Below is a message from Eric Dickson, MD, President and CEO, UMass Memorial Health, and Michael F. Collins, MD, Senior Vice President for the Health Sciences & Chancellor, UMass Medical School

Now that the outcome of the trial of Derek Chauvin has been announced, we hope that we as a community can move toward healing and addressing the systemic racism that has been at the root cause of so many tragic deaths of people of color in our country.

Amidst the pain that these events and this outrage causes us to feel, we want to restate and reinforce our collective commitment at UMass Medical School and UMass Memorial Health to fostering an inclusive culture that respects diversity and to addressing and resolving racial injustice and disparities in health care and in our community.

We know that needless acts of violence must be faced directly if they are to end. And we know that may seem impossible – after all, these violent acts are not new. But we also know that we cannot wait for just the right moment in time for change. We as a community must drive this change.

We jointly call for a peaceful and thoughtful response to this verdict. While this trial and other recent deaths of young black and brown men have become part of our day-to-day conversations at home and at work, we also ask that you rise above disagreements and controversies in the workplace. Now more than ever, we should remember to have patience, be kind to one another, and show compassion and empathy to our students, colleagues, patients and their families during this stressful time.