Clinical Epidemiology & Biostatistics


Cathy Charles

BA (Toronto), MA (Toronto), MA (Columbia), PhD (Columbia)

Professor, Department of Clinical Epidemiology & Biostatistics

Member, Centre for Health Economics and Policy Analysis (CHEPA)

905.525.9140 x 22513
905.546.5211
charlesc@mcmaster.ca

McMaster University
Faculty of Health Sciences,
CRL 205
1280 Main Street West
Hamilton, ON
L8S 4K1

Office location: CRL-205

Academic Interests

Dr. Charles ’s main research interests include: patient and public participation in treatment and health care decision-making, shared treatment decision-making between physicians and patients in the clinical encounter, the use of research information to improve decision-making in health care, and the health professions and public policy. She is currently undertaking conceptual work and empirical research on shared treatment decision-making between physicians and patients in several different clinical contexts as well as a study on the role of patient values in evidence-based medicine.

Cathy’s teaching interests include qualitative research methods, health policy analysis and the applied sociology of health and health care.

Selected Publications

  1. Charles, CA, Whelan T, Gafni A, Willan A, Farrell S. Shared Treatment Decision-Making. What Does It Mean to Physicians? Journal of Clinical Oncology, 2003; 21:932-936
  2. Charles C, Gafni A, Whelan T, O'Brien MA.Cultural influences on the physician-patient encounter: The case of shared treatment decision-making. Patient Educ Couns. 2006 Nov;63(3):262-7.
  3. Charles C, Gafni A. Can I accurately predict the impact of an illness and its treatment on my future subjective well-being? A complex question that does not have a simple answer. Health Expect. 2006 Sep;9(3):252-4.
  4. Murray E, Charles C, Gafni A. Shared decision-making in primary care: tailoring the Charles et al. model to fit the context of general practice. Patient Educ Couns. 2006 Aug;62(2):205-11.
  5. Montori VM, Gafni A, Charles C. A shared treatment decision-making approach between patients with chronic conditions and their clinicians: the case of diabetes.
    Health Expect. 2006 Mar;9(1):25-36.
  6. Charles C, Gafni A, Whelan T, O'Brien MA. Treatment decision aids: conceptual issues and future directions.
    Health Expect. 2005 Jun;8(2):114-25.
  7. Charles CA, Gafni A, Whelan T. Decision-Making in the Physician-Patient Encounter: Revisiting the Shared Treatment Decision-Making Model. Social Science & Medicine, 1999; 49:651-661
  8. Charles CA, Gafni A, Whelan T. Shared Decision-Making in the Medical Encounter: What Does It Mean? (Or, It Takes at Least Two to Tango). Social Science and Medicine, 1997; 681-692.
  9. Charles CA, Lomas J, Giacomini M, Bhatia V, Victoria V. Medical Necessity in Canadian Health Policy: Four Meanings and . . . a Funeral. Milbank Quarterly, 1997; 75(3):365-394
  10. Charles CA, DeMaio S. Lay Participation in Health Care Decision-Making: A Conceptual Framework. Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law, 1993; 18 (4): 881-904.

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