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Junying (June) Zhao, Ph.D., Ph.D., MPH
Health Administration & Policy

Junying (June) Zhao, Ph.D., Ph.D., MPH

Assistant Professor

Hudson College of Public Health
801 NE 13th St, Room 359
Post Office Box 26901
Oklahoma City, OK 73126-0901

(405) 271-8001, x43515

Junying-Zhao@ou.edu

June Zhao, PhD, PhD, MPH, MBBS, is a tenure-track Assistant Professor at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences. She is a member of the American College of Legal Medicine and worked at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, the World Health Organization, and the World Bank.

June was initially trained as a physician and subsequently received training in health/welfare economics, as well as mathematics. She obtained her PhD in health policy with concentration in economics from McMaster University, PhD in mathematical behavioral sciences from the University of California, and her MPH from Harvard.

In addition, her interests include improv/theatre, poetry, tennis, spiritual travel, and philanthropy for homeless patients, children with leukemia, and professional women balancing career and life.

Education:

  • PhD, Mathematical Behavioral Sciences, University of California-Irvine
  • PhD, Health Policy with concentration in Economics, McMaster University
  • MPH, Global Health, Harvard University
  • BSc, Mathematics, McMaster University

Appointments:

  • Tenure-Track Assistant Professor, Hudson College of Public Health, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, 2020–present
  • Co-Editor, Legal Medicine Perspectives, American College of Legal Medicine, 2020–present
  • Advisory Board Member, Acceleromics, 2020–present
  • Fellow, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, 2010

Teaching:

  • HAP 5203 Health Economics
  • HAP 5613 Healthcare Finance
  • HAP 6960 Directed Reading

Clinical/Research Interests:

June is a health economic policy researcher addressing financing problems in the health sector, using multidisciplinary knowledge across medicine, law, and economics/finance.

Economics/Finance:

  • Health economics
  • Public finance, corporate finance

Law:

  • Tort
  • Legislation, regulation, court decision

Her research agenda includes two components:

1) Solve financing problems of (federal, state, private) liability insurance programs related to health:

  • Medical countermeasures injury compensation (e.g., drugs, devices, biological products such as vaccines)
  • September 11th victim compensation (and other public health emergencies)
  • Black lung compensation (and other occupational chronic/acute diseases)
  • Workers’ compensation
  • Health technologies that affect consumer welfare and firm innovation (e.g., artificial intelligence);

2) Solve financing problems of federal hospital systems (supply side):

  • Indian Health Service
  • Veterans Affairs
  • Title X Clinics
  • Federally Qualified Health Centers including Health Care for the Homeless Clinics

& financial hardships of their service populations (demand side):

  • American Indian and Alaskan Native population
  • Veteran population
  • Biologically/socially infertile population, pregnant population
  • Low-income including homeless population.

Current Projects:

  • Economics of public and private liability insurance mechanisms for vaccine safety and consumer protection
  • Public financial management in the health sector

Funding:

Grants:

10/01/2020-06/30/2022
NIH 3U54GM104938, $4,999,993
"CATCH-UP Community-engaged Approaches to Testing in Community and Healthcare settings for Underserved Populations." 
PI: James, J.
Role: Co-I

06/15/2022-12/15/2022
Oklahoma Aerospace & Defense Innovation Institute, OU Data Institute for Societal Challenges Joint Seed Funding Competition Award, $20,000
"Enhancing DoD Vaccine Supply for Warfighters and Biodefense."  
PI: Kim, M.
Role: Co-PI

07/01/2022-06/30/2023
Presbyterian Health Foundation Year 1 New Investigator Seed Grant, $50,000
“Covid-19 and Seasonal Influenza Vaccine Injury Compensation, Vaccination, and Vaccine Production and Innovation.” 
Role: PI

11/30/2022-12/31/2024
Presbyterian Health Foundation Year 2 New Investigator Seed Grant, $50,000
“The Effectiveness of State and Federal Policies on Vaccination: An Economic Evaluation.”
Role: PI

Select Publications:

Select Publications:

  1. Zhao J, Jaggad R, Ghosh PK, Kennedye JR, Stewart K, Campbell JE. 2025. Empirical Evidence and Conceptual Framework to Address the Indian Health Service Underfunding Challenge. Value in Health. In Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jval.2025.10.003
  2. Zhao J, Jaggad R, Ghosh PK, Kennedye JR, Stewart K, Campbell JE. 2025. The Indian Health Service Is Chronically Underfunded. Here Is How To Close The Gap. Health Affairs Forefront. Sep 2. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1377/forefront.20250827.319208
  3. Zhao J, Jaggad R, Zhang Y, Campbell JE, Ghosh PK, Kennedye JR, Ali T. 2025. Multi-level determinants of vaccination of the American Indian and Alaska Native population: a comprehensive overview. Frontiers in Public Health. Feb 18;13:1490286. DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2025.1490286
  4. Zhao J, Jaggad R, El Fatmaoui A, Ghosh PK. 2025. Did the Medicaid expansion improve immunization among US pregnant women?. Preventive Medicine Reports. Aug 20:103214. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmedr.2025.103214
  5. Zhao J, El Fatmaoui A, Shourian M, Lor B, Ghosh PK. 2025. Power of Public Health Advice: Effectiveness and Spillover Effects of Federal Vaccine Recommendations. Public Health in Practice. Oct 10:100667. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.puhip.2025.100667
  6. Kim M, Demir F, El Fatmaoui A, Ge Q, Ghosh P, Zhao J. 2025. Vaccine production and innovation: insights from tort reform and Medicare expansion. Economics of Innovation and New Technology. May 30:1-28. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10438599.2025.2511865
  7. Ghosh PK, Chaudhry A, Campbell JE, Kim M, Smith K, Demir F, Zhao J. 2024. Impacts of the US CDC recommendation on human papillomavirus vaccine uptake, 2010–2015. Frontiers in Public Health. Dec 18;12:1464685. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2024.1464685
  8. Zhao J, Zahn A, Pang SC, Quang TS, Campbell J, Halkitis PN. 2024. Early national trends in non-abortion reproductive care access after Roe. Frontiers in Public Health. Mar 8;12:1309068. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2024.1309068
  9. Zhao J, Kim M, Westbrook G, Bratzler DW. 2022. A comparative study of COVID-19 emergency funds allocated to the health sector: US, UK, and Canada. Health Policy. Jun 1;126(6):493-503. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthpol.2022.03.012
  10. Zhao J, Demir F, Ghosh PK, Earley A, Kim M. 2022. Reforming the countermeasures injury compensation program for COVID-19 and beyond: An economic perspective. Journal of Law and the Biosciences. Jan;9(1):lsac008. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/jlb/lsac008
  11. Zhao J, Scarth W & Hurley J. 2018. Investing in Health: A Macroeconomic Exploration of Short-Run and Long-Run Trade-Offs. Atlantic Economic Journal. 46(1): 121- 133. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11293-018-9573-y
  12. Zhao J, Cheng G. 2022. “Artificial Intelligence.” In Understanding the Principles and Practice of Legal Oncology, 1st ed. Quang TS, Beriwal S, and Taft M, eds, New York City, NY: McGraw-Hill. https://www.amazon.com/
  13. Zheng K, Zhao J. 2021. “Public Health Informatics.” In Maxcy-Rosenau-Last Public Health and Preventive Medicine, 16th ed. Boulton ML, ed, New York City, NY: McGraw-Hill. https://www.amazon.com/