About

Joseph Ali, JD, is an Associate Professor at the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics and serves as the Associate Director for Global Programs. His research and teaching engage a range of challenges in domestic and global health ethics, including empirical and normative work in U.S. and international research ethics. He focuses on projects that address the implications of emerging global mobile and digital technologies in health research, public health programs, and disease surveillance, with particular interest in how values are expressed, represented, prioritized, preserved, and influenced in the context of digital technologies. As part of his role, Ali works with colleagues at Johns Hopkins University and internationally to develop multidisciplinary research, training, and service partnerships in bioethics. He is committed to supporting the capacity of scholars from resource-constrained countries to lead bioethics research, teaching, and practice on issues of local importance. Ali has been involved in establishing and operating NIH Fogarty-funded bioethics programs in various countries, including Uganda, Ethiopia, Zambia, Botswana, and Malaysia. He also co-leads the Wellcome-funded Oxford-Johns Hopkins Global Infectious Disease Ethics (GLIDE) Collaborative, which addresses emerging ethical issues related to infectious diseases. His service includes membership on the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Institutional Review Board and previous participation on the Faculty Senate. Ali is also an Associate Editor for the Journal of Empirical Research on Human Research Ethics. His research interests encompass ethics and global digital health, international bioethics capacity development, program evaluation, informed consent optimization, and the ethics of international health policy and systems research. His educational background includes an Honours BA from the University of Toronto in Bioethics & Philosophy and a JD from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, where he also earned a Health Law Certificate.

Research topics

• Computer Science
• Political Science
• Medicine
• Sociology
• Economics
• Data Mining
• Operations management
• Data science
• Business
• Medical emergency
• Management
• Engineering
• Internet privacy
• Marketing
• World Wide Web
• Mathematics
• Public relations
• Virology
• Knowledge management

Selected publications

• Acceptability of ambulance-based telemedicine (ABT) for paediatric emergencies in Karachi, Pakistan

  BMJ Global Health · 2026-01-01

  articleOpen access

  INTRODUCTION: Globally, half of all 6.2 million deaths in children are caused by acute illnesses which can be prevented if diagnosed and treated in time. We hypothesise that long elapsed travel time and delay in care can be tackled using telemedicine. The objective of this study is to determine the acceptability of linking ambulances that transport acutely ill children to a remote paediatric emergency physician using a simple audiovisual device. METHODS: We conducted a qualitative study to determine the acceptability of ambulance-based teleconsultation for the emergency care of acutely ill children informed by the Theoretical Framework of Acceptability. We developed semistructured guides using this framework and conducted five interviews with telemedicine physicians (TMPs), 18 interviews with parents of children who recently needed an ambulance and four focused groups with emergency medical technicians (EMTs) who transport children. RESULTS: All participants were supportive of using the telemedicine consultation during ambulance transport in the proposed trial as they felt that having access to a video-based physician would offer prompt intervention, particularly for critically ill children in crowded cities and remote regions with scarce resources. Parents believed that ambulance-based telemedicine would enhance their trust in EMTs and reduce their stress. The concerns related to the intervention included parental reluctance in using video cameras due to privacy issues, doubts about doctors' treatment reliability, risk of miscommunication and inadequate parental education. To address these challenges, the groups proposed solutions such as joint training for EMTs and TMPs, educating parents about intervention processes, improving telecommunication infrastructure and promoting public awareness. CONCLUSION: Parents, EMTs and TMPs mutually agreed that the use of telemedicine during ambulance transport can be successfully implemented through proper training and is acceptable in our population. All participants agreed that this intervention holds great potential to improve the survival of critically ill children.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Stakeholder perspectives on the use of enhanced mobile phone capabilities for public health surveillance for non-communicable disease risk factors: A qualitative study

  medRxiv · 2026-04-23

  articleOpen access

  Abstract Background Mobile phone–based tools are increasingly used to collect data on non-communicable disease (NCD) risk factors, particularly in low-resource settings where traditional data collection systems face operational and infrastructural constraints. This study examined stakeholder perspectives on the use of enhanced mobile phone–based capabilities to support the collection of public health surveillance data on NCD risk factors in low-resource settings. Methods An exploratory qualitative study was conducted between November 2022 and July 2023. Twenty in-depth interviews were conducted with public health specialists, ethicists, NCD researchers, health informaticians, and policy makers in Uganda. Thematic analysis was used to interpret the results. Results Four themes emerged from the data including benefits of using mobile phone capabilities for NCD risk factor data collection; ethical, legal and social implications; perceived challenges of using such mobile phone capabilities; and proposed solutions to improve the utility of phone-based capabilities in data collection on NCD risk factors. Participants recognized the potential of mobile technologies to improve data collection efficiency and expand access to hard-to-reach populations. However, concerns emerged regarding inadequate informed consent, risks to privacy and confidentiality, unclear data ownership, and vulnerabilities created by inconsistent enforcement of data protection laws. Social concerns included low digital literacy, unequal access to mobile devices, and fear of stigmatization. Participants emphasized the need for transparent communication, robust data governance, and community engagement. Conclusion Mobile phone–based systems can strengthen the collection of NCD risk factor data in low-resource settings; however, their benefits depend on addressing key ethical, legal, and social challenges. To ensure responsible deployment, digital health initiatives must prioritize participant autonomy, data protection, equity, and trust building. Integrating contextualized ethical, legal, and social considerations into design and policy frameworks will be essential to leveraging mobile technologies in ways that support inclusive and effective NCD prevention and control.

  PublisherDOI

• Life from death: ethical implications of uterus transplantation from deceased donors in global health

  BMJ Global Health · 2025-06-01 · 2 citations

  articleOpen access

  SUMMARY BOX Uterus transplantation (UTx) from deceased donors is a novel reproductive technology that has led to successful births globally.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• A scoping review of equity toolkits for international academic partnerships

  International Journal for Equity in Health · 2025-10-14

  reviewOpen access

  INTRODUCTION: When there are frank asymmetries in power, resources, and capacity efforts to advance academic collaboration are essential for the conduct of ethical partnership-based health research, education, and policymaking. Numerous toolkits are available that provide structured templates for academic partnerships and other key stakeholders to systematically evaluate and reflect on how their practices enhance or inhibit equity. However, there is no comparative analysis available to examine similarities and differences between the multitude of toolkits available. METHOD: We conducted a comprehensive scoping review of international partnership equity toolkits across the domains of global health research, education, and practice in four academic databases (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and WHO Regional Indexes) and grey literature. The search took place June through August 2023. A primary search used broad keyword combinations followed by a secondary search of toolkit titles identified during the primary search. PRISMA extension for scoping reviews was followed. Key themes, motivations, development processes, application practices, and uses of these toolkits were examined by a combination of (1) templated extraction of data and (2) applying an inductive and iterative coding approach by two independent reviewers. RESULTS: Within the academic databases, 7580 abstracts were screened (7580 primary, 198 secondary), 120 documents underwent full-text review (112 primary, 8 secondary) and 27 articles (26 primary, 1 secondary) met inclusion criteria. Within the grey literature, 104 articles and webpages (40 primary, 64 secondary) met inclusion criteria. Seventeen toolkits were identified. The majority were geared toward evaluating research (n = 15) rather than education (n = 2) or practice (n = 0) partnerships. Toolkits covered a broad range of objectives, development methods, and target audiences. Twenty-three countries were represented in the creation of the toolkits; however, less than half (8/17, 47%) of toolkits had representation from low- or low/middle-income countries. We identified six broad categories within the toolkits - oversight, partnership dynamics, ethical foundation, contextual factors, partnership procedures and activities, and capacity. Under these, themes such as stakeholder engagement, communication, partnership outputs, clarification of roles and responsibilities, funding, and management of data or other products generated by the partnership were common. CONCLUSION: There was variability in the development, intended audience, and application methods of the toolkits, yet there was also substantial thematic content overlap. Limited information on the application or use of toolkits is available. To date, there is no data on whether these toolkits resulted in equity-oriented changes in partnership practices or policy.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Rethinking ethical reflexivity and oversight in health research through an ecosystem approach: A workshop report

  Research Ethics · 2025-09-12

  articleOpen access

  As the scope of morally relevant considerations widens and new challenges emerge at the frontiers of health innovation, there are questions about the appropriate role and remit for research ethics review, within the broader context of the whole health research ecosystem. Drawing on discussion at a satellite meeting at the 2022 Global Forum on Bioethics in Research in Cape Town, we argue that the ethical conduct of research is the responsibility of all stakeholders in the research ecosystem – from funders, governments and research institutions to individual research teams and ethics committees. As a research community we need to espouse, and take action to achieve, more distributed approaches to ethical scrutiny and reflexivity. A crucial element of such a shift should be the development of collaborative and non-adversarial relationships between researchers and ethics committees that recognise and respect the mutual responsibilities of all parties to promote ethical research conduct. In tandem with the development of systems to support the exercise of ethical responsibilities across the research ecosystem, committees need to reconceptualise their role, in partnership with communities, as one of providing accountability through a focus on how research promotes participant agency and the common good.

  PublisherDOI

• Ethical Use of Wearable Device Data in Occupational Settings

  Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine · 2025-05-06 · 1 citations

  article

  OBJECTIVE: Despite interest in using wearable technology to improve firefighter health and safety, there is little evidence on data privacy preferences in the fire service. METHODS: We conducted interviews and focus groups with career firefighters and fire department and union leaders in Maryland and Virginia and with national-level leaders (March to November 2023). RESULTS: We conducted 4 focus groups and 35 interviews (65 participants). Leaders were optimistic about using wearable data to help firefighters obtain benefits, improve safety, conduct prevention, and advance administrative priorities. Firefighters described tradeoffs between safety and autonomy, privacy, and job status. Firefighters opposed using wearables on calls, whereas leadership was supportive. Participants identified implementation barriers and conditions for ethical implementation of wearables. CONCLUSIONS: Wearable data could protect health and safety but must be utilized in a way that respects autonomy and privacy preferences.

  PublisherDOI

• A study in Bangladesh, Colombia, and Uganda on creating and retaining mobile health survey panels for longitudinal data collection

  Scientific Reports · 2025-09-25

  articleOpen access

  The increased subscription and ownership of mobile phones have created opportunities to improve health, education, or economic outcomes, including mobile phone surveys (MPS) to collect health data. Most MPS used cross-sectional survey designs. We explored the potential of MPS to collect panel data using anonymous surveys with agreement in age and gender, and participants' retention across survey waves in three low- and middle-income countries (LMICs): Bangladesh, Colombia, and Uganda. Using random digit dialing, participants were recruited from 6 age-gender strata (i.e., 18-29-, 30-44-, and 45+-year-old males and females). Three interactive voice response survey waves were sent at two-week intervals. In Wave 1, the number of complete interviews in Bangladesh, Colombia, and Uganda was 2693, 5912, and 4813, respectively. In all waves, the proportion of 18-29-year-olds responding to the surveys was higher than that of 30-44- or 50+-year-olds. Bangladesh (83.7% in Wave 1) and Uganda (70.1% in Wave 1) had a higher proportion of males than females, while it was different in Colombia (45.6% in Wave 1). Regarding the reporting of age and gender in survey waves, we observed a high agreement in all three countries; the Kappa statistic was 0.89 (agreement: 93.7%) from Wave 1 to Wave 2 and 0.90 (agreement: 94.5%) from Wave 1 to Wave 3. In Wave 1, the response and refusal rates were, respectively, 0.26% and 0.19% in Bangladesh; 0.65% and 0.89% in Colombia; and 2.63% and 0.71% in Uganda. From Wave 1 to Wave 2, the attrition rate was 37.2% in Bangladesh, 43.7% in Colombia, and 39.2% in Uganda. From Wave 1 to Wave 3, the attrition rate was 64.2%, 62.8%, and 58.4% in Bangladesh, Colombia, and Uganda, respectively. Despite high attrition across survey waves, the agreement about responses was substantial in all countries and MPS has the potential to be implemented in LMICs. More research is required to improve the retention and increase enrollment in some sociodemographic groups (e.g., older people or women). Future studies could also be benefitted from adding validation questions to ensure the participation by the same respondent.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Health Research Ethics in Southern Africa: Building Capacity and Cultivating Excellence

  Journal of Empirical Research on Human Research Ethics · 2025-06-30 · 2 citations

  articleOpen access

  The health research landscape in southern Africa is becoming increasingly complex as research efforts intensify to address the region's significant disease burden. The increasing volume and complexity of health research in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) highlights the ongoing need for enhanced research ethics capacity. To supplement a review published in 2014, this paper provides an overview of research ethics capacity-building initiatives supported through substantive long-term competitive awards from the Fogarty International Center of the US National Institutes of Health between 2014 and 2024. These programs aimed to enhance the capabilities of research ethics committees (RECs) and strengthen research ethics capacity throughout Southern Africa, with broader benefits to the African continent and globally as collaborative health research increases. The programs have successfully developed and delivered comprehensive research ethics curricula tailored to research ethics concerns in the region. Trainees and graduates include clinicians, researchers, REC members, REC administrators, lawyers, and ethicists, with focused efforts to ensure gender parity. This increased representivity of scholars has improved the membership on RECs and in skilled research ethics leadership in the region. For the benefit of future planning, this paper also describes some of the many challenges faced in delivering on program goals - including COVID-19. We also describe innovative solutions developed to address these challenges and meet the needs of students, faculty and institutions, while cultivating excellence in health research ethics. The paper concludes by highlighting areas for future research, underscoring the importance of continued diverse global investment in research ethics capacity to protect research participants and maintain and improve ethical standards and practice in health research within the region and globally. This will enable the development of innovative evidence-based global health solutions based on ethical research.

  PublisherDOI

• Nature and value of health research: perspectives from local communities in Botswana

  Research Ethics · 2025-03-12

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Relatively few studies to-date have examined research communities’ perspectives on fundamental characteristics of health research. This study contributes to the literature by investigating what selected local communities in Botswana understand to be the nature and value of health research for their communities, and the distinction they make between health research and medical intervention. Semi-structured focus groups and in-depth interviews were conducted with participants from two ethnic groups that represent dominant linguistic populations in Botswana. Thematic content analysis was used to identify emerging themes. Results showed that participants viewed health research as a process of increasing and generating knowledge about health-related issues. Some viewed participation in health research as equivalent to receiving medical care. Interference with traditional practices and beliefs were identified as some of the challenges that may impede research participation. Although local communities’ participation in health-related research may have strategic and intrinsic value for the promotion of societal health outcomes, the perceptions that communities have about health research and medical or health care continue to be blurred. This study unearthed some of the uncertainties that researchers may take for granted, particularly when research communities confuse research and medical care.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Magnitude and Factors Associated with Research Misconduct at a Public University in Ethiopia: A Cross-Sectional Survey

  F1000Research · 2025-02-20

  preprintOpen accessCorresponding

  Background: Research integrity, essential for ethical scientific research, has been inadequately addressed in Ethiopia, resulting in gaps in addressing misconduct like plagiarism, falsification and fabrication. The aim of this study was to assess the magnitude and factors associated with research misconduct at a public university in Ethiopia. Methods: An institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted on a random sample of researchers. Data were collected via a self-administered, structured questionnaire, which was adapted from a similar study. The collected data were analysed using descriptive, bivariate, and multivariable logistic regression. Result: A total of 244 researchers participated in the study, resulting in an 82% response rate. In our study, 37.7% of participants reported engaging in at least one form of misconduct, 95% CI [31.6%, 44.1%]. Authorship misconduct was the most common form of self-reported misconduct (47.5%), 95% CI [41.1%, 54.0%], followed by fabrication and falsification (40.6%), 95% CI [34.4%, 47.0%]. Publication pressure was significantly associated with research misconduct (AOR = 3.18; 95% CI: [1.02, 9.95]). Conclusion: This study highlights the prevalence of research misconduct and questionable research practices among academic researchers, with authorship misconduct, fabrication, falsification, and plagiarism being the most commonly reported types. Attitudes toward research misconduct and self-reported involvement were influenced by academic position, research experience, and publication pressure, with junior researchers being more likely to report engaging in misbehavior. While ethics training has occasionally been associated with reduced rates of research misconduct, its effectiveness remains uncertain, as institutional culture, supervision, and mentorship may play a more significant role. Addressing research misconduct requires a comprehensive approach that extends beyond ethical instruction, incorporating targeted support for early-career researchers, open dialogue, and institutional policy reforms.

  PublisherDOI

Recent grants

• The Addis Ababa University-Johns Hopkins University Research Ethics Training Program in Ethiopia (AAU-JHU RETP)

  NIH · $6.2M · 2000–2030

Frequent coauthors

• Adnan A. Hyder

  Milken Institute

  98 shared

• George Pariyo

  Johns Hopkins University

  55 shared

• Nancy E. Kass

  Johns Hopkins University

  52 shared

• Dustin G. Gibson

  Johns Hopkins University

  49 shared

• Alain Labrique

  Johns Hopkins University

  43 shared

• Jeremy Sugarman

  29 shared

• Bartolomeu Nascimento

  Fundação Getulio Vargas

  28 shared

• Heba F. Taha

  27 shared

Awards & honors

• Bioethics and New Narratives Award