Boston University School of Public Health

Dr. Ulrike Boehmer is an Assistant Professor of Social & Behavioral Sciences at Boston University School of Public Health. Dr. Boehmer received her Ph.D. in Sociology from Boston College and graduate degrees in Political Science and History from Germany. Her primary research focus is examining the social and cultural aspects of health and illness including the exploration of patients' social support resources, acknowledging that for an improved understanding of health related decision-making, the social context needs to be taken into account. For the past several years, she investigated differences in quality of life and health-related decision-making in the context of gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic status. Some of her previous research focused on treatment decision-making in prostate cancer as well as on complementary alternative medicine use among HIV/AIDS patients. A particular emphasis of her research is on disparities in cancer survivorship.

Bei-Hung Chang, Ulrike Boehmer, Yue Zhao, and Elizabeth Sommers (in press) "Relaxation response with acupuncture trial in HIV patients: Feasibility and participant experiences. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine

Ulrike Boehmer, Deborah J. Bowen (in press). "Staying Healthy- Health Promotion and Disease Prevention." In HJ Makadon, K Mayer, and J Potter (Eds.) The Fenway Guide to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Health, Philadelphia: American College of Physicians

Sharon Coleman, Judith Bradford, Ulrike Boehmer, and Judy Tan (in press), "Retention challenges for a community-based HIV primary care clinic and implications for intervention." AIDS Patient Care and STDs

Ulrike Boehmer, Deborah J. Bowen, Greta R. Bauer (2007), "Overweight and obesity in sexual minority women: evidence from population-based data." American Journal of Public Health, 97(6): 1134-1140

 Ulrike Boehmer, Rhonda Linde and Karen M. Freund (2007), "Breast Reconstruction following Mastectomy for Breast Cancer: The Decisions of Sexual Minority Women." Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, 119(2): 464-472.

Ulrike Boehmer and Patricia Case (2006), "Sexual minority women's interactions with breast cancer providers." Women & Health, 44(2): 41-58.

Deborah J. Bowen, Ulrike Boehmer, Marla Russo (2006), Cancer and Sexual Minority Women. In: Meyer I H,Northridge M E (eds). The Health of Sexual Minorities: Public Health Perspectives on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Populations, pp. 523-538, New York: Springer.

Ulrike Boehmer, Karen M Freund, Rhonda Linde (2005), "Support providers of sexual minority women with breast cancer: who they are and how they impact the breast cancer experience." Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 59(5):307-314.

Ulrike Boehmer, Richard K Babayan (2005), "A pilot study to determine support during the pre-treatment phase of early prostate cancer" Psycho-Oncology, 14(6): 442-449.

Ulrike Boehmer, Rhonda Linde, Karen M Freund (2005), "Sexual minority women's coping and psychological adjustment after a diagnosis of breast cancer." Journal of Women's Health, 14(3):214-224.

Ulrike Boehmer, Patricia Case (2004), "Physicians don't ask, sometimes patients tell: Disclosure of sexual orientation among women with breast cancer." Cancer, 101 (8): 1882-1889.

Ulrike Boehmer, Richard K. Babayan (2004), "Facing erectile dysfunction due to prostate cancer treatment: Perspectives of men and their partners." Cancer Investigation, 22 (6): 840-848.