Neetu Jain, PhD, MPH

Research & Program Staff

Neetu J. Jain, PhD, MPH is a Research Project Manager at the Rutgers Center for State Health Policy. She is a senior health services researcher and epidemiologist with over 20 years of experience leading large-scale research, program evaluation, and data analytics initiatives to improve healthcare quality, equity, and outcomes. She has a strong track record of directing multidisciplinary teams, managing complex federal contracts, and providing strategic leadership on high-impact health policy initiatives.

She has substantive expertise in maternal and child health, quality measurement, value-based purchasing, and Medicaid and Medicare policy. Her work draws extensively on large-scale healthcare datasets, including Medicaid and Medicare claims, All-Payer Claims Databases (APCDs), and electronic health records. She has particular strength in applying rigorous analytic methods to generate evidence that informs health policy, program design, and system-level decision-making.

Prior to joining the Center in 2026, Dr. Jain served as a Research Scientist at Humana, where she led a multi-million-dollar portfolio focused on musculoskeletal care within value-based payment models, overseeing cross-functional teams and guiding strategic program development. She previously spent twelve years at Mathematica as a Senior Researcher and Project Director, where she led federal initiatives for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), managing large research teams and complex, multi-stakeholder projects focused on quality measurement, Medicaid data modernization, and health system performance.

Dr. Jain has contributed extensively to the scientific literature, with peer-reviewed publications in areas including maternal and child health, healthcare quality, and health disparities. She has also presented her work at national conferences and professional meetings, disseminating research findings to policymakers, researchers, and public health practitioners.

Earlier in her career, Dr. Jain served as an epidemiologist at the New Jersey Department of Health, where her work focused on maternal and child health surveillance and efforts to reduce health disparities.

Dr. Jain has been recognized by the New Jersey Public Health Association with the 2007 Ronald Altman Award for her contributions to public health and obesity research. She earned her PhD in Epidemiology, with a concentration in Maternal and Child Health, from the Rutgers School of Public Health, her MPH in Epidemiology from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, and her Bachelor of Homeopathic Medicine and Surgery (BHMS) from D.S. Homeopathic Medical College in Pune, India.