Boston University School of Medicine

The Boston University School of Medicine (formally the Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine) is the medical school of Boston University, a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1848 and was originally called the New England Female Medical College. In 1873, it was renamed the Boston University School of Medicine, and in 2022, it became known as the Boston University Aram V. Chobanian & Edward Avedisian School of Medicine.

This school is special because it is the only medical school located in the South End neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. It works closely with Boston Medical Center, its main teaching hospital, which has the largest 24-hour emergency care center in New England and many community health centers.

The school is also famous for the Framingham Heart Study, research that helped discover important facts about heart health. In 1864, the school made history by becoming the first in the United States to give a medical degree to an African-American woman.

History

The New England Female Medical College was the first school to train women in medicine, starting in 1848. In 1873, Boston University joined with this college and allowed both men and women to study there. In 2022, after a big gift of $100 million from a person named Edward Avedisian, the school was renamed to honor him and another leader, Aram V. Chobanian.

Recent class profile

In the fall of 2019, about half of the first-year medical students at Boston University School of Medicine were female, and 14% came from groups that are less common in medicine. There were 124 students in the main four-year program to become a Doctor of Medicine (MD). Six students were working toward both an MD and a PhD, while others followed different paths. Students could also combine their medical studies with programs like business or public health.

Students came from 29 different U.S. states and 19 other countries. The average MCAT score was 517, and students ranged in age from 18 to 35.

Graduate medical sciences

The school offers MA, MS, and PhD degrees through Graduate Medical Sciences. The MA degree focuses on Mental Health Counseling and Behavioral Medicine. Students can earn an MS degree in many areas such as Anatomy, Bioimaging, Biomedical Research, Clinical Research, Genetic Counseling, and more.

PhD and MD-PhD degrees are available in several fields as well.

People

Notable faculty

Boston University School of Medicine has 1,159 faculty members, with 946 working full-time and 213 part-time. Some well-known faculty include:

• Andrew E. Budson, a Professor of Neurology since 2005
• Alfred I. Tauber, who received the 2008 Science Medal from the University of Bologna and has been teaching since 1982
• Isaac Asimov, a Professor of Biochemistry from 1949 to 1979, also famous as a science fiction writer
• Karen H. Antman, a professor of medicine who has been Provost and Dean since 2005
• Osamu Shimomura, who won the 2008 Nobel Prize in Chemistry and has been with the school since 1982

Notable alumni

Many important people have graduated from the school, including:

• Drew Weissman, who won the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his medical research
• Marcia Angell, former editor of the New England Journal of Medicine, graduating in 1967
• Ida Joe Brooks, one of Arkansas's earliest women doctors and the first woman faculty member at the University of Arkansas Medical School, graduating in 1891
• Rebecca Lee Crumpler, the first African-American person to earn a medical degree in the United States, graduating in 1864 from the New England Female College, which later joined Boston University in 1873
• Fe Del Mundo, who earned a master's degree in 1940 and became a National Scientist of the Philippines
• Ralph David Feigin, currently the top doctor at the Texas Children's Hospital, graduating in 1962
• I Michael Leitman, an American surgeon and Dean for Graduate Medical Education at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, graduating in 1985
• Louis Wade Sullivan, President of the Morehouse School of Medicine and former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, graduating in 1958
• William Lane Watkins, the first African-American male to graduate, earning his degree in 1876
• Louis Weinstein, a microbiologist and expert in diseases, graduating in 1943
• Lawrence Yannuzzi, a pioneer in angiography, graduating in 1964

One alumni entry has been adjusted to remove references to sensitive topics.

Clinical affiliates

The Boston University School of Medicine works closely with several hospitals. These include:

• Boston Medical Center in Boston, MA
• Boston Veterans Administration Medical Center in various locations
• Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston, ME
• Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial Veterans Hospital in Bedford, MA
• Norwood Hospital in Norwood, MA
• St. Elizabeth's Medical Center in Boston, MA
• Boston Children's Hospital (joint residency program with Harvard Medical School) in Boston, MA

In popular culture

The Boston University School of Medicine and the Boston Medical Center were used as the setting for author Robin Cook’s popular book Coma. The story was also made into a movie with the same title, directed by Michael Crichton.