Doctoral Students

Jason Gerson is a doctoral candidate in Bioethics and Health Policy at the Bloomberg School of Public Health. He received his BA in bioethics from Brown University in 1996. Prior to arriving at Hopkins, Jason worked in New York City's Mayor's Office of Health Policy and the Administration for Children's Services. Jason's dissertation project focuses on developing an account of health-related capabilities, building on the work of Amartya Sen and Martha Nussbaum. This research examines how health-related capabilities might be operationalized and measured, and how this might inform health policy and program evaluation. Jason's other research interests include understanding the scope of health equity claims, public health and human rights, and the role of philanthropy in health policy. Jason can be reached at jgerson@jhsph.edu.

Carlton Haywood Jr., MA, is a PhD candidate in the Bioethics and Health Policy program at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Carlton received his undergraduate degree in Religious Studies (1999), and his Masters degree in Bioethics (2003), from the University of Virginia. Carlton’s primary research interests center on the ethical, public policy, and quality of care issues affecting persons with Sickle Cell Disease. Additionally, Carlton is interested in the articulation of black perspectives in bioethics. Carlton’s dissertation will examine those demographic, clinical, and psychosocial factors which are associated with the trust that persons with sickle cell disease have in the medical profession. In addition, his dissertation will explore how, if at all, the concept of trust may differ when viewed from a black perspective on bioethics as opposed to other perspectives. Carlton’s dissertation and doctoral training is being funded by a National Research Service Award from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes for Health (NIH). In addition to his dissertation work, Carlton’s professional activities include involvement in sickle cell initiatives at the state and federal level. At the state level, Carlton is analyzing data for the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene on the needs of adults with sickle cell disease. At the federal level, Carlton is a member of the steering committee for the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Sickle Cell Disease Treatment Demonstration Program, a member of the advisory board for the NHLBI’s Sickle Cell Disease Health Related Quality of Life Questionnaire Development Project, and a member of the Data Safety and Monitoring Board of the NHLBI’s BABY HUG study (which explores the efficacy of Hydroxyurea treatment for young children with sickle cell disease). Carlton can be reached at chaywood@jhsph.edu.