Mary Larsen Bouxsein is an American biomechanical engineer and an orthopedic researcher. She is the president of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research, director of the Centre of Advanced Orthopaedic Studies at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, professor at the department of Orthopedic Surgery at Harvard Medical School. She is known for her work on bone density and the use of imaging to define the factors leading to bone fractures.
She joined Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School for a postdoctoral fellowship (1992–95). In 2001, she was appointed as assistant professor in the department of orthopedic surgery at Harvard Medical School. In 2006 she held joint positions as an adjunct assistant professor at Boston University, and in 2008 she also joined as a faculty member in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Bioastronautics Program. As of 2023 she is a professor of orthopedic surgery at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School.[2]
Research
Bouxsein is known for her work on bone biomechanics with the goal of understanding skeletal fragility. Her early work defined methods to quantify bone density,[3] and used ultrasound to predict the risk of bone fractures.[4] She has used animal models to examine bone structure[5] and examined osteoporosis in people.[6] She has also conducted research on spaceflight induced bone loss,[7] and stress fractures in military trainees.[8]
