These "original seven" faculty members successfully lobbied to establish a medical school under the auspices of Tufts College.

The New England Medical Center (NEMC) was established as a non-profit corporation to coordinate the administrative activities of its constituent organizations.

In 1946, the Pratt Diagnostic Clinic, an extension of the Boston Dispensary established in 1938, joined NEMC.

Over the years, the governing boards of Tufts University and the medical center negotiated a series of affiliation agreements.

However, the president and several other senior officers of Tufts University are ex officio members of the board of directors of the Medical Center.