On Monday, November 19, BWH chiefs of service, hospital administrators and many other colleagues, friends and family of Eugene Braunwald, MD gathered in the Benjamin Waterhouse Room at Harvard Medical School (HMS) to celebrate the renaming of the Longwood Medical Research Center (LMRC) to the Eugene Braunwald Research Center. The LMRC—a 100,000 square-foot building, located at 221 Longwood Avenue—first opened on July 10, 1991.
After BWH President Jeff Otten was joined at the podium by three of Braunwald’s seven grandchildren, the plaque marking the naming of the Eugene Braunwald Research Center was revealed. A quote from Braunwald in 1998 appears beneath his portrait on the plaque: “We live in the most exciting period in the history of medicine and biomedical science. It is a challenge to attempt to influence the field in a positive way, and a privilege to have the chance to try to do so.”
Braunwald’s response to the plaque and kind remarks from his colleagues at the event was heartfelt. He commended the commitment to research on behalf of BWH and HMS and praised BWH’s Research Council for their endless pursuit of identifying and executing interdepartmental research collaborations. After thanking his former teachers and mentors who helped to spark his interest in the circulatory system and ultimately his successful career path in academic medicine, Braunwald concluded, “Thank you for this extraordinary honor.”
The impact of Eugene Braunwald, MD
Eugene Braunwald, MD, is a world-renowned cardiologist, researcher and educator. He is the Distinguished Hersey Professor of the Theory and Practice of Medicine at HMS and chief academic officer at Partners HealthCare System. Dedication, innovation and reverence for learning marked Braunwald’s brilliant career. His chosen field of cardiology would forever benefit, as would millions of patients, by Braunwald’s intellect and diligence that led to his pioneering work in both the laboratory and clinical setting.
His innovative work at the University of California in San Diego won him election in the National Academy of Sciences in 1974. Braunwald is the only cardiologist to be inducted into this prestigious society. From 1972 to 1996, Braunwald chaired the Department of Medicine at BWH and HMS. During his tenure as chair, full-time faculty grew from 180 members to 523, resident staff expanded from 35 to 125 and the number of fellows rose from 50 to 800. In addition, by the time he left this post, the department’s budget surpassed $80 million.
A prolific investigator, Braunwald has authored more than 1,100 papers published in scientific journals and is the editor of two preeminent medical texts—Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine and Heart Disease: A Textbook of Cardiovascular Medicine. In his current role as chief academic officer at Partners, he continues to forge new collaborative research programs, promote clinical research, identify additional research resources and streamline science programs among Partners institutions.