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. 

A Message from the President

Dear Longwood,

As we come upon the Thanksgiving holiday, I want to extend my sincerest gratitude to our member institutions and all those in Longwood who bring their unique skills to this district and help make it the most desirable place to work, learn, and heal. 

The past season has been one of remarkable collaborations, with new initiatives popping up across the district in partnership with our members. Just this past Tuesday, members of the Longwood Collective team stood alongside The Gillian Reny Stepping Strong Center for Trauma Innovation at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in recognition of National Injury Prevention Day. Together, we were able to reach hundreds of people in Longwood with free safety gear, information about injury prevention, and celebrate the creativity of students in the LMA through an Injury Prevention themed poster competition, uniting patients, students, and workers around a shared goal of safety. 

Veronica and Cheryl from The Gillian Reny Stepping Strong Center for Trauma Innovation at Brigham and Women's Hospital joined Kashia and Claudia from Longwood Collective for a tabling event on November 18th. 

Owen and Regina, both students at MassArt, were two winners of our Injury Prevention Day poster competition, using creativity to shed light on the importance of road safety in preventing injury.

Or take for example our recent collaboration with Simmons University on a green infrastructure project in the district. Through a shared vision for a more sustainable Longwood, we were able to bring together our time, energy, and resources to accomplish the construction of the district’s first ever bioswale water filtration system. Our member institutions guide our work as stewards of the district, and I’m so grateful for these partnerships that deepen our impact.

Representatives from Simmons University, the Boston Water and Sewer Commission, Longwood Collective, and the City of Boston came together to break ground on the district's first bioswale.

To every member of this community, I wish you and your loved ones a Happy Thanksgiving and joyful holiday season ahead.  

Regards, 

David Sweeney
President and CEO

Member Spotlight: Fenway Health 

Boston City Councilor Sharon Durkan Recognizes Fenway Health with Official Resolution 

On November 14th, our local City Councilor Sharon Durkan issued an Official City Resolution recognizing the significance of Fenway Health as a health clinic providing vital services to the LGBTQIA+ community and the City of Boston. This comes at a challenging moment for Fenway Health as federal funding is under attack. Thank you, Councilor Durkan, for affirming your support for institutions in the Longwood Medical and Academic Area—like Fenway Health—that provide life-saving care in our city.

We're incredibly proud to have Fenway Health as an associate member of Longwood Collective. Read the full resolution here.

In Photos 

MCPHSU and MassArt Students Shine a Green Light on Injury Prevention 

As part of Longwood Collective's joint recognition of Injury Prevention Day, three student artists were featured at Brigham and Women's Hospital for their creative renderings of road safety. Using green—the official color of Injury Prevention Day—they created impactful, eye-catching posters that communicated the preventability of injury on the roads. The students were awarded with a cash prize and recognition from Longwood Collective and The Gillian Reny Stepping Strong Center for Trauma Innovation.

1st Place Winner: Owen Schwartz, Massachusetts College of Art and Design

2nd Place Winner: Katelyn Losty, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences University 

3rd Place Winner: Regina Grasman, Massachusetts College of Art and Design

Getting Around 

MBTA Updates Near the District 

Red Line

• Shuttle buses are replacing service between North Quincy and Braintree through Sunday, November 23 for station work. Commuter Rail service between Braintree and South Station is fare-free. 

Orange Line

• Shuttle buses will replace service between Back Bay and Forest Hills all day on Friday, December 5, and Saturday, December 6, for signal upgrades. 

Major Closure: Green Line

• The MBTA has announced a closure of the Green Line to replace the 130-year-old infrastructure in December. From Monday, December 8, through Monday, December 22, the T will suspend service from North Station to Babcock Street on the B Branch, to Kenmore on the line's C and D branches and to Heath Street on the E Branch. 

Commuter Rail

• Please be advised that the new Fall/Winter schedule for the Commuter Rail has been announced and in effect since October 27. See here for more information about Line schedules. 

In the Neighborhood 

The Boston Guardian: Longwood Area Hosting Climate Resilience Pilot

The Boston Guardian recently interviewed Longwood Collective's Senior Land Use and Sustainability Planner, Abby Oliveira to discuss Longwood's new bioswale pilot project on Avenue Louis Pasteur.

They also discussed the recently published Open Space and Resilience Framework which serves to guide future sustainability efforts in the district.

Read the full article here.

Launching Longwood Values Campaign in The Fenway News 

The November edition of The Fenway News, which serves Fenway, Mission Hill, Audubon Circle, and Kenmore, featured a preview of our upcoming campaign showcasing the shared values of the Longwood Area. Built around the five core elements that define the contributions of our medical, academic, and cultural institutions, the campaign affirms Longwood’s collective value and our commitment to continued excellence.

Check out the full November edition of the Fenway News here. 

City of Boston: Enchanted Trolley Tour and Tree Lightings

With the holiday season just around the corner, we wanted to spread the word about Mayor Michelle Wu's Enchanted Trolley Tour and Tree Lightings, including the December 6th visit to Brigham Circle! For the 29th year, the Mayor's Enchanted Trolley Tour will continue the festive tradition of lighting holiday trees while bringing holiday spirit to children across Boston. The event is sponsored by Bank of America, and includes visits with Santa, tree lightings, and more.

Did You Know?

Longwood By the Numbers

Here in Longwood, our daily flow of employees, patients, students, and visitors makes us a city within a city.

Brought together by the educational, medical, and cultural institutions, Longwood Collective is proud to be the stewards of the LMA every day for the 134,000 people who come here.

Fun fact: this is more than double the total population of the neighboring Town of Brookline! Keep an eye out for more fun facts about Longwood each month in future editions of Longwood Happenings.

Join Our Team

Positions Available at Longwood Collective

Help make Longwood the most desirable place to work, learn, and heal by joining the Longwood Collective team!

We pride ourselves on fostering a vibrant and engaging work environment in the heart of Longwood that is deeply committed to making it easier to work, study, and receive care here.

General Counsel

Reporting to and partnering with the President and CEO, the General Counsel serves as the organization’s chief legal officer, providing counsel across all operations, including its wholly-owned for-profit subsidiary, MASCO Services, Inc. This executive role ensures regulatory compliance, proactively limiting corporate risk, supports strong governance, and manages legal resources to advance strategic goals and initiatives.

Longwood in the News 

NeighborHealth and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Partner to Expand Cancer Care Access for Under-served Communities

Everett Independent

NeighborHealth announced today the launch of a new partnership with Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, bringing world-renowned cancer expertise directly to NeighborHealth patients to help close persistent gaps in cancer diagnosis and treatment. The partnership will help reduce wait times for cancer diagnostics, expand community awareness of and access to cancer care, and build greater trust between patients and providers. The new relationship was made possible by Dana-Farber’s Cancer Care Access Program, a clinical outreach initiative designed to reduce differences in cancer outcomes among local communities.

FDA Approves Dana-Farber, Harvard Medical School, Broad Institute Lung Cancer Drug

Mirage News

The US Food and Drug Administration has approved sevabertinib, an oral targeted therapy for adult patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) whose tumors harbor certain HER2 (also called ERBB2) mutations and who have previously received chemotherapy or immunotherapy. The approval reflects a multi-year collaboration led by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute investigators, working closely with colleagues at the Broad Institute.

F.W. Webb Establishes Veteran Workforce Development Fund at Boston Children's Hospital

PHCP Pros

Veterans, military families, and children receiving care will gain meaningful assistance through F.W. Webb’s $200,000 contribution to Boston Children’s Hospital. The donation creates the F.W. Webb Veteran Workforce Development Fund with $100,000 and directs another $100,000 to the existing F.W. Webb Extraordinary Needs Fund for Military and Veteran Families.

MassArt Students Illuminate Watertown Park with Public Art Installation

Watertown News

The City of Watertown is excited to announce the launch of a new temporary public art installation in partnership with the Massachusetts College of Art and Design (MassArt). “The Light Between” is created by students from the Investigations in Light class, led by Professor Elaine Buckholtz. The site-specific work will be on view at Sullivan Park from November 3 to November 17.

Brigham and Women's Hospital Novel Alzheimer's Treatment Fuels Hope

Boston Globe

A Massachusetts General Hospital research team has identified a substance that may stop the formation of amyloid, which has been shown to interfere with brain function. Rudolph E. Tanzi, director of Mass. General’s Henry and Allison McCance Center for Brain Health, said this drug, known as GSM, for gamma secretase modulator, would come in the form of a pill and would be less expensive. He hopes to start testing its safety in humans in the fall. If it’s proven safe and effective, Tanzi envisions GSM someday being offered to people at risk of Alzheimer’s in the same way statins are prescribed for people at risk of heart disease.

Harvard's New Allston Development to Include Harvard Cooperative Society

Boston Globe

Developer Chris Whittier announced that the Harvard Cooperative Society, aka the Coop, will open a book and apparel store in the hotel. The Coop already has a shop serving Harvard Business School, across the street, but Coop chief executive Jodi Goldstein says this store’s inventory will be aimed at a broader population, including visitors coming to the hotel and the David Rubenstein Treehouse, a conference center next door, when the shop opens next year.

Brigham and Women's to Replace Aging Inpatient Building, But Cost, Timeline Unclear

BBJ

When Mass General Brigham last month announced its plans to replace the main inpatient tower at the Brigham and Women’s campus, officials said it was to modernize and replace aging infrastructure. 

But while officials from the health system said it’s part of a forward-thinking strategy, many details about the state’s largest health system's plan for the hospital have not been revealed.