Maria Mutka was a Research Assistant with AcademyHealth, where she supported evaluation activities within the Enhancing Systems of Care for Children with Medical Complexity Coordinating Center (ESC CC) with the Healthcare Research and Services Administration (HRSA) until July 2024. In her role with the ESC CC, Maria assisted with evaluation strategic planning activities, helping to enact the ESC CC’s vision of a patient and family-centered evaluation approach. She also worked on a project with the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) that supported the convening of PCORI’s Advisory Panels, which are comprised of a variety of stakeholders in the field of patient-centered outcome research. Additionally, she supported the advancement of the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Trust Fund of the Office of the Secretary (OS-PCORTF) with the Assistant Secretary of Planning and Evaluation (ASPE). Prior to joining AcademyHealth, Maria worked as an AmeriCorps Service member with the Montana Public Health Corps and Research Assistant with the Duke University Department of Population Health Sciences. She graduated from Smith College in 2022 with a B.A. in Anthropology as well as in Russian, East European & Eurasian Studies.