Brigham Health is a research powerhouse.
January marked the beginning of our new Brigham Health “Did You Know?” research awareness campaign. The campaign lives on the rotating flat screens throughout the hospital and features historical milestones and breakthroughs as well as current accolades involving the Brigham Health research community. Discovery and innovation are a key strategic focus of our institution and the goal of this series is to highlight our discoveries and innovative work.
This campaign also features the current research that specific investigators and their respective departments are working on and the type of groundbreaking discoveries they have been making.
Have you ever wondered if sleep apnea can be treated with a pill or if AI can help embryologists improve the success rate of in vitro fertilization?
Our scientists are working on it.
Can sleep apnea be treated with a pill?
Andrew Wellman, MD, PhD, is working on it in Division of Sleep Medicine in the Department of Medicine, one of the many scientists working to solve complex medical questions about sleep.
Can advanced multi-modal imaging provide personalized brain maps for surgery?
Alexandra Golby, MD, is working on it in Department of Neurosurgery, one of the many scientists working to use imaging solutions to solve complex medical questions about the brain.
Visit the Neurosurgery website to learn more about the research happening at Brigham Health
Can lung cancer be removed without compromising lung function?
Jaydender Jagadeesan, PhD, is working on it in the Department of Radiology, one of the many scientists within The Lung Center working to use imaging solutions to solve complex medical questions about lung disease and function.
Visit The Lung Center website to learn more about the research happening at Brigham Health
Can viruses be used to treat brain cancer?
Our scientists are working on it! Researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital are attempting to solve brain cancer by studying the effects of viruses on the brain and related organs.
Visit The Brain Tumor Center website to learn more about the research happening at Brigham Health
Can genetics predict whether someone will develop series complications from chemotherapy?
Our scientists are working on it! Researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital are furthering chemotherapy research by exploring the effects of genetics on the ability to predict complications in chemo procedures.
Visit The Brain Tumor Center website to learn more about the research happening at Brigham Health
Can hepatitis infected hearts and lungs be safely transplanted?
Our scientists are working on it! Researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital are hard at work developing safe methods for transplanting organs affected by infections such as hepatitis.
Visit the Cardiac Surgery website to learn more about the research happening at Brigham Health
Can AI determine which microbes prevent C. difficile infection?
Our scientists are working on it! Researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital are using groundbreaking artificial intelligence technology as a tool to further studies in infections.
Can a vaginal microbicide prevent sexual transmission of HIV-1 in women?
Our scientists are working on it. Researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital are battling sexually transmitted diseases and infections through the use of new technology and techniques.
Visit the HIV and AIDS Research website to learn more about the research happening at Brigham Health
Can treating inflammation decrease the risk of heart disease, cancer and Alzheimer's?
Our scientists are working on it! Researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital are doubling down on the battle against inflammation in the hopes of reducing risk for related diseases in patients.
Can blood tests be used to help predict who is at risk for spontaneous preterm delivery?
Our scientists are working on it. Researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital are learning more and more about birth processes and how blood can be used to develop educated predictions of complications.
Can we reverse the build up of calcium in blood vessels and cardiac valves?
Elena Aikawa, MD, PhD, is 
hard at work answering questions regarding calcium’s relationship with our bodies and cardiovascular health.
Can changing the levels of natural bacteria living in a person's gut help treat obesity?
Our scientists are working on it across the hospital, including some of the many scientists in departments like Rheumatology, Immunology, & Allergy and Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Endoscopy. They’re working to use identify ways of addressing and treating obesity using our microbiome and bacteria levels in the gut.
Can comprehensive MRI exams of the brain be completed in just 10 minutes?
Our scientists are working on it. Researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital are trying to find out just how fast MRI exams of the brain can be.
Can we change our diet to treat a malfunctioning immune system?
Our scientists are working on it. Researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital are looking into the effects of the diet on the immune system.
Is it possible to test male infertility at home using low-cost, reliable, and sensitive devices, such as smartphones?
Our scientists are working on it. Researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital are trying to develop an easy solution to testing male infertility at home.
Our scientists work on groundbreaking research, sharing their work with the world through scientific articles and publications.
Did you know that Brigham Health researchers published over 7,800 scientific articles last year, with a number of those publications in top tier journals.
Our scientists perform numerous studies, collecting data and sharing with the world of science.
Did you know that in a study of more than 250,000 individuals, Brigham Investigators have identified 82 genetic locations associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder.
Our scientists develop long-standing careers in medicine and research, often seeking funding to further their projects.
Did you know that four early-career investigators, who have made outstanding contribution in their fields, won the inaugural President’s Scholar Awards. They each received $100,000 per year for three years.
Each year, the Brigham Research Institute awards the BRIght Futures Prize to a project in its early stages, voted on by the public.
Did you know that Natalie Artzi, PhD, won the $100,000 BRIght Futures Prize to advance her research on engineering therapies focused on better outcomes for childhood brain cancer.
Our scientists are always working to develop breakthroughs in allergies and other medical conditions.
Did you know that Brigham researchers have found new evidence connecting food allergies and relapses of multiple sclerosis.
Our scientists are always working to reduce disease risk in patients through discoveries in medicine and functions of biological components.
Did you know that in a clinical trial led by the Brigham, investigators have found that icosapent ethyl – a pure and stable prescription form of an omega-3 fatty acid – can reduce the risk of recurrent heart attacks and strokes.
Our scientists are always improving their working environments with new space developments and workplace tools to increase research productivity.
Did you know that Brigham Health has almost 800,000 square feet of dedicated research space. That’s equivalent to about 18 acres or 13 football fields or about 8 Fenway parks. And that’s not including all of the research taking place in our patient care areas.
Our scientists keep in close touch with the National Institute of Health and maintain a good success rate finding funding through the NiH.
Did you know that about 55% of BWH’s research funding comes from the Department of Health and Human Services through the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Our scientists work closely with the Brigham Research Institute to ensure quality work and sufficient funding goes to each project.
Did you know that each BWH Clinical Center of Excellence has a corresponding Brigham Research Institute (BRI) Research Center.
Our scientists seek research grants and other funding from the Brigham Research Institute, an internal department responsible for overseeing research projects within the hospital.
Did you know that In FY18, the BRI distributed more than $2.4 million in funding to BWH investigators through various funding mechanisms with awards ranging from $500 – $500,000.
Our scientists are always looking for ways to make breakthroughs in medical research, including the discovery of new treatment options for diseases.
Did you know that the Thorn Building is named after George W. Thorn (1906-1904) who was Chief of Medicine at the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital for over 3 years. His research led to cortisone being used to treat Addison’s Disease for the 1st time.
Our scientists are always growing in number, with new researchers and hospital staff joining the team every day.
Did you know that about a quarter of all Brigham staff (~ 5,000 people) are directly engaged in research.
Our scientists work very hard to receive funding for their projects, and are often successful at providing clear and concise pitches for funding opportunities.
Did you know that The Brigham receives more than $700,000,000—about a quarter of the hospital’s total revenue—in annual research funding.
Our scientists work very hard to receive funding for their projects, even from outside sources.
Did you know that Bayer AG will be investing in a BWH lab to develop drugs and new therapies to treat chronic lung diseases such as COPD and pulmonary fibrosis.
