Dr. McMahon received a BS with distinction in biology (neurobiology and behavior) from Cornell University and a PhD in health policy (decision science) from Harvard University. She was the recipient of training grants from the National Library of Medicine and the National Cancer Institute (Program in Cancer Outcomes Research Training, at the ITA and a Howard Temin Pathway to Independence [K99-R00] Award).

Dr. McMahon previously worked in biomedical research at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Genetics Institute (now Wyeth), where she was a Scientist in Discovery Research. In 1998, she joined the ITA, where her work has focused on informing decisions about the appropriate use of imaging strategies for the diagnosis of cancer and other diseases.

Her research has most recently encompassed evaluations of lung and breast cancer screening and treatments for prostate cancer, as well as cost and statistical analyses. Dr. McMahon is an outcomes researcher with expertise in the use of simulation modeling to integrate disparate data to inform policies for cancer control.

She is Associate Director of the MGH Institute for Technology Assessment and the Contact PI for a multi-institution consortium of lung cancer modelers (CISNET).

• Impact of Reduced Tobacco Smoking on Lung Cancer Mortality in the United States During 1975–2000
• Annual screening strategies in BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutation carriers: A comparative effectiveness analysis.
• Lung cancer treatment costs, including patient responsibility, by disease stage and treatment modality, 1992 to 2003.
• Abdominopelvic CT Increases Diagnostic Certainty and Guides Management Decisions: A Prospective Investigation of 584 Patients in a Large Academic Medical Center.
• Active surveillance compared with initial treatment for men with low-risk prostate cancer: a decision analysis.

• Developing Approaches for Modeling Genomic and Proteomic Profiles in Lung Cancer
• National Cancer Institute's Cancer Intervention and Surveillance Modeling Network (CISNET)
• Detection of Lung Cancer Risks with Serum Metabolomics
• Lung Cancer Policy Model