S. Reza Jafarzadeh DVM, MPVM, PhD
Associate Professor, Rheumatology
650 Albany St | (617) 358-9665srjafarz@bu.edu
Sections
Rheumatology
Centers
Arthritis & Autoimmune Diseases Research Center
Biography
I am interested in the application of causal inference methods in observational studies, especially in the setting of longitudinal data, where time-varying exposures, time-dependent confounding, and selection bias are often present. In particular, I am interested in the application of the variety of modern analytical techniques for estimating causal effects as well as the concepts such as direct and indirect effect decomposition (causal mediation analysis), causal interactions and sufficient causes, and causal interference and spill-over effects. These analytical techniques can be applied to broad areas of health sciences research, but I am particularly interested in the application of causal inference for comparative effectiveness research and implementation science. The methods are very useful for the development and assessment of strategies to improve population health using non-experimental data.
I am also interested in the application of Bayesian methods for evaluation of diagnostic tests and prevalence estimation in the absence of a perfect reference standard. These methods have broad applications in diagnosis and screening, and can be used to estimate true prevalence using imperfect tests.
Education
DVM, University of Tehran
MPVM, University of California, Davis
PhD, University of California, Davis
Publications
Degirmenci HB, Peloquin CE, Westerland M, Lodi S, Machado PM, Jafarzadeh SR, Neogi T, Gensler LS, Dubreuil M, Liew JW. Trends in Opioid Prescriptions in Individuals with Axial Spondyloarthritis in the US and UK in the Last Two Decades: Analysis of Electronic Health Records and Insurance Claims Data. Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken). 2025 Sep 22. PMID: 40977482.
Published on 5/27/2025Reshadmanesh T, Mohebi R, Behnoush AH, Reshadmanesh A, Khalaji A, Norouzi M, Javanmardi E, Pishdad R, Jafarzadeh SR, Ghondaghsaz E, Chaparro S. The effects of sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors in chemotherapy-induced cardiotoxicity and mortality in patients with cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Cardiooncology. 2025 May 27; 11(1):50. PMID: 40426171.
Published on 4/7/2025Lee S, Neogi T, Senderling BM, Jafarzadeh SR, Gheller M, Tuttle PG, Demanuele C, Viktrup L, Wacnik P, Kumar D. Association of Pain During Exercise With Exercise-Induced Hypoalgesia in People With Knee Osteoarthritis. Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken). 2025 Jul; 77(7):900-905. PMID: 40099368.
Published on 4/1/2025Ferrandiz-Espadin R, Rabasa G, Gasman S, McGinley B, Stovall R, Jafarzadeh SR, Liew JW, Dubreuil M. Disparities in Time to Diagnosis of Radiographic Axial Spondyloarthritis. J Rheumatol. 2025 Apr 01; 52(4):344-351. PMID: 39486857.
Published on 1/21/2025Driscoll D, George N, Peloquin C, Jafarzadeh SR, Liew JW, Dubreuil M. Association of Therapies for Axial Spondyloarthritis on the Risk of Hip and Spine Fractures. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2025 Jun; 77(6):677-685. PMID: 39679763.
Published on 7/1/2024Myers LC, Bosch NA, Soltesz L, Daly KA, Campbell CI, Schwager E, Salvati E, Stevens JP, Wunsch H, Rucci JM, Jafarzadeh SR, Liu VX, Walkey AJ. Opioid Administration Practice Patterns in Patients With Acute Respiratory Failure Who Undergo Invasive Mechanical Ventilation. Crit Care Explor. 2024 Jul 01; 6(7):e1123. PMID: 39018285.
Published on 6/3/2024Myers LC, Soltesz L, Bosch N, Daly KA, Devis Y, Rucci J, Stevens J, Wunsch H, Jafarzadeh SR, Campbell CI, Liu VX, Walkey AJ. Intravenous Opioid Administration During Mechanical Ventilation and Use After Hospital Discharge. JAMA Netw Open. 2024 Jun 03; 7(6):e2417292. PMID: 38874921.
Published on 4/17/2024Bacon KL, Felson DT, Jafarzadeh SR, Kolachalama VB, Hausdorff JM, Gazit E, Stefanik JJ, Corrigan P, Segal NA, Lewis CE, Nevitt MC, Kumar D. Gait Alterations and Association With Worsening Knee Pain and Physical Function: A Machine Learning Approach With Wearable Sensors in the Multicenter Osteoarthritis Study. Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken). 2024 Jul; 76(7):984-992. PMID: 38523250.
Published on 4/10/2024Sheibani S, Jafarzadeh S, Qazanfarzadeh Z, Osadee Wijekoon MMJ, Mohd Rozalli NH, Mohammadi Nafchi A. Sustainable strategies for using natural extracts in smart food packaging. Int J Biol Macromol. 2024 May; 267(Pt 1):131537. PMID: 38608975.
Published on 3/22/2024Bosch NA, Law AC, Shi Z, Jafarzadeh SR, Walkey AJ. A novel measure to summarize blood transfusion practice during critical illness. Transfusion. 2024 May; 64(5):784-788. PMID: 38515390.
Media Mentions
Published on 5/19/2024
Are Diabetes Drugs Set to Move OA Management Forward?
Published on 5/14/2024
Are Diabetes Drugs Set to Move Osteoarthritis Management Forward?
Published on 4/11/2022
Walking, maximum-level activity reduce odds of cartilage loss in knee osteoarthritis
View full list of 3 media mentions.