Rachel Epstein MD, MScE
Assistant Professor, Infectious Diseases
Assistant Professor, Pediatrics
801 Massachusetts Ave | (617) 414-5295rachel.epstein@bmc.org
rle@bu.edu
Sections
Infectious Diseases
Biography
Rachel L. Epstein, MD, MScE, is a clinician-scientist working to utilize large data sets and decision modelling to inform policy and program design to improve care for individuals with Hepatitis C, HIV, and substance use, with a particular focus on pregnant women and youth.
Dr. Epstein completed combined residency training in internal medicine-pediatrics at Brown University, and worked in primary care through the Providence Community Health Centers and the Hasbro Adolescent Center before fellowship. She completed a combined adult and pediatric infectious diseases fellowship at Boston Medical Center and a T32 post-doctoral research fellowship through the Boston University Clinical HIV/AIDS Research Training Program (BU-CHART). She is an Assistant Professor in the BUSM Department of Medicine, Section of Infectious Diseases, and Department of Pediatrics, Section of Infectious Diseases and sees adult and pediatric patients living with or at risk for Hepatitis C virus, HIV, and other infectious diseases. She also serves as the Med-Peds faculty specific advisor lead for BUSM students.
Dr. Epstein's current and recent work includes projects analyzing the effects of Medicaid HCV treatment restrictions on care cascade outcome achievement, HIV prevention and medication adherence, and comparing the cost-effectiveness of HCV and OUD screening, evaluation, and treatment interventions in women of reproductive age, children, and the general population. She currently or previously works/worked with data through OCHIN, TriNetX, the BMC Datawarehouse and COVID-19 Repository, Marketscan, and the Massachusetts Public Health Datawarehouse.
Education
MD, Thomas Jefferson University
MSc, Boston University School of Public Health
Biology, MA, Wesleyan University
Biology/Bioinformatics, BA, Wesleyan University
Publications
Biondi BE, Shafer PR, Epstein RL, Stein MD, Daw JR, Gordon SH. Association of Continuous Medicaid Eligibility With Postpartum Coverage and Opioid Use Disorder Treatment. Am J Prev Med. 2026 May 29; 108392. PMID: 42213013.
Published on 5/20/2026van Santen DK, Chalouni M, Berenguer J, Jarrin I, Miró JM, Klein MB, Young J, Torgersen J, Rentsch CT, Gill MJ, Epstein RL, Nunes D, Surial B, Rauch A, Touloumi G, Papadopoulos A, Wittkop L, Gilbert C, Leleux O, van der Valk M, Boyd A, Monforte AD, Puoti M, Zangerle R, Gisinger M, Logan RW, Rein S, Hernán MA, Lodi S. Risk of Hepatocellular Carcinoma After Direct-Acting Antiviral Treatment for Hepatitis C Virus Infection in People With HIV. Clin Infect Dis. 2026 May 20; 82(5):e942-e950. PMID: 41253696.
Published on 4/27/2026Lind ML, Hitchings MDT, Singh RP, Linas BP, Cummings DAT, Epstein RL. Impact of Removing the Universal Hepatitis B Birth-Dose Vaccination in the US. JAMA Pediatr. 2026 Apr 27. PMID: 42043807.
Published on 4/1/2026Epstein RL, Munroe S, Erdman EA, Bettano A, Curtis MR, White L, Wachman EM, Osinski A, Walley AY, Linas BP. Hepatitis C Virus Testing in Perinatally Exposed Children. JAMA Netw Open. 2026 Apr 01; 9(4):e260743. PMID: 41996118.
Published on 2/11/2026Campbell JI, Brooks MB, Dankovchik J, Giebultowicz S, Falkenstein A, Angier H, Horsburgh CR, Tschampl CA, Haberer JE, Bressler J, Epstein RL, Jenkins HE, Jacobson K. Uncovering household tuberculosis infection testing and care patterns using a novel bioinformatics linkage strategy. Clin Infect Dis. 2026 Feb 11. PMID: 41668263.
Published on 5/1/2025Curtis MR, Munroe S, Biondi BE, Ciaranello AL, Linas BP, Epstein RL. Disparities in Linkage to Care Among Children With Hepatitis C Virus in the United States. Pediatrics. 2025 May 01; 155(5). PMID: 40246302.
Published on 4/15/2025Singh RP, Biondi B, Gordon SH, Linas BP, Epstein RL. Hepatitis C Virus Screening in Pregnant and Nonpregnant Women After Universal Screening Guidelines. JAMA. 2025 Apr 15; 333(15):1356-1358. PMID: 39992633.
Published on 2/24/2025Epstein RL, Munroe S, Taylor LE, Duryea PR, Buzzee B, Pramanick T, Feld JJ, Baptiste D, Carroll M, Castera L, Sterling RK, Thomas A, Chan PA, Linas BP. Clinical- and Cost-Effectiveness of Liver Disease Staging in Hepatitis C Virus Infection: A Microsimulation Study. Clin Infect Dis. 2025 Feb 24; 80(2):300-313. PMID: 39535186.
Published on 2/18/2025Chalouni M, Van Santen DK, Berenguer J, Jarrin I, Miro JM, Klein MB, Young J, Torgersen J, Rentsch CT, Gill MJ, Epstein RL, Linas B, Zangerle R, Surial B, Rauch A, Touloumi G, Papadopoulos A, Wittkop L, Van Der Valk M, Boyd A, Monforte AD, Puoti M, Logan RW, Rein SM, Hernán MA, Lodi S. Time to direct-acting antiviral initiation and liver-related events in people with HIV and hepatitis C virus. AIDS. 2025 Jul 01; 39(8):1074-1079. PMID: 39970192.
Published on 12/17/2024Biondi BE, Munroe S, Lavarin C, Curtis MR, Buzzee B, Lodi S, Epstein RL. Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Hepatitis C Care in Reproductive-Aged Women With Opioid Use Disorder. Clin Infect Dis. 2024 Dec 17; 79(6):1428-1436. PMID: 39356149.
Media Mentions
Published on 4/29/2026
Less Than Half of Perinatally Exposed Infants Are HCV Tested
Published on 4/27/2026
CDC delay of infant hepatitis B shot likely to raise infections, studies show
Published on 4/27/2026
New U.S. recommendation on hepatitis B vaccine will have dire consequences, studies project
Published on 11/5/2024
Q&A: How to improve HCV care among women who use opioids
Published on 10/8/2024
Disparities in Hepatitis C Care for Reproductive-Aged Women
Published on 10/7/2024
Published on 9/20/2024
New HCV testing guidelines aim to increase screening among exposed infants
Published on 10/7/2021
Projected Long-Term Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Outcomes Associated With Hepatitis C Virus
Published on 7/8/2021
Linkage to Care Leads to More Hepatitis C Treatment for Pregnant Women
Published on 6/17/2021
Comorbidities May Result in Longer Duration of Positive COVID-19 PCR Tests
View full list of 17 media mentions.