Instructional Building, BU School of Medicine, Boston MA

The Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, formerly the Boston University School of Medicine, is one of the graduate schools of

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original cam ...

. Founded in 1848, the

medical school A medical school is a tertiary educational institution, or part of such an institution, that teaches medicine, and awards a professional degree for physicians. Such medical degrees include the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS, ...

was the first institution in the world to formally educate female physicians. Originally known as the New England Female Medical College, it was subsequently renamed Boston University School of Medicine in 1873, then Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine in 2022. In 1864, it became the first medical school in the United States to award an M.D. degree to an African-American woman. Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine is the only medical school located in the South End neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts.

Boston Medical Center Boston Medical Center (BMC) is a non-profit 514-bed academic medical center in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest safety-net hospital and Level I trauma center in New England. BMC employs 1,466 physicians—including 711 residents and f ...

, its primary teaching hospital, operates the largest 24-hour Level I trauma center in New England, and the largest network of regional community health centers. Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine is the home of the

Framingham Heart Study The Framingham Heart Study is a long-term, ongoing cardiovascular cohort study of residents of the city of Framingham, Massachusetts. The study began in 1948 with 5,209 adult subjects from Framingham, and is now on its third generation of partic ...

, from which all knowledge of cardiovascular disease risk factors were originally discovered. Notable alumni of the medical school include

Marcia Angell Marcia Angell (; born April 20, 1939) is an American physician, author, and the first woman to serve as editor-in-chief of the '' New England Journal of Medicine''. She is currently a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Global Health and Social ...

, former editor-in-chief of the

New England Journal of Medicine ''The New England Journal of Medicine'' (''NEJM'') is a weekly medical journal published by the Massachusetts Medical Society. It is among the most prestigious peer-reviewed medical journals as well as the oldest continuously published one. His ...

and the only woman to hold the position in the journal's almost 200-year history, as well as Louis Wade Sullivan, former Secretary of the

US Department of Health and Human Services The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is a cabinet-level executive branch department of the U.S. federal government created to protect the health of all Americans and providing essential human services. Its motto is ...

and founder of

Morehouse School of Medicine Morehouse School of Medicine is a private co-educational medical school in Atlanta, Georgia. Originally a part of Morehouse College, the school became independent in 1981. The school abbreviates its name with its initials "MSM." History Establ ...

. Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine is tied for 32nd on the 2023 list of Best Medical Schools in the Research category, and tied for 36th in the Primary Care category, by the '' U.S. News & World Report''.

History

The

New England Female Medical College New England Female Medical College (NEFMC), originally Boston Female Medical College, was founded in 1848 by Samuel Gregory and was the first school to train women in the field of medicine. It merged with Boston University to become the Boston Un ...

was the first institution to medically train women, founded in 1848. The institution was reformed and renamed in 1873 when Boston University merged with the New England Female Medical College and began to admit men as well as women. Following a $100 million donation in 2022 by philanthropist and clarinetist

Edward Avedisian Edward Avedisian (June 15, 1936 – August 17, 2007) was an American abstract painter who came into prominence during the 1960s. His work was initially associated with Color field painting and in the late 1960s with Lyrical Abstraction. Early ...

, the school name was formally changed once again to "Boston University Aram V. Chobanian & Edward Avedisian School of Medicine", honoring Avedisian and his friend, former dean of the medical school Aram V. Chobanian.

Recent class profile

In the autumn of 2019, Boston University School of Medicine's first-year medical students were 48% female, and 14% were of an ethnicity that is under-represented in medicine. Out of matriculated students, 124 are in the traditional 4-year

Doctor of Medicine Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated M.D., from the Latin ''Medicinae Doctor'') is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the M.D. denotes a professional degree. ...

(MD) program. Average GPA was 3.69. Six students were enrolled in the MD-PhD program, and the rest were in some other type of non-traditional MD track. The school also offers joint degrees with other Boston University graduate schools, allowing the medical students to earn an MD degree with a

Master of Business Administration A Master of Business Administration (MBA; also Master's in Business Administration) is a postgraduate degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration such as accounti ...

(MBA),

Master of Public Health The Master of Public Health or Master of Philosophy in Public Health (M.P.H.), Master of Science in Public Health (MSPH), Master of Medical Science in Public Health (MMSPH) and the Doctor of Public Health (Dr.P.H.), International Masters for Healt ...

(MPH), or

PhD PHD or PhD may refer to: * Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), an academic qualification Entertainment * '' PhD: Phantasy Degree'', a Korean comic series * '' Piled Higher and Deeper'', a web comic * Ph.D. (band), a 1980s British group ** Ph.D. (Ph.D. al ...

. Students matriculating came from 29 states and 19 countries. Average MCAT was 517. Students' ages ranged from 18 to 35.

People

Notable faculty

There are 1,159 faculty members at BU's School of Medicine: 946 full-time and 213 part-time. Notable faculty include: * Andrew E. Budson (2005-present), Professor of Neurology *

Alfred I. Tauber Alfred I. Tauber (born 1947) is an American philosopher and historian of science, who, from 1993 to 2010, served as director of the Boston University Center for Philosophy and History of Science at Boston University. Tauber has published extensiv ...

(1982–present), recipient of the 2008 Science Medal awarded by the

University of Bologna The University of Bologna ( it, Alma Mater Studiorum – Università di Bologna, UNIBO) is a public research university in Bologna, Italy. Founded in 1088 by an organised guild of students (''studiorum''), it is the oldest university in contin ...

* Karen H. Antman (2005–present), professor of medicine, Provost and Dean *

Osamu Shimomura was a Japanese organic chemist and marine biologist, and Professor Emeritus at Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) in Woods Hole, Massachusetts and Boston University School of Medicine. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2008 for th ...

(1982–present), 2008 recipient of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry

Notable alumni

(MD'67), Former editor of the ''

'' *

Jennifer Berman Jennifer Ruth Berman is an American sexual health expert, urologist and female sexual medicine specialist. She is also a former co-host on the television show '' The Doctors''. She has been likened to Dr. Ruth Westheimer (Dr. Ruth). Media Berman ...

, sexual health expert, urologist, and female sexual medicine specialist *

Ida Joe Brooks Ida Josephine "Joe" Brooks (April 28, 1853 – March 13, 1939) was an educator, physician and surgeon. She was among Arkansas's earliest women physicians and the first female faculty member at the University of Arkansas Medical School. Early lif ...

(MD 1891), among Arkansas's earliest women physicians and the first female faculty member at the University of Arkansas Medical School *

Rebecca Lee Crumpler Rebecca Lee Crumpler, born Rebecca Davis, (February 8, 1831March 9, 1895), was an American physician, nurse and author. After studying at the New England Female Medical College, in 1864 she became the first African-American woman to become a ...

(MD1864), the first African-American to receive an M.D. in the United States and a graduate of the New England Female College (1848–1873), which merged with Boston University in 1873 *

Franklin Ware Mann Franklin Weston Mann (July 24, 1856 – November 14, 1916) was an American physician and inventor remembered as author of the pioneering ballistics text entitled ''The Bullet's Flight from Powder to Target: The Internal and External Ballistics of ...

(MD1880) – pioneering

ballistics Ballistics is the field of mechanics concerned with the launching, flight behaviour and impact effects of projectiles, especially ranged weapon munitions such as bullets, unguided bombs, rockets or the like; the science or art of designing a ...

researcher and inventor of the Mann rest adopted by the

National Institute of Standards and Technology The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is an agency of the United States Department of Commerce whose mission is to promote American innovation and industrial competitiveness. NIST's activities are organized into physical s ...

and

Aberdeen Proving Ground Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG) (sometimes erroneously called Aberdeen Proving ''Grounds'') is a U.S. Army facility located adjacent to Aberdeen, Harford County, Maryland, United States. More than 7,500 civilians and 5,000 military personnel work a ...

Fe Del Mundo Fe Villanueva del Mundo, , (born Fé Primitiva del Mundo y Villanueva; 27 November 1911 – 6 August 2011) was a Filipina pediatrician. She founded the first pediatric hospital in the Philippines and is known for shaping the modern child healt ...

(MS'40), National Scientist of the Philippines * Ralph David Feigin (MD'62), Current Physician-in-Chief of the Texas Children's Hospital * I Michael Leitman (MD'85) American surgeon and Dean for Graduate Medical Education,

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (ISMMS or Mount Sinai), formerly the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, is a private medical school in New York City. It is the academic teaching arm of the Mount Sinai Health System, which manages e ...

Edward Ross Ritvo Edward Ross Ritvo (June 1, 1930 – June 10, 2020) was an American psychiatrist known for his research on genetic components of autism. He was a professor emeritus of UCLA's Neuropsychiatric Institute. Family life and education Edward Ross Ritv ...

(MD'55), autism researcher, Neuropsychiatric Institute,

David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles School of Medicine—known as the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA (DGSOM)—is an accredited medical school located in Los Angeles, California, United States. The school was renamed in 2001 in h ...

* Louis Wade Sullivan (MD'58), President of the

and former

U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services The United States secretary of health and human services is the head of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, and serves as the principal advisor to the president of the United States on all health matters. The secretary is ...

Louis Weinstein Louis Weinstein (February 26, 1908 – March 16, 2000) was an American infectious diseases physician, microbiologist, and educator. He was a pioneer in the modern field of infectious disease treatment, having started his career before antibiotic ...

(MD'43), microbiologist and infectious disease physician *

Lawrence Yannuzzi Lawrence Yannuzzi is an American physician, ophthalmologist, and vitreo-retinal surgeon who is noted as an internationally recognized retinal specialist. Early career and family Yannuzzi graduated from Harvard College. He graduated from the Bost ...

(MD'64),

angiography Angiography or arteriography is a medical imaging technique used to visualize the inside, or lumen, of blood vessels and organs of the body, with particular interest in the arteries, veins, and the heart chambers. Modern angiography is perfor ...

pioneer

Graduate medical sciences

The school offers MA, MS, and

degrees through Graduate Medical Sciences. The MA degree is in Mental Health Counseling and Behavioral Medicine. An MS degree is available in Anatomy and Neurobiology - Vesalius Program, Bioimaging, Biomedical Forensics, Biomedical Research Technologies, Clinical Research, Forensic Anthropology, Genetic Counseling. Health Professions Education, Healthcare Emergency Management, Medical Anthropology & Cross Cultural Practice, Medical Sciences, Nutrition and Metabolism, Oral Health Sciences, Pathology Laboratory Sciences, Physician Assistant, and Physiology and Biophysics. PhD and MD-PhD degrees are also granted in the following areas:

Clinical affiliates

— Boston, MA * Boston Veterans Administration Medical Center - Various * Central Maine Medical Center — Lewiston, ME * Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial Veterans Hospital — Bedford, MA * Norwood Hospital — Norwood, MA * St. Elizabeth's Medical Center - Boston, MA

In popular culture

Boston University School of Medicine and the

serve as the setting for

Robin Cook Robert Finlayson "Robin" Cook (28 February 19466 August 2005) was a British Labour politician who served as a Member of Parliament (MP) from 1974 until his death in 2005 and served in the Cabinet as Foreign Secretary from 1997 until 2001 wh ...

's bestselling novel ''

Coma A coma is a deep state of prolonged unconsciousness in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to respond normally to painful stimuli, light, or sound, lacks a normal wake-sleep cycle and does not initiate voluntary actions. Coma patients exhi ...

'' as well as the film of the same name directed by

Michael Crichton John Michael Crichton (; October 23, 1942 – November 4, 2008) was an American author and filmmaker. His books have sold over 200 million copies worldwide, and over a dozen have been adapted into films. His literary works heavily feature tech ...

References

External links

Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine

Graduate Medical Sciences

Samuel Gregory. ''Letter to Ladies, in Favor of Female Physicians for their Own Sex'' (Boston: Published by The New England Female Medical College, 1856).
{{DEFAULTSORT:Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School Of Medicine School of Medicine School of Medicine Universities and colleges in Boston Medical schools in Massachusetts Educational institutions established in 1848 * 1848 establishments in Massachusetts