A Message from Dean Bates

Dear TUSM Community,

As a fellow member of our Tufts University School of Medicine community, I’m writing to each of you about our shared journey through the COVID-19 pandemic and other matters of mutual concern.

As we all know, the pandemic has disrupted and changed our lives in ways that are both obvious and perhaps beyond comprehension. The tragedies that have impacted precious lives and families, the stress on our health care colleagues, the economic hardship felt by so many and the profound alterations imposed on everyone’s daily existence – it is difficult to fully grasp the meaning of these events and all that we are experiencing.

The pandemic is also exposing and amplifying deeper and even more disturbing trends in our society. People of color and other vulnerable populations have experienced more economic hardship, higher rates of infection and mortality, and even more violence during this tragic chapter in our history. Members of our Asian community have been subjected to hate crimes. As an academic organization committed to improving everyone’s health, unfairness and inequity that result in disproportionate suffering are heart-breaking and wrong. These events can also be inspiring – awakening in all of us a resolve to make health justice not only a priority for our school but a reality in our communities. There is no more important work for us to do together.

Our school is a community that is both resilient and compassionate. Please take the opportunity to reach out to a colleague who may be experiencing distress. Your empathy can make all the difference.

Thank you for listening and for caring,

Peter W. Bates, MD
Dean ad interim
Professor of Medicine