Research at Tufts Medicine

The common thread tying together all of our research is patient wellbeing. While a number of our programs and clinical studies are born in the imaginations of our investigators, many of our efforts begin with a patient’s or parent’s question: Will I able to walk on my own again? Will my daughter be able to go back to school?

For more than 200 years, our researchers have made a difference by relentlessly pursuing the answers to questions like these, and they will leave no stone unturned to help people today — and future generations —  enjoy the healthiest lives possible.

Some of our biggest research questions transformed into answers that has changed the field of medicine for the better. As an integrated learning health system, improving outcomes for our patients is at the core of what we do. Yet, that's just the start.

Several of our research breakthroughs set new standards for care for everyone.

• Our research led to the discovery of drugs that prevent the body’s rejection of transplanted organs, coining the term "immunosuppression,” and Illuminated the link between obesity and heart disease.
• We rank in the top 10% of all institutions receiving National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding.
• Supported by a 5-year, $40 million NIH grant, our scientists are leading a large, multi-center trial to study whether vitamin D can stop pre-diabetes from progressing to diabetes. 
• Our health economists built and maintain widely known databases, the largest of their kind, on the cost-effectiveness of health interventions and on Medicare coverage decisions.

Recognizing our Research Institutes

• Scientists in the Molecular Cardiology Research Institute (MCRI) are exploring sex differences in cardiovascular disease, aging-associated high blood pressure, signaling pathways within the heart muscle relevant to heart failure and developing and evaluating circulatory-support devices. 
• The Mother Infant Research Institute focuses on improving the health of pregnant women and their children and also is home to one of the world’s most respected sub-specialty journals, Prenatal Diagnosis.
• Tufts Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI), established in 2008 with a grant from the National Institutes of Health, translates research into impact on health by creating a collaborative and innovative research environment where investigators access resources, consultations, training, mentorship and a multi-institutional network to conduct clinical trials.

Our commitment to providing exceptional medical care for individuals of all ages drives our departmental research, research institutes and centers to continuously explore and develop new and advanced diagnostics, therapies, and methods. These efforts help people in every stage of their lives and inspire us to continue providing top-quality care.