Joshua A. Barocas, MD

Adjunct Assistant Professor, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine

Biography

I lead an interdisciplinary research program that is specifically aimed at the goal of improving health outcomes for patients with infectious diseases including HIV and HCV, substance use disorders, and other vulnerable populations. My research, which uses clinical epidemiology, health economics, simulation modeling, and cost-effectiveness, informs clinical-decision making and health policy to answer clinically- and policy-relevant questions. I am engaged in research using these innovative methods to help understand the impact of and improve upon policies that affect people who use drugs infected with or at high risk for infections. My research is currently been funded by NIDA in the form of both a K01 and a DP2 award as well as multiple grants for which I am a Co-Investigator. I have also received NIAID, the Providence/Boston Center for AIDS Research (CFAR), the BU-CTSI, and the MGH Executive Committee on Research Fund for Medical Discovery. I currently serve as Director of the Health Economics and Modeling Core for the Massachusetts HEALing Communities Study, an NIH-funded grant to significantly reduce overdose. I am the previous recipient of the Charles A. King Trust Research Award, and the prestigious AAMC Herbert W. Nickens Faculty Fellowship Award, which recognizes a junior faculty member who demonstrates leadership potential in addressing inequity in health care. I have published my work and editorials in leading journals such as NEJM, Lancet Public Health, JAMA Internal Medicine, AJPH, Addiction, Clinical Infectious Diseases, and Annals of Internal Medicine. My work has been widely cited in the media, including the Boston Globe, U.S. News and World Report, and NPR.

Publications

  • Published 7/24/2026

    Iriarte E, Wilson MP, Padmanabhan P, Barocas JA, Kulik GL, Webel A, Oliveira VHF, Khuu V, Cook P, Ghosh D, Jankowski C, Erlandson KM. Context Matters: Mapping Social Determinants of Health and Physical Function in Older People with HIV Using Geolocation Data. J Urban Health. 2026 Aug; 103(4):872-882. PMID: 42498859.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 7/6/2026

    Joseph KM, Haukoos J, Hopkins E, Murray E, Jones AT, Lyle C, James KA, Rast JE, Barocas JA, Kamis KF, Rowan SE. Hepatitis C Screening Among Persons Experiencing Homelessness in the Emergency Department: A Secondary Analysis of the Determining Effective Testing in Emergency Departments and Care Coordination on Treatment Outcomes (DETECT) for Hepatitis C (Hep C) Screening Trial. Ann Emerg Med. 2026 Jul 06. PMID: 42405913.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 6/1/2026

    Fetters KB, Padmanabhan P, Yamkovoy K, Guan X, Scott SE, Kerr L, Joseph K, Day GL, Plesons M, Bartholomew TS, Tookes HE, Al-Tayyib A, Barocas JA. Projected Outcomes of Reducing Federal Funding for Syringe Service Programs via Executive Order. JAMA Netw Open. 2026 Jun 01; 9(6):e2619402. PMID: 42313382.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 4/30/2026

    Chhatwal J, Sahinkoc M, Chen Q, Dowd W, Xiao J, Zarkin GA, Aldridge A, Barocas JA, Cerdá M, Fareed N, Frazier LA, Hyder A, Keyes KM, Knott CE, LaRochelle M, Linas BP, Oga E, Roberts SM, Samet JH, Schackman BR, Seiber EE, Starbird LE, Villani J, Knudsen AB, Barbosa C. Cost-effectiveness of community-based interventions for reducing opioid overdose and non-overdose deaths: simulation modeling of HEALing Communities Study. Lancet Reg Health Am. 2026 Jul; 59:101480. PMID: 42099551.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 4/30/2026

    Scott SE, Barocas JA. Cutting Federal Funds for HIV Testing Means Not Ending the HIV Epidemic. Clin Infect Dis. 2026 Apr 30; 82(4):e755-e756. PMID: 41639990.

    Read at: PubMed

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Websites

Education

  • George Washington University School of Medicine, MD
  • Washington University in St. Louis, BA

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