It's a match for 2024 BaccMD grads

Of the 160 fourth-year students in the T.H. Chan School of Medicine at UMass Chan Medical School participating in the National Resident Matching Program who matched into residency programs across the United States on Friday, March 15, two students have especially deep connections to UMass. 



Kassandra Jean-Marie and Christian Pineda are both UMass Amherst alums and graduates of the UMass Chan Baccalaureate MD (BaccMD) Pathway Program, which prepares first-generation college students and students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds within the UMass system for the medical school admissions process. Jean-Marie, a student in the Population-based Urban and Rural Community Health (PURCH) track, matched in family medicine at Baystate Franklin Medical Center, and Pineda matched in family medicine at UC Irvine Medical Center. Both matched at their top choices. 

Black Maternal Health Week raises awareness about the challenges faced by Black pregnant people and the importance of addressing disparities in maternal health care. Several events are planned at UMass Chan, including those listed below. Volunteers can sign up here.

Wellness Fair

The Office of Well-Being invites staff, faculty and students to interact with various UMass Chan departments and local businesses that holistically support the well-being of the UMass Chan community. 

Participate in FREE fitness classes in the Fitness Center, raffles, demos, crafts, meditations, ergonomic assessments, IT Help Desk assessments, blood pressure and other biometrics screenings, book swaps, healthy snacks, games, and so much more. 

April 11, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Albert Sherman Center, Multi-Purpose Room

Kickoff Lecture

Ndidiamaka Amutah-Onukagha, PhD, MPH, the Julia A. Okoro Professor of Black Maternal Health in the Department of Public Health and Community Medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine, will deliver the kickoff lecture for Black Maternal Health Week, part of the Health Equity Distinguished Lecture Series hosted by the UMass Chan Collaborative in Health Equity.

April 11, noon

Albert Sherman Center Auditorium

Register

Pediatrics Grand Rounds: Addressing Racial Disparities in Breastfeeding

Speaker: Margaret G. Parker, MD, MPH, professor of pediatrics and academic chief of the Neonatology Division at UMass Chan Medical School and UMass Memorial Children's Medical Center

April 12, 8 to 9 a.m.

Register

Community Baby Shower

UMass Chan Medical School and the Glō Mom Initiative will be hosting a Community Baby Shower during Black Maternal Health Week. The Community Baby Shower connects women in need with subject matter experts on prenatal care, lactation, childbirth, exercise, nutrition and postpartum health with an effort to reduce the gap in accessible prenatal care, gathering in a central location for onsite assistance free of charge.

April 13, noon to 3:30 p.m.

Albert Sherman Center, Multi-Purpose Room

Register

Purchase baby items on our Amazon Wish List, to be donated to families in need.

From Awareness to Action: What Is the State of Black Maternal Health in Worcester?

The Worcester Division of Public Health is hosting this event in collaboration with UMass Chan, UHAI for Health and the Massachusetts Organization of African Descendants.

April 16, 9 a.m. to noon

Worcester Division of Public Health

25 Meade St., Worcester

or on Teams

Register

OB/GYN Grand Rounds

Speaker: Cherise Hamblin, MD

Assistant Professor of Obstetrics & Gynecology 

Medical Director, Doula Program, UMass Memorial Medical Center

Director, URiM Community Workforce Development and Capacity Building, Collaborative in Health Equity, UMass Chan Medical School

Topic: Dr. Hamblin will speak about the challenges and opportunities for increasing equity in health care for Black pregnant people. 

April 17, 7 to 8 a.m. 

Register

Monthly Bystander Intervention Training Session at UMass Memorial Health

UMass Memorial Health is pleased to invite members of UMass Chan Medical School to the second session of the new Bystander Intervention Training series. This new training, offered by external partner Right to Be, teaches learners the 5Ds of bystander intervention you can use to support someone who’s being harassed, emphasize that harassment is not OK and demonstrate to people in your life that they too have the power to make our communities and workplaces safer. Contact [email protected] for more information.

Bystander Intervention to Stop Islamophobia and Xenophobic Harassment

March 25, 2 to 3 p.m.

Zoom

Lunch and Learn: The Importance of Using Pronouns

Join the ForHealth Consulting Cultural Diversity Committee, LGBTA Affinity Group, Diversity and Inclusion Office, and UMass Memorial Health to discuss the importance of honoring identity and respectfully using pronouns. 

Participants will learn about:

• the "whys" and "hows" of using pronouns;
• normalizing pronoun use with personal introductions to respect others and foster inclusion;
• LGBTQ+ data collection initiatives;
• how to update pronouns in Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Outlook email signatures; and
• best practices to correct pronoun mistakes gracefully.

April 3, noon

Register

You can learn more about the value of properly using pronouns in this blog post.

Addressing Commercial Sexual Exploitation in Health Care

UMass Chan student organization Advocates for Worcester Survivors hosts this symposium, led by local nonprofit organizations Safe Exit Initiative (formerly LIFT - Living in Freedom Together) and My Life My Choice, and UMass Chan faculty. The goal is to increase awareness about commercial sexual exploitation within the community, explore its impact on health care and train health care providers on how to better care for survivors. Lunch will be provided.

April 29, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Faculty Conference Room, Medical School Building (S1-342)

RSVP

Affirming Health Care for our Trans and Gender Diverse Community Summit: Program Registration and Call for Posters

Hear directly from local members of the trans and gender-diverse community about their health care needs and desires, and connect with and learn from others to prepare for the work ahead. The event will feature keynote speaker Dallas Ducar, MSN, APRN, CEO of Transhealth, as well as a patient and community voices panel facilitated by Kai Dacosta, DO, assistant professor of psychiatry, and a poster session for caregivers, students and faculty. Please note that this event is not open to the general public and pre-registration is required for all attendees.

May 3, 2 to 5 p.m.

Faculty Conference Room, Medical School Building

Register for the summit

Submit a poster proposal (Deadline: April 1)

UMass Chan Medical School is committed to creating an inclusive and equitable environment. The Diversity and Inclusion Office offers on-demand training with diversity, equity and inclusion workshops that support DEI professional development and capacity-building efforts. Foundations workshops are intended for staff, faculty and learners of all levels to provide a DEI foundation. Click the buttons below to receive links to recorded workshops.

The Committee on Equal Opportunity and Diversity (CEOD) works for the development of an inclusive and just institution. Co-chaired by a member of the Diversity and Inclusion Office and a nominated member, the committee's work is accomplished through advocacy, service and education subcommittees. Contact [email protected] to inquire about joining the CEOD.

Do you have a diversity-related initiative or event that should be included in the UpNext! newsletter? Send your news and events by noon on Fridays to [email protected].