Justin Berk, MD, MPH, MBA is an Associate Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Director of the Center for Health and Justice Transformation at Brown University Health, and Co-Medical Director of Project Weber/RENEW, the peer-led harm reduction organization that operates the nation’s first state-regulated overdose prevention center. He is board certified in Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, and Addiction Medicine, a Fellow of the American Society of Addiction Medicine, and a Certified Correctional Health Professional–Clinical Provider (CCHP-CP). His work focuses on improving addiction treatment and hepatitis C care for people who are incarcerated.
Dr. Berk directs multiple NIH-funded studies advancing evidence-based care in jails and prisons, including a NIDA K23 award studying extended-release buprenorphine in correctional settings and an R34 clinical trial of low-barrier hepatitis C treatment in a jail setting (MINMON-J), with implementation science as a methodological backbone. Alongside Dr. Helen Jack, he co-leads a Greenwall Foundation project developing practice guidelines for prison and jail health research policies, and he leads the Jail and Prison Opioid Project, a national tracker of medications for opioid use disorder in U.S. jails and prisons.
He has authored more than 70 peer-reviewed publications, including a New England Journal of Medicine review of carceral health care, a Clinical Infectious Diseases State-of-the-Art Review on infectious diseases in carceral medicine, and the chapter “Health Effects of Incarceration” in the Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Criminology and Criminal Justice. His research has been recognized with Brown University’s 2026 Early Career Research Achievement Award (Hospital-Based Research), the American Clinical Society of Investigators Early Career Research Award, the NIDA Young Investigator Award, and the Lifespan Bruce Selya Early Career Researcher Award. He serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Correctional Health Care and the board of the Academic Consortium on Criminal Justice Health.
Dr. Berk previously served as Medical Director of the Rhode Island Department of Corrections, overseeing medical, mental health, and substance use treatment services for all incarcerated individuals in the state. As a clinician, he practices low-threshold buprenorphine care, having treated patients in primary care, from a mobile health unit, by phone, via street medicine, and in jails and prisons.
A graduate of Yale University (BA, MPH) and Texas Tech University (MD, MBA), he completed the Johns Hopkins Combined Internal Medicine–Pediatrics Urban Health Residency. He is core faculty for Brown’s Med-Peds residency, and he previously served as a producer of the internal medicine podcast The Curbsiders and founded the pediatrics podcast The Cribsiders, which reached more than two million downloads.
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| Berk J, South AM, Acher Kaiksow F, Haber LA. "Capturing incarceration in the medical record: we cannot manage what we cannot measure." Health affairs scholar, vol. 4, no. 6, 2026, pp. qxag101. |
| Berk J, Akiyama MJ, Schachman N, Junkin R, Bhowmik A, Davis D, Williams S, Rich J, Murphy M. "Hepatitis C treatment in a jail setting: A retrospective cohort analysis of low-barrier initiation of direct acting antivirals." International Journal of Drug Policy, vol. 148, 2026, pp. 105125. |
| Haber, Lawrence A., LeMasters, Katherine, Berk, Justin. "Inclusion of incarcerated individuals in wildfire exposure registries." The Lancet Regional Health - Americas, vol. 55, 2026, pp. 101354. |
| Haber, Lawrence A., Erickson, Hans P., Berk, Justin, Williams, Brie A. "Left Behind in Electronic Access: Control Over Personal Health Information While Incarcerated." Journal of General Internal Medicine, vol. 41, no. 7, 2026, pp. 1982-1984. |
| Chambers LC, Hallowell BD, Zullo AR, Rodriguez M, Khan MA, Berk J, Gaither R, Daly M, Wightman RS, Beaudoin FL. "Risk of opioid overdose during buprenorphine treatment for opioid use disorder in the fentanyl era." Addictive Behaviors, vol. 175, 2026, pp. 108603. |
| Akiyama MJ, Berk J. "Shortening HCV Treatment in U.S. Jails: Opportunities and Implementation Considerations." The Journal of Infectious Diseases, 2026. |
| Suh M, Berk J, Rich J. "Too many for too long: physicians dismantling mass incarceration." Health & Justice, 2026. |
| Berk, Justin, Harvey, Leah. "A missed opportunity? Hospitalization as a window for hepatitis C virus treatment initiation." Journal of Hospital Medicine, vol. 20, no. 12, 2025, pp. 1375-1376. |
| Brinkley-Rubinstein, Lauren, Berk, Justin, Williams, Brie A. "Carceral Health Care." New England Journal of Medicine, vol. 392, no. 9, 2025, pp. 892-901. |
| South AM, Haber LA, Berk J. "Caution Around Reinforcing Baseline-Shackling Practices." J GEN INTERN MED, vol. 40, no. 5, 2025, pp. 1204-1205. |
| Shaw, Leah C., Brown, Erin A., Creegan, Emma, Bertrand, Thomas E., Ogundare, Sarah, Park, Carolyn J., Berk, Justin, Chan, Philip A., Marshall, Brandon D. L. "Comparing Harm Reduction Vending Machines and In-Person Overdose Prevention Services in Practice: A Case Study From Rhode Island." Journal of Public Health Management & Practice, vol. 31, no. 4, 2025, pp. 574-584. |
| Panaccione, Sophia, Jack, Helen, Wurcel, Alysse, Rich, Josiah, Berk, Justin. "Executive Summary: State-of-the-Art Review: The Intersection of Infectious Diseases and Carceral Medicine." Clinical Infectious Diseases, vol. 81, no. 3, 2025, pp. 407-409. |
| Haber, Lawrence A., Berk, Justin, Taub, Julie, South, Anna-Maria. "Initiating Medications for Opioid Use Disorder in Hospitalized Incarcerated Patients." Journal of General Internal Medicine, vol. 40, no. 14, 2025, pp. 3481-3485. |
| Berk J, Cook M, Martin M, Lee JD, Koinis-Mitchell D, Brinkley-Rubinstein L, Drainoni ML, Rich J. "Injectable buprenorphine during transition out of prison: A pilot partially randomized preference trial protocol." Contemporary Clinical Trials, vol. 156, 2025, pp. 108004. |
| Gu, Mofan, Martinez, Ruben G., Parent, Hannah, Marshall, Brandon D. L., Berk, Justin, Elwy, A. Rani, Chan, Philip A., Tao, Jun. "Integrating HIV prevention services into care settings for people with opioid use disorder (OUD): a study protocol for implementation strategy development and modeling." Implementation Science Communications, vol. 6, no. 1, 2025. |
| Haber, Lawrence A., Lupez, Emily Lupton, Berk, Justin. "Letter re: Access to Surgery and Health Care for Justice-Involved Individuals." The American Surgeon™, vol. 91, no. 9, 2025, pp. 1573-1574. |
| Berk, Justin, Rose, Michael, Thakrar, Ashish P. "Low-Dose Initiations of Buprenorphine in the Fentanyl Era—A Search for Evidence-Based Approaches to an Evolving Crisis." JAMA Network Open, vol. 8, no. 1, 2025, pp. e2456261. |
| Healey T, Dayanim G, Streltzov N, Kane K, Manz C, Williams S, Baird GL, Berk J. "Lung Cancer Screening in the Incarcerated Population Through a Community Imaging Partnership." Journal of Correctional Health Care, vol. 31, no. 1, 2025, pp. 62-69. |
| Berk, Justin, South, Anna-Maria, Martin, Megan, James, Michael-Evans, Miller, Cameron, Haber, Lawrence, Rich, Josiah. "Medication for opioid use disorder service delivery in carceral facilities: update and summary report." Health & Justice, vol. 13, no. 1, 2025. |
| "Medications for Opioid Use Disorder in County Jails — Outcomes after Release." New England Journal of Medicine, vol. 393, no. 21, 2025, pp. 2175-2176. |
| Berk, Justin, Fu, Emily S, Murphy, Matthew, Akiyama, Matthew J, Sulkowski, Mark, Rich, Josiah D, Frank, Hannah Elizabeth. "MINMON-J: a hybrid implementation pilot study evaluating a low-barrier hepatitis C treatment model in a jail setting." BMJ Open, vol. 15, no. 9, 2025, pp. e104839. |
| Dayanim, Gabriel, Junkin, Reed, Bergsneider, Bianca, Watson, Breyanna, Shaw, Dianna, Tsamourtzis, Katherine, Prost, Stephanie, Suh, Michelle, Mushero, Nicole, Martin, Megan, Berk, Justin. "Nursing home availability for incarcerated persons granted compassionate release." Scientific Reports, vol. 15, no. 1, 2025. |
| Berk J, Brar J, Hoadley A, Martin R. "Racial Differences in Medications for Opioid Use Disorder Initiation in a Carceral Setting." Substance use & addiction journal, vol. 46, no. 1, 2025, pp. 64-71. |
| Panaccione, Sophia, Jack, Helen, Wurcel, Alysse, Rich, Josiah, Berk, Justin. "State-of-the-Art Review: The Intersection of Infectious Diseases and Carceral Medicine." Clinical Infectious Diseases, vol. 81, no. 3, 2025, pp. e42-e51. |
| Brinkley-Rubinstein, Lauren, LeMasters, Katherine, Berk, Justin, Levintow, Sara N., Martino, Sarah, Vanjani, Rahul. "Structural and healthcare predictors of substance use-related death following release from incarceration: A retrospective cohort study in Rhode Island, 2018–2020." International Journal of Drug Policy, vol. 139, 2025, pp. 104783. |
| van Deventer, Ella, Giron, Nicole C., Tobin-Tyler, Elizabeth, Vanjani, Rahul, Berk, Justin. "Sure, Let’s See What You Got”: A Qualitative Analysis of Healthcare Provider Letters Used in Court Proceedings." Journal of General Internal Medicine, 2025. |
| Berk, Justin, Miller, Cameron, James, Michael-Evans, Martin, Megan, Rich, Josiah, Kaplowitz, Eliana, Brinkley-Rubinstein, Lauren. "Yeah, this is not going to work for me”–The impact of federal policy restrictions on methadone continuation upon release from jail or prison." Journal of Substance Use and Addiction Treatment, vol. 168, 2025, pp. 209538. |
| Wilk S, Abdul-Mutakabbir JC, Doron S, Yen C, Berk J, Wurcel A. "Antimicrobial resistance in carceral settings." The Lancet, vol. 404, no. 10457, 2024, pp. 1015-1016. |
| Frey-Vogel, Ariel Shana, Dzara, Kristina, Gifford, Kimberly Anne, Park, Yoon Soo, Berk, Justin, Heinly, Allison, Wolcott, Darcy, Hall, Daniel Adam, Elliott Scott-Vernaglia, Shannon, Sparger, Katherine Anne, Chung, Erica Ye-pyng. "Development and validity evidence for the resident-led large group teaching assessment instrument in the United States: a methodological study." Journal of Educational Evaluation for Health Professions, vol. 21, 2024, pp. 3. |
| Wurcel AG, Abdul-Mutakabbir JC, Doron S, Yen C, Berk J. "Examining Antimicrobial Stewardship Program Implementation in Carceral Settings." AMA journal of ethics, vol. 26, no. 5, 2024, pp. E399-407. |
| Jack, Helen E., Smith, Catherine L., Brinkley-Rubinstein, Lauren, Berk, Justin. "Framework for opioid use disorder screening and diagnosis in carceral settings." International Journal of Drug Policy, vol. 134, 2024, pp. 104627. |
| South AM, Haber LA, Berk J. "Hospitalization Through the Lens of Incarceration." J GEN INTERN MED, vol. 39, no. 10, 2024, pp. 1905-1909. |
| Berk, Justin, Brinkley-Rubinstein, Lauren. "Know the Difference Between Jail and Prison? Both Are Associated With Risk of Death." American Journal of Public Health, vol. 114, no. 9, 2024, pp. 852-855. |
| Berk, Justin, Frank, Hannah E., Drainoni, Mari-Lynn. "Locked in and left out: the "prison penalty" for implementation of evidence-based interventions." Implementation Science Communications, vol. 5, no. 1, 2024. |
| Haber, Lawrence A, Wurcel, Alysse G, Berk, Justin. "Measles in jails and prisons." The Lancet Public Health, vol. 9, no. 5, 2024, pp. e280. |
| Rodrigues, Kiran, Murphy, Matthew, Jack, Helen E., Berk, Justin. "Participation With Compensation: Ethical Considerations for Research Payment Practices With People Who Are Incarcerated." Journal of Correctional Health Care, vol. 30, no. 6, 2024, pp. 368-373. |
| Armeni, Kelsey, Chambers, Laura C, Peachey, Alyssa, Berk, Justin, Langdon, Kirsten J, Peterson, Lisa, Beaudoin, Francesca L, Wightman, Rachel S. "Randomised clinical trial of a 16 mg vs 24 mg maintenance daily dose of buprenorphine to increase retention in treatment among people with an opioid use disorder in Rhode Island: study protocol paper." BMJ Open, vol. 14, no. 11, 2024, pp. e085888. |
| LeMasters, Katherine, Levintow, Sara N., Berk, Justin, Martino, Sarah, Paquette, Catherine, Vanjani, Rahul, Brinkley-Rubinstein, Lauren. "The Rhode Island transitions clinic: connections to social and healthcare services after release from incarceration." BMC Health Services Research, vol. 24, no. 1, 2024. |
| Yangchen, Tenzin, Rodriguez, McClaren, Baird, Janette, Hallowell, Benjamin D., Daly, Mackenzie M., Berk, Justin, Gaither, Rachel, Wightman, Rachel S., Beaudoin, Francesca L., Chambers, Laura C. "Trends in recurrent overdose and treatment initiation following emergency department visits for opioid overdose between 2016 and 2021." Drug and Alcohol Dependence, vol. 262, 2024, pp. 111379. |
| Mariano, Vincent, Berk, Justin. "Coke in the Dope”: The Underrecognized Complications of a Cocaine-Adulterated Fentanyl Supply." Journal of Addiction Medicine, vol. 18, no. 5, 2024, pp. 471-473. |
| Chambers LC, Hallowell BD, Zullo AR, Paiva TJ, Berk J, Gaither R, Hampson AJ, Beaudoin FL, Wightman RS. "Buprenorphine Dose and Time to Discontinuation Among Patients With Opioid Use Disorder in the Era of Fentanyl." JAMA Network Open, vol. 6, no. 9, 2023, pp. e2334540. |
| Berk, Justin. "Commentary: Mobile health units: Paving the way for a new era of methadone treatment." Journal of Substance Use and Addiction Treatment, vol. 155, 2023, pp. 209160. |
| Kelly, Jessica M., Perseghin, Andrea, Dow, Alan, Chiu, Christopher, Pereira, Noah, Posner, Jill, Berk, Justin. "Continuing Education Evaluations of an Internal Medicine and a Pediatric Podcast." Journal of Continuing Education in the Health Professions, vol. 43, no. 4, 2023, pp. 283-286. |
| Murphy M, Rogers BG, Ames E, Galipeau D, Uber J, Napoleon S, Brinkley-Rubinstein L, Toma E, Byrne S, Teitelman AM, Berk J, Chan PA, Ramsey S. "Implementing Preexposure Prophylaxis for HIV Prevention in a Statewide Correctional System in the United States." Public Health Reports®, vol. 139, no. 2, 2023, pp. 333549231186576. |
| Parga-Belinkie, Joanna J., Cosmini, Michael, Hill, David, Berk, Justin, Lockwood, Katie, Patrick, Michael, Novak, Chris, Tarchichi, Tony R. "The Role of Medical Education Podcasts in Pediatrics." Pediatrics, vol. 152, no. 5, 2023. |
| Berk, Justin, Litwin, Alain, Murphy, Matthew. "US Hepatitis C Elimination Plan." JAMA, vol. 330, no. 9, 2023, pp. 877. |
| Kaplowitz E, Macmadu A, Green TC, Berk J, Rich JD, Brinkley-Rubinstein L. "It's probably going to save my life;" attitudes towards treatment among people incarcerated in the era of fentanyl." Drug and Alcohol Dependence, vol. 232, 2022, pp. 109325. |
| Kaplowitz, Eliana, Truong, Ashley, Macmadu, Alexandria, Berk, Justin, Martin, Harrison, Burke, Caroline, Rich, Josiah D., Brinkley-Rubinstein, Lauren. "Anticipated Barriers to Sustained Engagement in Treatment With Medications for Opioid Use Disorder After Release From Incarceration." Journal of Addiction Medicine, vol. 17, no. 1, 2022, pp. 54-59. |
| Kaplowitz E, Truong A, Macmadu A, Berk J, Martin H, Burke C, Rich JD, Brinkley-Rubinstein L. "Anticipated Barriers to Sustained Engagement in Treatment With Medications for Opioid Use Disorder After Release From Incarceration." Journal of Addiction Medicine, vol. 17, no. 1, 2022, pp. 54-59. |
| Murphy M, Rogers BG, Streed C, Hughto JMW, Radix A, Galipeau D, Napoleon S, Scott T, Noh M, Sutten Coats C, Hubbard L, Chan PA, Nunn A, Berk J. "Implementing Gender-Affirming Care in Correctional Settings: A Review of Key Barriers and Action Steps for Change." Journal of Correctional Health Care, vol. 29, no. 1, 2022, pp. 3-11. |
| Martin RA, Alexander-Scott N, Berk J, Carpenter RW, Kang A, Hoadley A, Kaplowitz E, Hurley L, Rich JD, Clarke JG. "Post-incarceration outcomes of a comprehensive statewide correctional MOUD program: a retrospective cohort study." Lancet Regional Health. Americas, vol. 18, 2022, pp. 100419. |
| Auth RD, Zheng T, Berk J. "Things We Do for No Reason™: Routine use of corticosteroids for the treatment of anaphylaxis." Journal of Hospital Medicine, vol. 17, no. 3, 2022, pp. 211-214. |
| Martin RA, Berk J, Rich JD, Kang A, Fritsche J, Clarke JG. "Use of long-acting injectable buprenorphine in the correctional setting." Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, vol. 142, 2022, pp. 108851. |
| Brinkley-Rubinstein L, Peterson M, Martin R, Chan P, Berk J. "Breakthrough SARS-CoV-2 Infections in Prison after Vaccination." New England Journal of Medicine, vol. 385, no. 11, 2021, pp. 1051-1052. |
| Murphy M, Tao J, Goedell WC, Berk J, Chu CT, Nunn A, Sosnowy C, Chan P. "Characterizing substance use among men who have sex with men presenting to a sexually transmitted infection clinic." International journal of STD & AIDS, vol. 32, no. 4, 2021, pp. 314-321. |
| Berk J, Murphy M, Kane K, Chan P, Rich J, Brinkley-Rubinstein L. "Initial SARS-CoV-2 Vaccination Uptake in a Correctional Setting: Cross-sectional Study." JMIRx med, vol. 2, no. 3, 2021, pp. e30176. |
| Berk, Justin, del Pozo, Brandon, Rich, Josiah D., Lee, Joshua D. "Injecting Opioid Use Disorder Treatment in Jails and Prisons: The Potential of Extended-release Buprenorphine in the Carceral Setting." Journal of Addiction Medicine, vol. 16, no. 4, 2021, pp. 396-398. |
| Murphy M, Ding A, Berk J, Rich J, Bayliss G. "Kidney Disease among People Who Are Incarcerated." Clinical journal of the American Society of Nephrology : CJASN, vol. 16, no. 11, 2021, pp. 1766-1772. |
| Berk J, Olson AP, Geha RM, Patel A, Manesh R. "Left Out in the Cold." Journal of Hospital Medicine, vol. 16, no. 2, 2021, pp. 105-108. |
| Berk J, Brinkley-Rubinstein L, Murphy M, Chan P, Rich J. "MAb for symptomatic COVID-19 in correctional facilities: an important opportunity." The Lancet, vol. 397, no. 10277, 2021, pp. 877-878. |
| Anderson IJ, Berk J, Bertram A, Stein A, Niranjan-Azadi A, Record J, King C, Garber A, Pahwa A. "Supplementing the Subinternship: Effect of E-Learning Modules on Subintern Knowledge and Confidence." The American Journal of Medicine, vol. 134, no. 8, 2021, pp. 1052-1057.e13. |
| Berk J, Rich JD, Brinkley-Rubinstein L. "What are the greatest health challenges facing people who are incarcerated? We need to ask them." The Lancet. Public health, vol. 6, no. 10, 2021, pp. e703-e704. |
| Berk J, Rich JD, Brinkley-Rubinstein L. "Why we vaccinate incarcerated people first." EClinicalMedicine, vol. 35, 2021, pp. 100864. |
| Berk J. "A Good Place to Start - Low-Threshold Buprenorphine Initiation." New England Journal of Medicine, vol. 383, no. 8, 2020, pp. 701-703. |
| Macmadu A, Berk J, Kaplowitz E, Mercedes M, Rich JD, Brinkley-Rubinstein L. "COVID-19 and mass incarceration: a call for urgent action." The Lancet. Public health, vol. 5, no. 11, 2020, pp. e571-e572. |
| Berk J, Trivedi SP, Watto M, Williams P, Centor R. "Medical Education Podcasts: Where We Are and Questions Unanswered." J GEN INTERN MED, 2020. |
| Berk J, Wilson JD, Miller JH, Feldman L. "Patients With Opioid Use Disorder Deserve Trained Providers." Annals of Internal Medicine, vol. 172, no. 11, 2020, pp. 773-774. |
| Berk J, Watto M, Williams P. "Twelve tips for creating a medical education podcast." Medical Teacher, 2020, pp. 1-7. |
| Berk, Justin, Hall, Deborah, Stroh, Inna, Armstrong, Caren, Mishra, Kapil, Pecker, Lydia H., Lau, Bonnie W. "A Child With Pancytopenia and Optic Disc Swelling." Pediatrics, vol. 144, no. 5, 2019, pp. e20182887. |
| Deanna Wilson J, Berk J, Matson P, Spicyn N, Alvanzo A, Adger H, Feldman L. "A Cross-sectional Survey Using Clinical Vignettes to Examine Overdose Risk Assessment and Willingness to Prescribe Naloxone." J GEN INTERN MED, vol. 34, no. 4, 2019, pp. 507-509. |
| Berk, Justin, Rogers, Kendall M, Wilson, Deanna J, Thakrar, Ashish, Feldman, Leonard. "Missed Opportunities for Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder in the Hospital Setting: Updating an Outdated Policy." Journal of Hospital Medicine, no. 2019-12-18 ONLINE FIRST, 2019. |
| Steele C, Cayea D, Berk J, Riddell R, Kumra T, McGuire M, Pahwa AK. "Novel first-year curriculum in high-value care." The Clinical Teacher, vol. 16, no. 5, 2019, pp. 513-518. |
| Pande, Chetna K., Berk, Justin, Jassal, Mandeep S., Manesh, Reza, Olson, Andrew P.J. "The Basement Flight." Journal of Hospital Medicine, vol. 14, no. 1, 2019, pp. 51-55. |
| Berk, Justin, Biondi, Eric, Tamma, Pranita D, Herzke, Carrie. "Things We Do for No Reason™: Lumbar Punctures in Low-Risk Febrile Infants with Bronchiolitis." Journal of Hospital Medicine, no. 2019-10-23 Online First, 2019. |
| Wilson JD, Berk J, Adger H, Feldman L. "Identifying Missed Clinical Opportunities in Delivery of Overdose Prevention and Naloxone Prescription to Adolescents Using Opioids." Journal of Adolescent Health, vol. 63, no. 2, 2018, pp. 245-248. |
| Steele, Christopher, Berk, Justin, Ashar, Bimal, Pahwa, Amit, Cayea, Danelle. "Medical students’ perceptions of low-value care." The Clinical Teacher, vol. 15, no. 5, 2017, pp. 408-412. |
| Berk J, Wade R, Baser HD, Lado J. "Case report: severe reversible cardiomyopathy associated with systemic inflammatory response syndrome in the setting of diabetic hyperosmolar hyperglycemic non-ketotic syndrome." BMC cardiovascular disorders, vol. 15, 2015, pp. 123. |
| Xu, K Tom, Roberts, Daniel, Sulapas, Irvin, Martinez, Omar, Berk, Justin, Baldwin, John. "Over-prescribing of antibiotics and imaging in the management of uncomplicated URIs in emergency departments." BMC Emergency Medicine, vol. 13, no. 1, 2013. |
| Berk, Justin, Adhvaryu, Achyuta. "The impact of a novel franchise clinic network on access to medicines and vaccinations in Kenya: a cross-sectional study." BMJ Open, vol. 2, no. 4, 2012, pp. e000589. |
Dr. Berk’s research focuses on expanding access to evidence-based care for people who are impacted by the criminal legal system, using implementation science to close the gap between community standards of care and correctional practice. Active NIH-funded studies include a NIDA K23 trial of extended-release buprenorphine during the transition out of prison and MINMON-J, a hybrid implementation pilot of low-barrier hepatitis C treatment in a jail setting. He also co-leads a Greenwall Foundation project developing practice guidelines for prison and jail health research policies and leads the Jail and Prison Opioid Project, a national tracker of medications for opioid use disorder in U.S. jails and prisons.
People who are incarcerated carry an disproportionate burden of opioid use disorder, hepatitis C, and other chronic disease, yet jails and prisons are often the last settings to adopt evidence-based care. Dr. Berk and colleagues have described the gap as as the “prison penalty” in implementation. His research asks how treatments proven in the community can be delivered feasibly, ethically, and equitably in crimina legals settings and through the high-risk transition home after release.
His current NIH-funded work spans two main lines. The first focuses on medications for opioid use disorder: his NIDA K23 supports a partially randomized preference trial of extended-release buprenorphine for people leaving prison, building on his experience implementing treatment programs as Medical Director of the Rhode Island Department of Corrections. The second focuses on infectious disease: MINMON-J, a NIDA R34 hybrid implementation pilot, adapts a simplified, minimal-monitoring model of hepatitis C treatment to the jail environment, where short and unpredictable stays challenge traditional treatment pathways.
Methodologically, Dr. Berk uses implementation science frameworks, hybrid effectiveness-implementation designs, and mixed methods, working in partnership with corrections agencies, community organizations, and people with lived experience of incarceration. Through a Greenwall Foundation award co-led with Dr. Helen Jack, he is developing national practice guidelines for prison and jail health research policies so that research protects (rather than excludes) incarcerated populations. He also leads the Jail and Prison Opioid Project, a national, source-cited tracker of medications for opioid use disorder across U.S. jails and prisons that supports research, journalism, and policy.
NIDA K23DA055695 (Principal Investigator) – Extended-release buprenorphine treatment in correctional settings, 2022–2027
NIDA R34DA061732 (Principal Investigator) – “Implementing Low-Threshold Hepatitis C Treatment in a Jail Setting” (MINMON-J), 2024–2027
NIDA R01DA059503 (Co-Investigator) – Integrating HIV prevention services into clinical care settings for people with opioid use disorder, 2024–2029
Greenwall Foundation Making a Difference Award (Co-Principal Investigator) – Expanding Equitable Research Participation: Development of Practice Guidelines for Prison and Jail Health Research Policies
Rhode Island Department of Corrections (Principal Investigator) – Medical discharge planning contract, 2024–2027
| Year | Degree | Institution |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | MD | Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center |
| 2013 | MBA | Texas Tech University - Rawls College of Business |
| 2011 | MPH | Yale University School of Public Health |
| 2010 | BA | Yale University |
2026 - Brown University Early Career Research Achievement Award (Hospital-Based Research)
2024 - American Clinical Society of Investigators Early Career Research Award
2024 - Lifespan Bruce Selya Early Career Researcher Award
2024 - Journal of Hospital Medicine Top Reviewer
2024 - Induction into the Society for Pediatric Research (SPR)
2022 - NIDA Young Investigator Award
2021 - Justice Community Opioid Innovation Network (JCOIN) Learning Experiences to Advance Practice (LEAP) Investigator
2021 – Academic Consortium on Criminal Justice Health Early Investigator Scholar
2020 – Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Distinguished Alumni Award
2020 – American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) – Visiting Scholars Program
2020 - The Jeremiah Barondess Fellowship in the Clinical Transaction (NYAM)
2019 –Adolescent Hero Award (Johns Hopkins Children’s Center)
2018 - Idoreyin P. Montague MD Community Action Award (JHH)
2018 – JHH Department of Medicine Education Retreat Teaching Competition Winner
2018 - Young Scholars in GIM Scholarship (Society of General Internal Medicine)
2015 - John Aure Buesseler Memorial Award of Student Excellence (TTUHSC)
2014 - US. Public Health Service Excellence in Public Health Award
2013 - Texas Medical Association – Student of the Year
2012 - American Medical Association Foundation – Excellence in Medicine Leadership Award
2010 - Anthony M. Schulte Prize for community service (Yale)
2009 - Proclamation of Appreciation from the City of New Haven
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
| Beaudoin, Francesca | Dean of School of Public Health, Professor of Epidemiology, Professor of Emergency Medicine |
| Beckwith, Curt | Professor of Medicine |
| Chambers, Laura | Senior Research Scientist of Epidemiology |
| Chan, Philip | Professor of Behavioral and Social Sciences, Professor of Medicine |
| Del Pozo, Brandon | Assistant Professor of Medicine (Research), Assistant Professor of Health Services, Policy and Practice (Research) |
| Macmadu, Alexandria | Assistant Professor of Epidemiology |
| Marshall, Brandon | Royce Family Professor of Teaching Excellence in Epidemiology and Professor of Epidemiology |
| Martin, Rosemarie | Associate Professor of Behavioral and Social Sciences |
| Murphy, Matthew | Assistant Professor of Medicine, Assistant Professor of Behavioral and Social Sciences |
| Rich, Josiah | Professor of Epidemiology, Professor of Medicine |
| Saloner, Brendan | Donald G. Millar Distinguished Professor of Alcohol and Addiction Studies, Associate Director of Behavioral and Social Sciences |
| Vanjani, Rahul | Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine |
Dr. Berk is core faculty and a clinic preceptor for the combined Internal Medicine–Pediatrics Residency Program at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, where he teaches residents and medical students in primary care, addiction medicine, and correctional health. He founded Brown’s Early Career Researcher Peer Mentorship Program, serves on the executive committee of the NIDA T32 training program “HIV and Other Infectious Consequences of Substance Abuse.”
A national voice in podcast-based medical education, Dr. Berk previously served as a producer of the internal medicine podcast The Curbsiders and founded the pediatrics podcast The Cribsiders, which together reached millions of learners worldwide. His peer-reviewed scholarship on novel pedagogies includes “Learning Through Listening: A Scoping Review of Podcast Use in Medical Education” (Academic Medicine), “Twelve tips for creating a medical education podcast” (Medical Teacher), “Medical Education Podcasts: Where We Are and Questions Unanswered” (Journal of General Internal Medicine), and “The Role of Medical Education Podcasts in Pediatrics” (Pediatrics).
