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Jonathan Zhang

Assistant Professor in the Sanford School of Public Policy
Sanford School of Public Policy
302 Towerview Rd., Durham, NC 27708

Current Appointments & Affiliations


Assistant Professor in the Sanford School of Public Policy · 2024 - Present Sanford School of Public Policy
Core Faculty Member, Duke-Margolis Institute for Health Policy · 2024 - Present Duke-Margolis Institute for Health Policy, University Institutes and Centers

Recent Publications


Association between prenatal opioid exposure and health, education, and foster care between ages 0 and 18.

Journal Article PNAS nexus · March 2026 The opioid crisis has emerged as a critical public health challenge, yet the long-term outcomes of children exposed before birth remain underexamined. Prior studies have focused on acute neonatal outcomes or adult opioid misuse, leaving the broader develop ... Full text Cite

Invisible Wounds: How Mental Disability Benefits Shape Veteran Well-Being

Journal Article American Economic Journal: Economic Policy · February 1, 2026 We study impacts of VA disability compensation on the health and well-being of the large and rapidly growing population of veterans claiming mental disorders. We leverage quasi-random assignment of veterans to medical examiners with varying assessi ... Full text Cite

High-risk emergency department visits and risk of all-cause mortality, suicide, and fatal overdose among US military veterans.

Journal Article American journal of epidemiology · January 2026 Deaths due to overdose and suicide together comprise an urgent public health challenge. Using Veterans Health Administration (VHA) electronic health records, we identified patients with high-risk emergency department (ED) visits related to suicidality or o ... Full text Cite
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Recent Grants


VA IPA for Jonathan Zhang

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by VA Palo Alto Health Care System · 2024 - 2026

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Education


Stanford University · 2020 Ph.D.
University of British Columbia (Canada) · 2014 B.S.