Eleanor J. Murray, ScD
Assistant Professor
Boston University School of Public Health
Epidemiology

ScD, Harvard School of Public Health
MPH, Columbia University School of Public Health
BSc, McGill University

Pronouns: she/her/hers



I am currently an assistant professor of epidemiology at Boston University School of Public Health. I conduct research on how to make evidence-based decisions for public health and medicine, including statistical and epidemiologic methods for understanding causal effects, as well as qualitative work on how best to communicate the results of rigorous research to decision-makers and the public.

I work on research in infectious disease, including COVID-19, HIV/AIDS, HPV, influenza, and tuberculosis, as well as in reproductive health, pediatric health, mental health, occupational health, and chronic and non-communicable diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, musculoskeletal disease. As evidenced by the broad range of disease areas, this work applies to all areas of public health and medicine, but also more broadly to all scientific research. I have presented work to groups at the WHO, UN, NIH, NSF, and World Bank, and published in peer-reviewed journals in biology and economics, in addition to my public health research.

I helped lead a high-profile study of school masking mandates in the Greater Boston area with the Boston Public Health Commission published in the New England Journal of Medicine. I have written over 60 peer-reviewed scientific studies, more than a dozen opinion pieces on COVID-19, and appeared on numerous television and radio programs to provide expertise on epidemiology and COVID-19. I co-developed and led the Boston University COVID19 Epidemiology Response Corps, which rapidly organizing 150 students who volunteered or completed practica contributing to several aspects of COVID-19 response. I also developed early posters communicating how to reduce the spread of COVID-19 transmission and crowdsourced translation of the posters into 47 languages. These posters were incorporated into a number of response efforts, including as part of the outpatient discharge notes at Boston University Medical Center.

I have an ScD in Epidemiology and MSc in Biostatistics from Harvard, an MPH in Epidemiology from Columbia Mailman School of Public Health, and a BSc in Biology from McGill University. I am an Associate Editor for Social Media at the American Journal of Epidemiology, a co-chair of the Communications Committee for the Society for Epidemiologic Research, and cohost of a weekly data science podcast called Casual Inference. I engage in public health outreach via Twitter, Medium, Youtube, and several other outlets.


Personnel Agreement for Research Services of Eleanor Murray
05/01/2023 - 04/30/2025 (Key Person)
PI: Jaimie L. Gradus, DMSc, DSc, MPH
VA Maryland Health Care System


Partial Meniscectomy vs Nonoperattive Management in Meniscal Tear with OA: An RCT
09/05/2020 - 08/31/2024 (Subcontract PI)
The Brigham and Women's Hospital, Inc. NIH NIAMS
5R01AR055557-14

Diversity Supplement Partial Meniscectomy vs. Nonoperative Mgmt. in Meniscal Tear with OA: an RCT
07/01/2021 - 08/31/2023 (Subcontract PI)
The Brigham and Women's Hospital, Inc. NIH NIAMS
3R01AR055557-11A1S1

Causal Inference Methods for HIV Prevention Studies Among Networks of People Who Use Drugs
02/01/2022 - 05/31/2023 (Subcontract PI)
University of Rhode Island NIH NIDA
3DP2DA046856-01

Safe introduction of a new surgical device with the device briefing tool and surgical safety checklist
08/01/2021 - 12/31/2021 (Subcontract PI)
President and Fellows of Harvard College dba Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Med Dvcs&Diag GS LLC


HPV vaccination efficacy for cervical cancer prevention in young women with perinatal HIV infection
05/01/2019 - 09/30/2021 (PI)
NIH/National Institute of Child Health & Human Development
5R21HD098733-02



Title


Yr Title Project-Sub Proj Pubs

Publications listed below are automatically derived from MEDLINE/PubMed and other sources, which might result in incorrect or missing publications. Faculty can login to make corrections and additions.

iCite Analysis       Copy PMIDs To Clipboard

  1. Gururaghavendran R, Murray EJ. Can algorithms Replace Expert Knowledge for Causal Inference? A Case Study on Novice Use of Causal Discovery. Am J Epidemiol. 2024 Aug 31. PMID: 39218433
     
  2. Bond JC, Heaton B, Garcia RI, Rothman KJ, Wise LA, Fox MP, Murray EJ. Specifying a target trial protocol to estimate the effect of preconception treatment of periodontitis on time-to-pregnancy: A commentary and applied example. Community Dent Oral Epidemiol. 2024 Aug 21.View Related Profiles. PMID: 39169475
     
  3. Debertin J, Jurado Vélez JA, Corlin L, Hidalgo B, Murray EJ. Synthesizing Subject-matter Expertise for Variable Selection in Causal Effect Estimation: A Case Study. Epidemiology. 2024 Sep 01; 35(5):642-653.View Related Profiles. PMID: 38860706; PMCID: PMC11309331; DOI: 10.1097/EDE.0000000000001758;
     
  4. Bayly H, Stoddard M, Van Egeren D, Murray EJ, Raifman J, Chakravarty A, White LF. Looking under the lamp-post: quantifying the performance of contact tracing in the United States during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. BMC Public Health. 2024 Feb 23; 24(1):595.View Related Profiles. PMID: 38395830; PMCID: PMC10893709; DOI: 10.1186/s12889-024-18012-z;
     
  5. Murray EJ, Carr KC. Measuring Racial Sentiment Using Social Media Is Harder Than It Seems. Epidemiology. 2024 Jan 01; 35(1):60-63. PMID: 37756311
     
  6. Cheema H, Brophy R, Collins J, Cox CL, Guermazi A, Kumara M, Levy BA, MacFarlane L, Mandl LA, Marx R, Selzer F, Spindler K, Katz JN, Murray EJ. Causal relationships between pain, medical treatments, and knee osteoarthritis: A graphical causal model to guide analyses. Osteoarthritis Cartilage. 2024 Mar; 32(3):319-328.View Related Profiles. PMID: 37939895
     
  7. Tilhou AS, Murray E, Wang J, Linas BP, White L, Samet JH, LaRochelle M. Trends in buprenorphine dosage and days supplied for new treatment episodes for opioid use disorder, 2010-2019. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2023 Nov 01; 252:110981.View Related Profiles. PMID: 37839942; PMCID: PMC10615721; DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2023.110981;
     
  8. Birnie K, Tomson C, Caskey FJ, Ben-Shlomo Y, Nitsch D, Casula A, Murray EJ, Sterne JAC. Comparative Effectiveness of Dynamic Treatment Strategies for Medication Use and Dosage: Emulating a Target Trial Using Observational Data. Epidemiology. 2023 Nov 01; 34(6):879-887. PMID: 37757876; PMCID: PMC7615288; DOI: 10.1097/EDE.0000000000001649;
     
  9. Bond JC, Wise LA, Fox MP, Garcia RI, Murray EJ, White KO, Rothman KJ, Hatch EE, Heaton B. Preconception Periodontitis and Risk of Spontaneous Abortion in a Prospective Cohort Study. Am J Epidemiol. 2023 Sep 01; 192(9):1509-1521.View Related Profiles. PMID: 37339008; PMCID: PMC10666963; DOI: 10.1093/aje/kwad142;
     
  10. Murray EJ, Cowger TL, Hall KT. Lifting Universal School Masking - Covid-19 Incidence among Students and Staff. Reply. N Engl J Med. 2023 Aug 10; 389(6):580. PMID: 37590463
     
Showing 10 of 82 results. Show More

This graph shows the total number of publications by year, by first, middle/unknown, or last author.

Bar chart showing 82 publications over 17 distinct years, with a maximum of 17 publications in 2021

YearPublications
20071
20081
20104
20113
20121
20132
20142
20151
20161
20172
20182
20193
202016
202117
202212
202310
20244

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Is COVID-19 Still a Pandemic?

The Brink 3/4/2024

CDC drops 5-day isolation guidance for Covid-19, moving away from key strategy to quell infections

CNN 3/1/2024

How Long Should You Isolate With COVID-19? Experts Are Split

Time 2/15/2024

US Covid booster rates are shockingly low

The Independent 10/30/2023

Everything we know about the latest round of Covid boosters, including how to book an appointment

Independent 9/15/2023

Covid-19 has changed and so has our immunity. Here’s how to think about risk from the virus now

AOL 8/28/2023

COVID-19 Is No Longer an Official Emergency. Is That the Right Call?

The Brink 5/10/2023

The New Yorker Goes All In on Our Precious Bodily Fluids

The Nation 1/11/2023

Biden Says the Pandemic Is Over. Is It?

BU Today 9/19/2022

School bullying, cyberbullying, and remote learning

American Economic Association 9/19/2022

Schools move away from masks as studies suggest they are effective

The Boston Globe 8/15/2022

New study based on Mass. schools finds masks protected students, staff from COVID-19

The Boston Globe 8/10/2022

Meet the covid super-dodgers

The Washington Post 7/21/2022

In the line of fire

Science 3/24/2022

The CDC’s new mask guidance guarantees we’ll be too slow for the next surge

The Washington Post 3/8/2022

Will Endemic COVID-19 Be a Reality Soon Thanks to Omicron?

SELF 3/4/2022

We’re Entering the Control Phase of the Pandemic

The Atlantic 2/17/2022

What Is the Difference between Pandemic and Endemic?

BU Today 2/9/2022

Endemicity Is Meaningless

The Atlantic 2/1/2022

COVID as endemic disease: Not weaker but forever with us Read more: https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1548367/covid-as-endemic-disease-not-weaker-but-forever-with-us#ixzz7Khe6dc4v Follow us: @inquirerdotnet on Twitter | inquirerdotnet on Facebook

Inquirer.net 2/1/2022

COVID as endemic disease: Not weaker but forever with us

Inquirer.net 2/1/2022

The science behind the omicron wave’s sharp peak and rapid decline

Vox 1/31/2022

Endemic vs. Pandemic—How COVID Is Evolving Amid Avalanche of Omicron Cases

Newsweek 1/13/2022

Endemic vs. Pandemic—How COVID Is Evolving Amid Avalanche of Omicron Cases

Newsweek 1/13/2022

'Reckless and Dangerous': CDC's New, Shorter Covid-19 Isolation Guidelines Disturb Some Health Experts

Gizmodo 12/28/2021

How to make sense of the case and hospitalization data as omicron takes off

Vox 12/22/2021

Here's When COVID Will End, Predict Experts

Eat This, Not That! 11/22/2021

How to talk about vaccines with anti-vaxxers, deniers and belligerent uncles at Thanksgiving

Poynter 11/15/2021

COVID Booster? But I Only Just Got Vaccinated!

MedPage Today 10/20/2021

And the 2021 Nobel Prizes go to men... so far

Reuters 10/8/2021

3 Experts on What Fall and Winter Mean for the Delta Variant's Spread

Self Magazine 10/6/2021

A massive study from Israel suggests older adults were far less likely to develop severe COVID-19 after a booster shot, but the finding carries major limitations

Insider 9/15/2021

America needs to decide how much Covid-19 risk it will tolerate

Vox 9/7/2021

As U.S. promotes booster shots against Covid, moral questions arise over vaccine equity

NBC News 8/19/2021

Vaccine Effectiveness Against Infection May Wane, C.D.C. Studies Find

The New York Times 8/18/2021

Everything You Need to Know About COVID-19 Booster Shots

Healthline 8/18/2021

Covid Live Updates: Vaccines’ protection against virus infection is waning, C.D.C. studies suggest.

The New York Times 8/18/2021

Booster shots won’t stop the delta variant. Here’s the math to prove it.

The Washington Post 8/12/2021

How The Pandemic Now Ends

The Atlantic 8/12/2021

Expert shares equation that shows even a 100% vaccination rate is not enough to stop Delta variant

ABC 7 News 8/12/2021

COVID booster shots won’t stop the delta variant. Here’s the math to prove it

Tampa Bay Times 8/12/2021

Will COVID vaccine booster shots be needed? It's likely, experts say, but the immunocompromised should be prioritized.

USA Today 8/7/2021

The Fundamental Question Of The Pandemic Is Shifting

The Atlantic 6/9/2021

Nahid Bhadelia to Head New BU Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases Policy and Research

BU Today 5/18/2021

Experts divided on CDC’s loosened mask recommendations

The Boston Globe 5/13/2021

Vaccinated Americans May Go Without Masks in Most Places, Federal Officials Say

The New York Times 5/13/2021

Beer, bouquets and free rounds at a gun range: How local governments promote vaccines

The Washington Post 5/6/2021

I’m an epidemiologist. Here’s what I got wrong about covid.

The Washington Post 4/20/2021

The U.S. Virus Battle Skews Younger

Bloomberg 4/1/2021

US coronavirus cases have dropped 70% in the last six weeks. Experts chalk it up to more immunity and better behavior.

Business Insider 2/26/2021

Should we be more careful outdoors as Covid-19 variants spread?

Vox 2/26/2021

The Health 202: The Biden administration is waving money at a dozen states to expand Medicaid

The Washington Post 2/16/2021

Four reasons experts say coronavirus cases are dropping in the United States

The Washington Post 2/14/2021

Superspreader Sunday?

The New York Times 2/3/2021

The data gaps in the fight against COVID-19: Experts point out what we still don’t know

PolitiFact 2/3/2021

The experts are sounding warnings about coronavirus variants. Here’s what you need to know.

The Boston Globe 2/2/2021

Why some coronavirus variants are more contagious—and how we can stop them

National Geographic 1/27/2021

CDC Officials Say Schools Can Reopen—If They Take These COVID-19 Precautions

SELF Magazine 1/27/2021

Coronavirus deaths rising in 30 US states amid winter surge

Associated Press 1/18/2021

Once you and your friends are vaccinated, can you quit social distancing?

Vox 1/12/2021

The Health 202: Recovered coronavirus patients should still get the vaccine, experts say

The Washington Post 1/11/2021

Epidemiologists Urge A Cautious Christmas, After Thanksgiving Surge in Some States

NPR 12/21/2020

Epidemiologists Urge A Cautious Christmas, After Thanksgiving Surge in Some States

NPR 12/21/2020

Live Blog: As Christmas approaches, virus experts look for lessons from Thanksgiving

The New York Times 12/20/2020

Americans are stockpiling cleaning supplies again, even though research suggests COVID-19 does not primarily spread through surfaces. Experts say that's okay.

Business Insider 12/12/2020

CDC’s new Covid quarantine guidance criticized for addressing the wrong problem

CNBC 12/4/2020

Covid Live Updates: San Francisco Bay Area Sets Stay-At-Home Order; CDC Says Some Reinfection Is Expected

NBC Connecticut 12/4/2020

Inside the controversial rise of a top Twitter COVID-19 influencer

Fast Company 12/2/2020

US braces for post-Thanksgiving Covid surge as 100,000 are hospitalized

The Guardian 12/2/2020

Avoid Holiday Travel Or Get Tested Twice For Covid-19, CDC Says

Forbes 12/2/2020

“Whoa!” “I’m crying!” “Worrisome!” “Buckle up!” The swift, complicated rise of Eric Feigl-Ding and his Covid tweet threads

Neiman Lab 11/30/2020

Pandemic Data Are About to Go Sideways

The Atlantic 11/26/2020

Are Your Choices Making the Pandemic Worse?

POLITICO 11/25/2020

Covid’s Cassandra: The Swift, Complicated Rise of Eric Feigl-Ding

Undark Magazine 11/25/2020

Epidemiologist Says Restricting Small Gatherings Isn’t Enough To Stop The Surge

NPR 11/24/2020

Small Gatherings Spread the Virus, but Are They Causing the Surge?

The New York Times 11/23/2020

Here’s why a negative COVID-19 test doesn’t guarantee you can safely gather on Thanksgiving

The Boston Globe 11/18/2020

How to Minimize Covid Risk and Enjoy the Holidays

Shondaland 11/17/2020

America Locks Down From Atlantic to Pacific as Covid Rages

Bloomberg 11/16/2020

Unsure How to Celebrate the Holidays in a Pandemic?

BU Today 11/12/2020

Why the Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine is a cause for optimism – and skepticism

Vox 11/10/2020

Coronavirus cases exceed 100,000 in one day for the first time, even as the nation is split on the pandemic vs. the economy

The Washington Post 11/4/2020

Trump rallies led to more than 700 Covid deaths, study says

The Independent 11/2/2020

Study links Trump rallies to more than 700 Covid deaths

Politico 10/31/2020

Why the Hydroxychloroquine Myth Persists

Self 10/29/2020

A No-Excuses Guide to Wearing and Caring for Face Masks

Medium Elemental 10/27/2020

US is poised to enter into its worst stretch yet of the pandemic

The Boston Globe 10/24/2020

America is poised to enter into its worst stretch yet of the pandemic

The Washington Post 10/23/2020

How Long Does COVID-19 Immunity Last? Here’s Exactly What We Know

SELF Magazine 10/12/2020

As Mass. Schools Reopen, Teachers Are On The Move Again. Some See A Public-Health Risk

WBUR 10/7/2020

Vice-Presidential Debate: Live Updates as Harris and Pence Prepare to Clash

The New York Times 10/7/2020

Hugs, handshakes, and few masks: A Rose Garden Supreme Court announcement packed with Covid-19 red flags

STAT 10/3/2020

What Does ‘Close Contact’ Really Mean?

Inside Higher Ed 10/2/2020

Just How Safe Is Biden?

The Atlantic 10/1/2020

FAQ: What you need to know about masks and covid-19

The Washington Post 9/30/2020

How the 6-Feet Rule Can Lead Us Astray

Slate 9/30/2020

Your guide to returning to the gym safely – and in style

CNN 9/23/2020

9 experts reflect on the US reaching 200,000 Covid-19 deaths

Vox 9/23/2020

200,000 Americans are now confirmed dead from Covid-19

Vox 9/22/2020

CDC director seeks to clarify mask comments after Trump rebuke

The Hill 9/16/2020

Before You Engage A Vaccine Skeptic, Here’s What You Need To Know

HuffPost 9/10/2020

America Is Trapped in a Pandemic Spiral

The Atlantic 9/9/2020

When Should You Get the Flu Shot? How Does COVID-19 Coronavirus Affect This?

Forbes 9/7/2020

How Your Labor Day Blast Could Make Pandemic Life Worse in the Fall

The New York Times 9/6/2020

In Sign of Progress, Fewer Than 1% of New York’s Virus Tests Are Positive

The New York Times 9/6/2020

Coronavirus Updates: West Point Football Stadium Holds Season Opener in Front of Thousands of Spectators

Gothamist 9/5/2020

Fauci Warns Seven Midwest States to Be on Alert Over Labor Day

Bloomberg 9/3/2020

Not Wearing A Mask Is Like Smoking Near A Pregnant Woman

Forbes 8/28/2020

What the Botched School Reopenings Taught Us, and How to Do It Better

Medium Elemental 8/28/2020

r/IAmA Series

Reddit AMA 8/27/2020

Local public health experts slam new CDC testing guidelines

The Boston Globe 8/27/2020

Mass. stays course on testing, despite shift in federal guidelines

The Boston Globe 8/27/2020

Coronavirus spreads indoors. Can air purifiers help?

Vox 8/19/2020

This Executive Took a Road Trip. Then An Epidemiologist Rated Her Every Move

Medium Elemental 8/19/2020

Flu Shot Now Required For All Mass. Students

WBUR 8/19/2020

Does Coronavirus Immunity Actually Only Last for 3 Months?

SELF Magazine 8/18/2020

Frozen Chicken Wings Tested Positive for Coronavirus-Should You Care?

SELF Magazine 8/18/2020

Anti-maskers explain themselves

Vox 8/7/2020

CDC Forecasts Up to 11,000 Deaths Weekly in August

WebMD 8/4/2020

Life Is Now a Game of Risk. Here’s How Your Brain Is Processing It.

Medium Elemental 8/4/2020

Daily COVID-19 Death Toll Surpasses 1,000 for First Time Since May

New York Magazine 7/22/2020

The Pandemic Isn’t Over. We Need to Act Accordingly

SELF 7/22/2020

Amid rising coronavirus deaths, Trump paints a rosy picture of America’s present and future

The Washington Post 7/22/2020

Power Up: Trump breaks with health officials as pandemic worsens in key states

The Washington Post 7/13/2020

Coronavirus deaths are rising in hotspots

Axios 7/7/2020

‘The Urine Test’ Helps Explain The Importance of Wearing Masks—Humorously

Newsweek 7/6/2020

Students on visas must take in-person college classes or risk deportation, ICE says

Miami Herald 7/6/2020

Socializing During Coronavirus: What to Know and How to Reduce Risks

Teen Vogue 6/30/2020

What Doctors Want You To Know About the Potential Link Between COVID-19 and Blood Type

Well and Good 6/24/2020

Sweden’s Coronavirus Failure Started Long Before the Pandemic

Foreign Policy 6/23/2020

The new Covid-19 spikes are “totally predictable”

Vox 6/12/2020

Dealing With Coronavirus Anxiety After a Protest

Medium Invisible Illness 6/7/2020

What public health experts want critics to know about why they support the protests

Vox 6/6/2020

How to Protest Safely And Stop The Spread Of Coronavirus

Esquire 6/2/2020

How Protesters Can Minimize Their Risk of Catching and Spreading the Coronavirus

Slate 6/1/2020

Mass protests could undo hard-won progress in pandemic

Politico 6/1/2020

Lessons from the lockdown – and what comes next

Axios 6/1/2020

A Guide to Protesting During a Pandemic

Medium Coronavirus Blog 6/1/2020

How to more safely protest in a pandemic

Vox 5/31/2020

Without Extra Help, Boston Gyms Face Grim Futures Long Before Phase Three

Boston Magazine 5/29/2020

Older and immunocompromised people don’t deserve to be second-class citizens

Vox 5/28/2020

How an Immunology Blog Became a Covid-19 Guide to Going Out

Wired 5/26/2020

How to weigh the risk of going out in the coronavirus pandemic, in one chart

Vox 5/22/2020

Your Very Detailed Guide to Safely Staying in a Rental House

Medium Elemental 5/22/2020

Your Very Detailed Guide to Safe Summer Road Trips

Medium Elemental 5/21/2020

How chaos theory helps explain the weirdness of the Covid-19 pandemic

VOX 5/20/2020

Cities are experimenting with more space for people, less room for cars

Marketplace 5/19/2020

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles: How to Travel Safely During Covid-19

Medium Elemental 5/19/2020

“Since the reopening of (Georgia), we’ve seen our COVID rate skyrocket by 40%.”

Politifact 5/15/2020

4 Reasons State Plans to Open Up May Backfire — And Soon

Vox 5/9/2020

Quarantine fatigue has set in – and some of us seem to be social distancing scofflaws

The Boston Globe 5/4/2020

Why even a super-accurate Covid-19 test can fail

Vox 5/2/2020

The coronavirus curve bends toward reopening in hard-hit counties. Will it hold steady?

USA Today 4/24/2020

A Skeptic’s Guide To Ecologic Studies During A Pandemic

Forbes 4/22/2020

What’s the Difference Between Social Distancing, Quarantine, and Isolation?

Self 4/17/2020

Simple Science Communication Helps Ease Fears and Spread Good Information During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Massive Science 4/16/2020

‘Exhausting.’ ‘Very Strange.’ What It’s Like to Be an Epidemiologist Right Now.

The Chronicle of Higher Education 3/23/2020

‘Exhausting.’ ‘Very Strange.’ What It’s Like to Be an Epidemiologist Right Now

The Chronicle of Higher Education 3/23/2020

Here’s Exactly Where to Get Accurate Coronavirus News

SELF Magazine 3/3/2020

Fury Over 'Disgusting' Scientific Paper That Judged Women Battling Endometriosis On Their LOOKS

Daily Mail 8/15/2019

2016 Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health: Excellence in Teaching Award
2009 Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University: Anna C Gelman Award for Excellence in Epidemiology
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