Category: Research
Surgeon and Former US Health Official to Lead New Health Innovation Institute
Jonathan Woodson, a vascular surgeon and former Assistant Secretary for Health Affairs for the US Department of Defense, is tapped to lead the University’s new Institute for Health System Innovation & Policy, based in the Questrom School of Business. Woodson, who served with the DOD from 2010 to 2016, assumes the Larz Anderson Professorship in Management and Professor of the Practice. A collaborative endeavor, the new institute will focus on expanding health system research initiatives, deepening connections between scholars, policymakers, and corporations, and advancing curricular initiatives across the University.
University Continues Climb in U.S. News & World Report Rankings
Boston University reaches an all-time high in the 2017 U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges rankings, moving up two notches to tie for number 39 among national universities and continuing a sustained rise in reputation across the board. The University’s overall jump echoes widespread gains in graduate program rankings for several BU schools and colleges, released by U.S. News the previous March.
$350M to Combat Antibiotic Resistance
As part of a sweeping effort to solve the critical problem of antibiotic resistance, the US Department of Health & Human Services announces that it has selected the Boston University School of Law (LAW)—and Kevin Outterson, a BU professor of law—to lead a novel $350 million trans-Atlantic public-private partnership to spur the preclinical development of new antibiotics and antimicrobial rapid diagnostics and vaccines.
Shipley Foundation Gives $10.5M to Redirect Fight against Prostate Cancer
Richard Shipley, a BU trustee, technology investor, and former CEO, gives the School of Medicine $10.5 million to create a prostate cancer research center on the Medical Campus, along with a website devoted to treatment options. The Shipley Prostate Cancer Research Center will focus on personalized medicine, seeking genomic approaches to determine which cancers are aggressive and need to be removed or radiated and which are not, eliminating unnecessary treatment with devastating side effects.
New Military Health Center Up and Running
In light of the still largely unmet health needs of US service members and the breadth of expertise at BU, the School of Medicine launches the Center for Military & Post Deployment Health, which will coordinate the University’s many and various military-focused research and service projects.
BU Ranks #32 in Global Universities, Says U.S. News & World Report
BU jumps five spots in the latest ranking of the best “global universities” by U.S. News & World Report, rising to 32 from last year’s 37. It is the magazine’s second annual compilation in this category, and “affirms how competitive we continue to be among the world’s premier research universities,” says Jean Morrison, University provost and chief academic officer.
A CFA Center for All Things Beethoven
The new College of Fine Arts Center for Beethoven Research, a resource for all things Beethoven and a magnet for scholars from around the world, has been a work in progress since 2012. The center, based in the School of Music department of musicology and ethnomusicology, features a digitized library and is collaborating with Beethoven centers around the world to host events and conferences.
University to Expand Big Data Expertise
The University Provost launches a data science faculty hiring initiative to bolster BU’s leadership in the burgeoning field and advance the University’s focus on interdisciplinary research. With more and more disciplines seeking to harness the power of data science, BU will hire up to six data scientists over the next three years in such areas as computer science, statistics, and systems engineering. Data scientists use mathematical models to analyze voluminous data and draw knowledge from it that can be used in a variety of applications, from health care and business to design and communications. The new faculty members will augment ongoing hiring in data-science-related disciplines.
New Center for Interdisciplinary Innovation
President Robert A. Brown announces a new, state-of-the-art Center for Integrated Life Sciences & Engineering (CILSE) to give science a more prominent address on the University’s main thoroughfare. Breaking ground in spring 2015, this $140 million, nine-story research facility, scheduled to open in 2016, will bring together life scientists, engineers, and physicians from the Medical and Charles River Campuses. The building will be dedicated to systems neuroscience, cognitive neuroimaging, and biological design. With shared, flexible lab spaces, meeting rooms, and other common areas, CILSE is being designed to encourage the kind of collaborative, interdisciplinary research that will be the hallmark of 21st-century science. The center will contain lab space for approximately 160 researchers, postdoctoral students, and staff, 270 graduate students, and additional space for future faculty.
Center for Systems Neuroscience
As brain science takes a prominent position on the nation’s research agenda, BU launches a new interdisciplinary research center to explore the roots of psychiatric diseases and neurological impairments.
The Center for Systems Neuroscience (CSN) is led by Michael Hasselmo, a College of Arts & Sciences professor of psychological and brain sciences. The inaugural director, Hasselmo says the center’s researchers will work to further enhance the understanding of how brain systems mediate behavior. “We plan to build on the exciting research of neuroscience faculty at Boston University,” he says. “And we will foster new collaborations to generate experimental and computational advances in the field.”
