Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine

Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine is located in the historic South End neighborhood of Boston and shares a campus with Boston Medical Center, the School of Public Health, the Goldman School of Dental Medicine, the Solomon Carter Fuller Mental Health Center, and the Boston Public Health Commission. The campus hosts approximately 650 medical students, along with 550 School of Public Health students, and nearly 1000 graduate students receiving master’s degrees and doctorates, as well as nearly 1800 full-time and part-time faculty members. Besides the 4-year MD program, there are a number of dual degree options and students may earn a combined MD/PhD, MD/MPH, or MD/MBA.

Boston University School of Medicine began as the New England Female Medical College, which opened in 1848 as the first institution in the world to offer medical education to women. In 1873, the college merged with Boston University, becoming the first coeducational medical school. Throughout its history BU Chobanian & Avedisian SOM has maintained a strong commitment to the study and practice of medicine in the context of a mission of service to society. In addition, BU Chobanian & Avedisian SOM is a major research institution, with over 600 funded research programs and more than 1000 active clinical trials, providing an exceptional environment for students interested in basic science, clinical investigation, or public health and health services research. Students may also participate in international health programs and a variety of professional and community, service, and health equity-focused activities.

BU Chobanian & Avedisian SOM is distinguished by its programs in cardiovascular diseases, cancer, pulmonary disease, human genetics, dermatology, arthritis, geriatrics, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, public health, law and medicine, and medical ethics, among others. Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine continues to provide the leadership for the Framingham Heart Study, the largest epidemiological study in the world.  As a leading medical research institution, BU Chobanian & Avedisian SOM is ranked #32 in research and #38 in primary care in the 2023 US News and World Report rankings of the nation’s best graduate schools. The BU School of Public Health is currently ranked #6 in the nation, with an emphasis on global health, maternal and children health and health policy. The medical school, in partnership with Boston Medical Center, also recently constructed BioSquare, a 16-acre state-of-the-art biomedical research and business park, next to its campus in the South End. BioSquare provides BU Chobanian & Avedisian SOM with an additional 2.5 million square feet of research space. There is a particular emphasis on interdisciplinary research programs featuring investigators from the School of Medicine collaborating with investigators at the other medical campus schools (Public Health and Dentistry), Boston Medical Center, and the Charles River Campus of Boston University. These collaborative projects often focus on health disparities, and issues of health care delivery to vulnerable populations and underserved communities.