The Lung Center at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (among the top ranked in the country by U.S. News & World Report) is a unique, highly focused collaboration between physicians and surgeons specializing in lung and breathing conditions. Under the leadership of co-directors Raphael Bueno, MD, chief, Division of Thoracic Surgery and Bruce Levy, MD, chief, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, The Lung Center provides comprehensive care and individualized attention to men and women with every type of lung condition—from asthma, to cystic fibrosis to rare lung cancers such as mesothelioma.
Our pulmonary medicine and thoracic surgery experts work in partnership with sub-specialists at BWH as needed and with the patient’s community physician—a collaborative approach that ensures that every patient need is met as we diagnose and treat lung conditions. Pinpointing areas of emphasis, we deliver precise, personalized medicine focusing on each patient. This includes populations with specific needs, such as women and the elderly, and targeted health care areas focused on genetics, rehabilitation, palliative care and prevention.
As the thoracic surgical and pulmonary medicine specialists for Dana-Farber Brigham Cancer Center, our physicians collaborate with acclaimed medical and radiation oncologists to give patients a powerful, united force in the fight against lung and chest cancers.
Why the BWH Lung Center?
- The Lung Center is an international referral center, caring for the most complex patients from the United States and abroad.
- Collaborative care unites thoracic surgery and pulmonology with pathology, radiology, anesthesiology, radiation and medical oncology, otolaryngology, immunology, precision medicine and nursing.
- Thirty-six specialized programs for every lung condition, from common to complex and critical.
- Board-certified, fellowship-trained physicians who are Harvard Medical School faculty.
- Oncology specialists from thoracic surgery and pulmonology are key members of the Thoracic Oncology Program at Dana-Farber Brigham Cancer Center.
- Specialists in thoracic radiology and pathology provide precision diagnostics and guide personalized lung treatment.
- BWH lung physicians named Boston’s Top Doctors by Boston Magazine, America’s Top Doctors by Castle Connolly and Best Doctors in America.
- Top NIH-funded Lung Research Center at BWH’s Brigham Research Institute accelerates discovery and cures for lung disorders.
- Numerous research grants and awards, including Severe Asthma Research Program, lung cancer pathways, cancer genetics, COPDGene Study, PCORI asthma study.
- Institutional history of lung care milestones, including anesthesia during childbirth and the first iron lung for polio treatment.
- World-wide medical pioneer in the diagnosis, treatment and care of mesothelioma.
- Minimally invasive surgery leaders in video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS), resulting in less pain, shorter hospital stays and faster recovery.
- Nationally renowned specialists for end stage lung failure and surgical expertise for single and double lung transplants, as well as heart-lung transplants and ECMO.
- Thoracic intermediate care unit (TICU) and thoracic surgical intensive care unit (SICU), state-of-the-art surgical suites and two medical intensive care units (MICU) staffed by physicians dedicated only to lung patients.
- Pulmonary Vascular Disease Program accredited by the Pulmonary Hypertension Association (PHA).
- An academic medical center, we train physician-scientists through our Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine Fellowship Program and Cardiothoracic Surgery Residency Programs. In 2016, seven of our Pulmonary and Critical Care fellows received awards from the American Thoracic Society.
- We offer coordinated medical and surgical appointments scheduled on the same day.
- Our patient navigators orient patients, manage appointments and follow patients through outpatient, inpatient and rehabilitation care.
