Richard Blumberg – Research, Discovery & Innovation Website

Wednesday, June 1, 2016, 5PM, Cabot Atrium

The Brigham Research Institute (BRI) capped off a decade of supporting discovery and innovation last week with a celebration honoring its community and accomplishments. At a reception in Cabot Atrium on June 1, 2016, members of the research community gathered to share food and drink and hear remarks from the BRI’s past and current directors.

“The Brigham Research Institute was originally conceived of as an experiment. Today, it is a powerful force of collaboration.”
Thomas Kupper, MD, Chair, Department of Dermatology, Inaugural Director of the Brigham Research Institute

Kupper highlighted research funding programs, such as the Fund to Sustain Research Excellence (FSRE), which provides interim support to sustain research projects that are likely to receive federal funding in the future. Through the FSRE, the BRI has distributed more than $6 million to 95 investigators. In turn, award recipients have used that to attain more than $200 million in funding.

“I’m proud to have launched the Fund to Sustain Research Excellence (FSRE) and to have been on the committee that hired our Executive Director, Jacqueline M. Slavik, PhD, MMSc.
Thomas Kupper, MD, Chair, Department of Dermatology, Inaugural Director of the Brigham Research Institute

In total, the BRI has distributed more than $10 million in awards since 2006 through the FSRE, micro-grants and other competitive funding programs, such as the BRI Director’s $500K Transformative Award, BRIght Futures Fund and BWH Health & Technology Innovation Fund.

Slavik, who has served as executive director since the BRI launched, introduced each of the BRI’s past and present directors, including Kupper, Cynthia Morton, PhD, Joseph Loscalzo, MD, PhD (in absentia), Christine Seidman, PhD, and Richard Blumberg, MD, who highlighted milestones and achievements from their tenure as directors.

During the celebration, attendees were encouraged to submit one-word answers to the question, “What does the BRI mean to you?” By providing this feedback to the BRI, attendees could be entered into a raffle for prizes.

The Brigham Research Institute (BRI) has announced that Richard Blumberg, MD, chief of Brigham’s Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Endoscopy, has assumed the mantle of BRI director with Elizabeth Henske, MD, of Brigham’s Pulmonary Division, stepping into the role of co-director. Christine Seidman, MD, of the Brigham Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, who served as BRI director from 2012 to 2014, will continue to advise and offer leadership in her formal role as past director.

“Dr. Blumberg is not only a renowned researcher who is highly regarded in the field of mucosal immunity, but is also a proven innovator with a track record of translating basic discoveries into therapeutic agents that benefit patients.”
Joseph Loscalzo, MD, PhD, Chair, Department of Medicine, Past BRI Director

“Dr. Blumberg is not only a renowned researcher who is highly regarded in the field of mucosal immunity, but is also a proven innovator with a track record of translating basic discoveries into therapeutic agents that benefit patients. Likewise, Dr. Henske, who founded and directs the Center for Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) Research and Clinical Care, had taken groundbreaking discoveries about pathways involved in LAM and translated those into new treatments for patients. As such, both are well positioned to help the BRI achieve its goal of bringing the Brigham research community together to accelerate discoveries to improve human health.” said Joseph Loscalzo, MD, PhD, chairman of the Department of Medicine, who recently rotated off the BRI Executive Committee after nine years of service.

Dr. Henske, who founded and directs the Center for Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) Research and Clinical Care, had taken groundbreaking discoveries about pathways involved in LAM and translated those into new treatments for patients.
Joseph Loscalzo, MD, Chair, Department of Medicine, Past BRI Director

Each leader of the BRI makes a six-year commitment to serving on the BRI Executive Committee, first as co-director for two years, then director for two years and finally as past director for two years. “This helps preserve continuity and institutional memory,” said Jacqueline Slavik, PhD, BRI executive director.

The BRI is organized around ten disease-focused research centers and three resource- and technology-based programs and serves the entire Brigham research community; all Brigham researchers are members. It sponsors a variety of events to encourage collaboration and communication among investigators from across the Brigham community, including the annual Research Day, Clinical Innovation Day, Research Connection LIVE Lunch Series, and more with an average of eight to 10 events per month. In addition, the BRI offers funding opportunities such as the Health & Technology Innovator grants, BRIght Futures Prize, bridge funding and more.

The BRI is governed by the Research Oversight Committee (ROC), which is comprised of department representatives, co-chairs of the BRI centers and programs, the BRI Executive Committee, elected representatives and ad hoc members. Established to foster transparency and accountability, the ROC meets monthly and serves as a conduit for all members of the Brigham research community interested in the BRI’s strategic initiatives. To find out more or to contact your department’s representative, please visit the web page.