Kaku So-Armah PhD
Associate Professor, General Internal Medicine
801 Massachusetts Ave | (617) 414-4376kaku@bu.edu

Sections
General Internal Medicine
Centers
Clinical Addiction Research and Education Unit
Biography
Dr. So-Armah is an epidemiologist with expertise in cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses of cohort studies and use of electronic health record data for research. His lab uses molecular biology coupled with data on health behaviors, risk factors and disease diagnoses to identify and explain novel epidemiological associations and identify novel intervention targets. His research focuses on substance use and chronic infections like human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and tuberculosis (TB) and how these exposures impact the heart, liver and lungs.
His work uses data from the Russian cohort of the Uganda Russia Boston Alcohol Network Alcohol Research Collaboration on HIV/AIDS (URBAN ARCH) as well as the Veterans Aging Cohort Study (VACS).
His long-term goal is to translate the growing understanding of the mechanisms of excess HIV-related comorbid disease risk into effective, sustainable interventions for HIV populations bearing the brunt of the HIV epidemic.
Education
Epidemiology, PhD, University of Pittsburgh
Chemistry, BA, Amherst College
Publications
Horwitz MEM, Dugas JN, McCloskey L, So-Armah K, Yarrington CD, Buitronde la Vega P, Benjamin EJ, Battaglia TA. Associations between health-related social needs and postpartum linkage to care. Am J Prev Med. 2024 Dec 21. PMID: 39716509.
Published on 12/12/2024Abi N, Young A, Tiwari P, Chen J, Liu C, Hui Q, So-Armah K, Freiberg MS, Justice AC, Xu K, Gwinn M, Marconi VC, Sun YV. Epigenome-Wide and Methylation Risk Score Analysis of Body Mass Index Among People with HIV. Epigenomes. 2024 Dec 12; 8(4). PMID: 39727808.
Published on 11/29/2024Johnson NL, Beaugard CA, Heredia-Perez D, So-Armah K, Reason P, Yule AM, Lee CS, Chapman SE, Chatterjee A, McClay C, Weeden T, Becerril C, Thomas D, Komaromy M. Embracing anti-racism: Co-creating recommendations with Black people for how addiction treatment needs to change. Soc Sci Med. 2025 Jan; 364:117433. PMID: 39615095.
Published on 11/8/2024Rosenmoss S, LaRochelle M, Bearnot B, Weinstein Z, So-Armah K, Moyo P, Yan S, Walley AY, Kimmel SD. Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Referral Rejection from Postacute Care Facilities among People with Opioid Use Disorder in Massachusetts. J Addict Med. 2024 Nov 08. PMID: 39514897.
Published on 11/2/2024Chen J, Hui Q, Titanji BK, So-Armah K, Freiberg M, Justice AC, Xu K, Zhu X, Gwinn M, Marconi VC, Sun YV. A multi-trait epigenome-wide association study identified DNA methylation signature of inflammation among men with HIV. Clin Epigenetics. 2024 Nov 02; 16(1):152. PMID: 39488703.
Published on 11/1/2024Moreira-Bouchard JD, Cunha J, Tao BS, Kim H, Lepson J, Nessen E, Milstone ZJ, Fisher N, Clinton N, Roberts LM, Serrano MA, Gopal DM, Benjamin EJ, So-Armah K, Fetterman JL. Creating Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility Statements for Your CV: A Resource Guide to Effectiveness and Comprehensiveness. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol. 2024 Nov 01. PMID: 39485298.
Published on 10/31/2024Murnane PM, Afshar M, Chamie G, Cook RL, Ferguson T, Haque LY, Jacobson KR, Justice AC, Kim TW, Khalili M, Krupitsky E, McGinnis KA, Molina P, Muyindike WR, Myers B, Richards VL, So-Armah K, Stewart S, Sulkowski MS, Tien PC, Hahn JA. Using Phosphatidylethanol as an Adjunct to Self-Reported Alcohol Use Improves Identification of Liver Fibrosis Risk. Am J Gastroenterol. 2024 Oct 31. PMID: 39480054.
Published on 10/11/2024Beaugard CA, Johnson NL, Heredia-Perez D, Chapman SE, Chatterjee A, Lee CS, McClay C, Reason P, Thomas D, Weeden T, Yule AM, So-Armah K, Komaromy M. The Effect of Racial Concordance for Black Patients in Addiction Treatment: A Scoping Review of the Literature. Subst Use Addctn J. 2025 Jan; 46(1):103-111. PMID: 39394669.
Published on 9/27/2024Shangani S, Winter MR, Shea M, Kim TW, So-Armah K, Magane KM, Bellamy SL, Saitz R, Stein MD. Social Vulnerability and Mental Health Among People with HIV and Substance Use: The Role of Race. AIDS Behav. 2024 Dec; 28(12):4094-4105. PMID: 39327395.
Published on 8/16/2024Werekuu A, Ayisi-Boateng NK, Tagoe N, Opoku DA, Barnie B, Twumasi GK, Boadu YT, So-Armah K, Tawiah P. KNUST aging and human immunodeficiency virus outcomes-Study protocol. PLoS One. 2024; 19(8):e0307719. PMID: 39150927.
Media Mentions
Published on 7/6/2023
Equity Leaders Are Burning Out — So They're Coming Together to Build Resilience
Published on 5/25/2020
4 Questions on HIV and Cardiovascular Disease
Published on 4/4/2019
Depression Plus HIV Can Turn Deadly
View full list of 3 media mentions.