F. Collins kicked off a new Voices of UMass Chan podcast season by highlighting the growth and future of UMass Chan Medical School and how it is shaping the future of health care.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, PhD, director general of the World Health Organization, delivered the keynote address and received an honorary degree when UMass Chan Medical School celebrated the opening of the new education and research building. Listen to his speech.

Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey delivered the Commencement address at UMass Chan Medical School on June 2. She celebrated the Classes of 2024 from the Tan Chingfen Graduate School of Nursing, the Morningside Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and the T.H. Chan School of Medicine. Gov. Healey was presented with a Chancellor’s Medal prior to her speech. Listen to the full speech in the podcast. Read more about Commencement: https://www.umassmed.edu/news/news-archives/2024/06/massachusetts-gov.-healey-to-umass-chan-grads-we-need-you-now-more-than-ever

In the latest episode of Voices of UMass Chan, Cherise Hamblin, MD, delves into the critical topic of black maternal health and the significance of Black Maternal Health Week at UMass Chan Medical School. For a full list of events with registration information, head to the following link: https://www.umassmed.edu/news/news-archives/2024/03/black-maternal-health-week-at-umass-chan-to-address-disparities/

Margret Chang, MD, assistant professor of medicine and pediatrics and director of resident addiction curriculum in the Internal Medicine Residency Program at UMass Chan Medical School, and her team at Tri-River Family Health Center in Uxbridge have developed an addiction treatment program in the primary care setting. In a new Voices of UMass Chan podcast, Dr. Chang explains how their team-based approach, which includes a dedicated nurse who helps with outreach and focuses on providing a high level of engagement, could serve as model to help bridge the gap in addiction treatment for millions of patients.

In a new Voices of UMass Chan podcast, John P. Haran, MD’07, PhD’18, and Ethan Loew, MD/PhD student, shed light on their ongoing research to better understand the connection between the gut microbiome and cognitive health, particularly how it impacts older people. For more information on the study, go to: https://www.umassmed.edu/haranresearchgroup/ You can also reach the research team via email: umass.emresearch@gmail.com

In a new Voices of UMass Chan podcast, Marcus Ruscetti, PhD, assistant professor of molecular, cell & cancer biology, shares his journey into the field of science. Dr. Ruscetti’s parents, Frank and Sandy Ruscetti, are retired scientists from the National Cancer Institute, and he said he initially tried not to follow in their footsteps. Learn more about his work: https://www.umassmed.edu/ruscettilab/

The Center for Accelerating Practices to End Suicide through Technology Translation (CAPES) at UMass Chan is focused on figuring out how to accelerate best practices into clinical care across a range of health care settings. Learn more at umassmed.edu/news

In a new Voices of UMass Chan podcast episode, learn about the new accelerated three-year MD Program at UMass Chan Medical School. Medical students interested in enrolling in the program can find out more info at: https://www.umassmed.edu/som/academics/aMD-AcceleratedMD/

Palliative care expert Sunita Puri, MD, associate professor of medicine, delves into the complexities surrounding cardiopulmonary resuscitation, or CPR. Drawing from her extensive experience in the field of palliative care, Dr. Puri sheds light on the hidden harms of CPR and challenges prevailing beliefs. Read about her recent article in The New Yorker for further insights into the complexities of CPR in palliative care: https://www.newyorker.com/news/the-weekend-essay/the-hidden-harms-of-cpr Read about Dr. Puri's book, "That Good Night: Life and Medicine in the Eleventh Hour.”: https://sunitapuri.com/bio/.

David McManus, MD’02, MSc and Neil Marya, MD’12, discuss how artificial intelligence will impact the field of medicine and research.

In a new Voices of UMass Chan podcast episode, Grace Ryan, PhD, assistant professor of population & quantitative health sciences, discusses her research into vaccine hesitancy, particularly the parallels between the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) and COVID-19 vaccines rollout.

Chancellor Michael F. Collins kicked off the first episode of a new Voices of UMass Chan podcast season days after he welcomed UMass Chan Medical School’s largest medical school class in history. In the podcast, Collins sheds light on UMass Chan’s milestones and its pursuit of excellence as the community advances together.

Katie Couric, former host of NBC’s Today show and anchor of CBS Evening News, and co-founder of cancer research charity Stand Up To Cancer, was presented with an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree and delivered the Commencement address for the 50th Commencement at UMass Chan Medical School. Watch the full UMass Chan Commencement on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dTcvQOMqp0 Watch a video about honorary degree recipient Katie Couric: https://www.umassmed.edu/news/news-archives/2023/06/video-learn-more-about-umass-chan-2023-honorary-degree-recipients/