WORCESTER – After 13 years serving as the City of Worcester Public Health Medical Director, Dr. Michael Hirsh announced he will retire on Dec. 12.
Hirsh became widely known in Worcester during the pandemic, serving as public information officer and leading over 200 press conferences alongside then-City Manager Ed Augustus and Mayor Joe Petty. He also played an instrumental role in the Worcester Department of Public Health becoming the first in the state to earn national accreditation.
Hirsh says his proudest moments during his tenure as medical director of the city were his tenure during the pandemic and “helping to train the Vaccine Corps of medical students who helped administer the COVID vaccine beginning in January 2021.”
After growing up in New York City as the only son of survivors of the Holocaust, Hirsh attended medical school at Harvard University and graduated in 1979. He completed his surgical residencies at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center and Temple University’s St. Christopher Hospital for Children.
While at Columbia, Hirsh lost a close friend and co-worker to gun violence. Hirsh personally provided medical assistance to his friend at the scene of the shooting. That experience led Hirsh to lead gun violence prevention efforts, including co-founding the Goods for Guns Buyback program in Pittsburgh in 1994. He founded a similar program in Worcester in 2002 which continues annually.
Hirsh He first joined UMass Memorial in 1986. He practiced for nine years in Pittsburgh and the rest of his career in Worcester.
“UMass Memorial Health deeply appreciates Dr. Michael Hirsh’s service as Medical Director for the Worcester Division of Public Health and the positive impact his leadership has had on the community over the last 13 years,” said Eric Dickson, MD, President and CEO of UMass Memorial Health. “We are working closely with the WDPH to identify a successor and remain fully committed to supporting the health and wellness of Worcester residents through our continued partnership.”
Hirsh continues to serve as the Assistant Vice Provost for Health and Wellness and the Chief Quality Officer for the Department of Surgery at the UMass Chan School of Medicine.
Image Credit: UMass Chan Medical School
