Education

Harvard University
PhD, Health Policy and Medical Sociology

University of Michigan
MHSA, Health Services Administration
MPP, Public Policy 

Cornell University
BS, Urban and Regional Planning 

Faculty Bio

Jessica Mittler, Ph.D., is an associate professor in the Department of Health Administration. She studies patient-centered care and the transformation it requires for the U.S. healthcare system. She is particularly interested in understanding and improving patient experiences, patient engagement, and collaboration among people and across sources of care.  Dr. Mittler examines these issues from multiple perspectives and levels (e.g. interpersonal, organizational, market) using mixed methods to produce theoretical and practical insights for policymakers, health systems, providers, patients, and their families.  Dr. Mittler’s work is published in leading outlets including Health Services Research, Social Science & Medicine, Medical Care Research and Review, Health Care Management Review, and The Milbank Quarterly. She teaches both undergraduate and graduate students, and is the recipient of the 2020 College of Health Professions Teaching Excellence Award.

Prior to joining VCU, Dr. Mittler was an associate professor at Penn State University. While there she co-lead the Women’s Leadership Initiative, a year-long program to develop students’ leadership competencies through classroom and experiential learning. Prior to earning her PhD, Dr. Mittler evaluated health care initiatives to improve the financing and organization of health care services as a researcher at Mathematica Policy Research.

Publications (5 Most Recent)

• Rathert C, Simmons D, Mittler JN, Enard K, Brooks JV. Good Therapeutic Connections and Patient Psychological Safety: A Qualitative Survey Study. Health Care Management Review. In press.
• Rathert C, Mittler JN, Vogus TJ, Lee YSH. What Matters to You? An Observational Field Study of Patient and Care Provider Expectations for Health Care Relationships.  PLoS ONE.  2024 July 2; 19(7): e0304854. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal. pone.0304854
• Mittler JN, Abraham JA, Robbins J, Song PH. To Comply or Not to Comply? Understanding Hospitals’ Initial Strategic Responses to the 2020 Federal Price 
  Transparency Regulation. Health Services Research. 2023 Nov 6.  Online ahead of print. doi: 10.1111/1475-6773.14252
• Rathert C, Mittler JN, Vogus TJ, Lee YSH. Better Outcomes Through Patient-Provider Therapeutic Connections? An Exploratory Study of Proposed Mediating Variables. Social Science & Medicine. 2023; 338: 116290. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2023.116290
• Rathert C, Mittler JN, Vogus TJ, Lee YSH. A Mixed-Methods Study of Patient and Care Provider Expectations for Health Care Relationships. S. Tenja, ed. Academy of Management Proceedings: Annual Meeting Boston 2023. 2023; 2023(1): 1-6.  https://doi.org/10.5465/AMPROC.2023.230bp  

                    - Health Care Management Division Best Paper Nominee