Rare are the moments a person can later pinpoint as life-changing. But when they happen, they pack a punch.

For Dr. Shlomit Schaal, chair of ophthalmology at UMass Chan Medical School and president of UMass Memorial Medical Group in Worcester, one such moment came by way of attending a mid-career women faculty leadership development seminar hosted by the Association of American Medical Colleges.

The early days of the COVID-19 pandemic could very well have spelled the end of the nonprofit human services agency that I run. Thrive has some of the largest residential programs in the state. We needed PPE, testing and medical care for the individuals with developmental disabilities that we serve and our employees. Our community hospital, UMass Memorial Health-Marlborough Hospital, stepped up in unexpected ways.

Boston-based Mass General Brigham plans to construct three outpatient surgery centers through a $400 million project. The plans have raised a lot of concerns from competitors — including UMass Memorial Health, Wellforce and Shields Health Care Group — which argue the project could take their wealthiest patients, according to The Boston Globe.

BOSTON — We don’t know who he is, his exact age, the circumstances surrounding his infection — but two years ago today, February 1, 2020, a UMass Boston student made history by becoming the first confirmed case of COVID-19 in Massachusetts.

We do know that he had just returned from Wuhan, China, believed to be the origin of the original ‘wild type’ coronavirus that came to be known as COVID-19.

In March of 2020, officials locked down portions of the state as COVID-19 began to infiltrate communities. Gyms and bars closed. Restaurants limited service to takeout. Schools went remote.

The restrictions, officials said at the time, would only linger for a few weeks with the potential of a return to normal by the summer.

A boisterous political battle over a proposed expansion by the largest and most expensive hospital system in Massachusetts is spotlighting questions about whether similar expansions by big health systems around the country drive up health care costs.

WORCESTER, Mass. - Through much of December and into January, a surge in COVID-19 cases overwhelmed Massachusetts. Since then, many are questioning the need for a fourth booster shot.

Dr. Robert Klugman, Medical Director of Employee Health Services at UMass Memorial Medical Center, said at this point there is no clear evidence of a fourth shot is beneficial. 

WORCESTER, Mass. - Between now and the end of the month, UMass Memorial Health and the Worcester Red Sox are partnering on a social media campaign to ask for support for hospital caregivers.

UMass Memorial and the WooSox are asking people on social media to use the hashtags #ShareASmile and #UMassMemorialStrength along with a photo or story about UMass caregivers.

WORCESTER — Lines for COVID-19 testing at the Mercantile Center have shrunk considerably from the hours-long waits that residents dealt with at the beginning of the month. 

UMass Memorial Health, which operates the testing site, has recorded a week-over-week decrease in people seeking PCR tests at the facility. According to numbers provided by the health system, 1,986 tests were conducted over three days at the Mercantile Center over three testing days, while 3,197 tests were conducted two weeks ago over three testing days.