Dr. Mittman is the Director of Health Policy Research for the Sullivan Alliance to Transform America’s Health Professions. In that role, Dr. Mittman conducts and informs research on barriers to accessing health careers as well as guides evaluation of existing Sullivan Alliance interventions, and suggests new initiatives.

Dr. Mittman is a former pre-doctoral fellow in Health Policy Research receiving her doctoral degree at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. An immigrant herself, with diverse ancestral roots, Dr. Mittman was the PI of multiple federally funded projects employing community empowerment models to disseminate genetic information and screening options to underserved communities. She also spearheaded multiple projects to diversity the genetic counseling professions and published a great deal on the topic.

Prior to obtaining her doctoral degree, Dr. Mittman was a faculty member at the Howard University College of Medicine. Following her graduation, Dr. Mittman joined the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, in the Office of Minority Health and Health Disparities. There, she directed a project funded by the HHS-Office of Minority Health to increased diversity in medicine, nursing, pharmacy and dentistry in the state of Maryland. In addition to diversifying health professions, Dr. Mittman had a leading role in working with local hospitals and academic health centers, on increasing cultural and linguistic responsiveness among health professionals.

Realizing that health professionals’ diversity has a pivotal role in lowering health disparities, and committed to working on equity in education and health, Dr. Mittman recently joined the Sullivan Alliance and is now the Director of its Health Policy Research efforts. The Alliance is a part of the Health Policy Institute of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, a premiere think-tank focusing on issues pertaining to African Americans and other communities of color.

Selected Publications

• Mittman IS and Katy D. Diversity in genetic counseling: past, present and future. Journal of Genetic Counseling. 17 (4): 301-13, 2008.
• Mittman I, Maman S and Bowie J. Exploring the discourse between genetic counselors and Orthodox Jewish community members. Patient Education and Counseling, 65 (2): 230-236, 2007.
• Mittman I. Genetic education to African American and Russian immigrant communities in Northwest Baltimore. Chapter 7, pp 84-96. In the Human Genome Project and Minority Communities: Ethical, Social and Political Dilemmas. Zilinskas, R.A. and Balint, P.J. Greenwood Publishing Group, Praeger Publishers, 2001.
• Mittman I, and Secundy MG. A national dialogue on genetics and minority issues. Community Genetics, 1 (3):190-200, 1998.
• Mittman I. Genetic education to diverse communities employing a community empowerment model. Community Genetics, 1 (3):160-165, 1998.
• Mittman I. Cromblehole WR, Golbus MS, and Green JR. Reproductive genetic counseling to Asian Pacific and Latin American immigrants. Journal of Genetic Counseling, 7 (1):49-70, 1997.
• Weil J and Mittman I. A teaching framework for cross-cultural genetic counseling. Journal of Genetic Counseling, 2 (3) 159-169, 1993.
• Mittman I. Immigration and the provision of genetic counseling services. Birth Defects Original Articles Series. Genetic Services for Underserved Populations. 26(2):139-146, 1990.
• Mittman I. A model perinatal genetics program. Birth Defects: Original Articles Series. Genetic services for underserved populations. 26(2):93-100, 1990.

Grant Awards

• Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) # MCJ-111012. Improving Access to and Utilization of Genetic Services among an Indigent African American Population in the District of Columbia: A hospital-based program to provide culturally sensitive genetic counseling and education to an underserved African American patient population served by Howard University. $470,960 / 10/97 – 9/00
• Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) # MCJ-241010 / Genetic LINC; Liaisons Into Cultures. A project aimed at increasing minority recruitment and retention in medical genetics; and developing a community-based, model program to provide genetic counseling and education to African American and Russian immigrant communities in Northwest Baltimore. A collaborative effort between Sinai Hospital of Baltimore and Howard University.
  $504,898 / 10/94 – 9/97
• Private
  National March of Dimes. 4-FY97-0658. The National Dialogue on Genetics. A supplemental grant to offset the cost of a national conference on diversity and genetics held at College Park, MD. $5,000 / 01/98 – 3/98