Karen R. Jacobson, MD, MPH

Associate Professor, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine

Biography

Dr. Karen Jacobson is an Associate Professor of Medicine in the Section of Infectious Diseases, Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine, with a secondary appointment in the Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health. Dr. Jacobson’s research focuses on the epidemiology of tuberculosis, including identification of biological and social determinants of and risk factors for tuberculosis infection and disease (including drug resistant tuberculosis) and approaches for improving tuberculosis outcomes in resource-limited settings. Dr. Jacobson is the Medical Director of the Boston Medical Center Tuberculosis Clinic and has established a highly productive collaboration with researchers in Cape Town, South Africa. Her work has particular emphasis in understanding how substance use impacts on tuberculosis transmission and response to therapy.

Publications

  • Published 2/11/2026

    Campbell JI, Brooks MB, Dankovchik J, Giebultowicz S, Falkenstein A, Angier H, Horsburgh CR, Tschampl CA, Haberer JE, Bressler J, Epstein RL, Jenkins HE, Jacobson K. Uncovering household tuberculosis infection testing and care patterns using a novel bioinformatics linkage strategy. Clin Infect Dis. 2026 Feb 11. PMID: 41668263.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 1/30/2026

    Tabackman A, Acuña-Villaorduña C, Canning M, Karoly M, Dauphinais MR, Michaud R, Bouton TC, Bourque DL, Reifler KA, Sabharwal V, Traber K, Gupte AN, Jacobson KR, Sinha P. Low TB1 and TB2 antigen-nil is associated with increased QuantiFERON Gold Plus reversions. Int J Tuberc Lung Dis. 2026 Jan 30; 30(2):88-89. PMID: 41618115.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 1/29/2026

    Mann BC, Loubser J, Omar S, Glanz C, Ektefaie Y, Jacobson KR, Warren RM, Farhat MR. Systematic review and meta-analysis of protocols and sequencing yield for whole genome sequencing of Mycobacterium tuberculosis directly from sputum samples. Tuberculosis (Edinb). 2026 Mar; 157:102743. PMID: 41633150.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 12/15/2025

    Carney T, Mpisane N, Magidson JF, Drainoni ML, Niemand N, Weber S, Meade CS, Jacobson KR, Myers B. "They Call Us Amaphara (Junkies)": Intersectional Tuberculosis, Alcohol, and Drug Stigma in South Africa. Stigma Health. 2025 Dec 15. PMID: 41693957.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 11/27/2025

    Malatesta S, Jacobson KR, Horsburgh CR, Farhat M, Carney T, Gile KJ, Kolaczyk ED, White LF. An Integrated Data-Driven Model for Clinical Phenotyping of Tuberculosis Disease Severity. medRxiv. 2025 Nov 27. PMID: 41358303.

    Read at: PubMed

View All 103 Publications:   View Full Profile in BUMC

Other Positions

  • Associate Professor, Epidemiology
    Boston University School of Public Health
  • Member, Evans Center for Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research
    Boston University

Websites

Education

  • Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, MD
  • Harvard School of Public Health, MPH
  • Yale University, BS

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