Tracy A. Battaglia, MPH

Adjunct Professor, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine

Biography

Dr. Battaglia is a primary care clinician-investigator internationally recognized for her collaborative, innovative approaches to addressing health disparities among women historically marginalized. As director of the Women’s Health Unit and Women’s Health Interdisciplinary Research Center, associate chief of research for GIM and co-director of community engagement for the BU Clinical Translational Science Institute (CTSI), she has led the development of foundational infrastructure to support community-engaged methods in translational science. Her own research focuses on engaging with community to increase access to care for at-risk women, including ground-breaking work on the role of oncology patient navigators. Through her participation on several National Cancer Institute cooperative groups, she contributed to the 2012 Commission on Cancer Accreditation Standard requiring navigation services in cancer centers. As founding chair of the National Navigation Roundtable, she partners across sectors for sustainable navigation workforce. She currently leads a city-wide NIH study connecting multiple hospitals to reduce breast cancer disparities in Boston and contributed to two BU CTSI funding cycle renewals as well as Boston Medical Center’s participation in the HEALing Communities Study, an $89m award from the National Institute of Drug Abuse to evaluate community-driven approaches to reduce opioid deaths in Massachusetts communities.

Publications

  • Published 7/9/2025

    Brown JL, Larochelle MR, Fanucchi LC, Calvert DC, Campbell ANC, Chandler RK, Feaster DJ, Glasgow LM, Gibson EB, Holloway J, Lofwall MR, Mack A, Mack N, Nunes EV, Talbert JC, Tan S, Vandergrift N, Villani J, Asman K, Babakhanlou-Chase H, Bagley SM, Battaglia TA, Blevins D, Bridden C, Cheng DM, Christopher M, Cogan LW, Cunningham CO, Eggleston B, Fareed N, Fernandez S, Freedman DA, Freiermuth CE, Freisthler B, Gilbert L, Hammerslag L, Harris D, Hunt T, Hussain S, Huynh P, Jackson RD, Kauffman EB, Knott C, Knudsen HK, Lefebvre RC, Levin FR, Massatti R, McAlearney AS, Morgan JR, Lopez RM, Lounsbury DW, Newman L, Nickels K, Oga EA, Oller DA, Parran TV, Quinn M, Ramsey KS, Rapkin BD, Salsberry P, Stein M, Taylor JL, Teater J, Walters ST, Zarkin GA, El-Bassel N, Winhusen TJ, Samet JH, Walsh SL. Effects of the Communities That HEAL intervention on initiation, retention, and linkage to medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD): A cluster randomized wait-list controlled trial. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2025 Sep 01; 274:112785. PMID: 40684522.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 4/24/2025

    Brédy GS, Schemm JA, Battaglia TA, Murray Horwitz ME. Pre-pregnancy, Pregnancy, and Postpartum Health and Social Concerns of Haitian Immigrants. J Immigr Minor Health. 2025 Aug; 27(4):641-645. PMID: 40268849.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 4/17/2025

    Barocas JA, Aldridge A, Adkins KF, Barbosa C, Battaglia TA, Bush J, Castry M, Corry G, Clarke T, El-Bassel N, Figueroa W, Freedman DA, Freisthler B, Gibbons B, Gibson EB, Glasgow L, Harlow K, Huerta TR, Hunt T, Johnson R, Larimore E, Linas BP, Luckey JM, Montoya I, Murphy SM, Oga E, Onuoha E, Orme S, Ryan D, Schackman BR, Seiber EE, Singer M, Speer D, Starbird L, Tin Y, Villani J, Walsh SL, Watson C, Zarkin GA, McCollister K. An economic analysis of community costs incurred to implement the communities that HEAL intervention to reduce opioid overdose deaths in four states. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2025 Jul 01; 272:112671. PMID: 40311556.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 4/11/2025

    Gilbert L, Chahine R, Chandler R, Feaster DJ, Kim E, Aldridge A, Bagley S, Balvanz P, Fernandez S, Rock P, Vickers-Smith RA, Villani J, Battaglia T, Brown J, Bush H, Chase RP, Collins T, D'Costa L, Damato-MacPherson C, David JL, Defiore-Hyrmer J, Freeman PR, Glasgow L, Hammerslag LR, Hotchkiss J, Hunt T, Hussain S, Kamanu V, Knott C, Knudsen HK, LaRochelle M, Laudate A, Lyons M, McMullan J, Nakayima J, Schackman BR, Slavova S, Tan S, Vandergrift N, Walters ST, Westgate PM, Wu E, Young AM, Zarkin GA, Freisthler B, Oga E, Samet JH, Walsh SL, Winhusen J, Jackson R, El-Bassel N. The effectiveness of the communities that HEAL intervention on reducing non-fatal opioid overdoses: A prespecified secondary analysis of a waitlist cluster control randomized controlled trial. Int J Drug Policy. 2025 Jun; 140:104798. PMID: 40220509.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 1/1/2025

    Chassler D, McClay C, D'Onfro M, Battaglia T, Macone A, Kimball J, Reynolds D, Tilley J, Martinez LS. "… Work Really Is Being Done and It's Very Worthwhile …": Reflections from Community Advisory Board Members. Prog Community Health Partnersh. 2025; 19(2):219-226. PMID: 40718919.

    Read at: PubMed

View All 147 Publications:   View Full Profile in BUMC

Other Positions

  • Professor, Community Health Sciences
    Boston University School of Public Health
  • Associate Director for Clinical Sciences, BU-BMC Cancer Center
    Boston University
  • Director, Center for Excellence in Women’s Health
    Boston University
  • Member, Evans Center for Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research
    Boston University
  • Associate Director, Belkin Breast Center
    Boston Medical Center
  • Director, Clinical and Translational Science Institute
    Boston University
  • Director, Women’s Health Interdisciplinary Research Center
    Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine

Websites

Education

  • Boston University School of Medicine, MD
  • Boston University School of Public Health, MPH
  • Boston University, BA

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