Dr. Lynda Young is a board-certified pediatrician and professor of pediatrics at the UMass Chan, previously serving as chief of the division of community pediatrics at UMass Memorial Medical Center’s Children’s Medical Center.
In early 2023, Young was named chair of the board of trustees at UMass Memorial Health, making her the first female chair of the largest employer in Central Massachusetts.
Young has seen the ins-and-outs of numerous operations. She previously chaired the UMass Memorial Medical Group’s board for eight years, and beyond Central Mass., she served as president of the Massachusetts Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics and president of the Massachusetts Medical Society.
In her positions at both UMass Memorial and UMass Chan, Young played a role in critical coronavirus pandemic responses, through ensuring care for patients in the hospitals, as well as developing resources to support the community and uplift vulnerable populations. As a physician, she knows first-hand the priority needing to be placed on reducing caregiver burnout and is pushing for the development of more programs to support providers.
How should professionals best use the power they wield? “The leaders in this region are not in these roles for themselves. They lead because they believe in the work that they do for the communities they serve and the organizations they represent. As long as they keep focused on their true north, they can leverage their authority for the greater good of the region.”
All in the details: Young does (non-medical!) needlework in her leisure time and has hand-made embroidered Christmas ornaments for her children and grandchildren.
