In this month’s Chair’s Spotlight, we highlight the work of Margret Chang, MD, assistant professor of medicine, attending physician, and medical director of the Office Based Addiction Treatment Program at Tri-River Family Health Center. She is also the director of the Resident Addiction Curriculum in the Internal Medicine Residency Program at UMass Chan Medical School and holds an appointment in Pediatrics.

Over the last five years, Dr. Chang and her team have built the Office Based Addiction Treatment Program up from treating under 20 patients by individual providers to now having over 100 patients in the program that operates in a primary care setting with a team-based approach. Of this work she said, “The ability to be with patients who may feel a great deal of shame about their addiction, and to say to them, ‘I can help you right here in my primary care office’, that is what I love about this work.”

Read Dr. Chang's full spotlight by clicking the button below.

In this month's Fellow Spotlight, we feature Taruna Arora, MD, a Hematology and Oncology fellow from Nagpur, India. We recently caught up with Dr. Arora to learn more about her interest in sickle cell disease and Hemophilia, why she chose UMass for her fellowship, and more!  

"My goal is to organize a transitional care clinic for young sickle cell patients in close collaboration with pediatric counterparts and establish a personalized pain plan for efficient and better clinical outcomes."



Check out her full spotlight by clicking the button below.

In this month’s Resident Spotlight, we feature Ashley Blau, MD, a second-year Internal Medicine resident on the research track, from Milford, CT. We recently caught up with Dr. Blau to learn more about her clinical and research interests, her favorite Worcester activities, and more!

"I am convinced we have one of the most supportive residency programs in the country. It is obvious that UMass invests in its future and its people. As part of the resident wellness committee and women in medicine group, I have realized how our input as residents is valued and used to guide new initiatives and programs."

Check out her full spotlight by clicking the button below.

Chinmay Trivedi Recognized for Teaching in the Cardiovascular System Block of Vista 

Chinmay Trivedi, MD, PhD, professor of medicine and director of cardiovascular medicine research in the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, was recently recognized for teaching a well-received lecture in the Cardiovascular System block of Vista at UMass Chan. Dr. Trivedi was praised by leadership member Michael Fahey, MD, for his recent lecture on Microcirculations. We thank Dr. Trivedi for his continuing contributions to our educational mission.

Jonathan Kay Elected as a Master of the American College of Rheumatology 

Jonathan Kay, MD, the Timothy S. and Elaine L. Peterson Chair in Rheumatology, and professor of medicine in the Division of Rheumatology, was recently awarded the distinction of Master of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR).

The title is one of the highest honors at the college and is awarded to ACR members who have made outstanding contributions to the institution and the field of Rheumatology through scholarly achievement and service to their patients, students, and the profession. On receiving this honor, Dr. Kay stated, “I am humbled and honored to be awarded the distinction of Master of the American College of Rheumatology. I am grateful to my family, friends, and colleagues who have supported me throughout my career.”  

Dr. Kay will be presented with this award at the annual scientific meeting of the American College of Rheumatology in November. Please join us in congratulating Dr. Kay on this prestigious achievement!  

Samwise Bodkin Receives Lean Black Belt Certification 

Samwise Bodkin, a senior ASG administrator for the Divisions of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Medicine, Infectious Diseases and Immunology, and Geriatric Medicine recently completed their Lean Black Belt project and achieved Black Belt Certification. Sam and their team develop onboarding trainings, system access, and resource guides for new administrator caregivers at UMass Memorial Medical Group. Please join us in congratulating Sam on this honor!  

Sunita Puri’s “The Hidden Harms of CPR” featured on NPR's Think Podcast 

In late August, Sunita Puri, MD, associate professor of medicine, program director of the Hospice and Palliative Care Medicine Fellowship, and provider in the Division of Palliative Care, was interviewed on NPR’s Think podcast about her recent New Yorker essay, “The Hidden Harms of CPR.”  

We are thrilled to announce the Department of Medicine’s Grand Rounds schedule for the 2023-2024 academic year! This year's series has been organized around themes that we hope will excite and engage our diverse group of clinicians, educators, and researchers. 

This year’s series will kick off Thursday, September 7, at noon in the Hiatt Auditorium and via Zoom, where David McManus, MD, chair of the Department of Medicine, will present on the topic, “Can Digital Health Innovations Save American Healthcare?”.  

Some highlights of this year's series include: 

• Inspiring leaders in medicine 
• Nationally recognized thought leaders in diverse fields 
• A Scientific Excellence series 
• Master Clinician Educators who will be featured to excite house staff and fellow learners 
• Lectures from local scholars highlighting the incredible work in our Department 
• Risk management CME credits, including pain and end-of-life care 
• Diverse speakers 

Be sure to mark your calendars and check out Need to Know, On the Go every Monday morning for more details. 

New CME Platform 

Reminder: The UMass Chan Office of Continuing Medical Education has moved to a new CE platform called CloudCME. Please click the links below for more information. Thank you for your attention to this matter.  

To learn more about the new CME process, click here. 

To view instructions on how to use the new CME platform, click here.