Doctor in the House

NECC Alumnus Launches Scholarship Challenge

He’s a doctor, educator, and president and CEO of the third largest health care system in Massachusetts. But in 1988, Dr. Eric Dickson was a Northern Essex Community College student, unsure of what path his future would take, and looking for guidance.

It was a respiratory care professor, Dr. Daniel Coleman, who provided just that.

“He was the first person in my life who recommended that I go to medical school and become a doctor,” Dickson says, of Coleman’s influence. “His mere suggestion in that moment started my career trajectory, which culminated in my current role… I’ll always be grateful for Dr. Coleman’s encouragement that led me to where I am today.”

And it was that simple suggestion long ago that would ultimately go on to benefit many individuals seeking health care services in Massachusetts. After earning a master’s degree from Harvard University and a Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) degree from the University of Massachusetts Medical School, Dickson went on to serve in myriad health care leadership positions, eventually being appointed to the position of president of the UMass Memorial Medical Group before taking on his current role as president and CEO of UMass Memorial Health Care. His company, which employees more than 15,500 individuals, is now the largest not-forprofit health care system in central Massachusetts.

It was the college’s influence, and Dr. Coleman, that also inspired him to launch an ambitious initiative with his alma mater earlier this year: a scholarship giving challenge.

Announced in February of 2021, Dickson pledged that if NECC’s respiratory care community could come together to raise $10,000 or more in support of respiratory care scholarships, he would provide a match. Raising this amount would allow the college to permanently endow a respiratory care scholarship, aptly named the Dr. Daniel Coleman Respiratory Scholarship after the professor who started it all.

“I wanted to offer this scholarship at NECC so that other students might be offered the same opportunity to learn and grow like I did,” Dickson says. “…. Through a giving challenge, $100 becomes $200 and so on. I believe people are more likely to donate if they feel their investment might trigger a second donation and build upon the initial funding goal.”

And donate they did. By the end of summer, the goal had been reached, with the challenge announcement garnering support from respiratory care alumni, staff, faculty, friends, and community partners alike. Several also chose to donate to the scholarship in memory of respiratory care graduate Rebecca “Becky” Centrella ’17, who passed away suddenly earlier this year. They cited it as an effort to commemorate Centrella’s dedication to her respiratory care education.

Jennifer Jackson-Stevens, director of NECC’s respiratory care program, emphasizes that the news of this scholarship challenge’s fulfillment is a huge win for students enrolled in the program.

“The faculty of the respiratory care program are thrilled that, thanks to the generosity of Dr. Dickson, we are now able to offer a fully endowed scholarship to students pursuing the noble profession of respiratory care,” she says. “This scholarship challenge offered a wonderful opportunity for our alumni, fellow respiratory therapists, and friends of NECC to come together for a very worthy cause.”

For Dickson, who, in addition to running his company, also serves as a professor and as a leading voice in the commonwealth’s battle against COVID-19, community colleges like NECC remain a top priority.

“I’ve attended four colleges, including medical school and earning a master’s in health care management,” he says. “But the most challenging – and the most important – for me was my time at NECC, which launched my educational journey.”

Permanently endowed NECC scholarships, with naming opportunities and criteria restrictions, can be created with a minimum commitment of $25,000. For more information contact Lindsay Graham at lgraham@necc.mass.edu.