Boston Hospitals with Niche Specialties

Specific ailments call for specific specialties. Here's where to go, and when.


For some injuries—bagel-slicing gone awry or a sprained ankle, say—any emergency room will do. But for the serious, scary, or downright unusual, these Boston-area hospitals have niche specialties that cater to very targeted ailments.


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You want a doctor who can (literally) feel your pain.

Joel Salinas, a clinical fellow in neurology and neuropsychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital, has a condition called mirror touch synesthesia, which allows him to feel things he observes, such as a hug or a stubbed toe, in his own body.

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You want a little extra hand-holding while giving birth.

At Mount Auburn Hospital, about 40 percent of births are midwife-assisted—as much as five times the rate of many institutions—and midwifery is available as primary pregnancy care to any patient in good health.

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You have something in your eye, and it’s 2 a.m.

Massachusetts Eye & Ear Infirmary houses the only 24/7 eye emergency room in New England, treating everything from conjunctivitis to serious trauma and cuts. The ER sees about 20,000 urgent cases each year.

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You think you have a concussion.

Emerson Hospital’s new Robert C. Cantu Concussion Center is the only Boston spot with a Dynavision system (a board that helps train neurocognitive and motor skills) and a Vasper— an exercise machine that uses body cooling and compression.

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College is taking its toll.

McLean Hospital’s College Mental Health Program treats more than 600 college students from 200 universities each year, making it one of the biggest higher-education-specific mental health centers in the U.S.

Illustrations by L-Dopa


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Therapy Animals | Apps & Companions | Food & Art | Longwood Visitor Hacks | Super-Luxe Amenities | Real-Life Accommodations | The Ultimate Physical | Niche Specialties

Plus, more from our 2015 Top Docs package, including a database of the best doctors in Boston.