The South End NSC recognizes Dr. Gerald Hass for his tireless efforts to improve the health and well-being of the community for over 40 years.     

Dr. Hass is a pioneering co-founder of South End Community Health Center (SECHC), which opened its doors in 1969 as a pediatric clinic for the low-income residents of the neighborhood.  Today, the SECHC is a full service, community-owned institution, serving over 13,000 patients annually.  The Center is a medical haven for a population who often struggles to access adequate health care.    

For over four decades, Dr. Hass has been a caring force for his pediatric patients.  Though trained in London, England, Dr. Hass has spent the majority of his illustrious medical career in Boston.  He started as a Teaching and Research Fellow in pediatrics and community medicine at Boston University.  Later he rose to Associate Professor and Chief of Pediatric Ambulatory Services at what is today Boston Medical Center, where he helped develop health care services for children in underserved Boston communities. Dr. Hass currently serves as Assistant Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School and has taught countless cohorts of pediatric residents at Boston Children’s Hospital.  This past June, he stepped down as Physician in Chief Emeritus of the SECHC, though he remains committed to the institution he helped to build. 

Says Shilo Kuriakose, Director of the South End NSC, “Dr. Hass is deeply rooted in our community, working to address the myriad of health problems facing our low-income residents.  His concern with childhood obesity prompted him to provide guidance to our after-school program.  He is a man of action who follows his passion to the great benefit of others.”

Indeed, among the countless beneficiaries of his care is a fellow 2009 Community Awardee, for whom he provided emergency health interventions during the blizzard of 1978!