Paul Anderson, MD, PhD
As the principal investigator of an NIH-funded research lab at Brigham and Women’s Hospital since 1990, Mass General Brigham’s Chief Academic Officer Paul Anderson, MD, PhD, knows the challenges of running a grant-funded research program—and how those challenges have increased in recent years.
“Funding is harder to get than it used to be. Financial challenges are more significant. It’s harder to get postdocs,” says Anderson. “Things are just more difficult all around.”
In his new role as Chief Academic Officer (CAO), Anderson is now working with MGB leadership to find ways to help researchers during these difficult times—and to reassure anxious investigators that research and education remain system priorities.
“There is no question that we all recognize how important research and education are to our institution,” Anderson says. “It’s what defines us. It is who we are.”
Anderson adds that much of the work that’s been done over the past few years to make Mass General Brigham more of a unified system is to ensure continued support for research at a time when some academic medical centers are capping or even eliminating research programs due to dwindling clinical margins.
“The kinds of things we’re doing to come together and break down silos, to work horizontally across the system is going to help up continue to be leaders and be world class on the research front,” he says.
From Principal Investigator to Chief Academic Officer
A self-described Brigham lifer, Anderson trained at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) as an intern and clinical fellow prior to opening his lab in 1990.
His first leadership role came in 2014, when he was asked by then-BWH president Betsy Nabel, MD, to serve as Chief Academic Officer for the hospital. “I did it first in an interim role, and I enjoyed it tremendously,” he said.
“I think when you’re in a laboratory, you have your insular problem that you’re working on, and if you make some progress, that’s great. But in that role, I was able to work with a lot of smart people on much bigger problems.”
“We didn’t always make progress, but when we did, it could impact a lot of people in the organization,” he says. “I found that very rewarding.”
In 2023, Anderson was asked to serve as interim Chief Academic Officer for the Mass General Brigham healthcare system after the departure of Ravi Thadhani, MD, PhD. After nine months of working in that role on an interim basis, he was officially named to the position last fall.
As CAO, Anderson oversees several key areas, including Human Subjects Affairs, the Clinical Trials Office, Research Management, Research IS/Computing, the Data Science Office, Personalized Medicine and Graduate Medical Education.
He also played a key role in launching the Mass General Brigham Gene and Cell Therapy Institute, which was established in 2023 to support the 500+ investigators across the system who are conducting research related to gene and cell therapies.
Anderson is also working to build programs that will provide researchers with some financial cushion that can help during gaps in grant funding, and exploring how new technologies based on artificial intelligence could be used to help researchers apply for grants and meet federal mandates.
Looking Toward the Future of Research
While there are challenges facing the research community, there is a lot to be inspired by as well, Anderson says.
Research operations across the system continue to grow year after year, and there is a strong research infrastructure in place (including the Mass General Biobank and the Research Patient Data Registry) that investigators can draw on when applying for grants.
Anderson also finds daily inspiration in his interactions with young researchers and trainees across the system.
“When I talk to the students and the junior postdocs who are considering careers in academia or industry, I always try to point out what a pleasure and privilege it is to be in an academic institution like this,” he says. “To be able to work with the kinds of people I work with every day, to have interactions with young people who are bringing fresh ideas every day. It keeps you thinking. It keeps you on your toes.”
“I’ve found it to be a career like no other and incredibly rewarding,” he adds. “There’s no question it’s difficult, but I think it’s worth it.”
Paul Anderson's Guitar Favorites
Anderson likes to play guitar and sing as a hobby. Here are some of his favorites to perform:
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.
Support our Research
Leave a Comment