Our monthly Longwood Happenings newsletter is the perfect way to get important, streamlined information about the LMA sent straight to your inbox. From travel advisories to upcoming Outside// events and everything in between, our newsletter has you covered! We'll keep you up-to-date on all you need to know about the Longwood Medical and Academic area.

Click here to check out our February edition.

A Message from the President

Dear Longwood,

This week, we kicked off our inaugural Winter Wednesdays event at Shapiro Plaza on BIDMC's campus where we welcomed students, workers, patients, and visitors in Longwood to our small winter wonderland, offering reprieve from the busyness of the district.

With free coffee and hot chocolate, an ice sculpture demonstration, and music from a live brass quartet, there were plenty of refreshments and entertainment for all who stopped by. We saw nurses, children, students, and doctors all come together at the Plaza to spend some time outside and enjoy the event. 

Families gathered to watch the bike ice sculpture take form

Nurses from BIDMC enjoyed warm espresso drinks

Brass Quartet musicians performed a set during the event

The Coffee Trike served warm espresso beverages and hot chocolate 

The completed bike ice sculpture will remain on Shapiro Plaza for the duration of the week 

Our Outside// programs, both in the main summer season and winter months, embody our mission of service and stewardship to the LMA. And the best part is, we have three more events to come! See below for more details.

It is inspiring to see our community take the culture of care and healing from inside institutional walls outside, especially in below freezing temperatures. I hope you all will join us at the duration of our Winter Wednesday events this month and make the most of the winter weather.

Regards,

David Sweeney

President and CEO

Mark Your Calendar

Winter Wednesdays Continues 

After a great first event, we're excited to bring the Winter Wednesday fun to the south end of Longwood at Stoneman Centennial Plaza on Brigham & Women's Campus. From 12pm - 2pm on Wednesday, February 12, we will be back with more free coffee, a new ice sculpture demonstration, and live music. We hope to see you all there and don't forget we are accepting submissions all month long for selfies with our ice sculptures for the chance to win a $20 REI gift card!

Click here for more information about how we're activating Outside// this winter in Longwood.

In Photos

LMA Cutvans Get a New Look

The most recent additions to our LMA Shuttle fleet has arrived: two new cutvan shuttles!

In addition to being new vehicles, these cutvan shuttles debut a new look and feel to them, showcasing our new branding that offers a brighter, more vibrant design. The three colors represent the three pillar sectors of the LMA: medical, cultural, and academic.

While these cutvans may have a new look, they are still serving LMA routes reliably, conveniently, and safely. Keep an eye our for this new design on the cutvans that travel across the district!

New to the Team

Welcoming Jennifer Templeman to Longwood Collective 

We are excited to announce that we have welcomed aboard a new Chief Financial Officer and Vice President of Finance and Administration, Jennifer Templeman.

Jennifer joins Longwood Collective from Jumpstart for Young Children Inc., where she served as President and COO. With more than 20 years of experience in the non-profit financial management field, we are excited to welcome her to the team.

Program Feature

Longwood Collective TMA Introduces Two New Services

This month, the Longwood Collective TMA is excited to announce the introduction of two new benefits to our commuters: NEMO and Ridepanda.  

If you’re an employee or student of any of our members and you bike to work, we’re happy to share that you are now eligible for on-demand roadside assistance wherever you go. This means that if you’re on your way home from work and your bike chain breaks, tire pops, or gears stick, you can call or text NEMO and a mechanic will be on their way in minutes! See the image below for information on how to register.

Ridepanda is for our commuters who are curious about mobility on two-wheels, offering a wide selection of pedal bikes, e-bikes, and e-scooters from top brands that can be rented on a subscription basis. What's more, if you already commute to the LMA on two wheels, you can use Ridepanda to test out a new bike or scooter without committing to the cost of purchase. To gain access to Longwood Collective's exclusive portal, click here. Review your employers' benefits for information on cost coverage.

Upcoming Bike Longwood Tune Ups

Our winter Bike Longwood season is well underway in the 375 Longwood Avenue garage. We have two sessions coming up in February and another two in March, with plenty of availability to register. Reserve your timeslot here for a 15-minute tune up covering the ABCs: air, brakes, and chains.

Sign up here. 

ICYMI 

Longwood Collective TMA Celebrating Commuter Connection 

This Valentine’s Day, our TMA is in search of stories from Longwood commuters about finding connection on your commute. This can include a story about how you met your commuter crew, your carpool group, MBTA buddies – the list goes on and on!

They want to hear your stories and in exchange, are offering winter swag bags with a $50 value, including a $20 REI gift card to the first three submissions, to keep you cozy on your commute (while supplies last). To submit, please email your stories in video format to tma@longwoodcollective.org.

Lean more about our commuter services. 

Commuter Survey Open Now

The Longwood Collective TMA is seeking input on the experience of Longwood commuters and how we can work to better serve your needs.

Now until February 14th, we are accepting submissions. In exchange, participants will be entered to win a $100 Amazon gift card. 

Take the Survey. 

Getting Around

MBTA Updates Near the District

Red Line

• Shuttle buses will replace service between JFK/UMass and Braintree, the weekends of February 8 - 9, and February 22 - 23, for signal upgrades. Commuter Rail service between Braintree and South Station will be fare-free during this work.

Green Line

• There will be no trains between North Station & Babcock Street (B), Kenmore (C+D), & Heath Street (E), February 22-23, due to maintenance. Use buses between Babcock, Kenmore, Heath Street (Rt 39) & Copley/Back Bay. Use Orange Line between Back Bay & North Station.

Orange Line

• Shuttle buses will replace service between Oak Grove and North Station beginning at approximately 8:30 PM on Friday, February 14, and continuing through the entire holiday weekend on February 15 - 17.

Looking at the Expansion of Bluebikes in Longwood 

The City of Boston is launching a new phase of expansion for Bluebikes stations in Boston. Longwood is one of the target areas in consideration, alongside Allston, Brighton, Fenway/Kenmore, and Mission Hill. The City is seeking input from the community and will be hosting Open Houses on February 24th, March 4th, and March 6th for discussion. Stay tuned for information on a community survey to offer your input! 

Learn more. 

Longwood in the News

Brigham and Women's Endoscopy Center Renovation Complete

Boston Real Estate Times

BWH’s endoscopy center renovation included a three-phased modernization of the existing department and expansion into the existing vascular imaging suite. The project created eight licensed procedure rooms and expanded the number of patient pre-op and post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) to include 21 stretcher bays. The renovation allowed for the PACU to be sized in accordance with current standards and increased the quality of space and care provided to patients.

DFCI Cancer Vaccine Shows Promise for Kidney Cancer Patients

EurekAlert!

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute researchers report that all nine patients in a clinical trial being treated for stage III or IV clear cell renal cell carcinoma (a form of kidney cancer), generated a successful anti-cancer immune response after initiation of a personalized cancer vaccine. The vaccines were administered after surgery to remove the tumor and are designed to train the body’s immune system to recognize and eliminate any remaining tumor cells. At the time of data cut-off (median of 34.7 months), all patients remained cancer-free.

MassArt Students are Boston's Sustainable Student Fashion Designers

The Justice

Fashion design students at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design are embracing sustainable practices in their work, from sourcing materials secondhand to zero waste patterning. People like Jennifer Varekamp — a MassArt professor, chair of the fashion design department and freelance designer — are vocal proponents of sustainable fashion design in the community. 

Simmons Skanska Partnership Outlines Longwood Place Development Plan

Boston Globe

Simmons has long planned to consolidate its residential and academic campuses, which are split by Brookline Avenue, and in 2021 tapped Skanska to develop a multi-building lab, residential, and retail project on 5.8 acres where its mid-rise residential dorms now stand. In exchange for those development rights, Skanska agreed to build Simmons an 18-story “Living and Learning Center” on the site of the Park Science Building on the university’s academic campus. Skanska is now turning its eye to the residential side of Simmons, and on Jan. 21, filed a letter with the Boston Planning Department outlining the first phase of what it calls Longwood Place: two commercial buildings with labs, offices, and a residential building, spanning a combined 1 million square feet, all above underground parking.

Three BU Wheelock Faculty Named Top Educational Policy Influencers

Education Week

BU Wheelock faculty David Chard, Joshua Goodman, and Anthony Abraham Jack were recently named among the top 200 most influential university-based scholars in educational policy and practice.Chard, Goodman, and Jack were recognized in the 2025 Edu-Scholar Public Influence rankings, which are released annually on the Education Week blog, Rick Hess Straight Up. Hess is a noted scholar and director of educational policy at the American Enterprise Institute. He and his team calculate the rankings based on a set of criteria that evaluate scholars’ influence on academic scholarship and public debate.