New Bedford Guide Your Guide to New Bedford and South Coast, MA
“The New Bedford Chapter of the Prince Henry Society of Massachusetts will recognize Dr. Michael Rocha at their annual Installation Banquet on Saturday, October 14, 2023 at the Century House, 107 South Main Street in Acushnet.
Michael Rocha, MD is a cardiologist at Hawthorn Medical Associates. He graduated from New Bedford High School in 1993 and completed his undergraduate studies at UMass-Dartmouth. He attended UMass Medical School and completed his residency and cardiology fellowship at Tufts Medical Center in 2008.
In 2014, he founded the New Bedford Wellness Initiative to focus on prevention of disease through lifestyle interventions. The Weekly Walk with a Doc remains a year-round event that has welcomed walkers of all ages. The Sunday Wellness Program, added in 2015, has offered free classes in nutrition, exercise, yoga, meditation, stress reduction, and smoking cessation addressing many of the major drivers of chronic diseases. During the pandemic, the wellness program transitioned to offering online classes and the added focus of COVID 19 education and resources.
Other community and statewide organizations that he has been involved with include co-chair of the New Bedford Opioid Task Force, the Physicians to Prevent Opioid Addiction (PPOA) and the COVID-19 Action Coalition in Massachusetts. Since 2013, he has served on the board of directors for the Boys and Girls Club of Greater New Bedford, an institution that he benefited from as a youth in New Bedford.
Musically, he began learning to play the trombone through the New Bedford Public Schools starting in 4th grade and studied privately with John Martin. His musical beginnings include performing with Eddie Rodrigues’ Meadowlarks and the Portuguese American Band. He continues to perform locally with the Southcoast Jazz Orchestra, Southcoast Brass Band, Buttonwood Brass, Dartmouth Town Band, and Mattapoisett Town Band.
Dr. Rocha has been a guest speaker on health, both locally and nationally. He presented a 2015 TEDx talk entitled “How to Keep Your Heart From Killing You.” He was recognized by the Southcoast Media group as the 2015 New Bedford Man of the Year and as the Robert Chadwick Community Service recipient in 2017. He is grateful to his family, friends, and the Greater New Bedford community for all of the support over the years and deeply honored to be receiving this award.
Dr. Rocha has been nominated and received the award for his dedication to the health and well-being of New Bedford, the city where he was born and raised. Dr. Rocha has established himself as a major force in volunteering and community leadership. For quite literally walking the walk, he is the Prince Henry Society’s Person of the Year for 2023.
The event is Saturday, October 14, 2023 with cocktail hour beginning at 6:00 p.m. and dinner served at 8:00 p.m. at the Century House, 107 South Main Street in Acushnet.
Those interested in attending may contact Michael Gomes for tickets, $100 each, at 508.989.7438 or mgnbfd@comcast.net.”
