AMHERST, Mass. – In just under two weeks, researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, with engineers, nurses and other health care professionals, have developed a design informed by clinical feedback for protective plastic face shields as the nation combats the spread of the coronavirus. It will be made available to manufacturers to mass-produce personal protective equipment (PPE) for health care workers and others.

A School of Medicine student and a recent graduate are helping the region prepare for a potential surge of COVID-19 patients by readying the city’s DCU Center to function as a field hospital.

The unit, in the center’s main exhibition hall, is designed to hold up to 250 patients with milder cases of the novel coronavirus infection. It will be licensed by the state and operated by UMass Memorial Medical Center.

Chancellor Michael F. Collins reflects on the early graduation for the School of Medicine Class of 2020 in a video address taped on Monday, April 6.

Like other recent events at UMass Medical School, Second Look Day on Friday, April 3, took place through a computer screen. The annual event is intended to give prospective School of Medicine students a “second look” at what UMMS has to offer, the student body, the curriculum, work-life balance and a new city.