Brooke Nichols
Profiles

Brooke Nichols

Associate Professor, Global Health - Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine

(617) 414-1260
brooken@bu.edu
Crosstown Center
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Biography

Brooke Nichols, PhD, MSc, is an infectious disease mathematical modeller and health economist specializing in transmission dynamics, implementation modeling, and optimal resource allocation for pathogens including HIV, tuberculosis, SARS-CoV-2, and other pathogens of pandemic potential. Her work seeks to minimize the health and economic impact of infectious diseases through innovative quantitative approaches.

Dr. Nichols leads a multi-continental research team of quantitative scientists and modellers who integrate insights from clinical science, epidemiology, health economics, and mathematical modeling to develop actionable, evidence-based strategies. Her team advances novel quantitative methods and adapts existing frameworks to design cost-effective, scalable interventions aimed at reducing transmission, morbidity, and mortality. Their work has significantly influenced national and global health policies across critical public health domains. This includes contributing to evidence to normative guidance on HIV prevention and care (e.g., optimizing pre-exposure prophylaxis, scaling up HIV self-testing, improving viral load monitoring, and enhancing differentiated service delivery models), informing global strategies for the optimal use of diagnostics during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic (spanning mitigation, treatment, and surveillance), and guiding the development of World Health Organization’s Target Product Profiles (TPPs) for innovative diagnostics.

Education

  • Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam, PhD Field of Study: Public Health
  • University of Massachusetts Amherst, MS Field of Study: Epidemiology
  • Mount Holyoke College, BA Field of Study: International Relations

Websites

Classes Taught

  • SPHEP911
  • SPHPH867

Publications

  • Published on 1/13/2026

    de Jong SPJ, Nichols BE, de Ruijter A, Parker E, Mitesser V, Happi C, de Jong MD, Han AX, Russell CA. Global solidarity in genomic surveillance improves early detection of acute respiratory virus threats. Nat Commun. 2026 Jan 13. PMID: 41530129.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 12/29/2025

    Ockhuisen T, de Nooy A, Girdwood S, Hansen MA, Kohli M, Ruhwald M, Ismail N, Nichols BE. Cost and impact of decentralized tuberculosis testing: a modeling analysis of price thresholds for molecular instruments in high-burden settings. EClinicalMedicine. 2026 Jan; 91:103728. PMID: 41542226.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 10/29/2025

    Chevalier JM, Hansen MA, Grantz KH, Gleeson B, Blumel B, Chuchu V, Khan S, Sigwebela N, Chimhini G, Fitzgerald F, Ferreyra C, Nichols BE. Potential Health and Cost Impacts of a Point-of-Care Test for Neonatal Sepsis and Possible Serious Bacterial Infections in Infants: A Modeling Analysis in Two Settings. Open Forum Infect Dis. 2025 Nov; 12(11):ofaf652. PMID: 41216423.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 10/1/2025

    de Nooy A, Miller C, Ockhuisen T, Falzon D, Korobitsyn A, Ruhwald M, Ismail N, Kohli M, Nichols BE. Guiding the development of the tuberculosis screening target product profile using single-screen and multi-screen approaches: a modelling study. Lancet Glob Health. 2025 Oct; 13(10):e1750-e1760. PMID: 40975082.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 9/25/2025

    Boer NA, Emperador DM, Eckerle I, Agogo E, Nichols BE. Evaluating the impact of trade-offs in diagnostic test accuracy, time-to-isolation, and accessibility on outbreak response for the Ebola virus: a mathematical modeling study. BMC Infect Dis. 2025 Sep 25; 25(1):1122. PMID: 40999340.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 9/10/2025

    Masuku SD, Nattey C, Coetzee L, Hirasen K, Mabhula A, Casalme DJ, Gler MT, Gupta A, Juneja S, Ndjeka N, Evans D, Nichols BE. An economic analysis of BPaL for multidrug-resistant TB in South Africa and the Philippines. IJTLD Open. 2025 Sep; 2(9):535-541. PMID: 40959787.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 9/8/2025

    de Nooy A, Omar SV, Ockhuisen T, Zwerling A, Shrestha S, Suresh A, Khan S, Colman RE, Uplekar S, Rodwell TC, Ismail N, Grantz K, Girdwood S, Nichols BE. Cost-effectiveness of Targeted Next Generation Sequencing for TB drug-resistance testing as an alternative to the standard of care in South Africa. Clin Infect Dis. 2025 Sep 08. PMID: 40920587.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 8/26/2025

    Huber AN, Jamieson L, Fox MP, Manganye M, Malala L, Chidarikire T, Khoza N, Nichols BE, Rosen S, Pascoe S. Evaluating the impact of differentiated service delivery (DSD) on retention in care and HIV viral suppression in South Africa: A target trial emulation using routine healthcare data. PLoS Med. 2025 Aug; 22(8):e1004489. PMID: 40857347.

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  • Published on 8/21/2025

    Bezuidenhout C, Long L, Nichols B, Meyer-Rath G, Fox MP, Olifant S, Theron G, Fiphaza K, Pieruccini M, Ruhwald M, Penn-Nicholson A, Fourie B, Medina-Marino A. Using sputum and tongue swab specimens for in-home point-of-care targeted universal testing for tuberculosis of household contacts: an acceptability and feasibility analysis. BMJ Glob Health. 2025 Aug 21; 10(8). PMID: 40840972.

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  • Published on 8/11/2025

    Benade M, Maskew M, Chilembo P, Wa Mwansa M, Savory T, Nichols B, Bolton C, Mulenga LB, Sivile S, Zyambo KD, Rosen S. Patterns of engagement in care during clients' first 12 months after HIV treatment initiation in Zambia: a retrospective cohort analysis using routinely collected data. BMJ Glob Health. 2025 Aug 11; 10(8). PMID: 40789714.

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