September 1 was an important date in our nearly 50-year history.
That was the day we officially became Mass General Brigham University of Health Professions.
Our new name reflects how far this institution has come and makes more visible something that has long been true: We are a comprehensive health professions university with a distinctive place within Mass General Brigham.
But it is about more than a new name.
It is about what we choose to do with this moment.
Before we look ahead, I also want to acknowledge the tremendous amount of work that brought us here. A change of this scale touches nearly every part of a university, and much of that work happens behind the scenes. Faculty and staff across the institution spent months updating systems, materials, policies, websites, signage, communications, academic documents, and countless other details to ensure that this transition happened thoughtfully and smoothly. I am deeply grateful to everyone who contributed their time, expertise, and care to getting us to this day.
We have an opportunity to build on a remarkable foundation and think boldly about the future of health professions education; how we prepare students for a healthcare environment that is changing rapidly; how we connect education more intentionally to clinical practice, research, and workforce needs; and how we use our position within Mass General Brigham to create opportunities that are difficult to reproduce elsewhere.
That work will not happen because our name has changed. It will happen because of our community.
Our faculty bring extraordinary expertise, scholarship, and commitment to teaching. Our staff make it possible for this university to operate, grow, and serve our students every day. And our students are the reason we are here—the future nurses, therapists, physician assistants, researchers, educators, and health leaders who will shape care in ways we cannot yet fully imagine.
As we begin this next chapter, I hope we will carry forward the best of who we have always been: rigorous, collaborative, deeply committed to the health professions, and grounded in service to others. At the same time, I hope we will challenge ourselves to be more connected, more innovative, more visible, and more ambitious about the impact we can have.
The new name gives us greater clarity about who we are. Our responsibility in this next chapter is to make the Mass General Brigham advantage even more visible and meaningful for our students, for our faculty and staff, for the health system, and for the patients and communities we ultimately serve.
Nearly 50 years ago, this institution was founded with the belief that educating health professionals could improve care. That belief remains at the heart of our work.
What changes now is the opportunity to build on that work with greater visibility, intention, and reach.
I am grateful for the foundation that brought us here and energized by the opportunity before us. Together, we have the chance to shape not only the next chapter of this University, but the future of health professions education and the care our communities receive.