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. 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. She also trains health care professionals, public health advocates and members of the public interested in shared decision-making and patient engagement.
Politi’s research includes a focus on reducing the financial toxicity (burden of care costs) of health care, helping people find ways to offset the high costs of care through insurance decisions and discussions about cost-saving strategies. She works extensively with community and clinical partners to ensure her research is relevant to end users.
Areas of Focus:
- Health communication
- Shared decision-making
- Patient and public engagement
- Implementation science methods
Featured Publications
- Accelerating implementation of visual key information to improve informed consent in research: a single-institution feasibility study and implementation testing
BMJ Open
Mar. 18, 2025 - Patient Partner Engagement in the Publication Process: Challenges and Possible Solutions
BMC Medical Research Methodology
Feb. 15, 2025 - A Randomized Controlled Trial of the Implementation of BREASTChoice, a Multilevel Breast Reconstruction Decision Support Tool With Personalized Risk Prediction
Annals of Surgery
Feb. 2025 - A Scoping Review of Interventions to Address Financial Toxicity in Pediatric and Adult Patients and Survivors of Cancer
Cancer Medicine
Apr. 18, 2025