Michael E. Charness, MD

Professor, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine

Biography

Dr. Charness earned his B.Sc. in Psychology from McGill University and his M.D. from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He is board certified in Internal Medicine and Neurology and current serves as a Professor of Neurology as well as the assistant dean to the VA Affairs of School of Medicine.
Dr. Charness served as Chief of Neurology at the Brockton-West-Roxbury VA and the VA Boston Healthcare System for several years. He became Chief of Staff in 2003. Additionally, Dr. Charness has served as a member of numerous advisory boards including the National Institutes of Health (NIH, served as president of the Research Society on Alcoholism (RSA), and chaired the Alcohol-Toxicology 3 Study Section. His research interests include researching alcohol's effect on the nervous system as well as the development of drugs that block alcohol toxicity. He currently directs the NIAAA-funded Collaborative Initiative on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders and chairs the external advisory board for the NIH-funded Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development (ABCD) study.

Publications

  • Published 9/1/2026

    Mohr DC, Oh RC, Charness ME. Panel Fullness, Burnout, and Intention to Leave Among Veterans Health Administration Primary Care Practitioners. JAMA Netw Open. 2026 Sep 01; 9(9):e2633671. PMID: 42742943.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 5/1/2025

    Gupta K, O'Brien WJ, Strymish J, Chen A, Linsenmeyer K, Madjarov R, Charness ME. Incidence of COVID-19 Symptom Rebound After Treatment with Remdesivir. Infect Dis Rep. 2025 May 01; 17(3). PMID: 40407645.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 12/18/2024

    Chen P, Charness M, Reisman A. VA Writes: A Reflective Writing Workshop to Improve Well-Being in Health Care Employees. NEJM Catal Innov Care Deliv. 2024; 6(1).

    Read at: Custom

  • Published 9/25/2024

    Riley EP, Pfefferbaum A, Sullivan EV, Charness ME. Memorial of Kenneth R. Warren, 1943-2024. Alcohol Clin Exp Res (Hoboken). 2024 Nov; 48(11):2200-2201. PMID: 39322616.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 4/5/2024

    Charness ME, Gupta K, Linsenmeyer K, Strymish J, Madjarov R, Stack G. Evidence from whole genome sequencing of aerosol transmission of SARS-CoV-2 almost 5 hours after hospital room turnover. Am J Infect Control. 2024 Jul; 52(7):849-851. PMID: 38583778.

    Read at: PubMed

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Other Positions

  • Assistant Dean, VA Affairs, Dean’s Office
    Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine
  • Chief of Staff
    VA Boston Healthcare System

Websites

Education

  • Johns Hopkins University, MD
  • McGill University, BSc

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