Alysse G Wurcel MD, MS
Associate Professor, General Internal Medicine
Associate Professor, Infectious Diseases
801 Massachusetts Ave | (617) 414-5951awurcel@bu.edu
Sections
General Internal Medicine
Biography
Dr. Alysse G. Wurcel is a physician-scientist and public health leader whose research centers on infectious diseases, health equity, and the intersection of medicine and the criminal-legal system. She earned her undergraduate degree from Tufts University and her medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania. She completed her internal medicine residency at Massachusetts General Hospital and infectious diseases fellowships at Columbia-Presbyterian Hospital and Tufts Medical Center. Additionally, she holds a Master's in Clinical Research from Tufts University.
Currently, Dr. Wurcel serves as a physician at Boston Medical Center where she focuses on the following key research areas: HIV and Hepatitis C Care, Infectious Disease Management in Carceral Settings, Substance Use and Infectious Diseases, and Health Disparities and Policy Reform. Her achievements include, but are not limited to, being recently appointed Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Correctional Health Care, authoring 160 peer-reviewed publications, being selected as Multiple Principal Investigator on two National Institutes of Health R-level grants and as a liaison for the COVID-19 Liaison Massachusetts Sheriffs’ Association, and on the Executive Board of the Academic Consortium for Criminal Justice Health (ACCJH).
Education
MD, University of Pennsylvania
Clinical and Translational Science, MS, Tufts University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences
Publications
Fine DR, Sevilla C, Ma A, Little B, Sporn N, Baggett TP, Wurcel A. "Everybody thinks that it won't happen to them": A mixed-methods study of HIV prevention strategies among people experiencing homelessness who use drugs. Int J Drug Policy. 2026 Jul 16; 155:105429. PMID: 42462343.
Published on 7/10/2026SantaBarbara NJ, Louis JS, Comulada WS, Cantrell J, Finlayson HA, Wurcel AG, Erlandson KM. A qualitative study to explore perceptions of exercise as a smoking cessation tool among people with HIV who smoke cigarettes. Tob Prev Cessat. 2026; 12. PMID: 42445614.
Published on 7/1/2026Puller HF, Jiang B, Eippert ML, Norton DT, Stone VE, Bartels SJ, Wurcel AG, Blumenthal KG. Penicillin Allergy Documentation Completeness in a Large US Healthcare System. J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract. 2026 Jul 01. PMID: 42386152.
Published on 5/27/2026Fine DR, Ma A, Regan S, Sporn N, Gaeta J, Wurcel A, Baggett TP. Methamphetamine Use and HIV Risk Behaviors in a Cohort of Homeless-Experienced Adults Who Use Drugs. AIDS Behav. 2026 May 27. PMID: 42201478.
Published on 3/27/2026Eswaran V, Cohen R, Kaser T, Wurcel AG, Mancini M, Chapman-Kramer K, Szoko N, Page K, Coffey M, Mueller K. High prevalence of criminal legal involvement among non-fatally injured ED patients - an exploratory retrospective observational cohort analysis. Health Justice. 2026 Mar 27; 14(1). PMID: 41893975.
Published on 3/12/2026Essien-Aleksi IE, Zhang Y, Roosan D, McPadden T, Rideout L, Martin M, Beniers PJ, Lund A, Leone-Sheehan D, Wurcel A. Association between nurses' knowledge and attitudes and caring behaviors toward people with opioid use disorder. PLoS One. 2026; 21(3):e0325874. PMID: 41818191.
Published on 3/5/2026Socrates B, LeClair AM, Jaffe K, Evans L, Batchelder AW, Moner E, Daudelin D, Irie W, Ngassa Y, Morales Y, Levison J, Evans EA, Wurcel AG. Barriers and facilitators to implementing status-neutral HIV care in an urban jail system. Health Justice. 2026 Mar 05; 14(1). PMID: 41784754.
Published on 3/3/2026Wilk S, Foong KS, Tam R, Grigoryan L, Taylor L, Strick LB, Sandler Silva R, Wurcel A. Penicillin Allergy Labels and High-risk Antibiotic Prescribing Among Incarcerated Individuals Receiving Antibiotics Across Four US Carceral Systems. Open Forum Infect Dis. 2026 Mar; 13(3):ofag128. PMID: 41889453.
Published on 1/30/2026Bovell-Ammon BJ, Onofrey S, Kimmel SD, Wurcel AG, Klevens RM. Incarceration history and HIV testing among people who inject drugs in the Boston metro area: a pooled cross-sectional study. BMC Public Health. 2026 Jan 30; 26(1). PMID: 41618208.
Published on 1/14/2026Hathaway DB, Sato T, Szpak V, Prostko S, Vercollone L, Bhat JA, Wurcel A, Suzuki J. Transdermal Initiation of Buprenorphine Among Hospitalized Persons: A Retrospective Study. J Acad Consult Liaison Psychiatry. 2026; 67(2):94-102. PMID: 41539921.
Media Mentions
Published on 6/11/2026
'Double punishment': Mass. inmates and physicians fight for better diabetes care in prisons, jails
Published on 1/23/2026
Odds for penicillin allergy delabeling in Black patients differ by health care system
View full list of 2 media mentions.