Chair's Corner

Dear Colleagues,

Chilly mornings are giving way more frequently to warmer spring days and signs that the academic year is soon coming to a close are popping up on our calendars and around campus. The piles of dirt and dump trucks that have been a fixture on campus over the last couple of years have given way to beautiful, freshly laid grass, with the towering New Education and Research Building adding a new silhouette to the shadows cast across the lawn—all in time for this year’s commencement.  

I am thrilled to share that four of our faculty were recently honored at the UMass Chan Educational Recognition Awards, one of the first end-of-the-year ceremonies, that were held on April 25. Among the awardees were Dr. Read Pukkila-Worley, honored with the Dean’s Award for Outstanding Faculty Contributions to Graduate Education; Dr. Ann Moorman, honored with the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Mentoring; Dr. Mara Meyer-Epstein, honored with an Educational Achievement Award in the T.H. Chan School of Medicine; Dr. Megan Orzalli, honored with the Faculty Award for Outstanding Research Mentoring and Commitment to Student Professional Advancement; and Dr. Jennifer Kodela, honored with the Fellow Award for Excellence in Medical Student Education. Congratulations to all of our stellar faculty educators!

This month, I am also pleased to highlight the work of Dr. Madona Azar, of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism, as our May Chair’s Spotlight. She will also receive a Faculty Citizen Award at our upcoming Department of Medicine Town Hall. Dr. Azar’s innovative and collaborative approach to patient care is exemplary. I encourage you to read about her work here and in this month’s Connect newsletter. Later this month, we will also be pleased to feature the work of Dr. Stefania Gallucci of Innate Immunity in our Researcher Spotlight on May 15. Dr. Gallucci’s research focuses on innate immune responses in host defense and autoimmunity.  

Please mark your calendar and plan on attending the Spring DoM Town Hall on May 13 at noon. Also, remember to check out Monday morning’s DOMCOMM: Need to Know, On the Go newsletter for a comprehensive list of upcoming events. There are a lot of important events happening across the Department of Medicine and our institutions over the next month that you don’t want to miss! 

Sincerely,
Dave 
 

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