Sirens blare from ambulances, racing through the bustling Longwood Medical Area. Doctors run from hospital to hospital, traveling to patients in need of their expertise. Bridges soar over the clogged streets, linking medical facilities. An exhausted surgeon breathes a sigh of relief after completing a thirty hour surgery. Expectant mothers gripping sonograms gleam with news of a healthy baby. Decorated patient windows indicate extended hospital stays.

In the medical world, collaboration means the ability to consult doctors for research, patient care, and new technologies. The Longwood area in Boston, Massachusetts is a central hub for hospitals. Within a twenty block radius there are five of the top hospitals in the world: Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston Children’s Hospital, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Joslin Diabetes Center. Each day more than 107,900 people commute to the Longwood Medical Area, including students, volunteers, patients, and visitors.

The doctors at Longwood rarely remain within the walls of a single institution, though, moving between cases in surrounding hospitals. The collaboration between these five hospitals offers patients access to the top specialists required for treatment.

Dr. Georgian-Smith, a radiologist in breast imaging at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, splits her time among the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, the Faulkner Hospital, and Brigham’s satellite location in Chestnut Hill. Her work exposes her to a range of cases, from standard check-ups to breast cancer treatments.  “The doctors that you are going to are up to date on the latest therapies,” Dr. Georgian- Smith states. “We get an amazing exposure.”

The relationship between Brigham’s, Beth Israel, and Children’s makes Longwood a hub for expectant mothers with high risk deliveries in particular. Dr. Steven Fishman, Co-Director of Multidisciplinary Vascular Anomalies Center at Children’s Hospital Boston, works collaboratively with the obstetricians at the Brigham’s and Beth Israel Deaconess to monitor pregnancies and decide treatment options for babies with abnormalities. The close proximity between the birth hospital and the specialists at Children’s enables life-saving collaboration for difficult cases.

In the case of unforeseen complications, the connection between hospitals is equally vital. Dr. Mark Puder, an associate in Surgery at Children’s Hospital Boston, has treated numerous cases where birth defects were discovered after delivery. “We run over to Beth Israel [or the Brigham] to see the patient, and if they need an operation they are transported right over,” Dr. Puder said.

    Yet doctors’ roles go beyond treating patients. Researching new diseases and treatments is crucial in the development of healthcare. “I might want to consult a surgeon at the Dana Farber and put that person on my grant,” Dr. Georgian-Smith said. “It makes it more apt to get the funding you need.”

The research and treatments developed in Longwood not only benefit patients at the five Longwood hospitals, but patients globally.  “People come here from all over the world to train, patients come over from everywhere to get their care,” Dr. Georgian-Smith said.  The constantly changing nature of the medical field makes innovation an imperative. Longwood prevails as an epicenter for innovative healthcare.