Eric Rubenstein, PhD, ScM
Associate Professor
Boston University School of Public Health
Epidemiology

PhD, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
SM/ScM, Johns Hopkins University
BS, Rutgers University

Pronouns: he/him/his



Eric Rubenstein, PhD, ScM is an Associate Professor of Epidemiology at the Boston University School of Public Health. His work is focused on improving the lives of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), including Down syndrome (DS) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Epidemiology, the science of public health, is the crucial tool that can help reach the ultimate goal of improving health and well-being for the population with IDD. That work cannot be done without input and collaboration from the IDD community, which motivates and drives the work to be impactful and translatable.

Dr. Rubenstein's work covers issues that impact health and well-being across the life course for people with IDD. He is currently the PI of a National Institute for Child Health and Human Development study of pregnancy in women with IDD. He has extensive work examining phenotype and service type in children on the autism spectrum. Dr. Rubenstein uses Medicaid data to examine service use and health outcomes for people with IDD who are often served by the public insurance system.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility

Dr. Rubenstein has incorporated DEIJ initiatives into his research and teaching practice. Dr. Rubenstein co-leads research and services projects with local community organizations that serve individuals with developmental disabilities. Through a BUSPH practice innovation award, Dr. Rubenstein and Special Olympics Massachusetts have utilized MPH Practicum students to create data systems for Special Olympics Massachusetts and create a curriculum and train adults with intellectual disability in being part of a research team. After the training, a participant has joined Dr. Rubenstein’s lab and contributes as a co-author and advisor surrounding Down Syndrome related topics. Dr. Rubenstein has also partnered with LuMIND IDSC, a non-profit organization that promotes Down Syndrome research, to develop and implement a survey for caregivers of adults with Down Syndrome.

In general, Dr. Rubenstein’s work focus on improving the health and well-being surrounding a marginalized group, those with intellectual and developmental disabilities. His work focuses on documenting and improving pregnancy outcomes, identifying the intersection of childhood disability and homelessness, and health and health service use in the Medicaid system. As part of these studies, Dr. Rubenstein incorporates stakeholder feedback through community advisory boards, ensuring research is for the population rather than on it.

In teaching and advising, Dr. Rubenstein aims to ensure DEIJ through increasing accessibility in the classroom and ensuring appropriate compensation for student’s in his lab. Dr. Rubenstein is proactive in taking trainings and keeping up with the latest technology to provide an inclusive lab and classroom.


Improving pregnancy outcomes for women with intellectual and developmental disabilities in Medicaid
04/01/2023 - 01/31/2028 (PI)
NIH/National Institute of Child Health & Human Development
5R01HD109135-03

Down Syndrome: Toward Optimal Trajectories and Health Equity using Medicaid Analytic eXtract (DS -TO-THE-MAX)
09/01/2024 - 08/31/2026 (PI)
NIH/National Institute on Aging
4R01AG073179-02

Down Syndrome: Toward Optimal Trajectories and Health Equity using Medicaid Analytic eXtract (DS-TO-THE-MAX)
09/30/2021 - 08/31/2024 (PI)
NIH/National Institute on Aging
1R01AG073179-01

Pregnancy rates, risk factors, and child and mother outcomes for women with intellectual and developmental disabilities in Wisconsin
09/01/2020 - 08/31/2022 (PI)
NIH/National Institute of Child Health & Human Development
7R03HD099619-02



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.

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  1. Higgins A, Tewolde S, Page SD, Rubenstein E. The Occurrence of Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Its Association With Alzheimer Dementia in Medicaid-Enrolled Adults With Down Syndrome, 2011-2019. Am J Med Genet A. 2025 Sep 03; e64241. PMID: 40903895; PMCID: PMC12514760; DOI: 10.1002/ajmg.a.64241;
     
  2. Falgàs N, Maure-Blesa L, Ances B, Flores-Aguilar L, Hartley S, Hassenstab J, Iulita MF, Janicki M, Koenig K, Lao P, Levin J, McDade E, Meijer L, Rafii MS, Snyder HM, Sánchez-Valle R, Fortea J, Arriola Infante J, Balasa M, Barroeta I, Barthelemy R N, Bejanin A, Benejam B, Bosch B, Bradshaw A, Carmona-Iragui M, Cohen A, Comas Albertí A, Csincsik L, Cuello AC, Del Hoyo Soriano L, Dijkstra J, Edwards N, Giménez S, Gonzalez-Ortiz F, Gordon B, Gutiérrez Fernández S, Handen B, Jacob C, Johnson E, Johansson C, Lladó A, Lleó A, Morabito S, Morcillo-Nieto AO, Montoliu-Gaya L, Okafor M, Pérez-Millan A, Potier MC, Ringman J, Rodríguez-Baz Í, Rubenstein E, Ryan NS, Strydom A, Vaqué-Alcázar L, Vermunt L, Videla Toro L, Zaman S. Genetically determined Alzheimer's disease research advances: The Down Syndrome & Autosomal Dominant Alzheimer's Disease 2024 Conference. Alzheimers Dement. 2025 Jul; 21(7):e70309. PMID: 40604347; PMCID: PMC12221810; DOI: 10.1002/alz.70309;
     
  3. Rubenstein E, Santoro SL. The Value of Population-Level Data and Looking Toward the Future. Paediatr Perinat Epidemiol. 2025 Jul; 39(5):402-404. PMID: 40485551; DOI: 10.1111/ppe.70038;
     
  4. McGlinchey E, Tewolde S, He A, Fortea J, Mbakile-Mahlanza L, Tefera A, Epenge E, Hassenstab J, Jäck A, Ranchod K, El-Jaafary S, Levin J, Salama M, Rubenstein E, Akinyemi R, Akinyemi T, Farombi T, Lawlor B, Ikanga J, Ashton NJ, Stout S, Balls-Berry J, Kleinhans AV, Maina R, Merali Z. Down syndrome in Africa: Challenges, opportunities, and future directions. Alzheimers Dement. 2025 Jun; 21(6):e70388. PMID: 40538002; PMCID: PMC12179337; DOI: 10.1002/alz.70388;
     
  5. Tewolde S, Rosenberg SB, Estrada JAG, Jimenez MP, Scott A, Higgins A, Rubenstein E. Epidemiology of Alzheimer Disease and Related Dementia Among Medicare and Medicaid Enrolled Autistic Adults, 2011-2019. Autism Res. 2025 May; 18(5):1077-1086.View Related Profiles. PMID: 40166852
     
  6. Droscha LJ, Chung S, Li-Khan Z, Scott A, Rubenstein E. Perception of four intellectual and developmental disabilities based on search engine and news portrayal. PLoS One. 2025; 20(2):e0316928. PMID: 39928624; PMCID: PMC11809880; DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0316928;
     
  7. Flores-Aguilar L, Hamlett ED, Araya P, Barone E, Bhattacharyya A, Carmona-Iragui M, Chan L, Christian B, Costa ACS, Costanzo F, Del Hoyo Soriano L, Dierssen M, Eichler EE, Fisher E, Galbraith M, Ghosh S, Gimenez S, Guedj F, Guidi S, Iulita MF, Mobley W, Pelleri MC, Potier MC, Rabin KR, Rachubinski A, Rebillat AS, Rubenstein E, Saternos H, Sordo L, Strydom A, Valle-Tamayo N, Waugh KA, Yu E, Zeldich E, Busciglio J, Head E. Imagine, Discover, Inspire: Proceedings of the 4th International Conference of the Trisomy 21 Research Society. Neuromolecular Med. 2025 Jan 05; 27(1):5.View Related Profiles. PMID: 39756004; PMCID: PMC11700910; DOI: 10.1007/s12017-024-08824-y;
     
  8. Scott A, Gould R, Quidore L, Koeut-Futch K, Bock E, Kumar PS, Christensen S, Edouard A, Golden B, Rapp E, Sigelko K, Sokoloff A, Versfelt C, Rubenstein E. Stress, Anxiety and Coping in Adults With Down Syndrome: An Exploratory Co-Research Study. J Appl Res Intellect Disabil. 2025 Jan; 38(1):e13311.View Related Profiles. PMID: 39448390; PMCID: PMC12308725; DOI: 10.1111/jar.13311;
     
  9. Tewolde S, Scott A, Higgins A, Blake J, Michals A, Fox MP, Tripodis Y, Rubenstein E. Doubly Marginalized: The Interplay of Racism and Disability in Outcomes for Minoritized People With Down Syndrome. Epidemiology. 2025 Jan 01; 36(1):66-75.View Related Profiles. PMID: 39316830; PMCID: PMC12308721; DOI: 10.1097/EDE.0000000000001789;
     
  10. Rubenstein E, Tewolde S, Michals A, Weuve J, Fortea J, Fox MP, Pescador Jimenez M, Scott A, Tripodis Y, Skotko BG. Alzheimer Dementia Among Individuals With Down Syndrome. JAMA Netw Open. 2024 Sep 03; 7(9):e2435018.View Related Profiles. PMID: 39312235; PMCID: PMC11420697; DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.35018;
     
Showing 10 of 64 results. Show More

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

Bar chart showing 64 publications over 14 distinct years, with a maximum of 9 publications in 2024

YearPublications
20001
20011
20071
20101
20151
20174
20186
20198
20206
20216
20225
20237
20249
20258

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Massive RFK Jr. autism data project raises hopes and concerns

The Boston Globe 7/22/2025

Medicaid plays critical role in the health and well-being of adults with Down syndrome

News Medical 10/16/2023

Medicaid is a vital lifeline for adults with Down syndrome, study finds

Medical Xpress 10/16/2023

Co-occurring conditions in autistic teens increase with age

Spectrum News 8/8/2023

Seeking the causes of post-Covid symptoms, researchers dust off data on college students with mononucleosis

STAT 9/11/2020
In addition to these self-described keywords below, a list of MeSH based concepts is available here.

Intellectual Development Disorders
Autism Spectrum Disorder
Down Syndrome
Epidemiologic Methods
Medicaid
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