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
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.