Christopher W. Shanahan, MD, MPH FACP

Clinical Associate Professor, Medicine

617.414.4562

801 Massachusetts Ave Crosstown Center

Biography

Christopher W. Shanahan, MD, MPH, FACP, is a board-certified primary care physician specializing in Internal Medicine and Addiction Medicine, with over 14 years of experience in clinical and research Information Technology (IT). Dr. Shanahan brings a distinctive combination of expertise in: 1. Clinical and Research Medical Informatics & Information Technology, 2. Substance Use Disorders and Chronic Pain, and 3.Community Medicine.
Dr. Shanahan excels in evaluating IT needs for research projects—whether IT-focused or IT-enabled—and collaborates on project design, development, and technical assessments for clinical studies leveraging IT resources. Through his extensive local and national professional network, he facilitates the development of practical and implementable research plans and programs.
In addition to his informatics expertise, Dr. Shanahan has a strong focus on substance use disorders. He has led and collaborated on designing IT-enhanced initiatives and research studies addressing substance use and addiction treatment.
As the Director of the Community Medicine Unit within General Internal Medicine (GIM), Dr. Shanahan supports Internal Medicine Physicians and other Advanced Practice Clinicians working in the 13 Boston Medical Center-affiliated Community Health Centers, collectively known as the Boston HealthNet. He actively engages with community-based organizations and has over 24 years of hands-on experience in community-based clinical care.
Since 2018, Dr. Shanahan has served as the Medical Director of the Massachusetts Consultation Service for the Treatment of Addiction and Pain (MCSTAP), demonstrating his commitment to improving addiction and pain treatment through innovative approaches and collaboration.

Other Positions

Member, Evans Center for Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research, Boston University
Faculty, Clinical Addiction Research and Education Unit, Medicine, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine

Websites

Education

University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, MD
Harvard School of Public Health, MPH
Rutgers University–Camden, BA

Publications

Published on 2/5/2025
Magane KM, Saitz R, Fielman S, LaRochelle MR, Shanahan CW, Pace CA, LaValley M, Penington K, Karzhevsky S, Hurstak E. Supporting primary care clinicians in caring for patients with alcohol use disorder: study protocol for Records for Alcohol Care Enhancement (RACE), a factorial four-arm randomized trial. Addict Sci Clin Pract. 2025 Feb 05; 20(1):9. PMID: 39910606.
Read at: PubMed
Published on 7/1/2022
Casanova NL, LeClair AM, Xiao V, Mullikin KR, Lemon SC, Freund KM, Haas JS, Freedman RA, Battaglia TA. Development of a workflow process mapping protocol to inform the implementation of regional patient navigation programs in breast oncology. Cancer. 2022 Jul 01; 128 Suppl 13:2649-2658. PMID: 35699611.
Read at: PubMed
Published on 12/29/2021
Colasanti JA, Del Rio C, Cheng DM, Liebschutz JM, Lira MC, Tsui JI, Walley AY, Forman LS, Root C, Shanahan CW, Bridden CL, Harris C, Outlaw K, Armstrong WS, Samet JH. A collaborative care intervention to improve opioid prescribing among providers caring for persons with HIV: Impact on satisfaction, confidence, and trust. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2022 02 01; 231:109250. PMID: 34998255.
Read at: PubMed
Published on 11/18/2021
Alford DP, Kim TW, Samet JH, Cruz AB, Brolin MF, Shanahan CW, Saitz R. Prevalence and Correlates of Positive Follow-up Screens in Primary Care for Unhealthy Alcohol and Other Drug Use After a Negative Screen. J Addict Med. 2022 Jul-Aug 01; 16(4):e219-e224. PMID: 34799491.
Read at: PubMed
Published on 10/5/2021
Samet JH, Tsui JI, Cheng DM, Liebschutz JM, Lira MC, Walley AY, Colasanti JA, Forman LS, Root C, Shanahan CW, Sullivan MM, Bridden CL, Abrams C, Harris C, Outlaw K, Armstrong WS, Del Rio C. Improving the Delivery of Chronic Opioid Therapy Among People Living With Human Immunodeficiency Virus: A Cluster Randomized Clinical Trial. Clin Infect Dis. 2021 10 05; 73(7):e2052-e2058. PMID: 32697847.
Read at: PubMed
Published on 8/12/2021
Shanahan CW, Reding O, Holmdahl I, Keosaian J, Xuan Z, McAneny D, Larochelle M, Liebschutz J. Opioid analgesic use after ambulatory surgery: a descriptive prospective cohort study of factors associated with quantities prescribed and consumed. BMJ Open. 2021 08 12; 11(8):e047928. PMID: 34385249.
Read at: PubMed
Published on 7/27/2020
Haas JS, Lemon SC, Freund KM, Battaglia TA. Outside Our Walls: the Case for City-Wide Collaboration to Reduce Disparities. J Gen Intern Med. 2021 01; 36(1):211-213. PMID: 32720235.
Read at: PubMed
Published on 1/16/2020
Bart GB, Saxon A, Fiellin DA, McNeely J, Muench JP, Shanahan CW, Huntley K, Gore-Langton RE. Developing a clinical decision support for opioid use disorders: a NIDA center for the clinical trials network working group report. Addict Sci Clin Pract. 2020 01 16; 15(1):4. PMID: 31948487.
Read at: PubMed
Published on 4/1/2019
Lira MC, Tsui JI, Liebschutz JM, Colasanti J, Root C, Cheng DM, Walley AY, Sullivan M, Shanahan C, O'Connor K, Abrams C, Forman LS, Chaisson C, Bridden C, Podolsky MC, Outlaw K, Harris CE, Armstrong WS, Del Rio C, Samet JH. Study protocol for the targeting effective analgesia in clinics for HIV (TEACH) study - a cluster randomized controlled trial and parallel cohort to increase guideline concordant care for long-term opioid therapy among people living with HIV. HIV Res Clin Pract. 2019 04; 20(2):48-63. PMID: 31303143.
Read at: PubMed
Published on 1/11/2019
Tsui JI, Walley AY, Cheng DM, Lira MC, Liebschutz JM, Forman LS, Sullivan MM, Colasanti J, Root C, O'Connor K, Shanahan CW, Bridden CL, Del Rio C, Samet JH. Provider opioid prescribing practices and the belief that opioids keep people living with HIV engaged in care: a cross-sectional study. AIDS Care. 2019 09; 31(9):1140-1144. PMID: 30632790.
Read at: PubMed

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