WORCESTER—Chancellor Michael F. Collins, MD, the longest-serving leader in the history of the University of Massachusetts, is stepping down from UMass Chan Medical School in July 2026, concluding 19 years at the helm of the state’s only public academic health sciences center.
Collins, who has led UMass Chan since 2008 after serving in an interim capacity, announced the decision recently, calling it “the appropriate moment to begin the process that will result in the selection of a new leader for the institution that means so much to me.”
“It’s said that ‘to everything, there is a season,’” Collins said in the statement. “There is a time to serve and a time to lead—and for me, it is now time to set the stage for new leadership. It is my firm belief that I best serve UMass Chan Medical School by taking this step and setting in motion a thoughtful, deliberative transition process.”
Collins, a Holy Cross graduate and board-certified physician in internal medicine, joined the UMass system in 2005 as chancellor of UMass Boston before moving to UMass Chan. He has also served as senior vice president for health sciences for the five-campus system.
Under his leadership, UMass Chan has seen nearly 50 percent enrollment growth, research expenditures nearly double to $302 million, and a campus footprint that has expanded by more than a million square feet. The school’s endowment grew from $94 million to $640 million, aided by record-breaking philanthropy, including a $175 million gift from The Morningside Foundation and a $35 million gift from the Paul J. DiMare Foundation earlier this year.
President Marty Meehan praised Collins for transforming UMass Chan into a “globally renowned medical school” that has become nationally recognized for training primary care physicians, nurses and biomedical researchers. “Michael has vaulted UMass Chan Medical School forward in every sphere of activity,” Meehan said.
Board of Trustees Chair Stephen R. Karam credited Collins with advancing both education and medical research. “Without question, UMass Chan Medical School and the UMass system have benefited from his distinguished leadership,” Karam said.
Collins said he will remain “fully engaged” over the next year, focusing on fundraising and advocating for the school’s academic and research programs, before returning to the faculty to assist the new chancellor.
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