Kaku So-Armah, PhD
Associate Professor, Medicine
Biography
Dr. So-Armah is an epidemiologist with expertise in cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses of cohort studies and use of electronic health record data for research. His lab uses molecular biology coupled with data on health behaviors, risk factors and disease diagnoses to identify and explain novel epidemiological associations and identify novel intervention targets. His research focuses on substance use and chronic infections like human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and tuberculosis (TB) and how these exposures impact the heart, liver and lungs.
His work uses data from the Russian cohort of the Uganda Russia Boston Alcohol Network Alcohol Research Collaboration on HIV/AIDS (URBAN ARCH) as well as the Veterans Aging Cohort Study (VACS).
His long-term goal is to translate the growing understanding of the mechanisms of excess HIV-related comorbid disease risk into effective, sustainable interventions for HIV populations bearing the brunt of the HIV epidemic.
Other Positions
- Faculty, Clinical Addiction Research and Education Unit, Medicine, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine
Education
- University of Pittsburgh, PhD
- Amherst College, BA
Publications
- Published on 6/8/2023
Torgersen J, Akers S, Huo Y, Terry JG, Carr JJ, Ruutiainen AT, Skanderson M, Levin W, Lim JK, Taddei TH, So-Armah K, Bhattacharya D, Rentsch CT, Shen L, Carr R, Shinohara RT, McClain M, Freiberg M, Justice AC, Lo Re V. Performance of an automated deep learning algorithm to identify hepatic steatosis within noncontrast computed tomography scans among people with and without HIV. Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf. 2023 Oct; 32(10):1121-1130. PMID: 37276449.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 6/6/2023
Kane JC, Allen I, Fatch R, Scheffler A, Emenyonu N, Puryear SB, Chirayil P, So-Armah K, Kahler CW, Magidson JF, Conroy AA, Edelman EJ, Woolf-King S, Parry C, Kiene SM, Chamie G, Adong J, Go VF, Cook RL, Muyindike W, Morojele N, Blokhina E, Krupitsky E, Fiellin DA, Hahn JA. Efficacy of alcohol reduction interventions among people with HIV as evaluated by self-report and a phosphatidylethanol (PEth) outcome: protocol for a systematic review and individual participant data meta-analysis. BMJ Open. 2023 Jun 06; 13(6):e070713. PMID: 37280036.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 5/25/2023
Filipkowski AM, Kundu S, Eden SK, Alcorn CW, Justice AC, So-Armah KA, Tindle HA, Wells QS, Beckman JA, Freiberg MS, Aday AW. Association of HIV Infection and Incident Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Among 143 001 Veterans. Circulation. 2023 Jul 11; 148(2):135-143. PMID: 37226738.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 3/2/2023
Chen J, Hui Q, Wang Z, Wilson FP, So-Armah K, Freiberg MS, Justice AC, Xu K, Zhao W, Ammous F, Smith JA, Kardia SLR, Gwinn M, Marconi VC, Sun YV. Epigenome-Wide Meta-Analysis Reveals Differential DNA Methylation Associated With Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate Among African American Men With HIV. Kidney Int Rep. 2023 May; 8(5):1076-1086. PMID: 37180517.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 2/8/2023
Oursler KK, Marconi VC, Wang Z, Xu K, Montano M, So-Armah K, Justice AC, Sun YV. Epigenetic Age Acceleration Markers Are Associated With Physiologic Frailty and All-Cause Mortality in People With Human Immunodeficiency Virus. Clin Infect Dis. 2023 Feb 08; 76(3):e638-e644. PMID: 35970820.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 2/1/2023
Basukala B, Rossi S, Bendiks S, Gnatienko N, Patts G, Krupitsky E, Lioznov D, So-Armah K, Sagar M, Cheng C, Henderson AJ. Virally Suppressed People Living with HIV Who Use Opioids Have Diminished Latency Reversal. Viruses. 2023 Feb 01; 15(2). PMID: 36851631.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 1/2/2023
Polanka BM, Gupta SK, So-Armah KA, Freiberg MS, Zapolski TCB, Hirsh AT, Stewart JC. Examining Depression as a Risk Factor for Cardiovascular Disease in People with HIV: A Systematic Review. Ann Behav Med. 2023 Jan 02; 57(1):1-25. PMID: 35481701.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 11/5/2022
Berg CJ, Patel B, Reynolds M, Tuzovic M, Chew KW, Sico JJ, Bhattacharya D, Butt AA, Lim JK, Bedimo RJ, Brown ST, Gottdiener JS, Warner AL, Freiberg MS, So-Armah KA, Nguyen KL. Left Atrial Mechanics and Diastolic Function Among People Living With Human Immunodeficiency Virus (from the Veterans Aging Cohort Study). Am J Cardiol. 2023 Jan 01; 186:50-57. PMID: 36343446.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 10/25/2022
Kundu S, Freiberg MS, Tracy RP, So-Armah KA, Koethe JR, Duncan MS, Tindle HA, Beckman JA, Feinstein MJ, McDonnell WJ, Justice A, Doyle MF. Circulating T Cells and Cardiovascular Risk in People With and Without HIV Infection. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2022 Oct 25; 80(17):1633-1644. PMID: 36265959.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 10/11/2022
Titanji BK, Lee M, Wang Z, Chen J, Hui Q, Lo Re Iii V, So-Armah K, Justice AC, Xu K, Freiberg M, Gwinn M, Marconi VC, Sun YV. Epigenome-wide association study of biomarkers of liver function identifies albumin-associated DNA methylation sites among male veterans with HIV. Front Genet. 2022; 13:1020871. PMID: 36303554.
Read at: PubMed
View 65 more publications: View full profile at BUMC