The Longwood Happenings newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox each month, delivers informative, engaging, and helpful updates about all things LMA! From local events to commuter resources, we provide everything you need to know about the Longwood Medical and Academic Area. 

Click here to read our June edition.

A Message from the President

Dear Longwood,

This week, I had the pleasure of convening Longwood Collective Members and Directors for our Annual Board meeting at Harvard Medical School. As a member-informed organization, we deeply value the guidance, insights, and institutional expertise of our members and directors as we tackle shared challenges facing Longwood.

As I shared in my remarks, the nonprofit institutions of Longwood are operating in a time of turbulence, marked by rapidly shifting federal headwinds, heightened scrutiny, unprecedented circumstances and challenges, and real financial strain. As stewards of the district, we’re working every day to ensure that this ecosystem can keep doing what it does best: healing, discovering, educating, and serving. That means proactively shaping Longwood’s future to remain competitive, accessible, resilient, and vibrant. In this past year, we've moved with urgency to meet the moment:

• When severe cuts and restrictions were proposed to NIH funding, we moved quickly to articulate what was at stake for Longwood and Boston. Our briefing became part of the public record, cited in an amicus brief filed by the City of Boston and over 40 other jurisdictions nationwide.
• We’ve approached our budget with rigor, ensuring every dollar delivers value for the district.
• We’ve improved our services and formed new partnerships, like in our Transportation Management Association which now offers e-bike subscription services, roadside bike assistance, and off-season tune ups.
• We’ve also shaped the realm of policy and infrastructure through everything from zoning reform to street design, with a focus on sustainability, equity, and access.

While the past year has not been without its challenges, what the institutions in Longwood have represented is resilience in the face of challenge, strength in adversity, and the promise of perseverance. I am optimistic about our ability to continue collaborating to overcome the challenges presented before us and sustain our competitive advantage as a district for years to come. 

Thank you for your continued support.

Sincerely,

David Sweeney
President and CEO 

Longwood Collective Holds District-Wide Emergency Response Exercise 

Last week, our Emergency Management and Security Manager, Logan Denson, convened our members and community partners for an LMA emergency exercise. In this simulated emergency scenario, over 60 participants representing 30 organizations and agencies discussed the response to a hazardous material incident in Longwood.

Thanks to Logan for hosting such a successful tabletop exercise, and to all the talented and experienced emergency management and security personnel who attended. It is through our mutual support and collaboration that we’re able to keep Longwood safe.

Longwood TMA: Transportation Vendor Event

Next month, the Longwood TMA will be hosting a transportation vendor fair, "Meet Your Mode," at Shapiro Plaza. Set for Wednesday, July 16th, several of Longwood Collective's transportation partners like the MBTA, Zipcar, Lyft, and more will be onsite at the corner of Longwood Avenue and Brookline Avenue to share information about the benefits they provide to workers and students in the LMA.

To sweeten this summer event even more, we will also be joined by a fan-favorite ice cream truck. Event attendees who complete our vendor punch card will be invited to enjoy a frozen treat on us! Stay tuned for more information on our social media.

MBTA Updates Near the District

Orange Line

• Service between Forest Hills and North Station will be suspended on the weekends of June 21 - 22 and June 28 - 29 for shuttle upgrades. Shuttle buses will be available between Forest Hills and Back Bay. The Green Line will be available between Copley and North Station.

Last Call for Bike Longwood

June marks our last month of Bike Longwood tune ups for the season. That means it's the perfect time to transition to a commute on two wheels just as the summer is getting started! Make sure your bike is safe and ready to go by signing up for a 15-minute long service appointment. We have a few time slots available through the end of the month, so be sure to sign up and receive the tune up ABCs: air, brake, and chain checks!

Register for a tune up! 

New Ice Cream Shop Opens in Fenway

Van Leeuwen—the NYC-born ice cream brand known for crafting extraordinary ice cream flavors with a focus on simple, choice ingredients—opens in The Fenway this week! Van Leeuwen offers rich, flavorful scoops (both classic and vegan options) that bring joy to every bite, and will now be serving iconic flavors like Peanut Butter Brownie Honeycomb and Buttermilk Berry Cornbread just a few blocks away. Be one of the first to experience Van Leeuween Fenway, as they open their doors for the first time this Friday, June 20th at 86 Van Ness Street, Boston, MA. 

Dana-Farber Cancer Hospital Gets Regulatory Approval from City of Boston Planning Department

Boston Business Journal

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute’s planned new cancer hospital has cleared its last key regulatory approval, this time from the Boston Planning Department for its design of the 300-bed facility. The approval paves the way for the health systems to begin construction on the $1.7 billion, 14-story hospital. In March, the state Department of Public Health voted unanimously to grant a so-called determination of need, allowing plans to go forward.

Harvard Medical School and MIT Announce a New Research Pathway to Fight Alzheimer's Disease

Boston Globe

In a statement posted by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, researchers said they have used data about fruit flies along with unique algorithms to discover new pathways, along with identifying genes, that may contribute to the development of a new class of drugs to treat the devastating disease. The drugs currently approved to treat Alzheimer’s have not been as successful as hoped, the school said.

Merck Receives FDA Recognition for RSV Antibody

BioSpace

The FDA approved the use of Merck’s anti-respiratory syncytial virus antibody clesrovimab in infants.The approval covers the use of the therapy to prevent RSV-related lower respiratory tract disease in newborns and infants who are entering their first season of circulating respiratory diseases.

Dover Mom Recounts how Son Cooper was Saved by Boston Children's Hospital, KIcks off Fundraiser

Foster's Daily Democrat

When Cooper Moore was 3 weeks old, he was taken to Boston Children's Hospital by his parents because he was struggling to breathe. Now, Cooper is healthy and will celebrate his second birthday June 15. The Moore family has partnered with Boston's Children's Hospital to fundraise to help give families "another layer of love you didn't know you needed," she said. Starting June 13, Cooper will be the featured patient for the "Give a Smile' campaign" for Boston Children's Hospital, featured in all the Shaw's and Star Market grocery stores in New England.

Boston Study Provides a Glimmer of Hope for Glioblastoma Brain Cancer

Boston Herald

A new study out of Mass General is providing a glimmer of hope for those battling glioblastoma, an aggressive and fast-growing brain tumor. The researchers found that patients who received a common anti-seizure and pain drug — gabapentin — ended up living longer. 

Artists Turn the Tables on Health Care Cuts: 'Where Does It Hurt?' They Ask Medical Staff

Boston Globe

Artist Mary Lacy spent May drawing portraits of staff in the Longwood Medical and Academic Area. She set up her easel behind curtains in Joslin Park and saw her subjects for 15 minutes each. Sitters filled out an intake form responding to the title's question. An exhibition of the portraits and those answers will be on view in the Longwood area later this month.