Mass General Brigham Research: Year in Review 2023

Research highlights and milestones from across the system

Researchers from across Mass General Brigham are leading the way in research advancements and discoveries. Experts from across the academic medical centers, specialty hospitals and beyond have played key roles in many of the biggest medical news stories of 2023. And some of their publications from this year, especially in basic and foundational research, may lay the groundwork for breakthroughs in the decades ahead.

“The research enterprise at Mass General Brigham is uniquely situated to do amazing things for our patients,” said Paul Anderson, MD, PhD, Chief Academic Officer for Mass General Brigham. “For more than two centuries, our hospitals have been at the heart of healthcare and discovery in Boston. We believe that coming together as a system allows us to do things that we can’t do individually. This year has been an important one as we’ve come together, working at scale to make discoveries and deliver on the promise of new therapies.”

Below are some highlights and metrics for 2023:

By the Numbers

94 Highly Cited Researchers

Clarivate Analytics’ Web of Science Group compiles an annual list of scientists around the globe who have demonstrated significant influence through publication of multiple highly cited papers that rank in the top 1% by citations for field and year.

In 2023, we were pleased to announce that 94 investigators from across Mass General Brigham made the list.

19,000+ Papers Published

Across Mass General Brigham’s academic medical centers and specialty hospitals, researchers published more than 19,000 papers according to PubMed.

The Nature Index, which ranks institutions according to the quantity of high-quality research published in the last year, ranked Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital as #1 and #2 among healthcare institutions for 2023.

Top National Institutes of Health Rankings

Mass General Brigham represents the largest hospital system-based research enterprise in the U.S., with an annual research budget exceeding $2 billion. For over 25 years, Mass General and the Brigham have ranked within the top three hospitals for National Institutes of Health (NIH) support. This year, Mass General was ranked first, the Brigham was ranked third, and McLean Hospital, Mass Eye and Ear, and Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital were ranked among the top 50 independent hospitals who receive NIH funding.

2,700 Clinical Trials

Mass General Brigham has over 2,700 ongoing clinical trials — more ongoing clinical trials than any other healthcare system in Massachusetts — to accelerate bringing new treatments and therapies to our patients and the world. Learn more about enrolling in clinical trials.