Leo Martinez joined the Department of Epidemiology at Boston University in 2021. He completed his doctorate in epidemiology at the University of Georgia and a postdoctoral fellowship at Stanford University School of Medicine.

Dr. Martinez uses epidemiological and quantitative approaches to study early-life risk factors for pediatric tuberculosis in high-burden settings, tuberculosis transmission dynamics in high-risk populations (e.g., prisoners, persons living with HIV or diabetes), and the relationship between tuberculosis and non-communicable diseases.

Dr. Martinez's lab is currently working with colleagues and collaborators in South Africa, China, Brazil, Paraguay, Uganda, and the United Kingdom. We believe that collaboration across professional disciplines, backgrounds, and perspectives is the key to solving intractable health issues and the lab welcomes discussions with others working on these same health issues.

Dr. Martinez has published manuscripts in clinical and epidemiological journals such as The Lancet, The Lancet Respiratory Medicine, The Lancet Global Health, The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health, The Lancet Public Health, the American Journal of Respiratory Care & Critical Medicine, the European Respiratory Journal, JAMA Internal Medicine, Clinical Infectious Diseases, the American Journal of Epidemiology, amongst others. A list of major publications is listed below but a full list can be seen in the publications tab on this profile page.



Selected Publications:
Martinez L, Cords O, Horsburgh CR, Andrews JR, Pediatric TB Contact Studies Consortium. The risk of tuberculosis in children after close exposure: a systematic review and individual-participant meta-analysis (2020). The Lancet. 395, 973-984. (IF: 60.4)

Walter K†, Martinez L†, Arakaki-Sanchez D, Sequera G, Estigarribia G, Cohen T, Ko A, García-Basteiro A, Rueda ZV, Lopez Olarte R, Espinal M, Croda J, Andrews JR (2021). The escalating tuberculosis crisis in Central and South American prisons. The Lancet. (†Co-first). [Online Only]. (IF: 60.4)

Martinez L, Shen Y, Handel A, Chakraburty S, Stein C, Malone L, Boom WB, Quinn FD, Joloba ML, Whalen CC, Zalwango S (2018). Effectiveness of WHO’s Pragmatic Screening Algorithm for Child Contacts of Tuberculosis Cases in Resource-Constrained Settings: A Prospective Cohort Study in Uganda. The Lancet Respiratory Medicine. 6 (4), 276–286. (IF: 25.094)

Cords O†, Martinez L†, Warren J, O'Marr JM, Walter KS, Cohen T, Zheng J, Ko AI, Croda J, Andrews JR. Incidence and Prevalence of Tuberculosis in Incarcerated Populations: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis (2021). The Lancet Public Health. (†Co-first). [Online Only]. (IF: 16.292)

Liu Q, You N, Lu F, Pan H, Lu P, Wang J, Lu W, Zhu L, Martinez L (2021). Glycemic trajectories and treatment outcomes of new tuberculosis patients: a prospective study in Eastern China. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. [Online Only]. (IF: 17.452)

Martinez L, Lo N, Cords O, Hill PC, Khan P, Hatherill M, Mandalakas A, Kay A, Croda J, Horsburgh CR, Zar HJ, Andrews JR (2019). Paediatric Tuberculosis Transmission Outside the Household: Challenging Historical Paradigms to Inform Future Public Health Strategies. The Lancet Respiratory Medicine, 7 (6), 544-552. (Co-first). (IF: 25.094)

Martinez L, le Roux DM, Barnett W, Nicol MP, Zar HJ (2018). Tuberculin Skin Test Conversion and Primary Progressive Tuberculosis Disease in the First Five Years of Life: A Birth Cohort Study from Cape Town, South Africa. The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health. 2(1), 46–55. (IF: 8.5)

Liu Q, Lu P, Shen Y, Li C, Wang K, Zhu L, Lu W, Martinez L (2020). Collateral Impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic on Tuberculosis Control in Jiangsu Province, China. Clinical Infectious Diseases. [Online Only]. (IF: 9.1)

Martinez L, Sekandi JN, Castellanos ME, Zalwango S, Whalen CC (2016). Infectiousness of HIV-seropositive Patients with Tuberculosis in a High-burden African Setting. The American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. 194 (9), 1152–1163. (IF: 17.452)

Martinez L, Verma R, Croda J, Horsburgh CR, Walter KS, Degner N, Middelkoop K, Koch A, Hermans S, Warner D, Wood R, Cobelens F, Andrews JR (2019). Detection, Survival, and Infectious Potential of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in the Environment: A Review of the Evidence and Epidemiological Implications. European Respiratory Journal, 27; 53 (6). (IF: 12.2)

Martinez L, Woldu H, Chen C, Castellanos ME, Lu P, Liu Q, Whalen CC, Zhu L (2021). Transmission Dynamics in Tuberculosis Patients with Human Immunodeficiency Virus: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of 32 Observational Studies. Clinical Infectious Diseases. [Online Only]. (IF: 9.1).