Dr. Minal R. Patel

Nationally Recognized Leader Transforming Access, Affordability, and Everyday Care

Scientific articles written and published

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Million in funding, awarded in external research funding

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Collaborators with policymakers and healthcare

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Years of experience in health sciences higher education

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Welcome!

I’m a tenured professor and nationally recognized researcher focused on  the real-world barriers that make it harder for people with chronic illnesses to get  the care they need and deserve.

My work investigates how the cost of care, confusing systems, and unmet needs- like transportation, housing, and food- shape people’s ability to stay healthy. I partner with healthcare systems, nonprofits, and policy and advocacy groups to turn evidence into practical tools and solutions that make care more affordable, more accessible, and more aligned with real life.

Featured and published across

Work WIth Me

I help healthcare leaders simplify care, improve access, and drive real-world impact.

My work spans speaking engagements, strategic advising, and applied research- all aimed at making care more navigable, affordable, and responsive to real-world needs.

Speaking

Keynotes, panels, and workshops on breaking down cost, complexity, and barriers to better support patients in real-world healthcare.

Consulting

Strategic guidance to help advocates and organizations reduce patient burden and turn evidence into practical, lasting healthcare solutions.

Learning

Drive change by turning awareness into action. This learning series equips professionals with knowledge and tools to address and fix systemic inequalities.

Consulting

Industries I Serve

Healthcare systems + clinics

Agencies and foundations

Academic research centers

Nonprofits and advocacy groups

Recent Research

Current Diabetes Reports, 2025 May 13;25(1):32.

Financial Toxicity in Diabetes: The State of What We Know

Patel MR.

Journal of Advanced Nursing. 2025 Mar 10.

Leveraging artificial intelligence to identify and intervene on unmet social needs through care coordination: A scoping review

Davis VH*, Pinto A, Patel MR.

Journal of Patient-Reported Outcomes, 2025 Jan 6;9(1):2.

Clinically meaningful classes of financial toxicity for patients with diabetes

Patel MR, Troost JP, Heisler M, Carlozzi NE.

Journal of General Internal Medicine, 2024 Dec 9.

Unbanked status among individuals with diabetes: Exploring reasons, correlates, and implications for financial and health outcomes

Patel MR.

Journal of General Internal Medicine. 2024 Oct;39(13):2415-2424.

Randomized Controlled Trial to Improve Unmet Social Needs and Clinical Outcomes Among Adults with Diabetes

Patel MR, Zhang G*, Heisler M, Piette JD, Resnicow K, Choe HM, Shi X,  Song P. A

JAMA Network Open, 2024 Mar 4;7(3):e243723.

Food insecurity at a large academic medical center: understanding the scope, trends, risk factors, and disparities in patients’ interest in assistance

Leung CW, Patel MR, Miller M, Spring E, Wang Z, Wolfson JA, Cohen AJ,  Heisler M, Hao W.

Support Care Cancer. 2026 Jan 7;34(2):74.

Financial concerns of adults with cancer using patient navigation services offered through employer-sponsored benefits

Patel MR, Marshall J, Zhang G*, Feng K*, Davis V*. Brown A.

JAMA Health Forum 2025 Oct 3;6(10):e254639.

Employment and Health Burden Changes Among Medicaid Expansion Enrollees

Patel MR, Clark S, Beathard E, Box N, Kirch M, Tipernini R, Ayanian JZ, Goold S.

Recent Media Features

Invited Testimony on Hospital Financial Assistance and Medical Debt

Provided invited testimony before the Michigan Senate Health Policy Committee in Lansing, MI on November 5, 2025, addressing hospital financial assistance policies and their role in mitigating medical debt in relation to Senate Bills 701–702. The testimony informed policy discussions on improving access to financial support and reducing the burden of medical debt on patients.

Why A Plan To Lower Prescription Drug Prices Should Not Be Piecemeal

High Stakes, Little Action

Forgiving Medical Debt is Crucial, But it Won't Fix Our Healthcare System | Opinion

We need to fix broken systems that create medical debt in the first place

Free Guide

Understanding Financial Barriers in Healthcare

Explore key research on the systemic roots of cost-related challenges in care. This guide outlines factors that shape affordability and access.