A Name, and Promise, Lives On

After her mother, Margaret “Peggy” Vernaglia, passed away in 2019 at age 96, Irene Toomey went through her papers. She found letters from UMass Medical School, sent year after year, thanking Mrs. Vernaglia for showing consistent generosity toward School of Medicine students in financial need. Irene recalled that her mother wanted this giving to continue after her death, so that her late son, Irene’s brother Paul A. Vernaglia Jr., MD’78, would not be forgotten.

Irene and her siblings kept that promise, transforming the annual term scholarship their parents established in the wake of Paul Jr.’s untimely death into an endowment that will grow in perpetuity.

“I was surprised and amazed that an endowment could be started with as little as $25,000,” Irene said of her discussion with the UMMS Office of Advancement. “We used a stock transfer as an initial contribution and are now assured the fund my parents started will never go away.”

Irene and her family were devastated in 1986 when Paul Jr., just 37, passed away unexpectedly. He left no children, and Margaret and Paul Sr. set about ensuring his name, and purpose, lived on.

“My mother had talked about their ‘gift for Paul,’” Irene continued, “and how at least one good thing could come of tragedy. It’s a perfect memorial for him. He was happy at UMass Medical School. And helping young doctors… he would be so pleased.”

Paul A. Vernaglia Sr., an anesthesiologist, had hoped one of his children would become a doctor, Irene recalled.

“Paul Jr. had great potential. At one point, I brought my mother-in-law to see him,” Irene said. “He was in internal medicine and specialized in pulmonology, and she had emphysema. He was so kind to her.”

And he was smart. “Paul loved academics,” Irene said. His dedication to learning became clear after Paul was attacked while in his second year as an undergraduate at Harvard. Suffering a severe head injury, he was hospitalized for a few weeks, which included critical care, and spent several months at home recuperating. Despite this setback, he graduated on time with his class.

After taking a year off and then starting medical school in Mexico, Paul transferred to UMMS to finish his education in 1978, adding to the family’s roster of health care professionals, including a surgeon, ophthalmologist, pediatrician, and two nurses.

The Scholarship’s Impact

Like Paul Jr., Andrew Cauley, School of Medicine Class of 2023, is inspired to become a physician by his family, but for different reasons: his relatives struggle with chronic health conditions.

“As I learned more about healthy lifestyle choices and made them for myself, I began to advise my family, and realized this was my true calling,” Andrew explained. “UMass Medical School seemed like the ideal place to help me become the best primary care doctor I could be.”

The coronavirus pandemic forced a switch to virtual learning as Andrew wrapped up his first year, with further isolation from classmates and instructors expected as his second year unfolds.

“The pandemic has made staying focused challenging,” he said. “Fortunately, the scholarship money allows me to concentrate more on school and less on worrying about every penny.”

In keeping with his interest in wellness, Andrew started researching physician burnout.

“One of the intriguing things I’ve learned about burnout is how the entire healthcare system plays a role in exacerbating it,” he said. “The pandemic’s exposure of weaknesses in the system, like lack of personal protective equipment, tests, and contact tracing, may help us move forward in a new, healthy way for ourselves and our patients.”

“After I’ve left medical school, I want people to remember me as someone who fought for the rights of students, healthcare workers, and patients, and who showed great empathy to all of his patients,” Andrew said.

Through Andrew and future UMMS students, so, too, will Dr. Paul A. Vernaglia Jr. be remembered.

If you would like to learn more about making a planned gift to UMass Medical School, please contact Kim Canty at 508-723-4243 or kim.canty@umassmed.edu.