Welcome to the University of Massachusetts Medical School!

Michael F. Collins, MD, FACP
University of Massachusetts Senior Vice President for the Health Sciences and UMass Medical School Chancellor, Clinical Professor of Medicine

Welcome to the University of Massachusetts Medical School, the commonwealth's only public medical school. We are proud of our role in serving the people of Massachusetts and excited about our mission of real-world impact in health sciences education, research and public service. As this institution has grown to national – and international – prominence, we’ve found new opportunities to train tomorrow’s physicians, nurses and scientists,  discover causes of and cures for disease and help improve the quality of health care. And with our clinical partner, UMass Memorial Health Care, and our other teaching affiliates, we share a deep commitment to national distinction in patient care. These varied parts of our mission are complementary and inseparable.

The University of Massachusetts Medical School's (UMMS) educational mission stems from the origin of its founding in 1962: to provide affordable, high-quality medical education to qualified residents of the commonwealth. With that goal as its cornerstone, UMMS' educational mission has expanded to include residency and fellowship training, graduate education in nursing and the biomedical sciences, training in allied health professions and continuing education for health care practitioners.

We welcome the responsibilities we face in caring for the needs of the people of Massachusetts. We meet these challenges by providing clinical staff for public and private institutions, emphasizing training in the primary care specialties and encouraging graduates to practice in the state's underserved areas. Our excellence in primary care education is reflected in the Medical School's perennial ranking as one of America's Best Graduate Schools by U.S.News & World Report.

Our students are highly motivated, intelligent and compassionate. They volunteer to work with community organizations and are fully imbued with the school's commitment to public service. Our faculty have developed a curriculum designed to stimulate and support students in the acquisition of advanced knowledge and skills, while instilling compassionate attitudes and values so that they may best serve their patients.  In the basic sciences,  the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences is a key resource for training the next generation of biomedical researchers; our Graduate School of Nursing promotes nursing leadership in a dynamic interdisciplinary environment.

UMMS is known around the world. From the work of Nobel Laureate Craig C. Mello, PhD, new vistas of biomedical discovery are on the horizon, and Dr. Mello and his colleagues here are hard at work in exploring them. Our new initiatives in translational science and clinical research will help change how medicine is practiced and care is delivered.  

In all that we do, we place the highest priority on respect for the dignity and diversity of the members of the Medical School community - patients, students, faculty, employees and volunteers. We are committed to supporting  professional, intellectual and emotional growth so all may have the opportunity to fulfill their potential and achieve their goals.

October 2007