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Mary Whooley, MD
Congratulations to Mary Whooley, MD, Director of the Measurement Science QUERI and primary care physician at the San Francisco VA, who is the recipient of the 2023 HSR Daniel Deykin Award for Outstanding Mentor! The award honors HSR researchers who exhibit outstanding dedication in mentoring the next generation of researchers—particularly by fostering an appreciation for the vital input provided by VA stakeholders, including policymakers and Veterans, and guiding mentees toward an understanding of the positive impact research can have on the health and care of Veterans.
Dr. Whooley’s work focuses on applying data analytics, implementation science, and health services research methods to accelerate the adoption of evidence-based practices within VA's healthcare system. She is Principal Investigator (PI) of the ≥20-year Heart and Soul Study, San Francisco VA site PI for the Million Veterans Program, MPI of the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) Learning Health System Embedded Scientist Training and Research Program, and Director of UCSF’s Clinical Research Informatics Postdoctoral Program. During her career, while obtaining more than 70 competitive grants and generating more than 300 peer-reviewed publications, Dr. Whooley has mentored more than 50 junior investigators, including physicians, psychologists, nurses, and other health professional trainees, and has received numerous mentoring awards.
Sanket Dhruva, MD, MHS, HSR Career Development Awardee and staff physician at San Francisco VA Health Care System, said, “[Dr. Whooley] has provided invaluable mentorship and support, leading to multiple successful grant submissions as well as research and quality improvement studies within VA. She has been deeply supportive of my professional advancement. . . . During my more than 5 years at San Francisco VA Health Care System, I could not have possibly imagined a better, more supportive research mentor than Dr. Whooley. She has had an immensely and completely positive, deeply meaningful impact on me and my professional career, guiding my development as a health services researcher focused on improving cardiovascular care and outcomes for Veterans.”
Beth Cohen, MD, MAS, Co-PI of Measurement Science QUERI and internist at San Francisco VA Health Care System, said, “Mary is an exceptional scientist and mentor who has devoted considerable time and resources to developing the careers of numerous mentees and to building infrastructure to expand health services research. More importantly, Mary is an exceptional person who genuinely cares about her mentees and Veteran patients. . . . From my first project with her through today, she has been an incredible advocate and source of support, and her mentorship has been the foundation of my career success. I truly would not be where I am today without Mary. . . . [She] stands out for her remarkable devotion to her large and multidisciplinary cohort of mentees, deep understanding of Veterans’ needs, genuine enthusiasm for research, and incredible leadership ability. It has been an absolute privilege to work with Mary.”
HSR is grateful for Dr. Whooley’s continuing contributions to improving the health and care of our Veterans, and for her exceptional mentorship of the next generation of dedicated researchers.
HSR also greatly appreciates each of the Outstanding Mentor Award Nominees, who help to guide the next generation of outstanding researchers. The nominees were:
