In his opening remarks, David F. M. Brown, MD, president of Academic Medical Centers for Mass General Brigham, urged leadership and faculty from every department that touches neuroscience to keep the patient at the center as we build for the future. “It’s what drives us — and what I hope inspires all of you here — to envision the world’s greatest neuroscience institute,” he said.

Merit Cudkowicz, MD, MSC, was recently named executive director of the MGB Neuroscience Institute, and Tracy Batchelor, MD, MPH, was named chair of Neurology for Mass General Brigham, while E. Antonio Chiocca, MD, PhD, was named chair of Neurosurgery for Mass General Brigham. It was then that the vision for the Neuroscience Institute began to take shape. Over the past several months, Cudkowicz has been working closely with Meg Kotarski, MBA, chief administrator for the Neuroscience Institute, on strategic planning, implementation and optimization.

During the official kickoff meeting, Cudkowicz welcomed colleagues from across the system who will play a key role in forming the Neuroscience Institute. She then outlined the strategic planning process that requires input from an array of departments and reported on the themes identified in listening sessions and stakeholder interviews. She also outlined our current capabilities, competition and other institute case studies and highlighted major trends in neuroscience.

She equated building an institute to climbing a mountain. “We are starting from a strong space,” she said. “We really are trying to get to the summit. That summit is being the world’s best place for people to come to get their care, to have access to clinical trials and to have access to the great research that you are doing; and for people to want to work here as the best place to do their science, see patients and get trained. That’s our summit. And we have the pieces here to do it together.”

The real collaboration began when Kotarski moderated a panel discussion between Cudkowicz, Batchelor and Chiocca. The discussion focused on topics such as improving access for patients, seamlessly integrating research and clinical care, maximizing space and building community and culture within the institute. To accomplish these goals, the institute will establish design and enablement workgroups, as well as an interdisciplinary advisory committee.

Later, colleagues had the opportunity to gather in small groups to envision the future of the Neuroscience Institute. Batchelor guided participants ahead of the session, saying, “Don’t hold back. We want to ensure everyone’s perspective is heard. Hearing multiple perspectives is key to ensuring our success.”