The following announcement was made by Jean King, PhD, Vice Provost for Biomedical Research, to the UMMS community:

"I am pleased to announce that Mary Piorun, PhD, has been appointed director of the Lamar Soutter Library at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, effective June 5, 2017.

Since joining UMMS in 1999, Mary has served in a variety of roles and managed every aspect of library services, bringing to this position a commitment to customer service and dedication to excellence. Mary earned a BA from Assumption College and an MSLS from The Catholic University of America. She served in various positions in libraries in Maryland and Washington, D.C., including as the first systems librarian at the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Mary also holds an MBA from Bentley University, where she received the W. Michael Hoffman Prize for Business Ethics. In 2014, she completed a PhD in managerial leadership at Simmons College, studying and writing about transformational change.

In her time at the Lamar Soutter Library, Mary has served as the associate director for the National Network of Libraries of Medicine, New England Region, and was selected as a National Library of Medicine/Association of Academic Health Sciences Libraries Leadership Fellow in 2006-2007. Most recently, she was the principal investigator for a five-year, $7 million program to promote the National Library of Medicine's programs and services throughout the New England region. She is a frequent presenter at the Medical Library Association annual conference and other organizations and has written numerous articles on the changing roles of librarians.

I am confident that Mary’s experience combined with her vision for the future of library services positions her to be a leader in our organization. Please join me in congratulating Mary on her new role."