Melissa W. Wachterman, MD

Adjunct Assistant Professor, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine

Biography

Dr. Melissa Wachterman is an Adjunct Assistant Professor with the Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine in General Internal Medicine. She is also an Assistant Professor of Medicine with Veterans Affairs Boston Healthcare System and Harvard affiliated Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. Dr. Wacherman received her MD and MPH from Tufts University School of Medicine and her MS from Harvard School of Public Health.

Dr. Wachterman conducts health services research focused on improving the quality of care for seriously-ill older adults with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). As a 2014 NPCRC Career Development Award grantee, she examined trajectories of patient-centered outcomes (cognitive and functional status and pain) for older adults on dialysis and explore decision-making about dialysis initiation from the perspectives of older adults with ESRD, their family caregivers, and their providers. The ultimate goal is to improve communication and patient-centered decision-making about dialysis initiation for this seriously-ill patient population. She also has a strong interest in end-of-life care.

Publications

  • Published 4/4/2025

    Wachterman MW, Lipsitz SR, Beilstein-Wedel E, Gellad WF, Lorenz KA, Keating NL. Temporal Trends in Opioid-Related Care and Pain Among Veterans at the End of Life. J Pain Symptom Manage. 2025 Apr 04. PMID: 40187382.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 6/28/2024

    Carpenter JG, Kinder D, Smith D, Ersek M, Wachterman M, Thorpe J, Sullivan DR, Bailey J, Shreve S, Kutney-Lee A. Nursing Home Star Ratings and End-Of-Life Care Quality: Lessons Learned From the Veterans Health Administration. J Am Med Dir Assoc. 2024 Sep; 25(9):105121. PMID: 38950589.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 5/27/2024

    Sullivan DR, Jones KF, Wachterman MW, Griffin HL, Kinder D, Smith D, Thorpe J, Feder SL, Ersek M, Kutney-Lee A. Opportunities to Improve End-of-Life Care Quality among Patients with Short Terminal Admissions. J Pain Symptom Manage. 2024 Oct; 68(4):329-339. PMID: 38810950.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 5/22/2024

    Wachterman MW, Sinha A, Leveille T, Waikar SS, Widera E, Romero K, Bokhour B. Nephrologists' perspectives and experiences with hospice among older adults with end-stage kidney disease. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2024 Jul; 72(7):2060-2069. PMID: 38777614.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 4/28/2024

    Kurniawan HI, Sciacca KR, Wachterman MW, Gelfand SL. Clinical practice review: outpatient palliative care for the geriatric chronic kidney disease population. Ann Palliat Med. 2024 Jul; 13(4):938-947. PMID: 38735689.

    Read at: PubMed

View All 43 Publications:   View Full Profile in BUMC

Websites

Education

  • Tufts University School of Medicine, MD
  • Harvard School of Public Health, MSc
  • Tufts University School of Medicine, MPH
  • Haverford College, BA

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