John S. Palatucci, PhD, MPA
PhD, Rutgers University; MPA, Rutgers School of Public Affairs and Administration
About Dr. Palatucci
Leadership & Core Faculty
John S. Palatucci, PhD, MPA is an Assistant Research Professor of Medicaid Policy and Analytics at the Rutgers Center for State Health Policy. Dr. Palatucci also serves as the public health discipline coordinator for the New Jersey Leadership in Neurodevelopmental and related Disabilities (NJLEND) program at the Boggs Center on Disability and Human Development (Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School). Dr. Palatucci is experienced in mixed-method health services research and focuses much of his work on health policy that affects people with disabilities and their communities. Ongoing project work includes Evaluating the New Jersey FamilyCare Comprehensive Medicaid Demonstration, where Dr. Palatucci leads evaluation of demonstration components administered by the New Jersey Children’s System of Care (New Jersey Department of Children and Families) and the Division of Developmental Disabilities (New Jersey Department of Human Services).
He is also a Co-Investigator on The Role of Homelessness and Supportive Housing in Healthcare Disparities among Adults in Medicaid, a major project supported by an R01 grant, funded by the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Palatucci has been recognized for his work by the Rutgers School of Public Health, with the 2024 Stuart D. Cook Excellence in Research Award for his doctoral research on policies that affect populations at-risk for institutionalization. His work also involves public service, including his role as member-at-large with the AcademyHealth Public Health Services and Systems Research Interest Group. Prior to joining the Center as a student assistant in 2016, Dr. Palatucci served as Graduate Fellow at the Eagleton Institute of Politics. He earned his PhD in Public Health (Health Systems and Policy) from Rutgers University.