Mary is a physician, epidemiologist, and health policy researcher. She formerly served as Chair of the Department of Dermatology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where she focused on improving health outcomes for patients with skin diseases.

Her work led to the development of Skindex and its various forms such as Skindex-16 (Currently used in Vanderbilt University), Skindex-61, 29 and many others. This is a widely used dermatology specific quality of life measurement tool to help patients.

She continued her research at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences (CASBS) as a visiting professor at Stanford University, where she explored the essential but often overlooked role of relatedness in the physician-patient relationship.