Bassett Research Institute Hosts Annual Research Week

This week (April 27 - May 1, 2026), the Bassett Research Institute (BRI) hosted its Annual Research Week. Scientific posters, displaying scholarly work completed by Bassett nurses, physicians, residents, fellows, New York Center for Agricultural Medicine and Health (NYCAMH) faculty and staff, and BRI faculty and staff were available for viewing in the lobby of Bassett Medical Center’s clinic building all week long. Research topics included tick-borne illness, nursing employee retention, cardiology interventions, occupational health interventions for farming and fishing industry workers, and the effectiveness of school-based health, among other topics.

Research at Bassett has a long and storied history. The first formal research program at Bassett began with the arrival of Dr. George Miner Mackenzie, Bassett’s first medical scholar. In 1927, Dr. Mackenzie came to Bassett as physician-in-chief, also opening a research lab in bacteriology. Under his direction, Bassett began its development into what we now recognize as an academic institution, including medical research, a robust medical library, clinical science labs, and the teaching of future medical professionals. In 1929, the Board of Directors declared “medical research” as a key pillar of the Mary Imogene Bassett Hospital and its mission.

Bassett’s most celebrated physician researcher, Dr. E. Donnall Thomas, arrived in Cooperstown in 1955. Dr. Thomas and his team performed the first human bone marrow transplant in the world at Mary Imogene Bassett Hospital. This was the first step in developing a revolutionary treatment for acute leukemia that would vastly improve survivability. Dr. Thomas was awarded the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1990.

Research at Bassett has evolved to include investigations across a spectrum of health topics, many directly related to life in rural communities. Research scientists at the BRI’s Center of Rural Community Health have earned competitive external grant funding to investigate various study questions in rural health, chronic disease self-management, obesity, and healthy aging. In addition, the Center for Clinical Research has facilitated numerous trials with both Bassett patients and the larger community and is beginning work on the national, multi-center VPT Patient Safety Study. The BRI also houses the Center for Biostatistics and the Center for Evaluating Rural Interventions, both of which support many areas of research throughout Bassett Healthcare Network and beyond. The BRI provides resources and opportunities for students from various disciplines and resident trainees to experience how research works and learn how they can incorporate research activities into their future practices.

The newest era for the BRI began in February of this year, with the arrival of Tyler Malone, PhD, as its new Director. Hailing most recently from the University of North Carolina, Dr. Malone’s work has focused on rural health services for vulnerable populations, substance use disorders, mental health outcomes, rural health policy, and health economics.

To learn more about the research conducted at the Bassett Research Institute, please visit www.bassettresearch.org.