Mary Politi is a health psychologist, behavioral scientist and co-director of WashU’s Center for Collaborative Care Decisions. Her primary research interests include health communication and shared decision-making within and outside health systems. Her work helps patients and the public understand health information, explore what is important to them when making health decisions, and collaborate to make evidence-informed decisions that meet their needs.

Example current projects include supporting older adults’ decisions about anesthesia options for surgical procedures, supporting older adults’ decisions about antibiotics given uncertain symptoms, reducing the financial toxicity (burden of care costs) of health care, and improving the way we deliver imaging reports in patient portals. She works extensively with community and clinical partners to ensure her research is relevant to end users.

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implementation science, mixed qualitative and quantitative methods, social and behavioral sciences, chronic disease treatment decision making and support, infectious disease treatment decision making and support.

Politi teaches an undergraduate course PUBHLTHSOC 4120 - Public Health and Medicine: Health Decision Making.

research projects on shared decision making, health literacy, health communication, financial toxicity, costs of care conversations