
Megan B. Cole Brahim, PhD
Assistant Professor, Health Law, Policy & Management - Boston University School of Public Health
Biography
Dr. Cole is a Peter Paul Professor in the Department of Health Law, Policy, and Management and co-director of the BU Medicaid Policy Lab. She is a health services researcher whose work uses econometric methods to study the effects of Medicaid policy and care delivery models on Medicaid and other low-income, safety-net populations, especially those served by federally qualified health centers (FQHCs). She is particularly interested in how state- and federal-level health policy affects insurance coverage, quality of care, access to care, and racial equity of care for these populations. Most of this work leverages large datasets, including national Medicaid claims data; All Payer Claims Data; Electronic Health Record data; and national and statewide patient survey data.
Recent and ongoing work includes: Examining the impact of Medicaid expansion on coverage, quality of care, access to care, and equity within low-income populations, especially those served by community health centers; Understanding organizational and policy drivers of quality, access, and equity within community health centers and other safety-net providers; Evaluating how Medicaid Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) affect quality of care and address social needs; Understanding the role of under-insurance (e.g., high deductible health plans) in access to care for low-income, racial/ethnic minority, and other marginalized populations; Evaluating the impact of integrating behavioral health into pediatric primary care among Medicaid-enrolled children at community health centers; and Evaluating how rapid adoption of telehealth across FQHCs during COVID-19 may mitigate, or exacerbate, disparities in quality of care among Medicaid-enrollees served by FQHCs.
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 issues relating to Medicaid policy and implementation of the Affordable Care Act. Her work has been covered by outlets including the New York Times, the Washington Post, NPR, Vox, US News & World Report, 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
- SPHPM932
Publications
- Published on 6/4/2022
Skinner A, Flannery K, Nocka K, Bor J, Dean LT, Jay J, Lipson SK, Cole MB, Benfer EA, Scheckman R, Raderman W, Jones DK, Raifman J. A database of US state policies to mitigate COVID-19 and its economic consequences. BMC Public Health. 2022 Jun 04; 22(1):1124. PMID: 35659285.
Read At: PubMed
- Published on 4/1/2022
Ellison J, Cole MB, Thompson TA. Association of Telehealth Reimbursement Parity With Contraceptive Visits During the COVID-19 Pandemic. JAMA Netw Open. 2022 Apr 01; 5(4):e226732. PMID: 35404462.
Read At: PubMed
- Published on 3/14/2022
Lin MY, Kim J, Sheldrick RC, Bair-Merritt MH, Durham MP, Feinberg E, Cole MB. Five-Year Trends in Pediatric Mental Health Emergency Department Visits in Massachusetts: A Population-Based Cohort Study. J Pediatr. 2022 Mar 14. PMID: 35301021.
Read At: PubMed
- Published on 3/1/2022
Sheldrick RC, Carter AS, Eisenhower A, Mackie TI, Cole MB, Hoch N, Brunt S, Pedraza FM. Effectiveness of Screening in Early Intervention Settings to Improve Diagnosis of Autism and Reduce Health Disparities. JAMA Pediatr. 2022 Mar 01; 176(3):262-269. PMID: 34982099.
Read At: PubMed
- Published on 2/8/2022
Cole MB, Nguyen KH, Byhoff E, Murray GF. Screening for Social Risk at Federally Qualified Health Centers: A National Study. Am J Prev Med. 2022 May; 62(5):670-678. PMID: 35459451.
Read At: PubMed
- Published on 2/6/2022
Cole MB, Nguyen KH, Byhoff E, Murray G. Screening for Social Risk Factors at Federally Qualified Health Centers: A National Study. Am J Prev Med. 2022.
Read At: Custom
- Published on 1/4/2022
Cole MB, Raifman JR, Assoumou SA, Kim JH. Assessment of Administration and Receipt of COVID-19 Vaccines by Race and Ethnicity in US Federally Qualified Health Centers. JAMA Netw Open. 2022 01 04; 5(1):e2142698. PMID: 35006248.
Read At: PubMed
- Published on 9/10/2021
Cole MB, Kim JH, Levengood TW, Trivedi AN. Association of Medicaid Expansion With 5-Year Changes in Hypertension and Diabetes Outcomes at Federally Qualified Health Centers. JAMA Health Forum. 2021; 2(9):e212375.
Read At: Custom
- Published on 4/1/2021
Ellison J, Cole MB, Hanchate AD, Kazis L, Lindsay S. Nonindicated pelvic examinations during contraceptive encounters: Prevalence and provider variations. Contraception. 2021; 103(4):239-245.
- Published on 3/1/2021
Nguyen KH, Trivedi AN, Cole MB. Receipt of Social Needs Assistance and Health Center Patient Experience of Care. Am J Prev Med. 2021; 60(3):e139-e147.
View 30 more publications:View Full Profile at BUMC
News & In the Media
- Published on February 24, 2022
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Published on January 19, 2022
Federal Health Centers Administer Most COVID-19 Vaccines to Minorities
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Published on January 12, 2022
Health Centers Are Improving COVID-19 Vaccine Equity among People of Color
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Published on January 10, 2022
Health Centers Are Improving COVID-19 Vaccine Equity among People of Color
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Published on September 21, 2021
Medicaid Expansion Improves Hypertension and Diabetes Control
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Published on September 14, 2021
Obamacare’s Medicaid Expansion Helped Americans’ Blood Pressure
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Published on September 10, 2021
Medicaid Expansion Tied to Improvements in Blood Pressure, Glucose Control
- Published on September 10, 2021
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Published on April 30, 2021
BU Medicaid Policy Lab Advances Research with a Health Equity Focus
- Published on March 16, 2021
- Published on March 15, 2021
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Published on March 8, 2021
Expanding Health Coverage Is Good. But We Also Need to Fix Stingy Plans.
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Published on March 5, 2021
State Juggles Vaccine Distribution as Fewer Online Slots Frustrate Eligible Residents
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Published on February 18, 2021
New BU Lab Studies Medicaid, Where Racism, Poverty, and COVID-19 Meet
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Published on January 28, 2021
Professor Awarded $720K to Evaluate an Equity-Focused Telehealth Model
- Published on November 4, 2020
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Published on August 10, 2020
Here’s Four Reasons Why Your Health Insurance Will Go Up in 2021
- Published on July 1, 2020
- Published on June 30, 2020
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Published on June 26, 2020
High-Deductible Health Plans May Increase Racial Inequities, Study Finds
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Published on June 26, 2020
High-Deductible Health Plans Disproportionately Hurting Black Cancer Survivors
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Published on June 24, 2020
High Deductible Health Plans Are Widening Racial Health Gaps
- Published on June 4, 2020
- Published on June 3, 2020
- Published on November 19, 2019
- Published on April 12, 2019
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Published on April 10, 2019
As They Age, People Living with HIV Getting Other Chronic Conditions
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Published on September 13, 2018
2018-2019 Career Development Awards Honor Eight Junior Faculty
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Published on June 12, 2018
Medicaid Expansion Improves Care Quality, Increases Volume, Studies Show
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Published on June 5, 2018
Medicaid Expansion Increases Volume and Quality of Care in Rural Areas
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Published on June 5, 2018
Medicaid Expansion Increases Volume and Quality of Care in Rural Areas
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Published on April 3, 2018
Community Health Centers Minimize Health Disparities, But No Evidence of Recent Change
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Published on February 9, 2018
‘Disruptive’ New Healthcare Company: The Devil Will Be in the Details