July 23, 2004

MGH helps kick off Innovation Week

To celebrate Boston's long culture of innovation, Boston 2004, Inc. – the host committee for the Democratic National Convention – and the Boston History Collaborative kicked off Creativity and Innovation Week at the MGH July 18. The event launched a weeklong celebration dedicated to highlighting Boston's history of innovation in medicine, social programs, education and cultural activities.

Speakers at the event – held in the Ether Dome to recognize the importance of the first public demonstration of the use of ether as an anesthetic in surgery – included David Torchiana, MD, chairman and CEO of the Massachusetts General Physicians Organization, and Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino (above). Actor Frank Ridley (left) performed a skit retelling the story of the first use of ether.