Faculty

Minal Patel is an associate professor in the Department of Health Behavior & Health Education in the School of Public Health. Patel’s research focuses on improving capacity for individuals and health systems to manage common chronic diseases through the development and evaluation of behavioral interventions in priority populations that focus on improving the navigation and accessibility of health care services. She is particularly interested in methods of intervention that utilize e-health and m-health technologies, media, principles in health literacy, impactful health messaging, and community engagement. A central area of Patel’s research is examining determinants and interventions to address health-related financial burden and cost-related non-adherence as a barrier to treatment and chronic disease management.  Patel has been lead PI on at least 4 funded grants and contracts that have examined community, health system, and policy issues in health-related financial burden, and interventions to promote resource navigation and communication with care providers. She currently leads a CBPR partnership with Detroit area FQHCs and social services agencies to increase health insurance navigation capacity, and the chronic disease evaluation of the Healthy Michigan Voices survey of the Healthy Michigan evaluation.

Ph.D. and M.P.H. University of Michigan; B.A. University of California, San Diego