Nutrition School to move its main campus to Boston

The Tufts University Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy has moved its campus from Medford to downtown Boston.

The move presents a "unique opportunity" for the Nutrition School, Executive Associate Dean of the School David Hastings said. "For the first time in our history much of the social science program students, faculty and staff will be proximal to their biological science colleagues. We continue to believe that Tufts is a university and should be defined as such _ much more cooperative than campus-based."

The school, established in 1981, brings together biomedical, social, behavioral and political scientists to do research projects and community-related educational services to promote the nutritional health of populations through out the world.

This fall, the nutrition school is moving to the newly constructed Jaharis Family Center for biomedical and nutrition research at 150 Harrison Ave in Boston. The new 180,000 square ft. and nine story high building will unite interested researchers under one roof with expansive facilities. This way the two wood frame houses on campus and five rented places in Boston will come together.

With the help of other 300 donors, the new Jaharis Family Center has been constructed, ready to host expansive research. Michael Jaharis, a Tufts trustee, has contributed to healthcare as a pharmaceutical industry leader.The expansion and relocation of the nutrition school was spurred by Jaharis, who raised $10 million in the past four years, adding to his own contribution of $10 million.

Each of the first five floors consists of 19,500 square feet and the upper four floors have 11200 square ft. each. Some portions of the fourth and fifth floors are left unfinished to reserve space for additional research.

The Tufts Nutrition School will occupy the first floor of the Jaharis Center with classrooms, administrative offices, an auditorium and outdoor and indoor caf?© areas. The upper floors will serve as laboratories and are not limited to the sole use of the nutrition school.

Not all of the nutrition school, however, is moving to Boston. The Alan Shawn Feinstein International Famine Center will remain in 11 Curtis Street and nutrition students will still be able to use 126 Curtis Ave. for studying.

Though Jaharis acknowledges that splitting the nutrition school's campus hurts school identity he was quick to note that the nutrition school has always taken a global approach to their work. The schooll has full time staff working in East Africa, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. "To say that we are moving to one city is not only a false statement, but also does not appropriately reflect the richness of the contributions to the world made by my student, faculty and staff colleagues here."

The center will bring together the Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences, Tufts University School of Medicine and the nutrition school. The increased cohesiveness across schools, now afforded by the center, will increase opportunities for cooperation and research among different practitioners, nutritionists, scientists and physicians _ essentially combining all aspects of science and social policy