Daniel R Brooks, DSc
Associate Professor, Epidemiology - Boston University School of Public Health
Biography
Dr. Brooks' current primary area of research focuses on the causes of an epidemic of chronic kidney disease of undetermined etiology (CKDu) that primarily affects poorer male manual laborers in Central America and other regions. Since 2009, he has led an international team of researchers with most of the work conducted in Nicaragua (http://www.bu.edu/sph/research/research-landing-page/research-group-for-the-study-of-chronic-kidney-disease-in-central-america/). The research is informed by a lifecourse approach, focusing on occupational risks and early life exposures, as well as genetic susceptibility that might potentiate environmental exposures. Suspected environmental factors under investigation include heat stress and dehydration, agrichemicals, infectious agents, metals, and medications with potential for kidney toxicity. Dr. Brooks also is co-chair of the Consortium on the Epidemic of Nephropathy in Central America and Mexico (CENCAM), an organization of researchers, clinicians, and public health professionals from more than a dozen countries whose mission is to contribute to knowledge generation and to promote and facilitate activities and policies to reduce CKDu occurrence in the affected countries.
Dr. Brooks also chairs the Anti-Racism Committee of the Epidemiology Department and is a member of the Research Committee of the Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH). He was previously a member of the Epidemiology Doctoral Committee and the instructor for a doctoral-level seminar on issues of study design, for which he received several teaching awards. Prior to joining the faculty at BUSPH, Dr. Brooks spent more than 10 years at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, first as Research Director for the Occupational Health Surveillance Program and then as Director of the Health Survey Program, where he directed all aspects of the Massachusetts Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS).
Other Positions
- Member, BU-BMC Cancer Center - Boston University
- Member, Evans Center for Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research - Boston University
- Member, Genome Science Institute - Boston University
Education
- Boston University, DSc Field of Study: Epidemiology
- Boston University, MPH Field of Study: Epidemiology
- University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, BA Field of Study: American Studies
Websites
Publications
- Published on 4/18/2024
Raines NH, Leone DA, Amador JJ, Lopez-Pilarte D, Ramírez-Rubio O, Delgado IS, Francey LJ, Leibler JH, Asara JM, Scammell MK, Parikh SM, Brooks DR, Friedman DJ. Derangement in Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide Metabolism is Observed During Acute Kidney Injury Among Male Agricultural Workers at Risk for Mesoamerican Nephropathy. Kidney Int Rep. 2024 Jul; 9(7):2250-2259. PMID: 39081728.
Read At: PubMed
- Published on 12/5/2023
Delgado IS, Outterson A, Ramesh V, Amador Sanchez AG, Boza AC, Lopez-Pilarte D, Amador Velázquez JJ, Friedman DJ, Brooks DR, Scammell MK, Wang C. Ethical considerations for genetic research in low-income countries: perceptions of informed consent, data sharing, and expectations in Nicaragua. Eur J Hum Genet. 2023 Dec 05. PMID: 38052907.
Read At: PubMed
- Published on 8/29/2023
Thomas G, Dooley D, van Es E, Johnna Murphy, MPH, Grays-Thomas G, Fields K, Larkin D, Kerins L, Mackin M, Shen N, Ayanian H, Andrade C, Blodgett J, Chen, Jones M, Kane J, Stevens L, Brooks DR. Unhoused and Uncounted: Highlights from the Boston Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Survey Among Unhoused Bostonians. Boston Public Health Commission. Boston. 2023.
- Published on 4/17/2023
Hall SM, Raines NH, Ramirez-Rubio O, Amador JJ, López-Pilarte D, O'Callaghan-Gordo C, Gil-Redondo R, Embade N, Millet O, Peng X, Vences S, Keogh SA, Delgado IS, Friedman DJ, Brooks DR, Leibler JH. Urinary Metabolomic Profile of Youth at Risk of Chronic Kidney Disease in Nicaragua. Kidney360. 2023 Jul 01; 4(7):899-908. PMID: 37068179.
Read At: PubMed
- Published on 4/12/2023
Petropoulos ZE, Keogh SA, Jarquín E, López-Pilarte D, Amador Velázquez JJ, García-Trabanino R, Amador Sánchez MR, Guevara R, Gruener A, Allen DR, Leibler JH, Delgado IS, McClean MD, Friedman DJ, Brooks DR, Scammell MK. Heat stress and heat strain among outdoor workers in El Salvador and Nicaragua. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol. 2023 Jul; 33(4):622-630. PMID: 37041408.
Read At: PubMed
- Published on 2/1/2023
Dally M, Amador JJ, Butler-Dawson J, Lopez-Pilarte D, Gero A, Krisher L, Cruz A, Pilloni D, Kupferman J, Friedman DJ, Griffin BR, Newman LS, Brooks DR. Point-of-Care Testing in Chronic Kidney Disease of Non-Traditional Origin: Considerations for Clinical, Epidemiological, and Health Surveillance Research and Practice. Ann Glob Health. 2023; 89(1):7. PMID: 36789382.
Read At: PubMed
- Published on 11/9/2022
Leibler JH, Keogh SA, Jarquín E, Garcia-Trabanino R, Velázquez JJA, Pilarte DL, Beltran M, Delgado IS, Petropoulos ZE, Friedman DJ, Brooks DR, Scammell MK. COVID-19 and CKD: Employment, Food Security and Healthcare in El Salvador. Ann Glob Health. 2022; 88(1):101. PMID: 36415326.
Read At: PubMed
- Published on 10/31/2022
Raines NH, Inker LA, Seegmiller JC, Brooks DR, Gonzalez-Quiroz M, Friedman DJ. Estimated Versus Measured Glomerular Filtration Rate in Men at Risk for Mesoamerican Nephropathy. Am J Kidney Dis. 2023 Mar; 81(3):370-373. PMID: 36328101.
Read At: PubMed
- Published on 8/12/2022
Harlow AF, Stokes AC, Brooks DR, Benjamin EJ, Leventhal AM, McConnell RS, Barrington-Trimis JL, Ross CS. Prospective association between e-cigarette use frequency patterns and cigarette smoking abstinence among adult cigarette smokers in the United States. Addiction. 2022 Dec; 117(12):3129-3139. PMID: 35913015.
Read At: PubMed
- Published on 7/7/2022
Keogh SA, Leibler JH, Sennett Decker CM, Amador Velázquez JJ, Jarquin ER, Lopez-Pilarte D, Garcia-Trabanino R, Delgado IS, Petropoulos ZE, Friedman DJ, Amador Sánchez MR, Guevara R, McClean MD, Brooks DR, Scammell MK. High prevalence of chronic kidney disease of unknown etiology among workers in the Mesoamerican Nephropathy Occupational Study. BMC Nephrol. 2022 07 07; 23(1):238. PMID: 35794550.
Read At: PubMed
View 121 more publications:View Full Profile at BUMC
News & In the Media
- Published on February 28, 2020
- Published on March 18, 2019
-
Published on March 15, 2019
Central American Kidney Disease Epidemic Linked to Occupational Heat Exposure
-
Published on March 14, 2019
Central American Kidney Disease Epidemic Linked to Occupational Heat Exposure
-
Published on August 3, 2018
White and Higher-Income Smokers More Likely to Switch to Vaping
-
Published on July 3, 2017
Continuing Search for Causes of Kidney Disease in Central America
-
Published on February 17, 2016
Public Housing Smoking Ban Presents an Opportunity to Improve Health
- Published on November 4, 2015
- Published on October 7, 2015
-
Published on September 17, 2015
Kidney Damage Found in Adolescents in High-Risk Regions of Nicaragua
-
Published on February 2, 2015
Study Finds Occupational Link in Kidney Disease Epidemic among Sugarcane Workers