This message below was sent to the UMass Medical School and UMass Memorial Health Care communities from Michael F. Collins, MD, Senior Vice President for the Health Sciences and Chancellor, UMass Medical School, and myself regarding the horrific events we all witnessed on the news in the last 24 hours.

Dear Colleagues:

Like you, we watched with dismay and heartbreak the unprecedented and appalling attack on our nation’s institutions of democracy in Washington, D.C. yesterday.

The two of us come together to acknowledge this disheartening event and reinforce the long-standing commitment of both of our organizations to engage in respectful, non-partisan civic engagement and dialogue.

We hope that our country’s leaders will come together and call for peace and unity in every community across the nation. Collective healing needs to start now. As academic health care leaders, we are committed to fostering that healing alongside our colleagues and neighbors.

We ask you to join with us to respectfully acknowledge this painful time, and not allow this divisiveness to seep into our UMass Memorial and UMass Medical School communities. Together, let us focus on the important tasks at hand – to help our patients, families, colleagues and students get through this pandemic, and to continue to support our democracy and a peaceful public discourse.