Thomas Zand Refugee Health Initiatives
The UMass Chan Medical School Department of Family Medicine and Community Health annual Thomas Zand Initiatives include three distinct parts: a visiting professorship, and a community partner celebration event featuring a community-selected partner recognition award, and a student scholarship program. Click here for the 2025 Zand Promotional Poster.
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Thomas Zand Visiting Professorship in Refugee Health
The planning committee develops and selects from a short list of candidates pursuing refugee health goals with expertise relevant to the issues at hand in our community each year. Recommendations can be sent to The Professor is invited to spend a day meeting with faculty, staff and learners; speaking at the FMCH Grand Rounds, and participating in the Community Celebration event.
5/20/25: Patricia Walker MD, Medical Director at HealthPartners Center for International Health, St. Paul MN
5/21/2024: Marc Altshuler, MD, Residency Director, Dept of Family and Community Medicine, Jefferson Medical School
6/20/2023: Crista Johnson-Agbakwu, MD, Director, UMass Chan Collaborative for Health Equity
Thomas Zand Community Celebration of Refugee Health
Monday, May 19, 2025, Worcester Community Action Council, 18 Chestnut St.
Monday, May 20, 2024, Worcester Community Action Council, 18 Chestnut St.
Tuesday, June 20, 2023, UMass Chan Sherman Cube, 55 Lake Ave N
Thomas Zand Partner Recognition Award
2025: To be announced 5/19/25
2024 Office of New Americans at Friendly House: received by Jillian Phillips
2023 Worcester Area Refugee Ministry
Thomas Zand Refugee Health Scholarships for Excellence in Research and Service
Note that the Zand Student Scholarships have been paused for the 2024-2025 academic year in the face of unprecedented federal funding cuts.
The UMass Chan Medical School - Family Medicine and Community Health Department annual Thomas Zand Refugee Health Scholarships support medical students passionate about refugee health and allow them to attend a national refugee health conference.
There are usually two annual competitive scholarships for UMass Chan medical students:
- Excellence in Service: for a 1st or 2nd year (2nd or 3rd year at the time of the conference) medical student who demonstrates passion for refugee health as well as commitment and service.
- 2024: Mariane St. Thomas
- 2023: Ezdean Alkurdi
- Excellence in Research: for a 2nd or 3rd year (3rd and 4th year at the time of the conference) medical student who demonstrates scholarship in refugee health and has submitted a presentation or a poster to a refugee health conference.
- 2024: Erik Bratland, “Enhancing UMass Chan medical student refugee health training through community-based partnerships"
- 2023: Priscilla Lee