Megan Cole Brahim
Profiles

Megan B Cole Brahim, PhD

Associate Professor, Health Law, Policy & Management - Boston University School of Public Health

(617) 358-1901
mbcole@bu.edu
Talbot
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Biography

Dr. Cole is an Associate Professor in the Department of Health Law, Policy, and Management at Boston University School of Public Health and co-director of the BU Medicaid Policy Lab. She is also co-director of research & evaluation for the TEAM UP Scaling and Sustainability Center. She is a health services researcher who uses causal inference methods to study Medicaid policies, health care delivery reforms, and health insurance, and how these things affect quality of care, access to care, and equity of care. Most of this work centers on Medicaid enrollees and other low-income, safety-net populations, especially those served by federally qualified health centers (FQHCs), with a focus on mental health, maternal health, and child health. Her work leverages large datasets, including national Medicaid claims data; All Payer Claims Data (APCD); electronic health record (EHR) data; and national and statewide patient survey data.

Dr. Cole is the Principal Investigator (PI) of national and statewide research studies that are funded by the NIH and private foundations, including two current R01 studies. Ongoing work spans the topics of Medicaid accountable care organizations (ACOs), maternity care integration within FQHCs, telehealth innovations, Medicaid eligibility expansions, mental health integration into primary care, underinsurance, and addressing unmet social needs (e.g., food insecurity, housing insecurity) of patients within health care systems.

Dr. Cole completed her PhD in Health Services Research at Brown University School of Public Health and received an MPH in Health Policy from Yale University School of Public Health. She previously worked in research consulting, where she worked with state and federal agencies on Medicaid policy and implementation of the Affordable Care Act. She currently serves as co-editor-in-chief for the Journal of Ambulatory Care Management and serves on the editorial board of Health Services Research. Her work has been covered by outlets including the New York Times, the Washington Post, NPR, Vox, US News & World Report, The Hill, and Forbes.

Education

  • Brown University, PhD Field of Study: Health Services Research
  • Yale University, MPH Field of Study: Health Administration
  • University of Massachusetts Amherst, BS Field of Study: Public Health

Websites

Classes Taught

  • SPHPM820
  • SPHPM931
  • SPHPM932

Publications

  • Published on 10/11/2024

    Nguyen KH, Cole MB. Social Risk Factors, Health Insurance Coverage, and Inequities in Access to Care. Am J Prev Med. 2025 Jan; 68(1):145-153. PMID: 39396362.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 9/1/2024

    Cole MB, Kim J, Gordon SH, Lasser KE, Ncube C, Patton E, Deen N, Carey K, Cabral H, Goldman AL, Ogden S, McCloskey L. Massachusetts Medicaid ACO Program May Have Improved Care Use And Quality For Pregnant And Postpartum Enrollees. Health Aff (Millwood). 2024 Sep; 43(9):1209-1218. PMID: 39226509.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 8/23/2024

    Kett P, Cole MB, Wright B, Frogner BK. Association of Federal COVID-19 Funding Distributions With Workforce and Capacity in Health Centers. J Ambul Care Manage. 2024 Oct-Dec 01; 47(4):258-270. PMID: 39110545.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 8/2/2024

    Levine AA, Cole MB, Michals AL, Wang N, Rubenstein E. Inequities in medicaid home- and community-based services waiver enrollment among people with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities: A nationwide claims-based analysis. Disabil Health J. 2024 Aug 02; 101676. PMID: 39097466.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 8/1/2024

    Cole MB, Wright B, Kett PM, Johnson H, Staloff J, Frogner BK. COVID-19 Federal Funding To Health Centers: Tracking Distribution, Locations, And Patient Characteristics. Health Aff (Millwood). 2024 Aug; 43(8):1190-1197. PMID: 39102596.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 8/1/2024

    Nguyen KH, Giron NC, Cole MB. National Prevalence of Social Risk Factors at Federally Qualified Health Centers. JAMA Intern Med. 2024 Aug 01; 184(8):980-982. PMID: 38884949.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 6/27/2024

    Nguyen KH, Giron NC, Cole MB. National Social Risk Factor Screening Rates Among Federally Qualified Health Center Patients. J Gen Intern Med. 2024 Oct; 39(13):2621-2624. PMID: 38937365.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 6/11/2024

    Carey K, Cole MB. Provision of Behavioral Health Services at Community Health Centers and Hospital Emergency Department Visits. Med Care. 2024 Aug 01; 62(8):538-542. PMID: 38889202.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 5/24/2024

    Special Issue: The Role of Health Systems and Community Partners in Addressing Social Needs of Patients and Communities. J Ambul Care Manage. 2024 Jul-Sep 01; 47(3):111-112. PMID: 38771170.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 5/15/2024

    Lim K, Nguyen KH, Goutos D, Shafer PR, Buitron de la Vega P, Cole MB. The Association Between Hospital-Based Food Pantry Use and Subsequent Emergency Department Utilization Among Medicaid Patients With Diabetes. J Ambul Care Manage. 2024 Jul-Sep 01; 47(3):122-133. PMID: 38744317.

     Read At: PubMed

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