UMass Chan lays off and furloughs 200 employees

Photo I Courtesy of UMass Chan Medical School UMass Chan Medical School in Worcester

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UMass Chan Medical School has laid off or furloughed an estimated 200 employees and significantly reduced its Morningside Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences incoming class as the Worcester university prepares for looming cuts to federal funding implemented by the President Donald Trump Administration.

The layoffs and furloughs represent about 3% of UMass Chan’s entire workforce, which includes more than 6,500 employees total and more than 4,000 in Central Massachusetts. The school announced the staffing cuts in a Tuesday press release.

“The Trump Administration is ignoring court orders right now or is slow-walking in terms of delivering funds,” Gov. Maura Healey said at a UMass Chan press conference on Tuesday addressing the cuts. “It's having a devastating impact on our healthcare institutions here in Massachusetts, research institutions, teaching hospitals. It's not unique to Massachusetts, but Massachusetts is home.”

The university originally announced its plans to layoff employees in a March 12 internal memo that also disclosed an institution-wide hiring freeze and suspension of faculty discretionary funds.

UMass Chan’s anticipatory measures have come as the Trump Administration is attempting to cap National Institutes of Health funding for discretionary funds to 15% for universities and research institutions. Having received $193 million in NIH funding, the university is at risk of losing up to $50 million as a result of the cap.

Additionally, the university is facing an approximately $30 million loss due to delays in NIH grant financing, meaning UMass Chan is at risk of losing a total of $80 million.

In March, Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell joined 21 attorney generals from around the country in suing the Trump Administration for its plans to cut NIH funding, resulting in a temporary restraining order only a few hours later. Still, the administration has been slow to rollout previously-approved grants and cancelled hundreds of others.

Mica Kanner-Mascolo is a staff writer at Worcester Business Journal, who primarily covers the healthcare and diversity, equity, and inclusion industries.