Brooke Nichols, PhD
Associate Professor, Global Health
Biography
Brooke Nichols, PhD, MSc, is an infectious disease mathematical modeller and health economist specializing in transmission dynamics, implementation modeling, and optimal resource allocation for pathogens including HIV, tuberculosis, SARS-CoV-2, and other pathogens of pandemic potential. Her work seeks to minimize the health and economic impact of infectious diseases through innovative quantitative approaches.
Dr. Nichols leads a multi-continental research team of quantitative scientists and modellers who integrate insights from clinical science, epidemiology, health economics, and mathematical modeling to develop actionable, evidence-based strategies. Her team advances novel quantitative methods and adapts existing frameworks to design cost-effective, scalable interventions aimed at reducing transmission, morbidity, and mortality. Their work has significantly influenced national and global health policies across critical public health domains. This includes contributing to evidence to normative guidance on HIV prevention and care (e.g., optimizing pre-exposure prophylaxis, scaling up HIV self-testing, improving viral load monitoring, and enhancing differentiated service delivery models), informing global strategies for the optimal use of diagnostics during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic (spanning mitigation, treatment, and surveillance), and guiding the development of World Health Organization’s Target Product Profiles (TPPs) for innovative diagnostics.
Education
- Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam, PhD
- Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam, PhD
- University of Massachusetts Amherst, MS
- Mount Holyoke College, BA
Publications
- Published on 5/12/2025
Chevalier JM, Grantz KH, Girdwood S, Kepha S, Ramos T, Nichols BE, Khan S, Hingel S. The impact and cost of a new rapid diagnostic test for school-based prevalence mapping and monitoring and evaluation surveys of schistosomiasis: A modelling study. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2025 May 12; 19(5):e0013071. PMID: 40354436.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 5/12/2025
Chevalier JM, Hansen MA, Blumel B, Chuchu V, Gleeson B, Ferreyra C, Khan S, Nichols BE, Grantz KH. Modeling the impact and cost of a culture-dependent molecular test for antimicrobial resistance in resource-limited settings. Clin Infect Dis. 2025 May 12. PMID: 40350685.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 4/30/2025
Nichols BE, Dodge JL, Lee BP, Bhadelia N, Bor J. Medicaid cuts, mortality, and health-care expenditure in the USA. Lancet. 2025 Apr 30. PMID: 40318689.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 3/26/2025
Birnie E, Vergouwe M, Appelman B, Biemond JJ, Heijmans J, Nichols BE, Wiersinga WJ, Popping S. Cost-effectiveness Analysis of Nirmatrelvir/Ritonavir for COVID-19 Among Individuals at High Risk: A Modeling Study. Open Forum Infect Dis. 2025 Apr; 12(4):ofaf187. PMID: 40256045.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 3/1/2025
Nichols BE, Geng EH, Moakley E, Phillips AN, Imai-Eaton JW, Stover J, Mudimu E, Grimsrud A. Rapid development of an online tracker to communicate the human impact of abruptly halting PEPFAR support. J Int AIDS Soc. 2025 Mar; 28(3):e26433. PMID: 40012206.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 2/1/2025
Hendrickson C, Hirasen K, Mongwenyana C, Benade M, Bothma R, Smith C, Meyer J, Nichols BE, Long LC. Costs and outcomes of routine HIV oral pre-exposure prophylaxis implementation across different service delivery models and key populations in South Africa: a retrospective cohort study. Lancet HIV. 2025 Feb; 12(2):e130-e142. PMID: 39914894.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 2/1/2025
Jo Y, Rosen S, Nichols BE, Jamieson L, Lekodeba N, Horsburgh R. Integrated multi-month dispensing for HIV and hypertension in South Africa: A model of epidemiological impact and cost-effectiveness. J Int AIDS Soc. 2025 Feb; 28(2):e26413. PMID: 39939799.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 12/3/2024
Nichols BE, de Nooy A, Cassim N, Hans L, da Silva MP, Chetty K, Grantz KH, Han AX, Phillips AN, Jamieson L, Scott LE, Stevens WS. Ten-year health impact, economic impact and return on investment of the South African molecular diagnostics programme for HIV, tuberculosis and SARS-CoV-2. BMJ Glob Health. 2024 Dec 03; 9(12). PMID: 39631789.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 11/2/2024
Bezuidenhout C, Long L, Nichols B, Meyer-Rath G, Fox MP, Olifant S, Theron G, Fiphaza K, Ruhwald M, Penn-Nicholson A, Fourie B, Medina-Marino A. USING SPUTUM AND TONGUE SWAB SPECIMENS FOR IN-HOME POINT-OF-CARE TARGETED UNIVERSAL TESTING FOR TB OF HOUSEHOLD CONTACTS: AN ACCEPTABILITY AND FEASIBILITY ANALYSIS. medRxiv. 2024 Nov 02. PMID: 39574838.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 10/18/2024
Bezuidenhout C, Long L, Nichols B, Meyer-Rath G, Fox MP, Theron G, Fourie B, Olifant S, Penn-Nicholson A, Ruhwald M, Medina-Marino A. Sputum and tongue swab molecular testing for the in-home diagnosis of tuberculosis in unselected household contacts: a cost and cost-effectiveness analysis. medRxiv. 2024 Oct 18. PMID: 39484233.
Read at: PubMed
View 120 more publications: View full profile at BUMC