The UMass Chan Medical School community is preparing for the official start of the academic year with convocation events taking place from 12-16 September. A ceremonial closing beam for the new teaching and research building under construction on campus.
Events will take place in the Albert Sherman Center Auditorium and do not require registration unless otherwise noted.
Celebrations begin at 3 p.m. on Monday, September 12, with the LGBT community’s 10th annual Welcome Celebration, sponsored by the Office of Diversity and Inclusion. Virtual event features David J Zelaya, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Behavioral and Social Sciences at Brown University and Research Fellow at Harvard University. Research focus of Dr. Zelaya examines health disparities between blacks, indigenous people, and people of color. sexual and gender minority communities and links to HIV risk; Psychological health; and drug abuse. He is interested in providing culturally relevant behavioral health services to historically disadvantaged communities. click over here To register for the event.
Also on September 12, their Nursing Pins will be ceremoniously presented to students of the Tan Chengfen Graduate School of Nursing in the Graduate Entry Path Program (GEP) and welcomed into the nursing community by campus leaders. The program starts at 6 pm
The GEP, for individuals with baccalaureate degrees in fields other than nursing, leads first to a registered nurse license and then to advanced nursing specialties. The installation ceremony symbolizes completion of the courses required to take the licensing exam.
At 5 p.m. on Tuesday, September 13, white coats will be presented to second-year Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) students from the Tan Graduate School of Nursing entering their clinical years during the Transition to Clinical Practice ceremony. The white coat is a symbol of humanity, cooperation, and scientific excellence in healthcare. The School’s Nursing White Coat Ceremony was held on June 2, during the Grants and Awards Ceremony.
Members of the UMass Chan scientific community will meet at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, September 13, as the Morningside Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences recognizes their colleagues’ future accomplishments. This event salutes students who have successfully completed their qualifying exam, which represents a milestone in the educational and professional development of graduate students in Basic Sciences and Clinical Research: moving from classroom-based learning to a PhD candidacy.
On Thursday, September 14, starting at 4 p.m., Chancellor Michael F. Collins letter of invitation to the UMass Chan community at a faculty celebration. The Chancellor’s Medals for Distinguished Education, Distinguished Scholarship, Distinguished Service, and Outstanding Clinical Excellence will be presented.
The following faculty members will be honored and invested as named professors, and donors who have been awarded positions, will be honored immediately upon convocation:
Celia A. Schaeffer, Ph.D.Chair and Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biotechnology, is the new recipient of the Arthur F. and Helen P. Koskinas Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biotechnology. Dr. Schaeffer’s lab is an activity center focused on studying the molecular basis of drug resistance in viruses. Through this research, I have developed a new paradigm for avoiding drug resistance in structure-based drug design that has the potential to translate to other diseases.
Alan C. Mullen, MD, Ph.D.Professor of Medicine and Academic Head of Gastroenterology, has also been invested Mary C. DeFeudis Chair in Biomedical Research. Dr. Mullen is a nationally recognized physician, scientist, and thought leader in the field of hepatology. His research helps clarify therapeutic targets to prevent the development of liver cancer.
Jane B. Lawrence, Ph.D.Professor of Neurology and Pediatrics, to Leo b. Theresa M. Lachance Chair in Medical Research. Dr. Lawrence is an internationally recognized leader in the field of epigenetics, chromosomal regulation, and non-coding RNA. Her work has advanced research in the developmental pathology of Down syndrome, and opened new avenues for translational research.
Roberto Cariccio, MDProfessor of Medicine and Head of the Division of Rheumatology in the Department of Medicine, was appointed to Myles J McDonough Rheumatology Chair. Dr. Caricchio is a highly reputed academic rheumatologist, newly appointed to UMass Chan, who is nationally recognized as an expert in lupus. Also, while he was a core member of the COVID-19 response team at Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia, he led the development of a new strategic therapeutic approach to treating patients with a cellular storm caused by COVID-19.
Michelle A. Kelleher, Ph.D.Professor of Molecular and Cellular Biology and Cancer and Co-Leader of the Cancer Genetics Program, is the holder of the first prize Danny Fund Chair for Cancer in Biomedical Research 1. Dr. Kelleher’s academic pursuits are in keeping with her long-standing interest in the formation and promotion of leukemia. As a graduate student, she developed a mouse model of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) that is widely used today and as a postdoctoral fellow she was the first to demonstrate that TAL1 is an oncogenic and causes leukemia in mice. Her research focuses on oncogene-mediated leukemic transformation, drug resistance, and relapse in pediatric T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL). Her research also focuses on how cell death contributes to inflammatory and autoimmune diseases.
Eric Berecke, Ph.D.Professor of Molecular and Cell Biology and Cancer, is the inaugural owner Danny Fund Chair for Cancer in Biomedical Research II. Dr. Birke’s research focuses on autophagy, the complex and regulated process by which cells degrade and recycle their components. His collaborative research has shown how autophagy works in animal cells and how genes that encode regulators of this cellular process change in cancer and other diseases.
The week of celebration concludes with the TH Chan School of Medicine’s White Coats Party at 2 p.m., Friday, September 16, at the Hannover Theatre. The event emphasizes the importance of both scientific excellence and compassionate patient care. Disguising incoming students in the white coat by two individuals - an individual important to the student’s personal or professional development and the student’s learning community mentor - is a hands-on experience emphasizing the process of interconnectedness and growth in the new order students are about to enter.
Janis Lalikos, MD, recipient of the Chancellor’s Medal for Distinguished Clinical Excellence in 2021, will give the keynote speech. Tickets for the White Coat Concert can be obtained through the Student Life Office.
LGBT Conference Welcome Celebration will be held on Zoom; All other events will be streamed on UMass Chan YouTube Channel.
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Opening Donna M and Robert J Manning chairs celebrated at a private inauguration
Eric Baehrecke, Jeanne Lawrence and Alan Mullen have been appointed to the awarding chairs
Robert Carricho, Michelle Kelleher and Celia Schaeffer are appointed to the awarding chairs