Overview

The mission of the Cancer Research Center at the BWH Biomedical Research Institute (BRI) is to use scientific discovery as a means to prevent and cure cancer, improve the diagnosis of cancer, and alleviate the pain and suffering of cancer patients.

Our Research

Under the leadership of Drs. Jon Aster, Sue Hankinson, and David Sugarbaker, a primary goal of the Cancer Research Center is to maximize the energy and brainpower of the hospital’s cancer community. At BWH, cancer researchers and physicians work in a collaborative, interdisciplinary environment. Their research seeks to solve fundamental problems relating to the causes, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer. Throughout the long history of cancer research at BWH, our investigators have impacted the understanding and treatment of cancers, including:

• risk factors for breast cancer identified through the Nurses’ Health Study
• genetic alterations present in leukemias
• a novel surgical technique (extrapleural pneumonectomy) to treat mesothelioma, an invasive cancer of the lungs, and a method by which to molecularly distinguish forms of lung cancer.

Our Departmental Affiliates

The BWH-BRI Cancer Research Center engages the talent and resources of a diverse group of investigators, both physicians and scientists, spanning the departments of Surgery, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Neurosurgery, Pathology, Radiology, Medicine, Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine, and Dermatology.

Our Investigators

BWH investigators are nationally and internationally recognized for their contributions to advances in cancer research as recipients of prestigious awards, including the President-Elect of the World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies (WFNS), the NIH Director’s New Innovator Award, the Charles Wilson Award for Lifetime Achievement in Neuro-oncology by the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS), Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), and the “Crystal Ball Clearly Time Award” by the Lung Cancer Alliance. Additionally BWH investigators hold specialized grants to conduct interdisciplinary research, including one of only five National Cancer Institute (NCI) Ovarian Specialized Programs of Research Excellence (SPOREs) in the United States, as well as a Specialized Center of Research (SCOR) to advance blood cancer therapies.

Learn More

To learn more about the hospital’s efforts in cancer research, visit the BWH Clinical Center of Excellence: Cancer web page. For more information about the Cancer Research Center, email bwhbri@partners.org.