In a landmark moment for the institution in September 2021, Doctor Collins announced a transformative $175 million donation from The Morningside Foundation. This unrestricted philanthropic gift, unprecedented in its scale, arrived as UMass Medical School marked its 50th anniversary of educating future healthcare leaders. In honor of this extraordinary contribution and the Chan family’s profound dedication to education, research, and healthcare, UMass Medical School was officially renamed UMass Chan Medical School. The medical school’s three graduate schools were also renamed to reflect this legacy: the T.H. Chan School of Medicine; the Tan Chingfen Graduate School of Nursing; and the Morningside Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences.
As chancellor, Doctor Collins expertly manages one of the nation’s most innovative medical schools, consistently achieving top rankings for its primary care education and biomedical research. UMass Chan is also regularly recognized as a premier workplace under his leadership. He provides strategic oversight to a thriving organization encompassing over 6,000 employees, more than 1,500 graduate students, and over 700 medical residents and fellows across three graduate schools and two regional campuses. UMass Chan’s annual revenues exceed $1 billion, with external research funding surpassing $300 million each year. Uniquely, UMass Chan houses two significant strategic business units: ForHealth Consulting, a robust healthcare consulting division partnering with Massachusetts and other states to optimize healthcare spending and improve services for vulnerable populations; and MassBiologics, the only university-based, non-profit, FDA-licensed entity in the U.S. that discovers and manufactures vaccines and other biologics.
Doctor Collins’s journey with the University of Massachusetts began in 2005 when he was appointed chancellor of the UMass Boston campus. Prior to his university roles, he served as president and CEO of the Caritas Christi Health Care System from 1994 to 2004. An alumnus and former board chair of the College of Holy Cross, where he also received an honorary degree, and a graduate of Tufts University School of Medicine, Doctor Collins is board-certified in internal medicine. He is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians and an Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, reflecting his expertise and respected standing within the medical community. Currently, Doctor Collins contributes his leadership and insights by serving on the boards of UMass Memorial Health, Inc., the Higher Education Consortium of Central Massachusetts, and the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce.
