Mary Charlson

Mary Charlson, M.D., is a Professor at Weill Cornell Medicine and holds the William Foley Professor of Medicine chair. She serves as Chief of General Internal Medicine and Program Chair for the Master of Science Program in Clinical Epidemiology and Health Services Research.

Research Interests: Dr. Charlson is a clinical epidemiologist and methodologist who leads the Research Methodology Core, focusing on clinical trials, outcomes research, and population-based prospective studies. Her work includes developing innovative methods for prognostic stratification in acute and chronic illnesses, as well as creating tools like the widely adopted Charlson Comorbidity Index.

• Improving intraoperative hemodynamic management during cardiopulmonary bypass to enhance cardiac, cognitive, and neurological outcomes
• Motivating behavior change post-angioplasty using a net-present value theoretical model
• Predicting adverse outcomes in medical inpatients through risk stratification models

Affiliations: Graduate School of Medical Sciences (Weill Cornell Medicine), Research Methodology Core, and the Clinical Epidemiology & Health Services Research program.

Key Contributions: Development of the Charlson Comorbidity Index, novel methodologies for clinical research, and leadership in multidisciplinary clinical trials targeting quality-of-life improvements for cardiac patients.