Departmental Affiliations
Brendan Saloner, PhD, evaluates policies to promote access to health care and a stronger safety net for underserved groups, particularly for people who use drugs.
Contact Info
Research Interests
Health insurance; Affordable Care Act (ACA); Medicaid; Access to care; Mental health; substance use disorders; opioid use disorder; poverty; resource allocation; race/ethnicity; incarceration; children and adolescents; disparities; ethics; justice;
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Experiences & Accomplishments
Brendan Saloner, PhD, is a Bloomberg Professor of American Health in Addiction and Overdose in the Department of Health Policy and Management. One strand of his research focuses on access and quality of care for people with mental health and substance use disorders. He received an early career award from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) to study the effects of Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act on treatment for opioid use disorder. He co-leads the Johns Hopkins team under the Bloomberg Overdose Prevention Initiative, a $120 million investment in overdose reduction focused on seven states. A second strand of his research focuses specifically on health care for people in the criminal legal system. He has received grants from NIDA and Arnold Ventures to investigate medications for opioid use disorder among incarcerated people. He is currently evaluating the statewide expansion of addiction treatment in Maryland county detention facilities. Finally, Professor Saloner maintains an active research program in bioethics. He led a Making a Difference grant supported by the Greenwall Foundation to study resource allocation in jails and prisons during the COVID-19 pandemic. He received the Greenwall Faculty Scholars Award in 2023 for a project focused on ethical issues related to mandated addiction treatment for people in the criminal legal system. Professor Saloner is extensively involved in mentorship and teaching, and directs the PhD program in Health Policy and Management.
Honors & Awards
2023-2026 Greenwall Faculty Scholars Program
2019 AcademyHealth Alice S. Hersh Emerging Leader Award
2015-2017 National Academy of Medicine Greenwall Fellow in Bioethics
2012-2014 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health and Society Scholars Program
2011-2012 Harvard Multidisciplinary Program in Inequality and Social Policy
2008-2011 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship
2007-2008 National Institute of Mental Health Training Grant
Select Publications
Select Publications from the Last 5 Years
Saloner B, Parish K, Ward JA, DiLaura G, Dolovich S. COVID-19 Cases and Deaths in Federal and State Prisons. JAMA. 2020;324(6):602-603. doi:10.1001/jama.2020.12528
Saloner B, Eber GB, Sufrin CB, Beyrer C, Rubenstein LS. A Human Rights Framework for Advancing the Standard of Medical Care for Incarcerated People in the United States in the Time of COVID-19. Health Hum Rights. 2022;24(1):59-75.
Saloner B, Li W, Bandara SN, McGinty EE, Barry CL. Trends In The Use Of Treatment For Substance Use Disorders, 2010-19. Health Affairs. 2022;41(5):696-702. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2021.01767.
Saloner B, Krawczyk N, Solomon K, et al. Experiences with substance use disorder treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic: Findings from a multistate survey. Int J Drug Policy. 2021;101:103537. doi:10.1016/j.drugpo.2021.103537
Saloner B, Whitley P, Dawson E, Passik S, Gordon AJ, Stein BD. Polydrug use among patients on methadone medication treatment: Evidence from urine drug testing to inform patient safety. Addiction. Published online May 9, 2023. doi:10.1111/add.16180