Jonathan Zhang

Jonathan Zhang serves as Assistant Professor of Public Policy at Duke University's Sanford School of Public Policy, applying quantitative economic methods to address critical health policy challenges affecting vulnerable populations including veterans, mental health patients, and immigrants.

Academic Background

• PhD in Economics, Stanford University
• Undergraduate degree in Statistics

Research Focus: Dr. Zhang's work centers on health economics with emphasis on:

• Mental health care access and outcomes
• Opioid crisis interventions and provider behavior
• Immigrant economic mobility across 15 destination countries
• Policy impacts on vulnerable populations during crises
• Veterans' health outcomes through VA collaborations

His methodology combines quasi-experimental designs with large-scale administrative datasets from Veterans Affairs and Canadian health systems. Recent publications (2021-2025) reveal consistent themes: economic shocks affecting mortality, safety net program interactions, and pandemic impacts on substance use treatment.

Awards: No scientific awards were documented in source materials.

Mentorship & Collaboration: Dr. Zhang actively mentors policy students while expanding interdisciplinary work with VA's Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention. His research program leverages Duke's VA partnerships to translate findings into actionable health policies.

Research Environment: Based at Sanford School, he participates in policy forums while developing community-engaged projects addressing Vancouver's opioid crisis legacy and Ontario's mental health systems.