Programs

The NeuroTechnology Studio will be a new platform of advanced instrumentation, and technical expertise, to encourage and facilitate the critical work of hundreds of investigators each year studying the brain, mind and nervous system. To be widely shared among physicians, neuroscientists and beyond, the overall purpose of the new NeuroTechnology Studio is to help expedite promising neuroscience research discoveries and, ultimately, better outcomes for patients struggling with conditions of the brain.

Anticipated Opening, Phase One—Summer 2017

This new 3-year Neuroscience Research Fellowship Program is designed for incoming BWH postdoctoral research fellows. Its novel feature is the opportunity for selected fellows to identify collaborators at one of many neuroscience institutes worldwide and participate in a 3-month research sabbatical. In doing so, the Program promotes the sharing of knowledge and tools, and the importance of collaborations, among neuroscientists worldwide.

Chronic pain can be crippling, and patients can find it daunting to find effective treatments. In partnership with the BWH Pain Medicine Division, we’re designing a 2-year clinical research pilot program to test a new patient care model for individuals with back and neck pain. The Program’s key feature is the “Pain Navigator,” a new role created to help individuals navigate the many pain care options at BWH, book timely appointments with specialists and ensure follow up treatment as needed. If improved patient outcomes are observed—including reductions in opioid use—we hope to expand to other pain types.

Many conditions disproportionately affect women—such as Alzheimer’s, anxiety, brain aneurysms, headaches and multiple sclerosis. However, we know little about the reasons for such disparities. The Women’s Brain Initiative is a significant BWH-wide effort to investigate why women are at increased risk of certain brain disorders.  By designing an important and coordinated portfolio of individual research efforts, we aim to both understand the critical factors that put women at increased risk and identify opportunities to advance new treatments and prevention—for women and men!