Karen R. Jacobson, MD, MPH

Associate Professor, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine

Biography

Dr. Karen Jacobson is an Associate Professor of Medicine in the Section of Infectious Diseases, Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine, with a secondary appointment in the Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health. Dr. Jacobson’s research focuses on the epidemiology of tuberculosis, including identification of biological and social determinants of and risk factors for tuberculosis infection and disease (including drug resistant tuberculosis) and approaches for improving tuberculosis outcomes in resource-limited settings. Dr. Jacobson is the Medical Director of the Boston Medical Center Tuberculosis Clinic and has established a highly productive collaboration with researchers in Cape Town, South Africa. Her work has particular emphasis in understanding how substance use impacts on tuberculosis transmission and response to therapy.

Publications

  • Published 5/15/2026

    Campbell JI, Vachharajani O, Dubois MM, Martinez L, Christos PJ, Herlihy JM, Jenkins HE, Horsburgh CR, Jacobson KR, Powis KM. Tuberculosis in children who are HIV-exposed uninfected: A systematic review and metaanalysis. AIDS. 2026 May 15. PMID: 42138367.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 5/14/2026

    Brown TS, Nelson K, Kissler S, Martinez L, Horsburgh CR, White LF, Mathema B, Jacobson KR. Understanding and exploiting superspreading to disrupt Mycobacterium tuberculosis transmission. Lancet Infect Dis. 2026 May 14. PMID: 42134384.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 4/24/2026

    Kulkarni SG, Green AG, Mann BC, Malatesta S, Kulkarni-Goodwin S, Cesare N, Mulaudzi S, Rawoot N, Warren RM, Jacobson KR, Farhat MR. Convolutional neural networks quantify antibiotic resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis with diagnostic grade accuracy and predict treatment response. Nat Commun. 2026 Apr 24. PMID: 42031767.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 2/11/2026

    Thomson S, Overbeck V, Theron D, Botha B, Malatesta S, Bouton TC, Niemand Wolhuter N, Ratangee F, Campbell JI, Cesare N, Kulkarni Goodwin S, Meade CS, Horsburgh CR, White LF, Myers B, Warren RM, Carney T, Jacobson KR. Linkage to TB and HIV care for persons who smoke illicit drugs: a prospective cohort study. IJTLD Open. 2026 Feb; 3(2):91-96. PMID: 41847680.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 2/11/2026

    Campbell JI, Brooks MB, Dankovchik J, Giebultowicz S, Falkenstein A, Angier H, Horsburgh CR, Tschampl CA, Haberer JE, Bressler J, Epstein RL, Jenkins HE, Jacobson K. Uncovering household tuberculosis infection testing and care patterns using a novel bioinformatics linkage strategy. Clin Infect Dis. 2026 Feb 11. PMID: 41668263.

    Read at: PubMed

View All 107 Publications:   View Full Profile in BUMC

Other Positions

  • Associate Professor, Epidemiology
    Boston University School of Public Health
  • Member, Evans Center for Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research
    Boston University

Websites

Education

  • Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, MD
  • Harvard School of Public Health, MPH
  • Yale University, BS

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