Kaku So-Armah, PhD

Associate Professor, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of 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.

Publications

  • Published 1/11/2026

    Shakil SS, Grogan T, So-Armah K, Ganz P, Freiberg MS, Hsue PY. A novel plasma proteomic signature predicts long-term incident heart failure risk among persons living with HIV. medRxiv. 2026 Jan 11. PMID: 41542672.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 12/26/2025

    Oursler KK, Sun YV, Lozano AJ, Xu K, So-Armah KA, Montano M, Justice AC, Marconi VC. Epigenetic Age Acceleration and Frailty Among People with HIV. AIDS Res Hum Retroviruses. 2026 Apr; 42(4):162-169. PMID: 41468122.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 12/20/2025

    Yan A, Kundu S, Samuels DC, Bailin S, Xu K, So-Armah K, Butt AA, Gerschenson M, Goetz MB, Doyle M, Tracy R, Marconi VC, Justice A, Freiberg M, Koethe JR, Hulgan T. Mitochondrial DNA Haplogroups, Biomarkers of Inflammation and Immune Activation, and Risk of Diabetes in Veterans With and Without Human Immunodeficiency Virus. J Infect Dis. 2025 Dec 20; 232(6):e1003-e1011. PMID: 40488298.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 11/21/2025

    Rao AV, Ghare SS, Gautam V, Hoffman KL, Petrosino J, So-Armah K, Samet JH, Patts GJ, Cheng DM, Blokhina E, Krupitsky EM, Lioznov D, Zvartau E, McClain CJ, Tindle H, Freiberg MS, Barve SS. Sex differences in beneficial and pathogenic bacteria in People With HIV (PWH) with a history of heavy alcohol drinking. Front Microbiol. 2025; 16:1632949. PMID: 41356481.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 9/12/2025

    Hahn JA, Kane JC, Fatch R, Espinosa da Silva C, Emenyonu NI, Scheffler A, Chirayil P, So-Armah K, Kahler CW, Conroy AA, Edelman EJ, Woolf-King S, Parry CD, Kiene SM, Chamie G, Muyindike WR, Adong J, Go VF, Cook RL, Morojele NK, Fiellin DA, Santos GM, Tahir P, Samet J, Krupitsky E, Allen IE. Alcohol interventions for persons with HIV: Meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials using phosphatidylethanol and self-report. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2025 Sep 12; 276:112879. PMID: 40992009.

    Read at: PubMed

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Other Positions

  • Faculty, Medicine
    Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine

Websites

Education

  • University of Pittsburgh, PhD
  • Amherst College, BA

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