UMass Medical School

The U.S. Department of Health and Humans Services (HHS) on Thursday awarded a $1.03 million grant to...

Doctors at the University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS) were entrenched in the Liberian health system long before the historic Ebola Virus outbreak that came to a frightening head last year. The Worcester medical school had been working in that country to strengthen medical education and infrastructure since 2006, after the system had been ravaged by civil war that ended a few years earlier.

A group of health care professionals led by the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester have been awarded a $20 million grant to expand their efforts toward preventing another Ebola outbreak in Liberia.

One of the most terrifying experiences as a parent is learning that your child has a serious disease. Imagine then finding out there is medical treatment that can significantly help, but your insurance won't cover it. This was the reality I faced when my daughter was diagnosed with autism 16 years ago.

The cost of doing business in Massachusetts is oft-lamented, and apparently, the field of medicine is not immune. That's according to the results of the annual Physician Practice Environment Index (PPEI) published last week by the Massachusetts Medical Society (MMS). While the Massachusetts PPEI has experienced an upward trend since a low point in 2010, in 2015, it continues to lag the U.S. index — and the delta appears to be widening.

Maintaining work-life balance is challenging for any parent, but for those who have children with autism, the problem is compounded. Speakers featured at the second annual Central Massachusetts Autism Summit held at Assumption College Tuesday morning provided insight into the myriad obstacles parents face. Often, children with autism have other health conditions that add to their needs, from psychiatric diagnoses to allergies and gastrointestinal disorders, according to a presentation by Dr. Jean Frazier, director of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver Center at UMass Medical School in Worcester.

The growth of the life sciences industry in Massachusetts is unmistakable, and serves as an affirmation of the Bay State's stature as a center for innovation. The 10-year, $1 billion public funding commitment made by former governor Deval Patrick in 2008 set the bar high and created a sustained focus on this key industry sector.

As everyone knows by now, opioid drugs are part of a huge crisis in Central Massachusetts and across the country. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health estimates that more than 1,000 people died from opioid overdoses in the state last year, a 33-percent increase from 2012.

Two groups of scientists at the University of Massachusetts Medical School have each received $1 million in grant money raised during last summer's viral Ice Bucket Challenge campaign, funds that will support ALS research projects that the school's chancellor on Wednesday called "pivotal work."

The Eunice Kennedy Shriver Center at the University of Massachusetts Medical School has been awarded a contract to provide a system that manages online training programs for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the medical school announced.