Edward R. Marcantonio, MD, SM

Section Chief for Research

Edward R. Marcantonio, MD, SM

Section Chief for Research

Research Concentrations

  • Clinical Epidemiology
  • Delirium, Cognitive Function
  • Outcomes of Hospitalization and Surgery in Older Adults

Professional Biography

Dr. Marcantonio is the Section Chief for Research in the Division of General Medicine at BIDMC, and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School (HMS). Under Dr. Marcantonio’s leadership over the last 18 years, the Section for Research has grown from 8 to 20 investigators, and extramural funding has increased from $2 million to over $10 million annually.

Dr. Marcantonio is an internationally recognized clinical investigator and thought leader in delirium research and currently leads four major NIH-funded studies (three R01’s, one P01 project) in this area. Over his career he has led more than 15 major observational and intervention studies designed to improve the diagnosis of delirium, target individuals at risk, identify modifiable risk factors, and test intervention strategies to reduce the incidence, severity and duration of delirium. Dr. Marcantonio’s broader research interests include improving quality of care for hospitalized older adults, predictors of hospitalization and unplanned hospital readmission, and outcomes of non-cardiac and cardiac surgery in older adults.

Dr. Marcantonio serves as Program Director of the HMS Fellowship in General Medicine and Primary Care, teaches Epidemiology in the Clinical Effectiveness Program at Harvard School of Public Health, and has mentored over 60 students, postdoctoral fellows and junior faculty members. He has received the BIDMC Center for Faculty Development’s Excellence in Mentoring Award, the HMS A. Clifford Barger Award for Excellence in Mentorship, and currently holds a Mid-Career Mentoring Award in Patient-Oriented Research from the National Institute on Aging. He also has been nationally recognized for his research, having received the Paul Beeson Physician Scholarship in Aging Research, the American Geriatrics Society Outstanding Scientific Achievement in Clinical Investigation Award, and is an elected member of the Association of American Physicians.