UMass Chan Medical School welcomed new students to campus on Monday, Aug. 18, including 233 students in the T.H. Chan School of Medicine Class of 2029. Chancellor Michael F. Collins shared his hopes for the new medical students as he welcomed them to what he called the greatest profession on Earth.
“Think about the opportunity that you have now as a global and engaged citizen, citizen doctor, to make an impact in the world. Today’s the beginning of that,” Chancellor Collins said. “What an awesome responsibility. What an incredible privilege.”
This was the last time Collins will address new medical students as chancellor. He announced in June plans to step down as chancellor in July 2026 after what will be 19 years at the helm of the Medical School.
The medical students range in age from 21 to 36, speak 48 languages, and have a combined 1.3 million research and clinical hours coming into medical school. Sixty-six percent self-identify as women and 34 percent as men. Most (170) are from the Northeast, including 146 from Massachusetts, and three are from Canada. Of the 36 percent who are from out of state, the most (30) are from California, with 11 from New York and five each from Colorado, Connecticut and Michigan.
“Massachusetts has always been one of my favorite states growing up and it seemed like an ideal location to pursue my medical degree,” said Sheehan Hussain, MPH, a double graduate of the University of Michigan who hails from Michigan.
California resident Jennifer Liu came to UMass Chan from the University of California Santa Barbara.
“When I was researching med schools, it just seemed like UMass Chan cared a lot about student wellness, like when students have time off after they pass exams,” Liu said.
Medical student Angie Zhu was born in Worcester and graduated from the University of Chicago.
“I think as a Massachusetts resident, it’s always something to be proud of, to be able to serve the community that you grew up in,” Zhu said.
Photo: Colleen Locke
There are 33 UMass alumni among the ranks (10 of whom completed the Baccalaureate MD Pathway Program), and Northeastern University (14), Boston College (8) and Boston University (7) are also well represented.
Twenty-five students are enrolled in the Population-based Urban and Rural Community Health track, UMass Chan’s program at Baystate Health in Springfield, and 25 are enrolled in the LEAD@Lahey track at the Lahey Hospital & Medical Center in Burlington. Students in the second LEAD@Lahey cohort, including UMass Lowell graduate and Lowell resident Leila Chammas, are focused on leadership, health systems science and interprofessional education.
“I liked that Lahey is very community based and that it’s a small cohort,” Chammas said.
The Tan Chingfen Graduate School of Nursing held orientation activities for 67 students. Later in the day, the nursing and medical students joined 13 PhD students in the Morningside Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences for all-school orientation activities with representatives from the Office of Student Life and the Diversity and Inclusion Office.
