2026-2027 Student Trustee Nominees
Sara Cahill
Morningside Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, 2028
Tell us about yourself and why you would like to serve as the Student Trustee for UMass Chan?
I am a third-year PhD candidate in the GSBS program studying innate immune responses to pathogens in the Department of Medicine. Having grown up in Massachusetts and attended college in Worcester, I have always appreciated UMass Chan’s reputation of having a strong commitment to rigorous training, impactful research, and its service to the surrounding community. It would be my honor to serve as the student trustee to advocate for student needs within the institutional leadership.
As a trainee who has navigated lab selection, qualification, and the challenges of securing funding in the competitive landscape, I experienced firsthand both the strengths of our training environment and the gaps that remain. I gained an appreciation for the shared pressures and distinct challenges faced by students across the GSBS, GSN, and SOM. I have directly supported other students by directing them to access resources, mentorship, and institutional support to facilitate their success during their demanding training. I sought out roles that help other students navigate challenging academic environments through teaching, tutoring, and peer support. Accessible support systems can shape a student’s experience, and I believe effective student advocacy requires both listening to student concerns and translating them into actionable priorities. In the role of trustee, I would identify gaps in existing resources and advocate for targeted solutions that support student learning and wellbeing.
Please identify your top three goals if you were to serve in this position in the coming year.
1. I would advocate for strong services and benefits to be offered to students. Graduate school can be an incredibly taxing and overwhelming experience, and those who need resources the most often get left behind. I would work to recognize the needs of students across the graduate, nursing, and medical schools to identify, understand, and advocate for the most pressing needs facing students. Furthermore, I would prioritize getting students strong benefit programs, including access to strong insurance plans and counseling services to support student wellbeing throughout their education.
2. Furthermore, I would advocate for leadership and professional support for women and minorities in science and medicine. While there have been enormous strides made in the diversity of those pursuing advanced degrees in science and medicine, women and minorities remain underrepresented in leadership positions. I would advocate for the inclusion of, and opportunities for, members of these groups to strengthen the voice of the institution.
3. Finally, I would promote the role and importance of scientific research in the discovery of treatments for diseases and in strong medical care. Particularly in the context of evolving funding priorities and the role of public institutions in supporting scientific discovery and training, I will advocate for financial provisions and encourage initiatives that support the critical work done at UMass.
Rachel Goldstein
T.H. Chan School of Medicine, 2027
Tell us about yourself and why you would like to serve as the Student Trustee for UMass Chan?
My name is Rachel Goldstein, and I am a third-year medical student at UMass Chan Medical School. I grew up in Massachusetts, attended UMass Amherst for my undergraduate studies, and plan to build my career in the Commonwealth. I feel strongly connected to the UMass system and invested in its future. During my clinical rotations, I balanced clinical responsibilities with exam preparation, strengthening my time management and prioritization skills. Working in fast paced clinical environments reinforced the importance of clear communication within care teams and with patients and provided insight into medical education. I served as a clinic coordinator at a Worcester Free Clinic, where I worked with patients facing barriers to accessing healthcare, trained new volunteers, and helped connect patients to affordable medications. This experience strengthened my commitment to advocacy and improving access for underserved populations. As someone who has trained within the UMass system and plans to remain in the area long term, I am motivated to serve as Student Trustee to ensure that student perspectives inform institutional decisions. Through my experiences, I have seen how gaps in communication and access affect both education and patient care, and I hope to advocate for changes that address these challenges. I also hope to continue developing as a leader who can effectively represent others within complex systems.
Please identify your top three goals if you were to serve in this position in the coming year.
One goal if I were to serve as Student Trustee is to regularly collect student feedback. I would set up quarterly surveys, synthesize themes, and share them with Board committees along with potential solutions. I would report outcomes from these meetings back to students to ensure transparency and follow up so students can see how their input leads to meaningful change.
Another goal would be to increase student participation in advocacy initiatives. I would create opportunities for students to engage in policy and advocacy efforts. I would also work with students and administrators to ensure clear, consistent messaging that reflects student priorities.
My third goal is to effectively represent the full UMass Chan student body. I would prioritize engaging with students across all three schools (SOM, GSBS, and GSN) and ensure that a wide range of perspectives, including those that may be less frequently heard, are reflected in Board discussions. I would bring forward balanced viewpoints that reflect both the academic and clinical experiences of graduate students.
Timothy Heaney
Tan Chingfen Graduate School of Nursing, 2029
Tell us about yourself and why you would like to serve as the Student Trustee for UMass Chan?
My name is Timothy Heaney. I am a first-year nursing student at the Tan Chingfen Graduate School of Nursing Student and a United States Marine Corps Veteran. I believe in prioritizing service in search of a larger purpose. I would like to serve as the Student Trustee to empower the student body. During this past year, I have held the position of Co-Class Representative for the Graduate Entry Pathway cohort. Here, I have further developed both skills and a personal desire to advocate for my fellow students.
During my time in the Marine Corps, I facilitated large movements of aircraft equipment around the globe, worked tireless days in remote areas, and led countless Marines. Through this experience, I have grown competent in the management of large projects with consideration towards personnel, budgeting, morale, and team cohesiveness in high-stress environments.
I will confidently apply these lessons from my military service and time at UMass to enhance our community. The hallmarks of an excellent Physician, Nurse, or Scientist do not stop at the bedside or with research, they extend to the community and world in which we belong to. As Student Trustee I will facilitate projects that empower us as students to maximize our output into society. Using everything I have, I will give my all to enhance our own experience in school while also generating opportunities to make a difference beyond our education.
Please identify your top three goals if you were to serve in this position in the coming year.
As a student trustee, I am accountable to you, my peer students. With this understanding, a priority is to integrate your feedback into action. This is both a malleable and subjective goal in that direction it takes will be shaped by the needs of the student body. I will ensure active communication through openness regardless of time or convenience to myself. Be it funding, treatment, resources, or anything, I will use creativity and decisiveness to execute actions that will deliver the strongest benefit to us.
I believe in belonging to a larger cause. My goal is to generate opportunities for us to give back the people of our great community. I would like to facilitate impactful projects pertaining to community outreach, fundraising, and charity with an emphasis on reaching those seeking a future in healthcare in addition to support of key patient populations that require further advocacy.
Across the three schools, there exist limitless careers that all share common goals. It is essential we form both personal and professional relationships during our time here to best integrate sperate disciplines in our future professions. I will seek out and aim to expand upon opportunities for interprofessional education that promotes integration of the diverse backgrounds, skillsets, and interest of students throughout the three schools.
Jayne Vogelzang
T.H. Chan School of Medicine and Morningside Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, 2030
Tell us about yourself and why you would like to serve as the Student Trustee for UMass Chan?
I am a second-year MD/PhD student running for Student Trustee because I care deeply about how students are seen, heard, and represented within the institution that shapes our training.
Across the Tan Chingfen Graduate School of Nursing, the Morningside Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, and the T.H. Chan School of Medicine, students move through very different worlds, yet all of us depend on responsive leadership, clear communication, and support that reflects the realities of student life. I would bring those perspectives into Board-level conversations with clarity, thoughtfulness, and accountability.
As an MD/PhD student, I move between research and clinical training, which gives me a practical understanding of how institutional decisions affect students across both settings. I see how mentorship, communication, and access to resources can either steady a student or create unnecessary strain. That perspective has made me attentive both to the concerns our schools share and to the differences in how students experience this institution.
If elected, I will listen carefully, seek input broadly, and represent student concerns clearly, consistently, and in good faith. I want to ensure student concerns are not just heard, but meaningfully represented in Board-level discussions.
Please identify your top three goals if you were to serve in this position in the coming year.
Transparency: I will advocate for greater clarity in how decisions are made so we know what is being proposed before it is finalized, how to provide feedback that informs the process, and how those changes will practically affect our training and daily lives.
Cross-school Representation: I will take a deliberate approach to hearing from students across the nursing, graduate, and medical schools so that representation is broad, accurate, and grounded in the full range of student experiences. Because our communities move through different structures and pressures, I will prioritize intentional outreach to ensure each community is heard where our experiences diverge.
Practical Improvements: I will push for tangible improvements in the conditions that shape our day-to-day experiences across academic, clinical, and research settings. To me, this means prioritizing mentorship, access to resources, professional development, and support systems that enable students to thrive, while ensuring the Board addresses the specific issues you tell me matter the most.