UMass Celebrates Opening of $43M Public Health and Health Sciences Hub

Source: UMass News & Media

The University of Massachusetts Amherst celebrated on May 1, the opening of its new $43 million School of Public Health and Health Sciences (SPHHS) Hub, which unites the school’s six departments under one roof for the first time.

University, state and local leaders gathered for a ribbon cutting for the 26,800-sq-ft building that features a multistory commons with exposed wood construction and a sweeping staircase, creating a gathering space for study and schoolwide events. The celebration also showcased student research, with two sessions presenting their latest work. The project, at North Pleasant Street and Eastman Lane, broke ground in May 2024.

The hub anchors a new plaza that opens toward the campus core and connects directly to the 1958 Totman Gymnasium, which houses the SPHHS Department of Kinesiology. The physical connection is matched by a strong institutional one. UMass Amherst alumni were involved in virtually every aspect of the project, from design and general contracting to landscape architecture and mechanical engineering.

“Today we celebrate an investment not only in a building, but in the future of public health,” said Chancellor Javier A. Reyes. “By bringing students, faculty, staff and partners together in a space designed for connection, collaboration and innovation, we are strengthening the ties between our campus and the communities we serve—and preparing the next generation of public health leaders to make a lasting impact.”

The hub incorporates a biophilic design approach, using wood finishes and extensive natural light to enhance learning environments. Nearly all interior spaces—about 92%—offer views of the surrounding landscape or sky. Outside, a landscaped bioretention system was engineered to manage stormwater runoff and improve water quality.

The building was designed to support contemporary approaches to team-based learning. Other features include flexible classrooms, hotel office space for faculty, offices for all student advising and career planning staff, the dean’s office, conferencing facilities and open areas for collaboration. 

“This new space reflects how we learn, teach and work together as a public health community,” said SPHHS Dean Anna Maria Siega-Riz. “By uniting our departments in one collaborative, light-filled environment, we are creating the conditions for innovation, interdisciplinary discovery and student success—while reinforcing our shared commitment to improving health and well-being for populations in Massachusetts and beyond.”

The hub brings together a school whose departments had been spread across seven locations on campus. SPHHS offers some of the university’s fastest-growing programs, addressing public health priorities such as preventing opioid deaths and mitigating addictive behaviors, improving mental health and health care access for vulnerable populations and promoting healthy living across the lifespan.

“This building is a statement. It’s a declaration. It says, ‘We are here for the long haul. Public health is getting stronger, it’s building, it’s growing, it matters,’” said keynote speaker Dr. Robbie Goldstein, Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. “This is the place that will bring together, support and inspire the kind of people who have dared to choose this work. And there’s perhaps no work that is more important, or more rewarding.”

Eighty-eight percent of SPHHS graduates remain in Massachusetts, working in hospitals, laboratories, health departments and community health programs.

Designed by Boston-based Leers Weinzapfel Associates, the hub is built to the LEED Gold certification standard, consistent with UMass Amherst’s sustainability commitments.

Classes and programming in the new building began in the Spring 2026 semester.