Elisha M. Wachman, MD Hear my name
Professor
Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine
Pediatrics
Neonatology

MD, Boston University School of Medicine
BS, Georgetown University

Pronouns: she/her/hers



Dr. Wachman is a Professor of Pediatrics at the BU Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine and attending neonatologist at Boston Medical Center (BMC). She is currently the Vice Chair for Research in the Department of Pediatrics at BMC and the Co-Director of Workforce Development for the BU CTSI. She is an internationally recognized clinical and translational researcher with expertise in neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome (NOWS) and substance use disorders in pregnancy. Her specific research interests include the genetics and epigenetics of NOWS, treatments for opioid use disorder (OUD) in pregnancy, and the use of non-pharmacologic care methods to improve NOWS outcomes. She is currently the principal investigator on multiple NIH studies examining opioid use disorder (OUD) in pregnancy, genetic markers, placental biomarkers, and long-term maternal and infant outcomes. She also leads several other NIH and foundation funded studies involving pregnant individuals with OUD / infants with NOWS. Dr. Wachman is one of the co-directors of the BU Women's Health Pre-Affinity Research Collaborative (Pre-ARC), and co-leads of the Massachusetts Perinatal Neonatal Quality Improvement Network Perinatal Opioid Project (PNQIN POP).

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility

My research and clinical focus is on pregnant individuals with substance use disorders, a historically marginalized population who often have histories of trauma, psychiatric co-morbidities and incarceration. I have strived to create patient-centered approaches to care and to decrease stigma for this population. This includes developing a family-centered delivery experience, and continual education of trainees and staff about caring for individuals with substance use disorders in a non-stigmatized manner. In addition, I have strived for diversity in my research staff and mentees. The majority of my mentees have been women, many from underrepresented backgrounds.

Co-Director
Boston University
Clinical and Translational Science Institute
Integrated Pilot Grant Award Program



The Boston University Clinical and Transitional Science Institute
04/15/2020 - 03/31/2025 (Key Person)
PI: Megan H. Bair-Merritt, MD, MSCE
NIH/National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences
5UL1TR001430-09


Association of maternal, fetal and placental biomarkers with neonatal neuroimaging and development following in-utero opioid exposure
09/01/2023 - 08/31/2026 (PI)
National Institutes of Health/DHHS/NIH
1R01HD113143-01

Account: Neonatal Withdrawal Assessment Tool: Validation of a Novel Tool for Neonatal Sedation and Withdrawal Management
07/01/2023 - 06/30/2026 (PI)
Gerber Foundation


The National Drug Abuse Clinical Trials Network: New England Consortium Node CTN-0080 / Medication Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder in Expectant Mothers (MOMS)
06/01/2020 - 02/28/2026 (Subcontract PI)
PI: Elisha M. Wachman, MD
Yale University School of Medicine NIH NIDA

Component A; Opioid Use Disorder in Pregnancy and Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome Longitudinal Surveillance Project
09/30/2023 - 09/29/2025 (PI)
National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities/CDC/DHHS

Perinatal-Neonatal Quality Improvement Network (PNQIN)
03/01/2023 - 06/30/2025 (PI)
Massachusetts Dept. of Public Health / DPH


IMPROVE: PRoMOTE
03/01/2024 - 02/28/2025 (Subcontract PI)
PI: Elisha M. Wachman, MD
University of Cincinnati NIH NIDA
5UG1DA013732-25

Ohio Valley Node-Network (OVNN) of the NIDA Clinical Trials Network-CTN 080 (Boston Medical SOW)
03/01/2024 - 02/28/2025 (Subcontract PI)
PI: Elisha M. Wachman, MD
University of Cincinnati NIH NIDA
3UG1DA013732-25

Effects of prenatal opioid exposure on placental DNA methylation and expression
03/01/2022 - 02/28/2025 (PI)
March of Dimes


MATernaL and Infant NetworK to Understand Outcomes Associated with Treatment for Opioid…
03/01/2020 - 07/31/2024 (Subcontract PI)
PI: Elisha M. Wachman, MD
Task Force for Global Health HHS CDC


Safety, Efficacy, Pharmacokinetics, and Pharmacogenomics of Extended-Release Naltrexone in Pregnant Women - Administrative Supplement
06/01/2022 - 05/31/2024 (PI)
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development/NIH/DHHS


Showing 10 of 14 results. Show All Results

Title


Yr Title Project-Sub Proj Pubs
2023 Association of maternal, fetal and placental biomarkers with neonatal neuroimaging and development following in-utero opioid exposure 1R01HD113143-01
2022 Safety, Efficacy, Pharmacokinetics, and Pharmacogenomics of Extended-Release Naltrexone in Pregnant Women - Administrative Supplement 3R01HD096798-05S1
2022 Safety, pharmacokinetics and efficacy of extended-release naltrexone in pregnant women with opioid use disorder 5R01HD096798-05
2021 Safety, pharmacokinetics and efficacy of extended-release naltrexone in pregnant women with opioid use disorder 5R01HD096798-04 1
2020 Safety, pharmacokinetics and efficacy of extended-release naltrexone in pregnant women with opioid use disorder 5R01HD096798-03 1
2019 Safety, pharmacokinetics and efficacy of extended-release naltrexone in pregnant women with opioid use disorder 5R01HD096798-02 1
2018 Safety, pharmacokinetics and efficacy of extended-release naltrexone in pregnant women with opioid use disorder 1R01HD096798-01 1

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. Sousa A, Besong OTO, Wachman EM, Taglauer ES, Beane JE, Kefella Y, Koo JS, Saia K, Jones HE, Zhang H. Placental transcriptome analysis in opioid-exposed versus non-opioid exposed pregnancies. Placenta. 2025 Mar 25; 162:27-34.View Related Profiles. PMID: 39983471; PMCID: PMC11908891; DOI: 10.1016/j.placenta.2025.02.012;
      Article has an altmetric score of 3
  2. Parker MG, Rice F, Peguero C, Evans A, Schiff DM, Colvin B, Friedman H, Harer K, Kerr SM, Corwin MJ, Heeren TC, Colson ER, Wachman EM. Use of Practices to Reduce of Sudden Unexpected Infant Death among Caregivers of Opioid Exposed Newborns. J Addict Med. 2024 Dec 31.View Related Profiles. PMID: 39787446
     
  3. Tran EL, Dorsey AN, Miele K, Gilboa SM, Gosdin L, Terplan M, Sanjuan PM, Seligman NS, Wright T, Wachman EM, Smid M, Henninger M, Leeman L, Schneider PD, Rood K, Louis JM, Caveglia S, Davidson A, Shakib J, Shrestha H, Meaney-Delman DM, Kim SY. Patterns of Medication for Opioid Use Disorder During Pregnancy, 7 Clinical Sites, MATernaL and Infant clinical NetworK (MAT-LINK), 2014-2021. J Addict Med. 2025 Mar-Apr 01; 19(2):208-215. PMID: 39665432; PMCID: PMC11903160; DOI: 10.1097/ADM.0000000000001426;
     
  4. Board A, Vivolo-Kantor A, Kim SY, Tran EL, Thomas SA, Terplan M, Smid MC, Sanjuan PM, Wright T, Davidson A, Wachman EM, Rood KM, Morse D, Chu E, Miele K. Using ICD Codes Alone May Misclassify Overdoses Among Perinatal People. Am J Prev Med. 2025 Mar; 68(3):563-570. PMID: 39645154; PMCID: PMC11897912; DOI: 10.1016/j.amepre.2024.12.001;
     
  5. Epstein RL, Kurnellas A, Munroe S, Curtis MR, Biondi B, Wachman EM. Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Testing of Hepatitis C Virus-Exposed Children Across the United States. J Pediatric Infect Dis Soc. 2024 Nov 21; 13(Supplement_5):S159-S165.View Related Profiles. PMID: 39171788; PMCID: PMC11886565; DOI: 10.1093/jpids/piae082;
     
  6. Vernovsky S, Herning A, Wachman EM. The role of genetics in neonatal abstinence syndrome. Semin Perinatol. 2025 Feb; 49(1):152006.View Related Profiles. PMID: 39613584
      Article has an altmetric score of 4
  7. Wingfield KK, Misic T, Miracle SA, McDermott CS, Jain K, Abney NM, Richardson KT, Rubman MB, Beierle JA, Wachman EM, Bryant CD. The acoustic properties, syllable structure, and syllable sequences of ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) during neonatal opioid withdrawal in FVB/N mouse substrains. bioRxiv. 2024 Nov 07.View Related Profiles. PMID: 39574631; PMCID: PMC11580921; DOI: 10.1101/2024.11.06.622304;
      Article has an altmetric score of 3
  8. Wachman EM, Friedman H. Is Now the Time for Clonidine as a First-Line Agent for Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome? Pediatrics. 2024 Nov 01; 154(5). PMID: 39403055
      Article has an altmetric score of 12
  9. Wingfield KK, Misic T, Jain K, McDermott CS, Abney NM, Richardson KT, Rubman MB, Beierle JA, Miracle SA, Sandago EJ, Baskin BM, Lynch WB, Borrelli KN, Yao EJ, Wachman EM, Bryant CD. The ultrasonic vocalization (USV) syllable profile during neonatal opioid withdrawal and a kappa opioid receptor component to increased USV emissions in female mice. Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2025 Feb; 242(2):427-447.View Related Profiles. PMID: 39348003; PMCID: PMC11775077; DOI: 10.1007/s00213-024-06694-7;
      Article has an altmetric score of 6
  10. Winhusen TJ, Kropp F, Greenfield SF, Krans EE, Lewis D, Martin PR, Gordon AJ, Davies TH, Wachman EM, Douaihy A, Parker K, Xin X, Jalali A, Lofwall MR. Trauma Prevalence and Its Association With Health-related Quality of Life in Pregnant Persons With Opioid Use Disorder. J Addict Med. 2025 Jan-Feb 01; 19(1):20-25. PMID: 39105509; PMCID: PMC11950826; DOI: 10.1097/ADM.0000000000001366;
      Article has an altmetric score of 1
Showing 10 of 98 results. Show More

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

Bar chart showing 98 publications over 15 distinct years, with a maximum of 17 publications in 2024

YearPublications
20102
20111
20131
20142
20153
20164
20174
20189
20198
202010
202112
20229
202315
202417
20251

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Clonidine Comparable to Morphine for Infants With Opioid Withdrawal

Medpage Today 10/15/2024

Can New Medication Styles for Opioid Addiction Prevent Relapse in New Parents?

HealthCity 9/22/2022

COVID-19 infection during pregnancy causes high inflammation in newborns, study says

Study Finds 4/28/2022

Study shows how inflammation from COVID-19 during pregnancy could impact long-term infant health

News Medical 4/26/2022

Researchers discover how the placenta may be blocking SARS-CoV-2 transmission to babies during pregnancy

Medical Xpress 1/31/2022

Mandatory Reporting Law Is Harmful for Pregnant People with Substance Use Disorder

HealthCity 6/29/2021

Pregnant people infected with SARS-CoV-2 appear to be at higher risk of developing severe cases of COVID-19 than infected people who are not pregnant.

Technology.org 1/5/2021

Human Fetuses Can Contract SARS-CoV-2, but It’s Rare

The Scientist 1/1/2021

Researchers Identify Proteins That Prevent COVID-19 Transmission Through the Placenta

HealthCity 9/15/2020

Implementing Eat, Sleep, Console Model Improves Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome Outcomes

HealthCity 9/2/2020

Pilot Study: Treating Opioid Use Disorder with Naltrexone During Pregnancy Shows Promise

MultiBrief Exclusive 9/19/2019

Using Naltrexone During Pregnancy Can Benefit Infants, Moms

The Fix 8/21/2019

BMC: Naltrexone Promising Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder During Pregnancy

Essential Hospitals 8/14/2019

Naltrexone May Offer Advantages Over Buprenorphine to Treat Opioid Use Disorder During Pregnancy

HealthCity 8/13/2019

Promotion to Associate Professor for 18 Medical Campus Faculty

BU Today 6/14/2019

‘Hugs Not Drugs’ for Opioid-Dependent Newborns

MedPage Today 4/30/2019

To The Moon And Back, SENSE Host Newborne Substance Abuse Event

Wicked Local Carve 4/23/2019

Buprenorphine Optimal Treatment For Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome

Healio 2/2/2019

Buprenorphine May Best Morphine for Treating NAS

MedPage Today 1/22/2019

‘I Know I Can Do It’: New Hampshire Moms In Recovery Learn New Methods Of Supporting Babies

The Boston Globe 10/15/2018

Amid opioid crisis, treatment for dependent infants evolves

The Columbian 8/27/2018

Babies Born Dependent On Opioids Need Touch, Not Tech

WBUR 8/16/2018

2021 Boston Combined Residency Program in Pediatrics: Jerome Klein Teaching Excellence Award
2018 America's Essential Hospitals Gage Award
In addition to these self-described keywords below, a list of MeSH based concepts is available here.

Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome
Substance Use Disorders

I am a Professor of Pediatrics and Vice Chair for Research in the Department of Pediatrics at BMC. My research expertise is in substance use disorders in pregnancy and neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome, with most of my work focused on clinical and translational research.

Available to Mentor as: (Review Mentor Role Definitions):
  • Advisor
  • Career Mentor
  • Co-Mentor or Peer Mentor
  • Project Mentor
  • Research / Scholarly Mentor
Contact for Mentoring:
  • Email (see 'Contact Info')

801 Albany Street, Room 2003
Boston MA 02119
Google Map

617.414.3690
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