Share this story

UMass Chan community says “good wishes” to Dr. Lavelle

Retiring chair honored for 44 years of service as physician, researcher and teacher

lisa-klein-and-laura-myers

Photo by Robert Carlin Photography 
 
Chancellor Michael F. Collins, right, and Dean Terence R. Flotte, MD, left, congratulate William G. Lavelle, MD, on his retirement as chair of the Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery.

UMass Medical School and UMass Memorial Health Care communities said “good wishes” to William G. Lavelle, MD, professor of otolaryngology, at a reception marking his retirement as chair of the Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery. 

Dr. Lavelle joined the UMMS faculty in 1986 as associate professor and chief of what was then the division of otolaryngology/head & neck surgery. He became chair when the division became a department in its own right in 1995. 

Among many significant appointments, he was president of the Massachusetts Medical Society and chair of the American Hospital Association’s Committee on Hospital Medical Staffs and he served on the boards of the Ear, Nose and Throat Research Foundation, the Boston Medical Library and the northeast section of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

Dr. Lavelle was the chairman of the Group Practice Advisory Board at a pivotal juncture in the creation of UMass Memorial Health Care and the UMass Memorial Medical Group.