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.

At the beginning of the Local Narratives Studio, Biz taught us camera basics and how to shoot photographs on manual. We then began to practice with the cameras by taking portraits of fellow students and wrote short biographies about each other. After reviewing the portraits, Biz challenged us by pushing our boundraies of what a portrait is. A portrait does not need to just be of one's face taken on a white background, but can include movement and does not even need to include one's face. After re-taking the portraits, we began to see the improvement made from practicing. 

   To begin the brainstorming process, we were told that the project would focus on an aspect of Cambridge or Boston. In groups, we brainstormed what is interesting and different about Cambridge, and what topics we could write stories about and photograph. Each student then picked his or her topic and wrote a pitch, explaining what their project would be. I decided to focus my project on the Longwood Medical Area, highlighting the collaborations between hospitals and doctors. 

    I decided to interview three doctors, Dr. Georgian-Smith, Dr. Mark Puder, and Dr. Steven Fishman. Over the next week, I travelled to Longwood on three days to photograph and interview. When I arrived in the bustling Longwood area, I set out on foot to photograph the hospitals and doctors on the streets. Faced with the challenge of being prohibited from photographing inside the hospitals, I had to use the bridges between the hospitals and people on the streets to exemplify the collaboration between hospitals. Throughout the project, I recieved puzzled looks from doctors and pedestrains covering their faces when they saw my camera. I learned that sidewalks covered by awnings outside of hospitals are not public property when an employee of Beth Isreal Deaconess informed me that I was not allowed to take pictures while standing on their sidewalk. From all of these challenges I learned to think differently about spaces and how to work around strict parameters. From the images taken on my first visit to Longwood to my last, I see a vast improvement in the quality of my images. I became more confident and was willing to climb on ledges, approach doctors on the street, and use different exposures to better my photographs. Overall, I learned a vast amount about photography and journalism from the local narratives studio.