October 29, 1999

In September, Edward P. Lawrence was elected chair of The Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and The General Hospital Corporation Boards of Trustees. The Massachusetts General Hospital is the parent company of The General Hospital Corporation, which operates the hospital and four neighborhood health centers.

Lawrence succeeds Ferdinand Colloredo-Mansfeld, who had been chair since 1992 and will continue to serve as a member of both boards.

"I am delighted and honored to assume this position at the MGH," says Lawrence. "It is a great privilege to have the opportunity to work with the many talented people who make up the MGH community, particularly in these challenging times."

Lawrence, who is a partner at the law firm Ropes & Gray, has been an MGH board member since 1997, serving as vice chair, and a board member of The General Hospital Corporation since 1995.

"We are very pleased that Ed Lawrence has accepted the position as chair of our boards," says James J. Mongan, MD, president of the MGH. "He has contributed a great deal to this hospital and will continue to do so in his expanded leadership role."

Lawrence also serves on the Boards of Trustees for Partners HealthCare System, the Massachusetts General Physicians Organization and McLean Hospital.

Lawrence is following a family tradition in his new position. His grandmother, Marion Lee Lawrence, was a longtime member of the Ladies Visiting Committee (LVC) and served as chair of the committee before she died in 1935. The LVC dedicated a hospital meeting room, now located on Clinics 1, in her memory. Also, the Lawrence House, which is located at the entrance of the hospital on North Grove Street, was named for his uncle, John E. Lawrence, who served as chair of the MGH Board of Trustees and is an honorary trustee and a generous supporter of the hospital.