Mary E. Tinetti, M.D.

• Gladys Phillips Crofoot Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology and Public Health
• Director of the Yale Hartford Foundation Center of Excellence in Aging
• Director of the Yale Program on Aging
• Director of the Claude D. Pepper Older Americans Independence Center
  
  
  

  Phone:	203-688-5238
  Fax:	203-688-4209
  E-mail:	mary.tinetti@yale.edu
  Fall Prevention Information:	Connecticut Collaboration for Fall Prevention
  COS:	Community of Science Expertise

  
  

  Research Interests

  Director of the Yale Program on Aging, Dr. Tinetti is a leading expert in the area of falls and fall injury. Through a series of epidemiologic and intervention studies, she was the first investigator to identify that older persons at risk for falling and injury could be identified, that falls and injuries were associated with a range of serious adverse outcomes, and that multifactorial risk reduction strategies were effective and cost-effective. She is now developing and testing methods to translate these research findings into practice. She has also published extensively on functional disability, mobility impairment, and the adverse effects of multiple medications. Her most recent area of investigation is clinical decision making in the face of multiple competing health conditions. Dr. Tinetti is well versed in the range of clinical research methodologies having conducted and participated in small translational studies, large epidemiological studies, and clinical trials. She has helped develop the methodologies needed to address the complex issues involving the study of older adults. Dr. Tinetti has been continuously funded by the NIH and several foundations since joining the faculty at Yale in 1984. Dr. Tinetti has been the principal investigator for the NIA-funded Yale Pepper Center since 1992. She has served as the primary mentor to over 30 medical students, postdoctoral fellows, and junior faculty and has helped mentor dozens more.

  Selected Publications

  1. Tinetti ME. Performance-Oriented Assessment of Mobility Problems in Elderly Patients. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society 34:119-126, 1986.
  2. Tinetti ME, Ginter S. Identifying Mobility Dysfunctions in Elderly Patients: Standard Neuromuscular Examination or Direct Assessment? Journal of the American Medical Association 259:1190-93, 1988.
  3. Tinetti ME, Speechley M, Ginter SF. Risk Factors for Falls Among Elderly Persons Living in the Community. New England Journal of Medicine 319:1701-1707, 1988.
  4. Tinetti ME, Liu WL, Ginter SF. Mechanical Restraint Use and Fall-related Injuries Among Residents of Skilled Nursing Facilities. Annals of Internal Medicine 116: 369-74, 1992.
  5. Tinetti ME, Claus E, Liu WL. Predictors and Prognosis of Inability to Get Up After Falls Among Elderly Persons. Journal of the American Medical Association 269:65-70, 1993.
  6. Tinetti ME, Baker DI, MacAvay G, Claus E, Garrett P, Gottschalk M, Koch ML, Trainor K, Horwitz RI. A Multifactorial Intervention to Reduce the Risk of Falling Among Elderly People Living in the Community. New England Journal of Medicine 331:821-827, 1994. (with editorial)
  7. Tinetti ME, Inouye SK, Gill TM, Doucette JT. Shared Predisposing Factors for Falls, Incontinence, and Functional Dependence: A Unifying Approach to Geriatric Syndromes. Journal of the American Medical Association 1995;273:1348-1352. (with editorial)
  8. Tinetti ME, Doucette JT, Claus EB. The contribution of predisposing and situational risk factors to serious fall injuries. Journal of The American Geriatrics Society. 43(11): 1207-13, 1995.
  9. Tinetti ME, Doucette J, Claus E, Marottoli RA. Risk Factors for Serious Fall Injury Among Community Elderly Persons. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society 43:1214-1221, 1995.
  10. Tinetti ME, Williams CS. Falls, Injuries Due to Falls, and the Risk of Admission to a Nursing Home. New England Journal of Medicine 337:1279-1284, 1997.
  11. Tinetti ME, Baker DI, Gottschalk M, Williams CS, Pollack D, Garrett P, Gill TM, Marottoli RA, Acampora D. Home-based multicomponent rehabilitation program for older persons after hip fracture: a randomized trial.. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 80(8): 916-22, 1999.
  12. Tinetti ME, Gill TM, Williams CS. Dizziness among older persons: A possible geriatric syndrome. Annals of Internal Medicine 312:337-344, 2000 (with editorial).
  13. Tinetti ME, Williams CS, Gill TM. Health, functional, and psychological outcomes among older persons with chronic dizziness. J Amer Geriatr Soc. 48:417-421, 2000.
  14. Tinetti ME. Where is the vision for fall prevention. J Am Geriatr Soc 49:676-7, 2001.
  15. Tinetti ME. Baker D. Gallo WT. Nanda A. Charpentier P. O'Leary J. Evaluation of restorative care vs usual care for older adults receiving an acute episode of home care. JAMA. 287(16):2098-105, 2002.
  16. Tinetti, ME. Prevening falls in elderly persons. N Engl J Med 348: 42-49, 2003.
  17. Tinetti ME, Fried TR. The end of the disease era. Am J Med 116:179-185, 2004.
  18. Tinetti ME, Bogardus ST, Agostini JV. Potential pitfalls in disease guidelines for patients with multiple conditions NEJM 351:2871-2874, 2004.
  19. Brown CJ, Gottschalk M, VanNess P, Fortinsky R, Tinetti ME. Changes in physical therapy providers’ use of fall prevention strategies following a multicomponent behavioral change intervention. Phy Ther 85:394-403, 2005.