A Message from the President

Dear Longwood,

Last month, I had the pleasure of convening Longwood Collective Members and Directors for our first Annual Board Meeting under the Longwood Collective banner. 

During the meeting, I shared how Longwood Collective is leaning more heavily than ever before into our role serving as the chief planner, principal steward, and number one champion of the LMA. This has been done all while remaining steadfast in our mission of driving collaborative solutions enabling Longwood to be an innovative hub of health care, research, and education. In the last year, that has meant that we’ve:

Rebranded our organization to be readily associated with our prestigious members and world-class neighborhood.

We’ve brought on board new talent with specialized skills in transportation demand management, shuttle services, placemaking, and field operations to meet the transportation and quality-of-life needs of a multi-modal district with a high concentration of employees, students, patients, and visitors. 

We’ve guided responsible growth within Longwood by providing technical analysis on large-scale projects like the Simmons residential campus.

We’ve begun modernizing our assets to better support the commuters of Longwood by rehabilitating the first wave of shuttle buses to extend their useful life and implementing automatic passenger counting technology to improve the information we gather and the decisions we make to meet passenger demand.

Through all of this, our focus has been on making an impact through our work for the benefit of our member institutions and in service to our community. As we look towards the future, we are challenging ourselves to be innovative in our work, set objectives that reinforce our values, and position our organization to lead in the next 50 years of its existence.

Thank you for your continued support.

Sincerely,

President and CEO

Thank you to all Board of Directors and Members who attended last month's Joint Annual Board Meeting. A special thanks to Kendalle Burlin O'Connell, Esq. of MassBio for joining us to speak about the synergy between the medical and academic institutions of Longwood and the biotech sector and MASSART for hosting us.



Construction of Phase II of the Fenway Multi-use Path has finished. This section of the pathway establishes a connection between Miner and Fenway Station and is currently accessible for public use.

Phase III aims to extend the path from Fenway Station to the Emerald Necklace path in Brookline. Learn more about the project.

Read the press release here.

Follow us on social media to stay updated on the latest information!

Bands on Blackfan made a triumphant return on June 29th after a two-year hiatus, and it was an absolute blast! The LMA came together to enjoy a fantastic event with food from various food trucks and captivating performances by talented live musicians. Join us throughout the rest of the summer with Bands on Blackfan next Thursday, July 20th at the next event!

Read more about Bands on Blackfan and the Outside// program here.

Brookline Community Foundation, in partnership with The Emerald Necklace Conservancy, is hosting the first-ever Brookline Community Parkfest at Olmsted Park. Participate in a fun-filled day outdoors featuring free performances, family-friendly activities, vendors, games and more, on Saturday, July 29.

This event is free and open to all, with a rain date on Sunday, July 30.

Photo credit: Emerald Necklace Conservancy

Exciting things are unfolding in Longwood every week this summer with Outside//. Check out what's in store: fitness classes, live music, food trucks, adorable puppies, and more! Swing by one or more sites open in the area.

Upcoming Service Changes to the MBTA

Green Line

B Branch:

• Service will be suspended between North Station & BU East, July 15 - 16, to allow for Tunnel inspections. Shuttle Buses will be available between BU East and Copley/Back Bay. Riders can use Orange Line for alternate service downtown.

• Shuttle buses will replace train service between BC and Kenmore from July 17 - 28 for track and tie replacement work.

C Branch:

• Service will be suspended between North Station & Saint Mary's, July 15 - 16, to allow Tunnel inspections. Shuttle Buses will be available between Saint Mary's and Back Bay. Riders can use Orange Line for alternate service downtown.

D and E Branches:

• Service suspended between North Station and Fenway (D Line) and North Station and Heath Street (E Line) July 15 - 16, for Tunnel inspections.

• D Line Passengers can board the C Branch Shuttle Bus at Beacon Street @ Park Drive for service to Back Bay, and the Orange Line for service to downtown.

• E Line Passengers can use the #39 bus for alternate service from Health Street to Back Bay, and the Orange Line for service downtown.

The Sumner Tunnel will be closed from July 5, 2023, until August 31, 2023. The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) has developed an array of alternative travel options, including: free trips on the MBTA Blue Line for the duration of the tunnel’s closure; free and reduced cost water ferry options, including a free East Boston ferry a new ferry service between Lynn and Central Wharf; reduced Commuter Rail fares; reduced parking costs at MBTA and Commuter Rail parking facilities; and additional options for travelers to and from Logan Airport.

For additional details, check out the options here and #DitchTheDrive!

Longwood Collective shuttles will utilize their standard Fenway Concert Series detours which will close Lansdowne and Jersey Streets to traffic before, during, and after concerts. The Fenway shuttle route will split into two routes, with half the shuttles servicing Brookline Ave and half Boylston Street. We recommend all commuters plan some extra time for their trip home and to expect delays.

Please see our website or TransLoc for the most up-to-date shuttle information.

Bike Longwood

Bringing the bike shop to the district!

This past spring, Longwood Collective tried something new; launching our bike tune up series, Bike Longwood. This program gives the employees and students of our member institutions the ability to schedule, in advance, FREE 15-minute bicycle tune ups while at work/school. Mechanic services are provided by Landry’s Bicycles and entail basic maintenance like checking components, pumping up tires, and lubricating parts. Thanks to this programming, we have work alongside Landry’s to service 350 bicycles since April and we want your bike to be next! 

Upcoming dates include:

• Thursday August 10 @ Beth Israel Shapiro Plaza on
• Thursday August 17 @ 375 Longwood Avenue Plaza
• Thursday, September 14 @ 375 Longwood Avenue Plaza
• Thursday, September 21 @ 375 Longwood Avenue Plaza
• Thursday, September 28 @ 375 Longwood Avenue Plaza

Stay Safe in the Summer Heat: Sign up for AlertBoston to be notified when Mayor Wu declares a heat emergency this summer and visit boston.gov/heat for additional heat safety information.

A Look Back at National Bike Month in the LMA: This past May, Longwood Collective celebrated National Bike Month by hosting our Longwood Medical Area Bicycle Challenge. Through the month of May, and especially during National Bike Week (May 15 - 21), we encouraged our community to incorporate bicycling, in whatever way possible, into daily activities. In tandem with the Challenge, Longwood Collective launched our Bike Longwood tune up series where we are hosting bike tune up’s from spring through fall. We also hosted an E-bike Demo day at Beth Israel, an ice cream social and a special bike breakfast on May 18th! This year, 94 participants collectively logged 2,815 miles over the course of 712 trips. 

Many prizes were awarded for different categories. A special round of applause goes to the following three member institutions for winning in the category of tops miles per employer; each respectively winning “sweet” rewards from loved local ice cream institution, JP Licks. Thanks to all who participated!

Boston Children's ranked second-best pediatric hospital in America

Boston Globe

Boston Children's Hospital continues to be ranked as one of the best pediatric hospitals in the nation. This week, U.S. News & World Report named Boston Children's the second-best hospital in America.

Why there are dozens of colorful cows on display across Boston

Boston Globe

Cows have taken over the Boston area. Across the city and beyond, 75 life-size fiberglass cows are on display and being sold to raise money for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. There's a winged cow. A sunflower cow. Even an MBTA Orange Line cow.

Boston Children's buys 268,000 square feet in Fenway lab building under construction

Boston Business Journal

Boston Children’s Hospital will purchase a large part of an Alexandria Real Estate Equities Inc. lab building under construction in Fenway, agreeing to pay about $155 million plus future development fees for the real estate. The hospital has signed a purchase-and-sale agreement for 268,000 square feet at 421 Park Drive, a project next to the Landmark Center that is expected to wrap up in 2026.

Mass Eye and Ear names new president

Boston Business Journal

CarolAnn Williams will become the permanent president of Mass Eye and Ear, after serving as interim president since December 2022. She succeeds John Fernandez, who became president of Lifespan Health System in January.

Doctor is in the house

Boston Business Journal

In may, 40-year-old Tara Southard took a bus to the emergency department at Brigham and Women's Hospital to treat an abscess on her abdominal wall. But rather than staying in a hospital bed, she was sent back home to her apartment in Roxbury.

Boston Children's and Franciscan Children's finalize affiliation agreement for July 1

Boston Business Journal

Boston Children's Hospital and Franciscan Children's will finalize their affiliation agreement on July 1. With the affiliation, both FC and BCH will be sister hospitals under the parent corporation Children's Medical Center Corporation. The hospitals will keep their names.

Depression after traumatic brain injury may not be the same as depression from other causes: Brigham study

Boston Herald

A new study suggests that depression after traumatic brain injury may not be the same as depression related to other causes, according to researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital. The study of 273 people found that brain circuits associated with depression were different between people with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and those without TBI.

Jace Clayton's Immersive, Interactive Sound Installations Open Up New Worlds

Artnews

Jace Clayton activates the power of sound in ways simultaneously subtle and sublime, mobilizing its capacity to create meaning. "They Are Part," at MassArt Museum (MAAM) in Boston presents what he describes as "those waves of magic that happen when the human spirit joins with technology."

New England colleges open doors to diversity in new classes of leadership

Boston Globe

As some New England colleges and universities prepare to welcome new presidents to their campuses, a number of them are making historic strides in hiring women and persons of color as their leaders. Nine institutions of higher learning in the region, including Harvard University, UMass Amherst, and Mount Holyoke College, have hired new leaders who are women or persons of color.