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 for our November edition which highlights the new Green Line cars, upcoming raffle opportunities through the Longwood Collective TMA, and more.

A Message from the President 

Dear Longwood,

Members of our Longwood Collective Transportation Management Association (TMA) team recently had the opportunity to visit an exciting showcase of the MBTA's future Green Line vehicles. These new vehicles, known as Type 10, are designed to increase capacity and make the Green Line more accessible, more comfortable, and safer for passengers. With easy LMA access via both the E and D lines, the Green Line is a crucial mode of transportation for Longwood commuters. 

The T’s decision to move ahead with procuring the Type 10 Supercars, which are 40 feet longer and can carry twice as many riders as today’s Green Line cars, represents the kind of big and bold thinking that is needed to make the T an engine of economic growth, prosperity, and equitable access for everyone across the region. It can also help reach the region’s climate goals and address congestion. Initiatives such as this that add overall capacity to the state’s transportation system are the right approach for Boston’s transit future.

If you’ve ever seen rush-hour crowds at the Longwood stop on the Green Line D Branch or at Brigham Circle on the E Branch, you know how much we need these new, bigger cars to serve the thousands of workers, students, and visitors who come in and out of the Longwood Medical and Academic Area. While today’s Green Line reaches only the outskirts of the LMA, the implementation of these Type 10 Supercars will have a big impact in accommodating the high volume of commuters this district sees daily. 

Seeing these new Type 10 supercars is an exciting milestone and builds on the years of support and encouragement the effort has received from the Longwood Collective. I look forward to the implementation of the Type 10 Supercars in 2026, which will allow Longwood to be more accessible than ever. 

Regards, 

David Sweeney

President and CEO

IN PHOTOS

Winsor Student Brings LMA Shuttle to Life

Last month, students at Winsor School celebrated “Local Legends Day,” giving students the opportunity to dress up as a hometown hero of theirs. One seventh grade student, Ellie, rides the LMA Shuttle each day to get home from school. She honored the M2 with a creative costume that brought the LMA shuttle off the street and into the classroom! 

ICYMI

New to the Longwood Collective Team This Fall

Claudia is a planner, designer, and artist with a background in Architecture, Art History, and public art. Claudia comes from a consulting background and brings years of experience in placemaking and community engagement in the Greater Boston Area, and project managed three public art installations about climate change and resiliency. She is also a board member of the nonprofit Bike to the Sea, which stewards a multi-use trail that connects five cities around the North Shore and promotes happy, healthy recreation. Claudia holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. 

Kashia joins Longwood Collective as our TMA Program Manager with a professional background in Program Administration. With Masters’ degrees in both Public Health from Southern New Hampshire University and Urban Studies and Affairs from Boston University, Kashia unites her professional experience and educational expertise to highlight the importance and possibility of healthy cities. In addition to her masters’ degrees, Kashia holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Health from University of Massachusetts Amherst.  

Abby is an Environmental Science professional with 10 years of experience in project management, stakeholder engagement, and data analysis. She is a subject matter expert in environmental management strategies and is passionate about achieving climate and carbon emission goals to preserve lands for communities to thrive. Having recently completed her master’s degree, Abby holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Studies from Boston College and Master of Science degree in Environmental Science from Oregon State University. 

Justin joins the Longwood Collective with two years of finance experience from a Quincy-based telecommunications firm. With a specialty in manufacturing process improvement and invoicing, Justin brings a highly relevant background to contribute to the work of Longwood Collective’s finance department. He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration Degree from the University of Massachusetts Lowell. 

Nell is a recent graduate from the University of Connecticut where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Geographic Information Sciences. With a year of experience working in the Transportation Department for the City of Norwalk in Connecticut , Nell brings expertise in data collection and map creation that optimizes mobility in urban settings. She is proficient in community engagement and served as President of Phi Sigma Rho at the University of Connecticut. 

MEMBER BENEFIT HIGHLIGHT

Member Benefit Overview: LMA Shuttles and Longwood Collective TMA

At Longwood Collective, we prioritize our role as stewards of the LMA and want to ensure that the employees and students of our member institutions benefit from the many free services that are available to them. We are excited to share easy-to-read overview sheets of two of our most highly utilized programs, our Transportation Management Association (TMA) and the LMA Shuttle service.

Click here for information about the Longwood Collective TMA

Click here for information about the LMA Shuttle service

Not sure if you are eligible? Visit our website for a full list of participating member institutions.

IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD 

New Pedestrian Plaza at Edgerly Road

As stewards of Longwood, we are invested in improvements that enhance the safety and quality of life for bikers and pedestrians in and around the LMA. When the opportunity came around to permanently designate New Edgerly Road as a pedestrian space in East Fenway, we expressed our support to the City of Boston and provided our own knowledge and expertise on how this project would benefit adjacent roadways. 

Now that it is complete, we encourage everyone to enjoy the new space and thank the Boston Transportation Department for their hard work on this beautiful plaza.

Fenway News 50-Year Anniversary 

This year, Longwood Collective joined in the celebration of The Fenway News’ 50-year anniversary. The Fenway News is a trusted local source for independent journalism in the Fenway, run by residents, for residents. From policy updates to local community events, The Fenway News extends their coverage to important matters that impact the greater Fenway area, including Audubon Circle, Kenmore Square, Upper Back Bay, Prudential, Mission Hill, and the Longwood Medical Area. We are proud to be a sponsor of their anniversary celebration and congratulate the team on 50 years of excellent journalism.

Longwood Collective, LMACCC, and MSI Call Center Visit Fenway CDC Job Fair

Representatives from Longwood Collective and LMACCC attended the Fenway CDC job fair in October and spoke to the community about open positions at MASCO Services Call Center and LMACCC. The partnership between Longwood Collective and the Fenway CDC is longstanding, and the job fair offered a great opportunity for connection between local employers and interested candidates.

GETTING AROUND

MBTA Updates Near the District

Red Line

• Red Line service will be suspended between Harvard and Broadway beginning at approximately 8:30 PM through the end of service on Sunday, November 17.
• Red Line service will continue to be suspended between Harvard and Broadway all day and every day from November 18 – 23.
• On November 24, the planned service suspension will be extended between Harvard and JFK/UMass. 

Green Line

• Service is suspended between Union Square and Lechmere until Sunday, November 17 due to track work. Riders can use bus routes 86 and 91 between Union and East Somerville Station on the Medford Branch.
• The E and D branch of the Green Line will be closed between Park Street and East Somerville from 8:30 PM on Friday, November 15 through Sunday, November 17 due to track work. Use shuttle buses between East Somerville and North Station. Use Orange Line downtown. 

Month of MOVEmber Commuter Promotions

For the month of November, the Longwood Collective TMA is holding a series of raffles to promote active movement and multi-modal transportation. Register on our GoLongwood platform to enter and learn more about our current raffles below. 

MOVEmber REI Raffle

Did you know that we’re currently offering a chance to win a $25 REI gift card? All you have to do is sign up for the challenge on our GoLongwood platform and log 10 runs or walks by the end of the month! For this MOVEmber challenge, we don’t mind if the logged activity is for your commute or just for fun, as long as you’re getting active. 

NEMO Membership Raffle

From now until November 30th, we are offering a free, one-year NEMO membership for any Longwood commuter who logs 15 bike rides for the month of November. NEMO is an on-demand bike repair service that provides both responsive and preventative maintenance. 

Register for GoLongwood

Pilot Bus Lane Survey

The Town of Brookline and the MBTA recently installed a dedicated bus lane pilot project to improve bus travel times and reliability for riders. The bus lanes, located along Washington Street between Station Street and the Boston city line, serve MBTA bus routes 60, 65, and 66 and are accessible to emergency vehicles and Longwood Collective shuttles. Installation began in late June 2024 and concluded late September 2024.

The year-long pilot project, which will conclude in August 2025, will be evaluated through a data-driven approach that examines elements including transit performance, traffic patterns and volumes, as well as public input. If you travel through this area, we would greatly appreciate your input. Please provide your feedback by completing the survey linked below. Your input is invaluable to this pilot!

Take the Survey

ON THE RECORD

LMA Inspires Leaders in Aurora, CO

After visiting the LMA over the summer to draw inspiration and inform future planning and development of the Fitzsimons Innovation Campus in Aurora CO, Mayor Mike Coffman of Aurora, CO cited his team’s visit to Longwood in his October state of the city address. Aurora’s own CU Anschutz Medical Campus, which employs 32,000 people, is undergoing an update to its master plan and Mayor Coffman stated that the proposed expansion would be modeled after Boston’s 213-acre LMA.

“I asked the question: What is the best city to visit in America for a medical research campus? “The answer came back, Boston would be the best place to go to. In Boston, you have Kendall Square which is in Cambridge and you have the Longwood Medical Area. So I went.”

– Mayor Mike Coffman, City of Aurora, CO 

We are proud to serve as a model for other medical and academic districts that are on the rise throughout the country and thank Mayor Coffman for his visit! Read more about the CU Anschutz Medical Campus here. 

Longwood Collective Emergency Management and Security Manager Published in Health Security 

Longwood Collective's Emergency Management and Security Manager, Logan Denson, was a part of a project team that recently had an article published in the peer-reviewed academic journal Health Security. They Will Come, You Must Build It: A Modified Delphi Process Applied to Preparing Acute Care Facilities Infrastructure for High-Consequence Infectious Diseases provides insights on a project that led to 36 consensus statements from subject matter experts for the design, operation, and maintenance of isolation spaces for patients with suspected or confirmed High Consequence Infectious Diseases (HCIDs). This article, along with others in the field, provide valuable points of reference for informing the approaches of frontline acute care healthcare facilities when building new spaces or modifying existing spaces to enable appropriate HCID patient isolation and care and face the challenges of the present and the future. Congratulations, Logan!

EVENT SPOTLIGHT: MASSART

MassArt Hosts 2024 Election Panel Discussion 

Join MassArt on November 19th for a panel discussion on the 2024 election. Moderated by NBC 10 Boston’s Sue O’Connell, the panel will cover everything from what happened on election night, to the issues that ended up mattering most, wrapping up with what advocates and citizens can do now to be most effective.

Panelists include:

• Sue O’Connell – NBC 10 Boston
• Marisol Santiago – Director of Policy and Organizing, MassVote
• Kelly Siegel-Stechler – Senior Researcher, CIRCLE at Tufts University
• Adam Silver – Associate Professor and Chair, Emmanuel College Political Science Department 

Register here for this free event.

LONGWOOD IN THE NEWS

Clinicians and Chatbots: Boston Hospital Study Compares Their Clinical Reasoning

American Hospital Association

Physician-scientists at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) in Boston studied how well an AI chatbot program processed medical data and demonstrated clinical reasoning compared with clinicians completing the same tasks. Results from the study showed that ChatGPT-4, a large language model, can make a clinical diagnosis as well as humans — and in some cases, better — but the chatbot had more instances of incorrect clinical reasoning.

Two Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Faculty Members Elected to the National Academy of Medicine

OncLive

David Pellman, MD, and Matthew Vander Heiden, MD, PhD of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have been named to the National Academy of Medicine, one of the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine. Election into NAM recognizes individuals who have demonstrated outstanding professional achievement and commitment to service.

Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Acquires Residential Building

ARTnews

The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston has purchased a 62-unit apartment, securing the only non-museum property on the block adjacent to its new wing. The museum said its acquisition of the building was a move to safeguard the area from potential development that could threaten the current state of the museum’s surrounding area and the experience of visitors.

Students in Boston and Montana Speak to One Another and Learn How to Disagree

Boston Globe

The Winsor School in Boston and Sidney High School, a high school in Montana, are collaborating via Zoom meetings between seniors this year. These discussions, which are in their seventh year now, are meant to help students in each place better understand our nation’s cultural, political, and social divides.

Fenway Health Announces Dallas Ducar as New EVP for Donor Engagement and External Relations

Bay Windows

Fenway Health is thrilled to announce Dallas Ducar as our new Executive Vice President for Donor Engagement and External Relations. She will provide strategic leadership as we continue to reconnect and reengage with our patients, supporters, and community while advocating for progressive public health policies and legislation that center the health needs of LGBTQIA+ people and people living with HIV.

Holland Foundation Center of Excellence to be Established with Mass Eye and Ear

Yahoo Finance

Led by Thomas Dohlman, MD, Medical Director of the Boston Keratoprosthesis Program at Mass Eye and Ear and an assistant professor of ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School, and Jia Yin, MD, PhD, MPH, Director of the Cornea Fellowship at Mass Eye and Ear and also an assistant professor of ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School, the new Center of Excellence will work closely with the Holland Foundation to implement innovative treatments and expand patient care.

The Gardner Museum Offers an Intimate Look at Manet's 'Model Family'

WBUR

Claude Monet may be the more popular and beloved artist, but Édouard Manet is surely the more pivotal figure in the history of modern art. Last year, he got a lot of attention in the monumental “Manet/Degas” show at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and now there’s an illuminating if more intimate exhibit — “Manet: A Model Family” — at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum (through Jan. 20).