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Karen Freund, MD, MPH LGBTQ+ Health LGBTQ+ Health Virtual Appointments Available Online Scheduling Available


Programs + Specialties
Training + Education Stanford University School of Medicine; Boston Medical Center, Boston University School of Public Health; The Cambridge Hospital; Harvard Medical School
Board Certifications Internal Medicine, Preventive Medicine
NPI # 1013973171
Gender Female
Accepted Insurances View Accepted Insurances at Tufts Medical Center

Tufts Medical Center Primary Care — Boston
Biewend Building, 6A
260 Tremont Street
Box 235
Boston, MA 02111
Phone #: 617-636-5400
Fax #: 617-636-9712

2020, "Top Doctor," Boston Magazine
2017, "Top Doctor," Boston Magazine

View all of Dr. Freund's publications on PubMed.

Karen M. Freund, MD, MPH is Physician-in-Chief for the Department of Medicine and the Sheldon M. Wolff Professor of Medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine. She is Associate Director for Research Collaborations within the Tufts Clinical and Translation Science Institute (CTSI), and teaches in the Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences.

Dr. Freund received her undergraduate degree from Harvard University, her MD from Stanford University School of Medicine and her MPH for Boston University School of Public Health. She is double boarded in Internal Medicine (residency at Cambridge Health Alliance) and Preventive Medicine (residency at Boston Medical Center) and completed a general medicine fellowship at Boston University.

Dr. Freund joined the Institute for Clinical Research and Health Policy Studies at Tufts Medical Center in 2012. Prior to this, she was Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology at Boston University School of Medicine and Public Health, Director of the Women’s Health Interdisciplinary Research Center, and Chief of the Women’s Health Unit at Boston Medical Center. She served as PI of the Boston University BIRCWH (Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women’s Health) to mentor the next generation of clinical investigators in women’s health research.

Dr. Freund’s research has focused on addressing the social determinants of health which influence the receipt of health care services, which in turn lead to disparities in mortality. She has addressed a broad number of issues in the screening, diagnosis and treatment phases of health care. This has included looking at the role of patient beliefs and behaviors, physician attitudes and decision making, and the role of systems barriers, especially navigating the increasing complex health care system. Breast cancer has been a major focus, but the research has also addressed cervical and colon cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, exercise, depression, eating disorders and domestic violence.

Her current research is focused on systems interventions to reduce health disparities. Her team is one of 9 funded sites on the NCI Center to Reduce Cancer Health Disparities Patient Navigation Research Program (U01 CA116892). This is the largest controlled trial of the benefits of care coordination and patient navigation for women and men with cancer or abnormal cancer screening tests. She has funding in comparative effectiveness research to address the impact of Massachusetts Health Insurance Reform on health disparities (RC1 MD004582-0110).

Her other major academic interest is in faculty development, especially the issues faced by women and underrepresented minority faculty. Along with Dr. Phyllis Carr, she is PI of the Longitudinal Follow-up to the National Faculty Survey (R01 GM-09-012), to look at predictors of academic success among junior faculty. She leads the CTSI institutional faculty development grants to develop programs to successfully mentor the next generation of clinical and translational investigators.

Boston Magazine Top Doctors 2023

2023 “Top Doctors” at Tufts Medical Center

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Dr. Karen Freund

Karen Freund, MD, MPH to Receive Prestigious Award

Karen Freund, MD, MPH to Receive Prestigious Award - Read More
Boston Magazine 2022 Top Doctors

2022 “Top Doctors” at Tufts Medical Center

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Dr. Karen Freund

Karen Freund, MD, MPH Named Physician-in-Chief

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Top Doctor 2021

2021 “Top Doctors” at Tufts Medical Center

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Top Doctors Boston Magazine 2020

2020 “Top Doctors” at Tufts Medical Center

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News graphic

Karen Freund, MD speaks about career development issues

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The back of a man's head as he sits in a meeting

Recap of the 2017 National SGIM and ACTS Annual Meeting

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Citywide study: Reducing disparities in breast cancer care

Read how Tufts MC joins five other Boston hospitals to close treatment gaps
Boston Magazine 'Top Doctor' Award 2017

Boston Magazine honors 2017 “Top Doctors” at Tufts Medical Center.

2017 Boston Magazine Top Doctors
Dr. Clarissa Yang on the cover of 2019 Boston Magazine Top Doctor issue.

2019 “Top Doctors” at Tufts MC and Tufts Medical Center

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