Michael Darden

Michael Darden is an Associate Professor at the Carey Business School (Johns Hopkins University) and a Faculty Research Fellow at the National Bureau of Economic Research. He serves as Academic Program Director for the Master of Science in Health Care Management at Carey Business School and co-edits the Journal of Human Resources.

Dr. Darden's research focuses on health economics and health econometrics, particularly examining the intersection of public policy and health outcomes. Recent work analyzes unintended consequences of cigarette taxation and health inequality related to medical innovations.

• 2025 BEDI Workshop on Health
• 2025 ASHEcon (Editor's Panel)
• 2025 VCU Economics
• 2025 United States Naval Academy

His scientific contributions include two NBER working papers: one investigating health inequality from direct-acting antivirals (with Kevin Callison and Keith Teltser), and another analyzing cigarette tax impacts on household budgets (with Reginald Hebert, Michael Pesko, and Samuel Sturm).

Supported by grants from the University of Kentucky’s Institute for the Study of Free Enterprise and National Institute on Drug Abuse (R01DA045016), his research reveals how public health policies affect economic behaviors and expenditures, particularly among low-income populations.