Mariana Socal, MD, PhD is an associate scientist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She is a physician trained in adult neurology. Her research focuses on improving access and affordability of prescription drugs. 

Dr. Socal regularly advises policy makers on issues of pharmaceutical pricing and regulation, including the White House, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and the US Congress.

Dr. Socal is as a member of the World Health Organization technical advisory group on pricing policies for medicines.

Dr. Socal has testified before the U.S. Congress and the FDA, including on the drug pricing provisions that were enacted in 2022 as part of the Inflation Reduction Act. She has also provided public testimony in support of state-level prescription drug affordability legislation, in various states including Maryland, Maine, Washington, and Vermont.

Dr. Socal works closely with several state-level initiatives. She serves as an advisor for the California Generic Drugs Initiative (CAL-RX) and was recently nominated to the New Jersey Prescription Drug Affordability Council.

Dr. Socal holds a Master’s in Public Policy from Princeton University and a PhD in Public Health/Health Systems from Johns Hopkins University.

At Hopkins, Dr. Socal teaches courses on U.S. Pharmaceutical Policy and the U.S. Healthcare System.