Joshua Adam Barocas MD

Adjunct Assistant Professor, Infectious Diseases

801 Massachusetts Ave | (617) 414-2802
jbarocas@bu.edu

Sections

Infectious Diseases

Biography

I lead an interdisciplinary research program that is specifically aimed at the goal of improving health outcomes for patients with infectious diseases including HIV and HCV, substance use disorders, and other vulnerable populations. My research, which uses clinical epidemiology, health economics, simulation modeling, and cost-effectiveness, informs clinical-decision making and health policy to answer clinically- and policy-relevant questions. I am engaged in research using these innovative methods to help understand the impact of and improve upon policies that affect people who use drugs infected with or at high risk for infections. My research is currently been funded by NIDA in the form of both a K01 and a DP2 award as well as multiple grants for which I am a Co-Investigator. I have also received NIAID, the Providence/Boston Center for AIDS Research (CFAR), the BU-CTSI, and the MGH Executive Committee on Research Fund for Medical Discovery. I currently serve as Director of the Health Economics and Modeling Core for the Massachusetts HEALing Communities Study, an NIH-funded grant to significantly reduce overdose. I am the previous recipient of the Charles A. King Trust Research Award, and the prestigious AAMC Herbert W. Nickens Faculty Fellowship Award, which recognizes a junior faculty member who demonstrates leadership potential in addressing inequity in health care. I have published my work and editorials in leading journals such as NEJM, Lancet Public Health, JAMA Internal Medicine, AJPH, Addiction, Clinical Infectious Diseases, and Annals of Internal Medicine. My work has been widely cited in the media, including the Boston Globe, U.S. News and World Report, and NPR.

Websites

BU Profile

University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

Twitter

Education

Medicine, MD, George Washington University School of Medicine

Environmental Studies, BA, Washington University in St. Louis

Publications

Published on 4/30/2026

Chhatwal J, Sahinkoc M, Chen Q, Dowd W, Xiao J, Zarkin GA, Aldridge A, Barocas JA, Cerdá M, Fareed N, Frazier LA, Hyder A, Keyes KM, Knott CE, LaRochelle M, Linas BP, Oga E, Roberts SM, Samet JH, Schackman BR, Seiber EE, Starbird LE, Villani J, Knudsen AB, Barbosa C. Cost-effectiveness of community-based interventions for reducing opioid overdose and non-overdose deaths: simulation modeling of HEALing Communities Study. Lancet Reg Health Am. 2026 Jul; 59:101480. PMID: 42099551.

PubMed

Published on 4/30/2026

Scott SE, Barocas JA. Cutting Federal Funds for HIV Testing Means Not Ending the HIV Epidemic. Clin Infect Dis. 2026 Apr 30; 82(4):e755-e756. PMID: 41639990.

PubMed

Published on 4/26/2026

Mehta AB, Day GL, Barocas JA, Hasnain-Wynia R, Douglas IS. Association of primary spoken language and noninvasive ventilation failure in hospitalized adults. J Crit Care. 2026 Aug; 94:155592. PMID: 42044608.

PubMed

Published on 3/21/2026

Castillo AY, Jenkins TC, Axelrath S, Barocas JA. Street Stewardship: The next frontier to address antibiotic resistance and health inequities. Clin Infect Dis. 2026 Mar 21. PMID: 41861843.

PubMed

Published on 3/5/2026

Barbosa C, Chen Q, Sahinkoc M, Zarkin GA, Dowd W, Villani J, Barocas JA, Cerdá M, Chatterjee A, Fareed N, Hyder A, Keyes KM, Larochelle MR, Linas BP, Roberts SM, Schackman BR, Seiber E, Wakeman SE, Knudsen AB, Chhatwal J. Impact of enhanced practices on opioid overdose deaths: A community-based modeling approach. Addiction. 2026 Jul; 121(7):1747-1760. PMID: 41786317.

PubMed

Published on 2/18/2026

Barocas JA. From Efficacy to Access in Long-Acting HIV Therapy. N Engl J Med. 2026 Feb 26; 394(9):920-922. PMID: 41707169.

PubMed

Published on 1/2/2026

Padmanabhan P, Tin Y, Nall SK, Al-Tayyib A, Yoder T, Yamkovoy K, Fotso K, Christine PJ, Jurecka C, Raville L, Kline DM, Barocas JA. Health, Costs, and Injection-Related Infections at a Hypothetical Overdose Prevention Center. JAMA Netw Open. 2026 Jan 02; 9(1):e2555965. PMID: 41604150.

PubMed

Published on 12/5/2025

Fetters KB, Padmanabhan P, Meehan AA, Kushel M, Barocas JA. Potential Changes in US Homelessness by Ending Federal Support for Housing First Programs. JAMA Health Forum. 2025 Dec 05; 6(12):e255747. PMID: 41632199.

PubMed

Published on 12/2/2025

Dowd WN, Chen Q, Barbosa C, Sahinkoc HM, Barocas J, Chhatwal J, Aldridge AP, Zarkin GA, Knudsen AB. Estimating community-level prevalence of opioid use disorder: Extrapolating from Medicaid claims data and other publicly available data sources in Ohio, USA. Addiction. 2026 Apr; 121(4):944-954. PMID: 41327963.

PubMed

Published on 11/8/2025

Barocas JA. The Erosion of Harm Reduction. N Engl J Med. 2025 Nov 13; 393(19):1865-1867. PMID: 41211927.

PubMed

View full list of 129 publications.