Address: 55 Lake Avenue North, 01655 Worcester, Massachusetts, United States
Medicine, Biomedical Sciences, Nursing, RNA Therapeutics, Primary Care
The University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School in Worcester, Massachusetts, was established in 1962 by the 162nd Massachusetts General Court to offer affordable medical education and to increase the number of primary-care physicians in underserved areas. It accepted its first class of 16 medical students in 1970, and a 371-bed hospital opened on the campus in 1976. The Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences opened in 1979, and the Graduate School of Nursing followed in 1986.
In 1997 it acquired the Worcester Foundation for Biomedical Research, where the combined oral contraceptive pill was developed. In 1998 its hospital and clinic system merged with Memorial Health Care to form UMass Memorial Health Care, which is now its clinical partner, with about 13,000 employees, among them 1,500 physicians. The flagship UMass Memorial Medical Center is a Level I Trauma Center, and four community hospitals belong to the system. In 2021 a gift of 175 million dollars led to the school being renamed after the T.H. Chan family.
Three schools teach on the campus. The T.H. Chan School of Medicine awards the MD, the Morningside Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences runs the doctoral programmes, and the Tan Chingfen Graduate School of Nursing offers master’s, post-master’s and doctoral degrees. About 165 medical students enrol each year. More than 4,350 medical degrees have been awarded, over 1,000 doctorates in biomedical sciences since 1979 and more than 600 nursing degrees since 1986.
Research funding grew from about 2 million dollars in 1977 to more than 322 million dollars in grants and contracts in 2022. MassBiologics, a publicly owned and FDA-licensed manufacturer of vaccines and biologics, belongs to the school. The RNA Therapeutics Institute was founded in 2009 and became an academic department in 2016.
Craig Mello and Andrew Fire discovered RNA interference in 1998 and shared the 2006 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Victor Ambros, who discovered microRNA, is also on the faculty, as are Job Dekker, who developed chromosome conformation capture, Phillip Zamore and Erik Sontheimer, who work on small RNAs and CRISPR-Cas systems, and Anastasia Khvorova. Tuition is lower for residents of Massachusetts. Check the current tariff. Teaching is in English.
Domains taught:
Bioengineering, Bioinformatics, Life Sciences, Microbiology and Genetics, Statistics
Diplomas*:
Doctor, Master
Status:
Public
Partnerships:
UMass Memorial Health Care, UMass Memorial Medical Center, MassBiologics, and the RNA Therapeutics Institute.
Research:
RNA interference and RNA therapeutics, microRNA, gene regulation, chromosome conformation, CRISPR-Cas systems, with more than 322 million dollars of grants and contracts in 2022.
Famous Alumnis:
Craig C. Mello, Victor Ambros, Job Dekker, Phillip D. Zamore, Erik J. Sontheimer, Anastasia Khvorova
International recognition**:
Number of staff***:
13000
Current students***:
576
Foreign students***:
N/A%
Cumulative former students***:
N/A
Pros
Public medical school with a very strong RNA research record, Nobel laureates on the faculty, on-campus clinical partner, public mission in primary care.
Cons
Graduate and professional programmes only, Worcester is a smaller city, federal research funding cuts affected graduate admissions in 2025.
Best For
Students in medicine, nursing and biomedical research who want a public academic medical centre known for RNA science.
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Most Similar Schools Locally
Among national alternatives, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai stands out for its focus on bioinformatics, microbiology and genetics and bioengineering, and it is private, whereas this university is public, and also offers graduate certificate programmes.
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center works in much the same fields, chiefly bioinformatics, microbiology and genetics and bioengineering, and it is far larger, with about 3,900 students against roughly 576 here, and is also a public institution.
Think of MD Anderson Cancer Center when bioinformatics, microbiology and genetics and bioengineering is the priority: it is also a public institution and also offers certificate programmes.
Another national school that puts bioinformatics, microbiology and genetics and bioengineering at the centre is Baylor College of Medicine, and it also offers certificate programmes, and is larger, enrolling about 1,577 students against roughly 576 here.
On content, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science and this university are close, as both teach bioinformatics, microbiology and genetics and bioengineering; it is private, whereas this university is public, and also offers certificate programmes.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
Peking Union Medical College offers an international parallel to this university, with bioinformatics, microbiology and genetics and bioengineering as common ground; it runs the same master's and doctoral programmes and is also a public institution.
For bioinformatics, microbiology and genetics and statistics outside the home country, Nanjing Medical University in China is a natural reference; it is also a public institution and also offers bachelor's programmes.
The closest overseas parallel on bioinformatics, microbiology and genetics and bioengineering is Medical University of Vienna, located in Austria; it also offers bachelor's programmes, and is far larger, with about 8,000 students against roughly 576 here.
London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine offers an international parallel to this university, with bioinformatics, microbiology and genetics and statistics as common ground; it is far larger, with about 3,900 students against roughly 576 here, and is also a public institution.
For bioinformatics, microbiology and genetics and bioengineering outside the home country, Hannover Medical School in Germany is a natural reference; it also offers bachelor's programmes, and is far larger, with about 3,997 students against roughly 576 here.
*our own picks (our criteria: a mix between domains, diploma delivered, reputation and size), but obviously too many criteria for an apple-to-apple ranking.
FAQ
Where is UMass Chan Medical School?
In Worcester, Massachusetts.
When was it established?
In 1962, and it accepted its first class of 16 students in 1970.
Why is it called Chan?
It was renamed in 2021 after a gift of 175 million dollars led to the name of the T.H. Chan family.
Which schools does it have?
The T.H. Chan School of Medicine, the Morningside Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and the Tan Chingfen Graduate School of Nursing.
How many medical students enrol each year?
About 165.
What is UMass Memorial Health Care?
The clinical partner formed in 1998, with about 13,000 employees.
What is MassBiologics?
A publicly owned, FDA-licensed manufacturer of vaccines and biologics that belongs to the school.
Which Nobel laureate is linked to it?
Craig Mello, who shared the 2006 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for RNA interference.
What is the RNA Therapeutics Institute?
An institute founded in 2009 that became an academic department in 2016.
What does it cost?
Tuition is lower for residents of Massachusetts. Check the current tariff.
Biology, Biomedical Sensors, Innovation, Research and Development
*: without any judgment of the quality, readers are strongly encouraged to check the official status of the exact diploma envisioned as many universities have a mix of recognized diplomas, not recognized, “co-delivered,” “equivalent to”, “some pathways” (…), can change over time, and can be named differently from one country to another.
**: international reputation: is based on some criteria that do not mean much in some domains or specialties (number of researchers, of scientific publications, on budget ….). Our approximate 1-4 scale:
known locally
known locally and internationally
is listed in some of the world university’s classifications
is listed among the 20 firsts in some of world university’s classifications
***: estimated numbers, based on online sources and/or feedbacks. The numbers can vary greatly depending on school organisation (ex.: school is part of a group, it employs internal staff or external consultants or has public staff without employing them …). Refer to all the links provided to have accurate and updated numbers.
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