Worcester Business Journal

12 Worcester Business Journal | May 4, 2026 | wbjournal.com BY MICA KANNER-MASCOLO Special to WBJ A s an employee of both UMass Chan Medical School and the UMass Memorial Health sys- tem, Dr. David McMa- nus has had a front-row seat to the simmering tension between Worces- ter's two largest employers. Now, as UMass Chan's incoming chancellor, McManus has been tasked with repairing that ri. "I want him to be working hand in glove with the hospital system, and I believe he has the temperament to do that," said Marty Meehan, president of the University of Massachusetts system, which includes UMass Chan. Among the many reasons Meehan selected McManus from the slate of three chancellor finalists was his experience and relationships with- in the medical school and the UMass Memorial hospital system. When the school officially selected McManus on April 7, UMass Memorial Pres- ident and CEO Dr. Eric Dickson praised the choice in the school's announcement. "I look forward to working with Chancellor McManus to strengthen the ties that bind our institutions to achieve even greater feats for academ- ic medicine and the future of clinical care," Dickson said. Passive-aggressive competition e relationship between UMass Chan and UMass Memorial has been marked by years of passive-aggressive competition, Meehan said. at unspoken tension came to a head in a 2023 legal battle in which the school said UMass Memorial owed it $40 million as part of the 2019 sale of the Shields Health Solutions specialty pharmacy. At the root of that tension is a common challenge between medical schools and healthcare institutions across the country: competition for limited funding and resources divided between patient care and research, said Dickson. at interplay will land square- ly on the desk of McManus when he becomes chancellor aer May commencement. He will succeed Chancellor Dr. Michael Collins, who is stepping down following a 21- year tenure in which he raised $865 million for the school and increased enrollment by nearly 50%. McManus is poised to repair the institutions' relationship at a criti- cal time, as both face the significant headwinds of restricted access to federal funding, Medicaid cuts, and a rapidly aging population. "We need to be supportive of each other for both of the institutions to ride out this period successfully," said McManus. "If you want the common- wealth to be healthy, UMass Memorial needs to be part of that." UMass Memorial employs nearly 21,000 people, including 20,416 in Central Massachusetts as the region's largest employer. UMass Chan has more than 6,400 employees, including 3,986 in the region, according to data each provided to the WBJ Research PHOTO | MATT WRIGHT e promise of the new chancellor Dr. David McManus will take over as chancellor of UMass Chan Medical School following commencement in May. How the selection of Dr. David McManus charts a new path forward for the strained relationship between UMass Chan and UMass Memorial Health Dr. Eric Dickson, CEO and president of UMass Memorial Health Marty Meehan, president of the University of Massachusetts

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