UMass Medical School has hired a new vice chancellor for government relations, who will begin next month.
The new executive is John Erwin, who will join UMass from the Conference of Boston Teaching Hospitals, where he was the executive director for a collaboration of 12 Boston-area hospitals. The medical school announced the appointment Wednesday.
Erwin will lead the medical school’s advocacy efforts, particularly with state and federal governments, Chancellor Michael Collins said.
Erwin has served as director of government affairs for Tufts Health Plan before joining the Conference of Boston Teaching Hospitals. He was a staff director for the Boston City Council and at the Massachusetts State Council on Vocational Education. He is a graduate of UMass Boston and has an MBA from Boston University.
Erwin replaces James Leary, who left that position for a similar post as UMass Memorial Health Care’s vice president of government and community relations.
Erwin is the second recent appointment in leadership in its outside relations office.
In September, the school promoted Kola Akindele to assistant vice chancellor for city and community relations. He had been the school’s senior director for community and government relations.
