The Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, usually referred to simply as the Martinos Center, is one of the world’s premier imaging centers, and is the result of a partnership between Harvard, MIT and Massachusetts General Hospital. 

A few weeks ago, the Martinos Center held an open house to allow people to learn more about the research they have going on, and we thought we would take the opportunity to share more about them on our blog. Here are five things to know:

Who is it named after?

In 1999, Thanassis and Marina Martinos of Athens, Greece, presented a gift of $20 million to the Harvard-Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Division of Health Sciences & Technology (HST) to honor the memory of their daughter Athinoula. HST invited Massachusetts General Hospital to participate in founding the Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, and a partnership was formed.

Who is the director?

The director of the Martinos Center is Bruce Rosen, MD, a world-leading expert in functional neuroimaging. Over the past thirty years he has pioneered the development of many novel imaging techniques that are used by research centers and hospitals throughout the world to evaluate patients with stroke, brain tumors, dementia and psychological disorders.

How big is the center?

The Martinos team includes 450 people from around the world, receives over $45M a year in funding, has about 70 programs and labs, and takes approximately 18,000 scans each month.

They support women in science.

The Martinos Center recently launched a Women in Science seminar series to provide a forum for discussing the opportunities and challenges for women  in STEM. The team behind the series aims to support the advancement of women, take action to create a more supportive environment, build a strong network of female faculty and empower the younger generations of scientists.

What kind of research do they do?

Martinos Center researchers work on everything from the impact of meditation on depression and anxiety; the aging brain and dementia; neuroinflammation in fibromyalgia; evaluating cancer treatments; eye-tracking diagnostics for autism and so much more!

If you want to learn more about the Martinos Center, be sure to check out the stories on our blog and visit their website. They offer a number of interesting ways to stay involved including their Secret Lives of Scientists Series, an art gallery and creative ways to showcase their research impact.

About the Mass General Research Institute
Research at Massachusetts General Hospital is interwoven through more than 30 different departments, centers and institutes. Our research includes fundamental, lab-based science; clinical trials to test new drugs, devices and diagnostic tools; and community and population-based research to improve health outcomes across populations and eliminate disparities in care.
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