News Releases

December 21, 2009 Tufts Medical Center receives grant to explore Pepducin treatments for acute cardiovascular indications Tufts Medical Center today announced that it has been awarded a grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to support research of a newly discovered pathway and therapeutic target that may contribute to the escalation of coronary heart disease and stroke.

December 4, 2009 Signature Healthcare announces clinical partnership with Tufts Medical Center Signature Healthcare announced today a clinical affiliation with Tufts Medical Center and its Floating Hospital for Children. Beginning in early 2010, Tufts Medical Center’s unique service delivery model will offer Signature Healthcare patients direct access to additional specialty and advanced care locally, close to their communities across Southeastern Massachusetts.

November 19, 2009 Jordan Hospital and Tufts Medical Center form clinical affiliation Jordan Hospital is pleased to announce a clinical affiliation with Tufts Medical Center and its Floating Hospital for Children to strengthen and expand Jordan Hospital’s high-quality clinical services, to jointly develop new services, and to provide patients streamlined access to tertiary and quaternary care. Most importantly, the clinical affiliation provides Jordan Hospital and its patients direct access to Tufts Medical Center specialists, technology, and patient education on our Plymouth campus.

November 17, 2009 Statins cannot erode heart attack risks caused by low levels of good cholesterol Data released today at the American Heart Association (AHA) Scientific Sessions 2009 define the increased risk of heart attacks and cardiovascular disease in patients with low levels of HDL-C (known as “good cholesterol”). The data also determine that statins are unable to significantly impact the heart attack or cardiovascular disease risks associated with low HDL-C.

November 15, 2009 Boosting good cholesterol could reduce cancer risk Data released today at the American Heart Association (AHA) Scientific Sessions 2009 demonstrate reduced cancer risk with increased levels of HDL-C (high density lipoprotein cholesterol, which is known as “good cholesterol” because of its ability to reduce heart disease risk).

October 27, 2009 Stay safe this Halloween weekend Halloween can be a fun and exciting time for children of all ages, but it can also be hazardous. The Kiwanis Pediatric Trauma Institute at Floating Hospital for Children would like to remind you to stay safe when trick-or-treating.

September 11, 2009 Highland Healthcare Associates IPA and New England Quality Care Alliance announce new affiliation Highland Healthcare Associates IPA, the physicians’ organization of Winchester Hospital, and the New England Quality Care Alliance, the physicians’ organization of Tufts Medical Center, today announced a new partnership aimed at enhancing the quality and efficiency of patient care and positioning both organizations for the changing landscape of healthcare reform.

June 12, 2009 Tufts Medical Center and E-TROLZ launch new start-up Tufts Medical Center has entered into an exclusive licensing agreement with MindChild Medical, Inc., a recently launched start up, for the development of a new non-invasive device for the monitoring of fetal heart rate.

June 2, 2009 Tufts Medical Center now performing minimally invasive surgeries with da Vinci robotic system Surgeons at Tufts Medical Center are now using the da Vinci Surgical System, a sophisticated robotic platform that further expands the arsenal of surgical tools. The Medical Center will use the system to enhance a number of minimally invasive procedures in the areas of Urology, Gynecology, Cardiology and General Surgery.

May 27, 2009 Analysis by Tufts Medical Center and Tufts University researchers suggested that oxidative stress is strongly evident in the in-utero environment of Down syndrome fetus A paper published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences by researchers at Tufts Medical Center and Tufts University reports that amniotic fluid surrounding Down syndrome fetuses shows oxidative stress, a condition that could harm fetal cells and potentially play a role in affected individuals.

May 22, 2009 KPTI, Floating Hospital Hold International Conference Addressing Latest Issues in Pediatric Trauma Kiwanis Pediatric Trauma Institute in partnership with Boston’s Floating Hospital for Children at Tufts Medical Center will bring together international pediatric trauma experts to discuss the latest advancements and needs in trauma care at the 40th annual meeting of the American Pediatric Surgical Association, May 27.

May 20, 2009 Tufts Medical Center celebrates its Adult Trauma Center designation, new helicopter for Boston MedFlight  At a ceremony in Tufts Medical Center’s Atrium Lobby today, hospital staff celebrated its designation as an Adult Trauma Center by the American College of Surgeons and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. The event also honored the hospital’s partnership with Boston MedFlight, the Northeast’s largest air medical transport program.

May 14, 2009 Officials from Taipei Medical University, Tufts Medical Center and Tufts University exchange ideas on health care, sign memorandum of understanding to promote health Physicians and administrators from Taipei Medical University (TMU), TMU Hospital and Wan Fang Hospital and their counterparts at Tufts Medical Center and Tufts University School of Medicine held a day-long event today to discuss the latest developments in health care and medical education in Taiwan and the United States.

May 1, 2009 Johanna M. Seddon, MD, ScM, Director, Ophthalmic Epidemiology & Genetics Service at Tufts Medical Center, named ARVO 2009 Gold Fellow The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) is honored to announce this year’s inaugural class of distinguished Fellows. Dr. Johanna Seddon is among the first group of members recognized for their accomplishments, leadership and contributions to the Association.

April 23, 2009 Tufts Medical Center Researchers create a new predictive model for Age-related Macular Degeneration Researchers at Tufts Medical Center have created a formula for predicting how likely it is that individuals with certain genetic profiles and lifestyle behaviors will develop advanced Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD), a potentially blinding condition that currently affects an estimated two million older Americans and is increasing dramatically as the population ages.

March 17, 2009 William B. Schwartz, 86, noted physician and health expert William B. Schwartz, MD, 86, of Los Angeles, California, a kidney disease specialist who later became one of the nation’s leading thinkers on the intersection of medicine and economics, died on Sunday after a long illness.

February 18, 2009 Tufts Medical Center wins approval from key agencies for Adult Trauma Center designation The American College of Surgeons (ACS) and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health have approved Tufts Medical Center’s application to serve as a Trauma Center for adults.

February 12, 2009 MetroWest Medical Center and Floating Hospital for Children at Tufts Medical Center announce partnership Andrei Soran, CEO of MetroWest Medical Center, and Ellen Zane, President and CEO of Tufts Medical Center, have announced a new MetroWest Medical Center affiliation with Floating Hospital for Children at Tufts Medical Center.

February 11, 2009 Findings from investigational study of ustekinumab in the treatment of psoriatic arthritis published in The Lancet A group of patients suffering from potentially debilitating psoriatic arthritis showed significant and prolonged improvement after treatment with ustekinumab, according to data from a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study in patients with moderate to severe psoriatic arthritis (PsA).

January 26, 2009 Tufts Medical Center Research Fund awards inaugural grants to researchers Tufts Medical Center has selected 10 researchers to be the first recipients of awards from the Tufts Medical Center Research Fund, which was established by the hospital to support faculty research in basic and clinical science.

January 17, 2009 Physicians reach contract agreement with BCBSMA Tufts Medical Center, NEQCA, and our affiliated physicians have come to a contract agreement with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts.