Katherine A. Reifler, MD

Assistant Professor, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine

Biography

Katherine Reifler, MD, received her medical degree from the University of Illinois College of Medicine in Chicago and her undergraduate degree from Harvard University. Before medical school, she worked on public health initiatives in Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic, and Peru. During medical school, she spent time in Kenya working on emergency care systems and HIV screening in emergency settings. These early global health experiences, along with clinical training at safety-net hospitals in Chicago and Boston, shaped her commitment to addressing tropical infectious diseases, migrant health, and health inequities.

She completed her internal medicine residency and infectious disease fellowship at Boston University/Boston Medical Center. During her training, she began research focused on Chagas disease in migrant populations and worked on clinician education to raise awareness of this neglected tropical disease. Although the COVID-19 pandemic temporarily paused this work, she contributed to several COVID-related research efforts during that time.

As a BU CHART Trainee and Research Fellow, Dr. Reifler resumed her focus on migrant health and Chagas disease, conducting research in both Boston and Bolivia under the mentorship of Drs. David Hamer, Daniel Bourque, Robert Gilman, and Deborah Cotton. In Bolivia, her research includes studying cardiomyopathy in patients with Trypanosoma cruzi and HIV coinfection. She also collaborates with the Hematology/Oncology department to study infectious disease screening practices, particularly for latent tuberculosis and strongyloidiasis, in high-risk patients prior to cancer treatment.

Publications

  • 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 9/30/2025

    Reifler KA, Sharma SS, Bergren NA, Barnett ED, Chen LH, Goad JA, Macleod WB, Kogelman L, Hamer DH. Ready for takeoff? exploring United States health care providers' pretravel consultation priorities, gaps, barriers, and opportunities. Travel Med Infect Dis. 2025; 68:102911. PMID: 41038602.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 7/7/2025

    Reifler K, Wheelock A, Hall SM, Dauphinais M, Roytburd S, Maiullari M, Salazar A, Maldonado A, West HM, Köhler JR, Barnett ED, Gopal DM, Hamer DH, Bourque DL. Antitrypanosomal therapy for Chagas disease: A single center experience with adverse drug reactions and strategies for enhancing treatment completion. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2025 Jul; 19(7):e0013218. PMID: 40622934.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 12/17/2024

    Reifler K, Campbell JI, Barnett ED, Bourque DL, Hamer DH, Samra H, Camelo I. Diagnosing Chagas in Pregnancy and Childhood: What's Old and New. Clin Lab Med. 2025 Mar; 45(1):73-86. PMID: 39892939.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 11/22/2024

    Reifler KA, Francoeur Smith T, Bodanapu G, Fagan M, Bourque DL, Sloan JM. Indolent infections in patients with hematologic malignancy: A single-center experience screening for tuberculosis and strongyloidiasis prior to cytotoxic therapy in Boston. Leuk Res Rep. 2024; 22:100489. PMID: 39659827.

    Read at: PubMed

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Websites

Education

  • University of Chicago, MD
  • Boston University School of Public Health, MS
  • Harvard University, AB

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