Departmental Affiliations
Center & Institute Affiliations
Alexander McCourt, JD, PhD ’19, MPH, examines firearm policy, opioid policy, and other areas affected by the relationships between law and the public’s health.
Research Interests
public health law; violence; firearm policy; suicide; legislation; regulation; policy evaluation; opioid policy
Experiences & Accomplishments
Alex McCourt, JD, PhD, MPH is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Dr. McCourt serves as Assistant Director of the Center for Law and the Public's Health and Core Faculty in the Center for Gun Violence Solutions. He is also affiliated with the Center for Injury Research and Policy. Trained as a public health lawyer, he combines legal research with quantitative methods to study instances in which law plays a role in shaping the public’s health. Much of his work has focused on areas of public health law, including firearm policy and violence, opioid policy, transportation policy, and emergency preparedness.
Select Publications
Select publications:
McCourt AD, White SA, Bandara S, Schall T, Goodman DJ, Patel E, McGinty EE. Development and Implementation of State and Federal Child Welfare Laws Related to Drug Use in Pregnancy. Milbank Q. 2022 Dec 12. doi: 10.1111/1468-0009.12591.
McCourt AD, Tormohlen KN, Schmid I, Stone EM, Stuart EA, Davis CS, Bicket MC, McGinty EE. Effects of Opioid Prescribing Cap Laws on Opioid and Other Pain Treatments Among Persons with Chronic Pain. J Gen Intern Med (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-022-07796-8.
McCourt AD, Hellinger A, Shin MR, Shields W, McDonald E, Michael J, Ehsani JP. State and city laws governing the use of child restraint systems in rideshare vehicles and taxicabs: requirements and responsibility. Injury Prevention. Published Online First: 16 March 2022. doi: 10.1136/injuryprev-2021-044500.
McCourt AD, Crifasi CK, Stuart EA, Vernick JS, Kagawa RMC, Wintemute GJ, Webster DW. Purchaser Licensing, Point-of-Sale Background Check Laws, and Firearm Homicide and Suicide in 4 US States, 1985-2017. Am J Public Health. 2020;110(10):1546-1552. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2020.305822.
McCourt AD, Sunshine G, Rutkow L. Judicial Opinions Arising from Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Recovery Activities. Health Secur. 2019;17(3):240-247. doi: 10.1089/hs.2018.0118.