The Research Enterprise at Tufts Medical Center and the Floating Hospital for Children

Tufts Medical Center and Floating Hospital for Children are pioneers in groundbreaking bench research, clinical trials and developments in health policy. Research is funded by the National Institutes of Health, AHRQ, private foundations, industry, and private individuals. Our three-part mission of providing superb patient care, advancing knowledge, and training the next generation of investigators drives forward with one goal in mind: quickly translating innovative research into pioneering care. Tufts Medical Center and Floating Hospital rank among the top 15 percent of the nation’s independent hospitals to receive federal research funds.

Clinical research at Tufts Medical Center and the Floating Hospital for Children occurs in every major clinical discipline in both our adult and pediatric patient populations. We are home to ground-breaking investigator-initiated Phase I trials for the sickest cancer patients where Tufts Medical Center is the only hospital in Boston offering such cutting-edge therapy. We also engage in multi-site industry-sponsored trials from testing new drug therapies for knee osteoarthritis to evaluating the latest ventricular assist device for patients awaiting heart transplant. Many major pharmaceutical companies conduct research at Tufts Medical Center as we offer a diverse patient population served by physicians determined to provide the best care possible.

Community-based research in our nationally-recognized Center for Children with Special Needs, funded jointly by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Department of Education, includes investigations of children’s understanding of illness and health, social stigma, and attention deficit disorder, in addition to children whose parents are gay or lesbian. Children in many Massachusetts communities are enrolled in these important research studies that drive social and health policy.

The future of clinical research at Tufts Medical Center will continue to center on our core values of caring deeply for patients and their families while offering the latest and most novel therapies.