Pioneers in Care, Research + Medicine

Anesthesiology and critical care

• Benjamin Etsten, MD — Tufts Medical Center's first Chair of Anesthesiology, introduced the Etsten Ventilator in the 1950s, an important development in controlled mechanical ventilation during anesthesia and a contribution to modern anesthetic practice.

Cardiology and cardiovascular medicine

• Jacques Genest, MD — Along with colleagues, conducted early research identifying elevated homocysteine as a risk factor associated with premature coronary artery disease, helping shape subsequent cardiovascular risk research.
• William Gaasch, MD — Along with colleagues, was an early leader in identifying echocardiographic and electrocardiographic relationships that could help predict cardiac amyloidosis, contributing to the development of diagnostic approaches to the disease.
• Herbert Levine, MD — Was among the early cardiologists to recognize the clinical importance of diastolic dysfunction, contributing to a broader understanding of heart failure beyond impaired systolic function.

Clinical decision-making, preventive medicine and evidence-based care

• Jerome Kassirer, MD — A pioneer in clinical decision-making who went on to serve as editor-in-chief of the New England Journal of Medicine. His work helped advance evidence-based clinical reasoning and medical publishing.
• Stephen Pauker, MD — Helped pioneer quantitative and computer-assisted clinical decision analysis, linking medical decision-making with emerging technologies and laying groundwork for modern clinical informatics.
• William Schwartz, MD — Collaborated with Stephen Pauker, MD, and Jerome Kassirer, MD, on quantitative and computer-assisted clinical decision analysis. Their work linking Tufts Medical Center and MIT helped lay the groundwork for modern clinical informatics and evidence-based decision science. In 1980, Tufts Medical Center formalized this work through the Division of Clinical Decision Making.
• John Wong, MD — A nationally recognized leader in clinical decision-making, evidence-based medicine and preventive care—holding leadership roles with the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.

Dermatology

• David Rosmarin, MD — Led major investigator-initiated and multicenter clinical trials in vitiligo and inflammatory skin disease. His research contributed to advances in treatment for nonsegmental vitiligo, including the development of therapies that have changed the treatment landscape for the condition.

Endocrinology

• Seymour Reichlin, MD, PhD — A former chief of endocrinology whose pioneering research advanced the understanding and measurement of hormones involved in the regulation of thyroid function.

Hematology and women's health

• Diana Bianchi, MD — Advanced prenatal genetics and noninvasive prenatal testing and went on to become director of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.
• Jane Desforges, MD — A pioneering hematologist who advanced the understanding and treatment of sickle cell disease and helped open doors for women in academic medicine. Desforges was one of only five women in a class of 98 men at the School of Medicine and became an inspiration to generations of women in medicine.
• Vivian Pinn, MD — A trailblazer in women's health research who became the first director of the National Institutes of Health Office of Research on Women's Health.

Infectious disease, immunology and inflammation

• Te-Wen Chang, MD — Advanced the identification and understanding of Clostridioides difficile (C. difficile), an important cause of serious gastrointestinal infection.
• Charles Dinarello, MD — Conducted foundational research into interleukin-1 (IL-1) and the biology of inflammation, helping establish a framework for modern inflammation research.
• Stuart Levy, MD — Became a pioneering authority on antimicrobial resistance. His research helped establish our understanding of how antibiotic use can drive the emergence and spread of resistant bacteria.
• David Snydman, MD — Pioneered research into the prevention and treatment of cytomegalovirus (CMV), a potentially life-threatening infection for organ transplant recipients.
• Sheldon Wolff, MD — Helped establish the foundations of modern inflammation research, including seminal work on interleukin-1 (IL-1). Wolff also mentored Anthony Fauci, MD, who went on to lead the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases from 1984 to 2022.

Kidney disease and nephrology

• Andrew Levey, MD — Helped transform the assessment and treatment of kidney disease through internationally influential work on measuring kidney function. His development of equations to estimate glomerular filtration rate (GFR), including the MDRD and subsequent CKD-EPI equations, established the framework for modern estimated GFR (eGFR) reporting used around the world.
• Andrew Plaut, MD — Made important discoveries that advanced understanding of IgA nephropathy, a major cause of kidney disease.
• Mark Sarnak, MD — Along with colleagues, helped establish the relationship between reduced kidney function and increased cardiovascular disease risk, contributing to a broader understanding of kidney disease as a cardiovascular risk factor.

Neurology and stroke

• David Kent, MD, and David Thaler, MD — Led influential research into the relationship between patent foramen ovale (PFO) and stroke, contributing to improved understanding of stroke risk and management.

Neurosurgery

• William Shucart, MD — In 1978, authored the first description of the transcallosal approach to the cerebral ventricles, expanding surgical approaches to the brain's ventricular system.

Ophthalmology and medical imaging

• Tufts Medical Center physician-scientists helped pioneer the clinical application of optical coherence tomography (OCT) in collaboration with researchers at MIT in the 1990s. OCT transformed ophthalmic imaging by allowing clinicians to see detailed, cross-sectional images of the retina and other structures of the eye.
• Today, OCT is an essential diagnostic tool for conditions including age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma. Nadia Waheed, MD, and other Tufts Medical Center physician-scientists continue to advance ophthalmic imaging through research, clinical innovation and collaboration with MIT researchers.

Psychiatry and behavioral health

• Nassir Ghaemi, MD — Became a widely cited scholar of bipolar disorder and an influential author and researcher in psychiatric medicine.
• Carol Nadelson, MD — Became the first woman president of the American Psychiatric Association in 1984–85 and was a pioneer in women's mental health and research into gender differences.
• Morton Prince, MD — Served as Chair of Psychiatry from 1902 to 1912 and was a founding editor of the Journal of Abnormal Psychology. He became a national leader in the study of dissociative disorders and psychopathology.
• Joseph H. Pratt, MD — A Boston physician associated with the Boston Dispensary, Pratt is widely credited with one of the earliest examples of structured group-based therapy for medical patients in the early 20th century, helping establish an approach that would become an important part of modern psychotherapy.
• Paul Summergrad, MD — Served as the 141st president of the American Psychiatric Association and became an international leader in medical psychiatry.

Transplantation and surgery

• William Dameshek, MD — Collaborated with Robert Schwartz, MD, on foundational research into the immunosuppressive properties of 6-mercaptopurine, contributing to the development of modern approaches to transplant immunosuppression.
• J. Herbert Fischer, MD — Performed the first human small bowel transplants in the 1960s at Tufts Medical Center, placing the Medical Center at the forefront of early transplant surgery innovation.
• Robert Schwartz, MD — Along with William Dameshek, MD, published foundational research in 1959 demonstrating the immunosuppressive properties of 6-mercaptopurine (6-MP). Their work helped shape the development of modern transplant immunosuppression.