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Mary Tinetti, MD

Gladys Phillips Crofoot Professor of Medicine (Geriatrics) and Professor in the Institution for Social and Policy Studies
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Gladys Phillips Crofoot Professor of Medicine (Geriatrics) and Professor in the Institution for Social and Policy Studies

Biography

Dr. Tinetti is the Gladys Philips Crofoot Professor of Medicine and a professor at the Institution for Social and Policy Studies. Her current research and clinical focus is on clinical decision-making for older adults in the face of multiple health conditions, measuring the net benefit and harms of commonly used medications, and the importance of cross-disease universal health outcomes. She is leading a national effort,(Patient Priorities Care) to develop and test an approach to health care that aligns clinical care and decision-making with the specific health priorities of older adults with multiple conditions. This initiative involves: 1) helping older adults identify the health goals they most desire in the face of tradeoffs and the health care they are willing and able to receive (their healthcare preferences)to achieve these goals; and 2) guiding clinicians to translate these goals and preferences into care decisions. She is evaluating the feasibility of this approach in clinical practice and its effect on patient-reported outcomes and healthcare utilization. She also chairs a group of advisors helping health systems be Age-Friendly. Dr. Tinetti’s work is funded by the NIH and several foundations. She has published over 250 original peer-reviewed articles. She has served on several national advisory committees including the FDA, NCQA, NQF. Dr. Tinetti has received numerous awards and is a member of the National Academy of Medicine and is the recipient of a MacArthur Foundation fellowship.

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Education & Training

Fellow
University of Rochester and Monroe Hospital (1984)
Resident
University of Minnesota (1981)
MD
University of Michigan (1978)

Research

Overview

Many of the most frequent health conditions that cause morbidity and compromised functioning and quality of life among older persons result from combinations of medical, psychological, social, environmental, and other factors. The focus of my work has been on the assessment, management, and prevention of multifactorial geriatric health conditions such as falls, immobility, and dizziness. Observational studies and randomized controlled trials are conducted in various settings including the home, hospital, nursing home and outpatient clinics. The research projects are interdisciplinary including nursing, rehabilitation, epidemiology, biostatistics, medicine, and other disciplines.


Other ongoing projects include determining the contribution of multiple conditions to death; mapping disease-specific health outcomes onto a set of universal health outcomes; determining the prevalence and effects of the co-occurrence of competing health conditions; and determining the disease-specific and universal health outcomes associated with treating one disease in the face of the co-occurrence of another disease that worsens with treatment of the first disease (therapeutic competition). I am leading a national effort to develop and test an approach to health care that realigns primary and specialty care to focus on the health priorities of older adults with multiple conditions.

  • Multimorbidity in older adults (Variable priorities in the face of competing outcomes: The tradeoff among cardiovascular events, medication symptoms, and fall injuries.)
  • Universal outcomes as a common metric across multiple diseases among elders.
  • Aligning clinical-decision-making and care with the health priorities of older adults with multiple chronic conditions

Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)

Accidental Falls; Decision Making; Geriatrics; Risk Factors

Research at a Glance

Yale Co-Authors

Frequent collaborators of Mary Tinetti's published research.

Publications

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Academic Achievements & Community Involvement

  • activity

    Appointments and Promotions Committee, Epidemiology and Public Health

    CommitteesMember
  • activity

    ADGAP Board of Directors

    Professional OrganizationsMember
  • activity

    HCSRN-OAIC AGING Initiative Steering Committee

    CommitteesMember
  • activity

    National Committee on Quality Assurance

    CommitteesMember
  • activity

    Institute for Healthcare Improvement: Advancing Age Friendly Health Systems

    Professional OrganizationsMember
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Clinical Care

Overview

Mary Tinetti, MD, is a geriatrician focused on helping patients with multiple health conditions receive well-rounded care, as well as weigh the benefits and harms of commonly used medicines.

Dr. Tinetti is at the forefront of a nationwide effort to develop and test an approach to health care that aligns clinical care and decision-making with specific priorities of older adults with multiple health problems. This involves assisting patients in identifying their most important health goals and teaching clinicians to translate these goals into care decisions. She is also evaluating how feasible this approach is for clinical care and its effect on patient outcomes.

In her research, Dr. Tinetti and her team helped identify the causes, consequences, and prevention of fall injuries in older adults and translated these findings into clinical and public health practice.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) and several foundations fund Dr. Tinetti’s work, and she has published more than 250 peer-reviewed articles. She has received numerous awards, is a member of the National Academy of Medicine, and is the recipient of a MacArthur Foundation fellowship.

Dr. Tinetti is the Gladys Phillips Crofoot Professor of Medicine (Geriatrics) at Yale School of Medicine.

Clinical Specialties

Internal Medicine; Geriatrics

Fact Sheets

Board Certifications

  • Internal Medicine

    Certification Organization
    AB of Internal Medicine
    Original Certification Date
    1981

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