Worcester Appoints New Medical Director

WORCESTER, MA — Worcester has officially appointed its newest medical director.

Dr. Jennifer Bradford will serve as the city's next medical director beginning next week, City Manager Eric D. Batista announced Friday, in partnership with UMass Memorial Health. This comes after Dr. Michael Hirsh retired at the end of 2025, having served in the role for 13 years.

“Dr. Bradford has firsthand experience with the most pressing public health issues in our community and will make a direct impact immediately,” Batista said. “She is a passionate champion of health access and I look forward to working with her to improve the overall wellbeing of all in our community.”

Bradford is a family physician with UMass Chan Medical School and serves as a physician consultant for the UMass Opioid and Chronic Pain Consultation Service, the city said.

She also works with UMass’ Road to Care Van, serves as an assistant professor in the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health at UMass Medical School, and holds several additional public health-related roles within the UMass medical system.

Bradford earned a bachelor’s degree in child development from Tufts University in 1998, a Doctor of Medicine degree from Tufts University School of Medicine in 2010, and a Master of Public Health degree from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 2015.

“I am excited to serve the people of Worcester and to support the health and wellbeing of our community,” Bradford said. “I look forward to collaborating with our City Health and Human Services teams, community organizations, and local partners to strengthen access to care and improve health outcomes for Worcester residents.”

Worcester officials also announced that the medical director position has been moved from the Division of Public Health to the Department of Health and Human Services Administration to improve collaboration and alignment with departmental programming.

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