Davidson H. Hamer, MD

Professor, Boston University School of Public Health

Biography

Davidson Hamer, MD, FACP, FIDSA, FASTMH, FISTM is a Professor of Global Health and Medicine at the Boston University School of Public Health and Chobanian & Avesidian School of Medicine, and Adjunct Professor of Nutrition at the Tufts University Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy. Dr. Hamer, a board-certified specialist in infectious diseases with a particular interest in tropical infectious diseases, has extensive field experience in neonatal and child survival research including studies of micronutrient interventions, maternal and neonatal health, malaria, pneumonia, and diarrheal diseases. During the last 20+ years, he has supervised and provided technical support to numerous studies in developing countries that evaluated interventions for improving neonatal survival, integrated community case management (iCCM), improving access for pregnant women to emergency obstetrical care, treatment and prevention of malaria, HIV/AIDS, micronutrient deficiencies, diarrheal disease, and pneumonia. Dr. Hamer received a MD from the University of Vermont College of Medicine and a BA in biology and French from Amherst College. He is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians, Infectious Diseases Society of America, American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, and the International Society of Travel Medicine.

Dr. Hamer currently has active projects in Bangladesh, Uganda, Zambia, and the United States. Major current projects include neonatal sepsis prevention using prebiotics and probiotics in Bangladesh; an autopsy study of fungal infections in HIV-infected patients in Uganda; etiologies of sepsis in HIV-exposed and uninfected children in Zambia; and a prospective cohort study of Chagas disease among US immigrants that includes a biobank. In addition, Dr. Hamer is the Surveillance Lead for the GeoSentinel Surveillance Network, a global network of 70 sites in 31 countries that conducts surveillance of emerging infectious diseases using returning travelers, immigrants, and refugees as sentinels of infection (https://geosentinel.org).

Publications

  • Published 3/13/2025

    Rosenthal PJ, Hamer DH, Bausch DG, Nishi JB, Fidock DA. US Public Health and Biomedical Research Institutions Help Keep the World Safe and Deserve Continued Strong Support. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2025 May 07; 112(5):943-944. PMID: 40080909.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 3/5/2025

    Sutradhar I, Kalyan P, Chukwu K, Abia ALK, Mbanga J, Essack S, Hamer DH, Zaman MH. Environmental concentrations of copper and iron can alter the evolution of antimicrobial resistance of E. coli against ciprofloxacin and doxycycline. Front Microbiol. 2025; 16:1539807. PMID: 40109971.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 3/5/2025

    Gwasupika J, Hamer DH, Daka V, Chikwanda E, Mwakazanga D, Mfune RL, Jacobs C. Antibiotic prescription patterns and associated symptoms in children living with HIV at Arthur Davison Children's Hospital in Ndola, Zambia. PLoS One. 2025; 20(3):e0316735. PMID: 40043075.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 2/24/2025

    Pell LG, Qamar H, Bassani DG, Heasley C, Funk C, Chen C-Y, Shawon J, O'Callaghan KM, Pullenayegum E, Hamer DH, Haque R, Kabir M, Ahmed T, O'Kelly C, Hossain MI, Khan AZ, Loutet MG, Islam MS, Morris SK, Shah PS, Sherman PM, Sultana S, Mahmud AA, Saha SK, Sarker SA, Roth DE. Neonatal administration of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum ATCC 202195 with or without fructooligosaccharide in Bangladesh: a placebo-controlled randomized trial. mSphere. 2025 Mar 25; 10(3):e0103224. PMID: 39992135.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 2/4/2025

    Kaiser JL, Fiorillo RM, Vian T, Ngoma T, Kuhfeldt KJ, Munro-Kramer ML, Hamer DH, Bwalya M, Sakanga VR, Lori JR, Ahmed Mdluli E, Rockers PC, Biemba G, Scott NA. Qualitative application of the diffusion of innovation theory to maternity waiting homes in rural Zambia. Implement Sci Commun. 2025 Feb 04; 6(1):18. PMID: 39905510.

    Read at: PubMed

Other Positions

  • Professor, Medicine
    Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine
  • Faculty, National Emerging Infectious Disease Lab
    Boston University
  • Faculty, Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases Policy & Research
    Boston University
  • Core Co-lead for EIDs, One Health, and Climate Change, Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases Policy & Research
    Boston University
  • Faculty, African Studies Center
    Boston University
  • Member, Pulmonary Center
    Boston University
  • Member, Evans Center for Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research
    Boston University
  • Graduate Faculty (Primary Mentor of Grad Students)
    Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Graduate Medical Sciences

Education

  • University of Vermont College of Medicine, MD
  • Amherst College, BA