Dean's Message - January 2026
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Happy New Year! We are excited to welcome our SPHHS community back to campus for the start of the Spring 2026 semester.
“Wow, this is so cool!” “It’s so bright and cheerful!” “I can’t wait to find my special hideout….” No, these are not words of amazement due to the incredible snowstorm that just occurred, but rather words we are hearing as our students walk into our new building, the SPHHS Hub, which is now officially open. The Hub is a truly magnificent structure that will have a tremendous impact on the sense of belonging, connection, and student and teaching outcomes for years to come. I am deeply grateful to the architects from Leers Weinzapfel Associates, the Fontaine Brothers construction team, project management company Terva, the UMass Amherst Facilities and Campus Services team, the University of Massachusetts Building Authority, and our terrific SPHHS administrative leaders, Donna Falcetti and Chris Greenfield, plus the dozens of individuals who worked tirelessly to bring this building to its fruition. My team and I are overwhelmed with joy to be working in the new SPHHS HUB. Come visit!
Our faculty continue to be recognized for their outstanding work. Dr. Meichen Wang from the Department of Environmental Sciences was recently selected as one of three recipients nationwide for the 2026 NIH Office of Disease Prevention (ODP) Early-Stage Investigator Lecture Award. This prestigious award recognizes outstanding early-career prevention scientists who have already made significant research contributions and show strong potential to become leaders in prevention research. This award recognizes her work focusing on the prevention of childhood obesity and metabolic disease by developing edible clays to reduce early-life exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), also known as “forever chemicals.” Her work represents a pioneering approach in preventive medicine, transforming an environmental toxicology challenge into a feasible, low-cost public health solution. Join me in congratulating Dr. Wang!
Also this month, a group of our graduate students participated in the Annual Student Forum hosted by the Massachusetts Health Policy Forum in Boston. The forum provides students with direct access to the workings of state government, where they have an opportunity to meet with the senior legislative and state administrative officials to discuss the operations and responsibilities of state government. The students were accompanied by Dr. Mariana Chilton, who shared that “The students were enthusiastic about what they learned over two very full days. They were energized and excited to be there.”
This type of outside-the-classroom activity brings such transformation and growth to our students. I have no doubt that each one of them will stay engaged and contribute to public health policy making throughout their careers.
On a sad note, we lost one of our dear colleagues and an outstanding member of the SPHHS community. Dr. Dan Gerber passed away in December following a long illness. He was a senior lecturer in community health education in the Department of Health Promotion and Policy and former associate dean of academic affairs in the School. He leaves behind his beloved wife, Jen Dolan, and their three children. He also leaves behind an incredible legacy as a mentor and instructor. I know that he taught many of you during your time here at UMass. If you would like to share your thoughts or memories of Dr. Gerber, we invite you to contribute to his memorial page here. The SPHHS will collect and share these stories with his family.
Finally, I’d like to close out my message by encouraging you to attend as many events as possible during the university’s second annual Week of Wellbeing being held across campus from February 7-13. This week-long series of events – intended for the entire campus community of students, faculty and staff – is sponsored by The Okanagan Wellbeing Collective. These initiatives emphasize rest, reconnection, renewal, and community wellbeing, encouraging our community members to unplug from routine stresses. You can find a complete list of events on the Week of Wellbeing website here.
The SPHHS will be a full participant in the week’s activities, hosting a series of events in the new Hub building: a relaxing "Crafternoon" event on Feb. 10th; a "Hobbies Summit” where our faculty and staff can share and help others learn their hobbies, as well as a “How Loud Is Too Loud” earbud device check from Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, both on Feb. 11th; and will culminate on Feb. 13th with "Exploring Wellness: Campus Paths to Well-Being," our first Dean's Seminar event of the spring semester.