Tamar F. Barlam

Professor, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine

Biography

Dr. Barlam is the Chief of the Section of Infectious Diseases and the Director of Antimicrobial Stewardship for the Boston Medical Center. She has close to 30 years’ experience directing antimicrobial stewardship programs. Her research is focused on understanding factors that influence antimicrobial prescribing, and the implementation and impact of stewardship interventions. She has also led public policy initiatives to reduce inappropriate use of antimicrobials in food animals and served on a national task force to improve antimicrobial use in companion animals. She is the chair of a national committee on antimicrobial stewardship education and implementation.

Publications

  • Published 7/6/2026

    Livorsi DJ, Merchant JA, Cho H, Davila H, Barlam TF, Cosgrove SE, Drekonja D, Echevarria K, Goetz MB, Hsueh K, Mergenhagen KA, Taylor L, Goto M. Development of risk-standardized metrics for benchmarking hospitals on their inpatient antibiotic use. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 2026 Jul 06; 1-11. PMID: 42403067.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 3/25/2026

    Burrowes SAB, Drainoni ML, Barlam TF. Are there racial/ethnic differences in antibiotic treatment of community acquired pneumonia in the inpatient setting? PLoS One. 2026; 21(3):e0345788. PMID: 41880361.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 1/22/2026

    Cramer AL, Bartkus M, Nelson AL, Rudel R, Steiner J, Green P, Barnard A, Henry S, Betances M, Pierre CM, Drainoni ML, Barlam TF. Implementation strategies for sustainability of mupirocin decolonization across adult ICUs in an urban safety net hospital. Am J Infect Control. 2026 Jul; 54(7):789-794. PMID: 41580089.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 6/27/2025

    Rudel RK, Powers E, Austad K, Burrowes SAB, Couloute Z, Smith AEC, Prifti C, Freiman JM, Wigmore R, Walkey A, Hicks JM, Barlam TF, Drainoni ML. Using learner verification and transcreation to develop multicultural patient education materials for acute respiratory tract infections to decrease inappropriate antibiotic prescribing. PEC Innov. 2025 Dec; 7:100415. PMID: 40686553.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 6/20/2025

    Butler JM, Childs E, Barlam T, Drainoni ML, Reardon C, Zhang Y, Damschroder L, Taber P, Madaras-Kelly K, Goetz M, Burrowes S, Stenehjem E, Shen J, Zhang C, Presson A, Samore MH. Assessing hospital antibiotic stewardship program (ASP) implementation: validation of an implementation science-informed survey. Antimicrob Steward Healthc Epidemiol. 2025; 5(1):e133. PMID: 40567394.

    Read at: PubMed

View All 56 Publications:   View Full Profile in BUMC

Other Positions

  • Section Chief, Medicine
    Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine

Websites

Education

  • University of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry, MD
  • City College of New York, BS

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