Timothy Callaghan
Profiles

Timothy Callaghan, PhD

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

617-358-2256
timcal@bu.edu
Talbot (T Bldg)
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Biography

Timothy Callaghan is an Associate Professor of health policy and politics in the Department of Health Law, Policy, and Management at the Boston University School of Public Health. His research focuses on how politics, policy, and place work together to influence health in America. He has conducted extensive research on individual health attitudes and behaviors, with a particular emphasis on understanding and overcoming vaccine hesitancy. He has also carried out considerable research studying public experiences with Medicaid, substance abuse, and the 988 mental health lifeline. Dr. Callaghan also regularly studies health access and outcomes for vulnerable populations, with a particular emphasis on studying rural health.

Dr. Callaghan is the Co-Director of The Politics and Health Lab at Boston University. He also previously served as Chair of the Health Politics and Policy Section of the American Political Science Association. Dr. Callaghan has won several awards in his field including the David Kline Jones Distinguished Scholar Award, the Atlas Award for his research on vaccine hesitancy, the Leonard S. Robins Award for his research on public attitudes about the opioid epidemic, the Deil S. Wright award for his research on federalism and the Affordable Care Act, and the Journal of Rural Health Article of the Year Award for his work on COVID-19 in rural areas.

Education

  • University of Minnesota at Twin Cities, PhD Field of Study: Political Science
  • University of Minnesota at Twin Cities, MA Field of Study: Political Science
  • University of Connecticut, BA Field of Study: Political Science/Molecular Biology
  • University of Connecticut, BS Field of Study: Biological Sciences

Websites

Classes Taught

  • SPHPH719
  • SPHPM840
  • SPHPM931

Publications

  • Published on 2/11/2025

    Motta M, Callaghan T, Padmanabhan M, Ross JC, Gargano LM, Bowman S, Yokum D. Identifying and mitigating the public health consequences of meta-ignorance about "Long COVID" risks. Public Health. 2025 Apr; 241:19-23. PMID: 39938278.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 11/19/2024

    Motta M, Callaghan T, Padmanabhan M, Ross J, Gargano LM, Bowman S, Yokum D. Quantifying the prevalence and determinants of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine hesitancy in US adults aged 60 or older. Public Health. 2025 Jan; 238:3-6. PMID: 39566218.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 11/12/2024

    Lockman A, Callaghan T, Blackburn CC, Colwell B. Vaccine spillover effects in Africa: A cross-national study of vaccine spillover and confidence in Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa. Vaccine. 2025 Jan 01; 43(Pt 2):126528. PMID: 39536475.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 11/10/2024

    Regan AK, Couture MC, Callaghan T, Agnew B, Baker J, Arah OA. Modification and validation of a vaccine hesitancy scale for adolescent COVID-19 vaccination. Vaccine. 2025 Jan 01; 43(Pt 1):126495. PMID: 39527888.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 10/16/2024

    Nuzhath T, Colwell B, Callaghan T, Hotez P, Mousum S, Masud UW, Regan AK. Pediatric COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among pregnant and post-partum women: A mixed-method study. Vaccine. 2024 Dec 02; 42(26):126420. PMID: 39418689.

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

    Callaghan, T. . Book Review: Pandemic Politics: The Deadly Toll of Partisanship in the Age of COVID. Journal of Health Politics, Policy, and Law. 2024; 49(4):665-671.
  • Published on 6/1/2024

    Callaghan T, Ferdinand AO, Motta M, Lockman A, Shrestha A, Trujillo KL. Public Attitudes, Inequities, and Polarization in the Launch of the 988 Lifeline. J Health Polit Policy Law. 2024 Jun 01; 49(3):473-493. PMID: 37987198.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 5/16/2024

    Pacheco J, Gollust SE, Callaghan T, Motta M. A Call for Measuring Partisanship in US Public Health Research. Am J Public Health. 2024 Aug; 114(8):772-776. PMID: 38754062.

     Read At: PubMed
  • Published on 2/10/2024

    Carpiano RM, Callahan T, Elharake JA, Hotez P. Vaccination and the defence of democracy - Authors' reply. Lancet. 2024 Feb 10; 403(10426):529-530. PMID: 38341249.

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

    Kirby Goidel, Timothy Callaghan, Tasmiah Nuzhath, Julia Scobee, David Washburn, and Matthew Motta. Professional Partisans? How Partisan vs. Professional Identities Influence Physicians’ Perceptions of COVID-19 Policy Response. State Politics and Policy Quarterly. 2024; 24(2):145-166.

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