Karen J. Carlson, M.D.

Dr. Carlson is Director of Women’s Health Associates at Massachusetts General Hospital, established in 1985 as a multidisciplinary center for the primary care of women, the first of its kind at an academic medical center. The unit has served as a model for similar centers nationwide, and also serves as a training site for medical students and residents. The unit is designated as a National Center of Excellence in Women’s Health by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under the auspices of the Harvard Medical School Center of Excellence, of which Dr. Carlson is currently Deputy Director.

Dr. Carlson is also Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, where she has been involved in research and education related to women’s health. Her areas of interest include hysterectomy and alternative treatments for nonmalignant gynecologic conditions, ovarian cancer screening, and communication issues in the doctor-patient relationship. She was the principal investigator of the Maine Women’s Health Study, a landmark study of hysterectomy outcomes in the United States funded by the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research. She is co-editor of a medical textbook, Primary Care of Women, and a comprehensive book on women’s health, The Harvard Guide to Women’s Health.

Dr. Carlson received her undergraduate degree in Biology from Boston University in 1976 and graduated from Harvard Medical School in 1980. She completed her residency in Internal Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital in 1983 and was a Kaiser Fellow in General Internal Medicine at Harvard Medical School from 1983 to 1985. Dr. Carlson is board certified in Internal Medicine and is a practicing primary care physician.