Rachel L. Epstein, MD, MScE
Assistant Professor
Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine
Medicine
Infectious Diseases

MD, Thomas Jefferson University
MSc, Boston University School of Public Health
MA, Wesleyan University
BA, Wesleyan University

Pronouns: she/her/hers



Rachel L. Epstein, MD, MScE, is a clinician-scientist working to utilize large data sets and decision modelling to inform policy and program design to improve care for individuals with Hepatitis C, HIV, and substance use, with a particular focus on pregnant women and youth.

Dr. Epstein completed combined residency training in internal medicine-pediatrics at Brown University, and worked in primary care through the Providence Community Health Centers and the Hasbro Adolescent Center before fellowship. She completed a combined adult and pediatric infectious diseases fellowship at Boston Medical Center and a T32 post-doctoral research fellowship through the Boston University Clinical HIV/AIDS Research Training Program (BU-CHART). She is an Assistant Professor in the BUSM Department of Medicine, Section of Infectious Diseases, and Department of Pediatrics, Section of Infectious Diseases and sees adult and pediatric patients living with or at risk for Hepatitis C virus, HIV, and other infectious diseases. She also serves as the Med-Peds faculty specific advisor lead for BUSM students.

Dr. Epstein's current and recent work includes projects analyzing the effects of Medicaid HCV treatment restrictions on care cascade outcome achievement, HIV prevention and medication adherence, and comparing the cost-effectiveness of HCV and OUD screening, evaluation, and treatment interventions in women of reproductive age, children, and the general population. She currently or previously works/worked with data through OCHIN, TriNetX, the BMC Datawarehouse and COVID-19 Repository, Marketscan, and the Massachusetts Public Health Datawarehouse.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility

Diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) are critical aspects of the practices of medicine and public health. We live in society which has perpetuated structural racism for centuries, and we have a significant amount of work in front of us to begin to address this.

I incorporate DEIA activities into my work by serving as the Boston Medical Center Infectious Diseases Section Racial Equity Champion, serving as an active participant and leader of our Boston Medical Center Infectious Diseases Section Racial Justice group, and in critically evaluating for racial, ethnic, and sociodemographic inequities in the research I conduct. Hepatitis C virus (HCV) and substance use disproportionately affect white non-Hispanic individuals, but black non-Hispanic individuals in multiple studies have been shown to be screened more often for HCV. Non-white individuals with HCV and substance use are also treated less frequently than white individuals. I am trying to better investigate why these differences occur and what we can do to improve equity in screening and treatment access.

I choose to work at Boston Medical Center to be able to work with an underserved and diverse population and the incredible group of colleagues here who all care about delivering ‘exceptional care without exception.’ I strive to treat each patient I see and each person I pass in the hallways with the utmost respect that everyone deserves, regardless of their background, job or abilities. I am continuously working to learn more about my own unconscious biases and how to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion within my department, my research and research team interactions, the patient care we provide, my teaching and mentoring activities, and within my everyday life.

I am committed to mentoring trainees and faculty from underrepresented groups and to researching ways to reduce inequities within infectious diseases and addiction medicine care.

Assistant Professor
Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine
Pediatrics





Perinatal care as a venue to reduce opioid overdoses and hepatitis C virus incidence (PreVenT OD HCV)
07/01/2022 - 06/30/2027 (PI)
National Institute on Drug Abuse/NIH/DHHS
5K01DA052821-02

Cost-effectiveness and Clinical Outcomes of Liver Disease Staging Evaluations in Chronic Hepatitis C Virus Infection: Strategies to Increase Hepatitis C Treatment Access and Achieve HCV Elimination
01/01/2022 - 12/31/2024 (PI)
The Patrick and Catherine Weldon Donaghue Medical Research Foundation

Postdoctoral Research Fellowship Program
12/01/2020 - 11/30/2022 (PI)
Charles A. King Trust

Medicaid State Hepatitis C Treatment Restrictions: Spillover Effects on the Care Cascade
05/01/2019 - 04/30/2021 (PI)
Weill Cornell Medical College National Institute o
2P30DA040500-06A1


Title

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. Curtis MR, Epstein RL, Pei P, Linas BP, Ciaranello AL. Cost-Effectiveness of Strategies for Treatment Timing for Perinatally Acquired Hepatitis C Virus. JAMA Pediatr. 2024 May 01; 178(5):489-496.View Related Profiles. PMID: 38466273; PMCID: PMC10928541; DOI: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2024.0114;
     
  2. Epstein RL, Buzzee B, White LF, Feld JJ, Castera L, Sterling RK, Linas BP, Taylor LE. Test characteristics for combining non-invasive liver fibrosis staging modalities in individuals with Hepatitis C virus. J Viral Hepat. 2024 Jun; 31(6):277-292.View Related Profiles. PMID: 38326950; PMCID: PMC11102317; DOI: 10.1111/jvh.13925;
     
  3. Epstein RL, Pramanick T, Baptiste D, Buzzee B, Reese PP, Linas BP, Sawinski D. A Microsimulation Study of the Cost-Effectiveness of Hepatitis C Virus Screening Frequencies in Hemodialysis Centers. J Am Soc Nephrol. 2023 Feb 01; 34(2):205-219.View Related Profiles. PMID: 36735375; PMCID: PMC10103100; DOI: 10.1681/ASN.2022030245;
     
  4. Lodi S, Klein M, Rauch A, Epstein R, Wittkop L, Logan R, Rentsch CT, Justice AC, Touloumi G, Berenguer J, Jarrin I, Egger M, Puoti M, D'Arminio Monforte A, Gill J, Salmon Ceron D, van Sighem A, Linas B, van der Valk M, Hernán MA. Sustained virological response after treatment with direct antiviral agents in individuals with HIV and hepatitis C co-infection. J Int AIDS Soc. 2022 Dec; 25(12):e26048.View Related Profiles. PMID: 36562643; PMCID: PMC9784654; DOI: 10.1002/jia2.26048;
     
  5. Barocas JA, Savinkina A, Lodi S, Epstein RL, Bouton TC, Sperring H, Hsu HE, Jacobson KR, Schechter-Perkins EM, Linas BP, White LF. Projected Long-Term Impact of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic on Hepatitis C Outcomes in the United States: A Modeling Study. Clin Infect Dis. 2022 Aug 24; 75(1):e1112-e1119.View Related Profiles. PMID: 34499124; PMCID: PMC8522427; DOI: 10.1093/cid/ciab779;
     
  6. Sperring H, Hofman M, Hsu HE, Xiao Y, Keohane EA, Lodi S, Marathe J, Epstein RL. Risk Factors for Admission Within a Hospital-Based COVID-19 Home Monitoring Program. Open Forum Infect Dis. 2022 Jul; 9(7):ofac320.View Related Profiles. PMID: 35899280; PMCID: PMC9278211; DOI: 10.1093/ofid/ofac320;
     
  7. Epstein RL, Wang J, White LF, Kapadia SN, Morgan JR, Bao Y, Linas BP. Medicaid Hepatitis C Virus Treatment Policies: Impact on Testing and Treatment in the Commercially Insured. Am J Prev Med. 2022 Sep; 63(3):e87-e98.View Related Profiles. PMID: 35725599; PMCID: PMC9676070; DOI: 10.1016/j.amepre.2022.03.010;
     
  8. Nguemeni Tiako MJ, Meinhofer A, Friedman A, South EC, Epstein RL, Meisel ZF, Morgan JR. Buprenorphine uptake during pregnancy following the 2017 guidelines update on prenatal opioid use disorder. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2022 Sep; 227(3):544-546.e1.View Related Profiles. PMID: 35613648; PMCID: PMC9420821; DOI: 10.1016/j.ajog.2022.05.041;
     
  9. O'Donnell A, Pham N, Battisti L, Epstein R, Nunes D, Sawinski D, Lodi S. Estimating the causal effect of treatment with direct-acting antivirals on kidney function among individuals with hepatitis C virus infection. PLoS One. 2022; 17(5):e0268478.View Related Profiles. PMID: 35560032; PMCID: PMC9106151; DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0268478;
     
  10. Epstein RL, Moloney C, Garfinkel J, Saia K, Wachman EM, Lodi S, Pelton SI. Enhancing Linkage to Hepatitis C Virus Treatment Following Pregnancy in Women Identified During Perinatal Care. Hepatol Commun. 2021 Sep; 5(9):1543-1554.View Related Profiles. PMID: 34510828; PMCID: PMC8435278; DOI: 10.1002/hep4.1748;
     
Showing 10 of 20 results. Show More

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

Bar chart showing 20 publications over 8 distinct years, with a maximum of 6 publications in 2022

YearPublications
20171
20181
20193
20201
20215
20226
20231
20242
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