Mass General Brigham Names Marcela del Carmen President of Mass General Physicians Organization

Mass General Brigham president and CEO Anne Klibanski, MD today announced that Marcela G. del Carmen, MD, MPH, has been named president of the Massachusetts General Physicians Organization (MGPO) and executive vice president at Mass General Brigham effective immediately. Del Carmen has been serving as interim president of the MGPO since last April.

Del Carmen has been a member of the MGH medical staff for nearly two decades and has a deep understanding of the MGPO, MGH, and the broader system. She came to MGH in 1999 for a gynecologic oncology fellowship, and ultimately joined the staff of the MGH Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology in 2003. A gifted oncologic surgeon known for taking on some of the most complex cases, Del Carmen has long been a trusted resource for colleagues with a genuine sense of empathy and compassion. This combination of clinical skill and quiet, yet fierce dedication to patients earned her the prestigious Brian A. McGovern, MD Award for Clinical Excellence in 2013. 

As a practicing gynecologic oncologist, she has experienced firsthand the complexities of the changing healthcare landscape that have added to the pressures of academic medicine today. She is a thoughtful listener who understands the challenge of balancing precious time caring for patients with extensive administrative requirements, while also carving out time for training the next generation, pursuing research, and addressing issues of equity for underserved communities. As interim MGPO president, Dr. del Carmen has been a strong voice for physicians, tackling issues of burnout and administrative burden, and championing new and expanded programs and services to support physician health, well-being, and work-life balance. 

Del Carmen’s personal story of inspiration and grit has also helped make her a champion for diversity, equity, and inclusion. Born in Managua, Nicaragua, she was 10 years old in 1979 when she and her family fled to the United States to escape the revolution that overthrew the Somoza dictatorship and took the lives of tens of thousands of Nicaraguans. She has drawn on that experience—mentoring under-represented students through the MGH Summer Research Training Program, recruiting, retaining and growing the careers of women and diverse medical and surgical specialists, and helping double the MGPO's financial support for both Physician-Scientist and Clinician-Teacher awards—to help transform the MGPO—and MGH—into a more accessible and equitable organization. 

Del Carmen attended Emory University and then medical school and residency at Johns Hopkins. She earned a master’s degree from the Harvard School of Public Health in 2006. She is a professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Biology at Harvard Medical School, the first Latina and first woman in the department to reach this highest academic rank. 

Media Contact

Mass General Brigham:
Bridget Perry bperry7@partners.org