Dr. Walsh is co-founder and Chief Scientific Investigator with Maidstone Consulting Group, LLC. She is an established thought leader in the forensic analysis of scientific and biomedical research relevant to issues of potential academic misconduct and false claims concerns. Her background includes expertise in the application of advanced forensic analysis techniques and tools developed by the federal Office for Research Integrity (HHS ORI) throughout the course of research misconduct and false claims review(s); conferring with scientific investigators, healthcare leadership and administration, academic faculty and staff during all forensic assessments. She is recognized as a highly competent advisor by key stakeholders and deciding bodies and officials on all evaluations of potential data manipulation following the conclusion of forensic data analysis. Mary has also helped lead the development of scientific data sequestration and security practices for academic institutions during research misconduct and false claims assessments. Recent academic initiatives include the collaborative design and development of Harvard Medical School’s Research Rigor and Reproducibility program (HMS R3) dedicated to the continued advancement of research excellence at HMS. Her expertise in this area was reflected in her appointment as Special Advisor to the Research Rigor, Reproducibility and Responsibility (R3) Initiative at HMS and her selection as a Bioethics Fellow (2020-2021) within the Harvard Center for Bioethics.
Mary was a leader within the forensics team at Harvard Medical School for almost a decade. As Chief Scientific Investigator for the Office of Academic and Research Integrity (ARI) she transformed forensics workflows into a recognized programmatic approach for forensic data analysis in the growing field of academic research data forensics. She also served as co-chair of the Forensics Special Interest Group (FSIG) for the national Association of Research Integrity Officers, a subject matter expertise consortium she co-founded specializing in academic research data forensics. Mary has also enjoyed opportunities as a Principal Investigator (PI) leading federally funded cross discipline research teams of data integrity and computational/AI specialists in the development of advanced software platforms for the detection and analysis of image data duplication and manipulation. Prior professional and leadership experiences include service as Assistant Dean for Faculty Affairs at HMS, and Instructor of Anesthesia in the Department of Anesthesia, Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Mary received her B.S. from Marist College in Biology, her M.S. and Ph.D. in Immunology and Microbiology from Albany Medical College and completed her postdoctoral fellowship (Immunology and Physiology) at Harvard Medical School.