About Boston University School of Medicine
Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) began as the New England Female Medical College in 1848 and was incorporated as Boston University School of Medicine in 1873. A leading academic and research institution, with an enrollment of more than 600 medical-degree students, 550 School of Public Health students, and 500 graduate students receiving master’s and doctorate degrees, BUSM has more than 3,000 full-time and part-time faculty members.
In the vanguard of research activities, the school is renown for its programs in cardiovascular diseases, cancer, pulmonary disease, human genetics, dermatology, arthritis, geriatrics, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, public health, law and medicine, and medical ethics, among others. Boston University School of Medicine continues to provide the leadership for the Framingham Heart Study, the largest epidemiological study in the world.
In 1995, BUSM received the Award for Outstanding Community Service from the Association of American Medical Colleges, in recognition of its contributions to residents of the City of Boston.
Key Highlights
– BUSM is a leading medical research institution and is ranked 20th in receipt of federal funding. In FY 2000, BUSM received more than $122 million in research funding, excluding hospital affiliates, from government and non-government sources. It has more than 550,000 square feet of research space.
– The school, in partnership with Boston Medical Center, continues to build BioSquare, a 16-acre state-of-the-art biomedical research and business park, adjacent to its campus in the South End. The second of four buildings was completed in January 2000. A 1,000 car garage was added in 2000.Ultimately, BioSquare will provide BUSM with an additional 2.5 million square feet of research space.
– BUSM is known for the large number and variety of federally funded and designated national centers of excellence. There are thirteen centers at BUSM, including: Allergy, Asthma, and Immunologic Diseases Clinical Research Center; Alzheimer’s Disease Center; Multipurpose Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Diseases Center; General Clinical Research Center; Specialized Center of Research in Coronary Heart Disease in Blacks; Boston Environmental Hazards Center; Specialized Center of Research in Hypertension; National Mass Spectrometry Center; National Center for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder; Specialized Center of Research in Pulmonary Fibrosis; Center for Sexually Transmitted Diseases; Superfund Basic Research Center; and the National Center for Excellence in Women’s Health.
– In addition to its four-year standard medical degree program, BUSM is in the forefront in providing alternative pathways leading to the MD degree, including:
* a seven-year program following high school, leading to the BA and MD degrees;
* the Early Medical School Selection Program, which has been developed to increase the minority physician population;
* programs leading to the MD/PhD degrees and MD/MPH degrees
– BUSM has affiliations with about 20 regional hospitals and health providers and a number of international medical schools and hospitals, including Hadassah Medical School in Jerusalem, Hong Kong University and Yerevan Medical School in Armenia.
Clinical Affiliations
BUSM faculty serve as medical staff for Boston Medical Center, the school’s principal affiliate. It also has major affiliations with Boston Veterans Administration Medical Center, the Veterans Administration Hospital in Bedford, the Solomon Carter Fuller Mental Health Center, Brockton Hospital, Malden Hospital and Roger Williams Medical Center in Rhode Island. It is a founding partner of the Boston HealthNet, a consumer-driven urban health network with 14 community health centers.
The school has limited affiliations with Bay State Medical Center, Beverly Hospital, Cape Cod Hospital, Carney Hospital, Central Maine Medical Center, Columbia Metrowest Medical Center, Emerson Hospital, Franciscan Children’s Hospital and Rehabilitation Center, Human Resource Institute, Jewish Memorial Hospital, Lahey-Hitchcock Medical Center, Norwood Hospital, Quincy Medical Center, Salem Hospital, Shriners Hospital for Crippled Children, Solomon Carter Fuller Mental Health Center and the Westwood Lodge Hospital.
Historical Highlights
– BUSM’s predecessor medical school, the New England Female Medical College opened in 1848 as the first medical school in the world to admit women, and in 1864 graduated Rebecca Lee, the first African-American woman to receive a medical degree.
– 1875 — founded the country’s first Home Medical Service, which is the longest running home medical care program in the United States.
– Researchers at BUSM were the first to use diuretics and angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors in the treatment of hypertension; also was the first to use angiotensin converting enzyme in the treatment of congestive heart failure.
– BUSM conducted the first research on dissolving gallstones chemically as an alternative to surgery.
– BUSM pioneered the use of lasers to remove growths from the larynx.
Looking Forward
– BUSM is actively working to expand its role in advancing the frontiers of medicine, research, medical education and community outreach and service.
– Continuing to address the needs or urban health care.
– Forming partnerships with biotechnology companies to enhance patient care.
