Hillary J. Mull, PhD, MPP
Associate Professor, Surgery
Biography
Hillary J. Mull, PhD, MPP, is a Research Investigator with the Center for Health Optimization and Implementation Research (CHOIR) at the VA Boston Healthcare System and an Associate Professor in the Department of Surgery at Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine. She works primarily on surgical quality measurement and patient safety and is certified in health informatics by the American Medical Informatics Association 10×10 program.
Dr. Mull’s research interests include: adverse event detection, quality and outcomes in surgery, and antimicrobial prophylaxis for surgical site infections. She uses data mining techniques to detect adverse events in understudied areas, including outpatient surgery, interventional radiology, and GI endoscopy. Her publications reflect her expertise in adverse event surveillance, statistical modeling, provider interviews, qualitative research methods, and the use of consensus tools to synthesize provider opinion.
She led a VA Health Services Research (HSR) IIR (equivalent of an NIH R01) project developing adverse event surveillance tools for invasive non-surgical procedures and collaborates on multiple projects ranging from implementation of a surveillance system for cardiac device complications to developing natural language processing tools to identify PTSD treatment pathways in the VA. She currently co-leads a VA HSR&D IIR on sustainment of surgical site infection prevention practices and antimicrobial prophylaxis following the discontinuation of the Surgical Care Improvement Program.
Dr. Mull was awarded a VA VISN 1 Career Development Award (CDA) to examine outpatient surgery followed by a VA HSR CDA in 2014 to develop and validate an adverse event surveillance model for outpatient surgery. In 2020, this tool was adapted and implemented for adverse event surveillance in one VA ambulatory surgical center.
She earned her PhD in health services research from the Boston University School of Public Health, and her Masters in Public Policy from the Gerald R. Ford School at the University of Michigan.
Other Positions
- VA Boston Healthcare System
Education
- Boston University School of Public Health, PhD
- University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, MPP
- University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, BA
Publications
- Published on 11/16/2024
Ayeni C, Branch-Elliman W, Foster M, Higgins MCSS, Hederstedt K, Bart N, Mull HJ. Potentially Preventable Adverse Events in Ambulatory Interventional Radiology: Results from a National Multisite Retrospective Medical Record Review. Jt Comm J Qual Patient Saf. 2025 Mar; 51(3):223-228. PMID: 39799069.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 10/30/2024
Al Lawati HJ, Harvey KL, Shin M, Mull H, Lamkin RP, Golenbock S, Basnet-Thapa D, Strymish JM, Lee M, Gold H, Bidwell Goetz M, Branch-Elliman W. Operationalizing an adverse event detection surveillance system to support antimicrobial stewardship activities: perceptions and insights from the SHEA research network. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 2024 Oct 30; 1-4. PMID: 39473228.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 6/28/2024
Hwang AR, Mesfin N, Kogut M, Foster MV, Shin MH, Sturgeon DJ, Mull HJ. Percutaneous Lung Biopsy Prevalence and Use of the Lung CT Scan and Reporting Data System in the Veterans Health Administration Lung Cancer Screening Program. Chest. 2024 Nov; 166(5):1254-1257. PMID: 38945357.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 3/13/2024
Beaulieu-Jones BR, Siegel N, Collado L, Mull HJ, Quin JA. Travel distance and outcomes after surgical aortic valve among veterans. Health Serv Res. 2024 Jun; 59(3):e14296. PMID: 38477023.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 12/27/2023
Mull HJ, Foster MV, Higgins MCSS, Sturgeon DJ, Hederstedt K, Bart N, Lamkin RP, Sullivan BA, Ayeni C, Branch-Elliman W, Malloy PC. Development and Validation of an Electronic Adverse Event Model for Patient Safety Surveillance in Interventional Radiology. J Am Coll Radiol. 2024 May; 21(5):752-766. PMID: 38157954.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 10/25/2023
Young S, Mull HJ, Golenbock S, Stolzmann K, Shin M, Lamkin RP, Linsenmeyer KD, Epshtein I, Kalver E, Strymish JM, Branch-Elliman W. Factors associated with uptake of guideline-recommended cardiovascular implantable electronic device management: a nationwide, retrospective cohort study. Antimicrob Steward Healthc Epidemiol. 2023; 3(1):e187. PMID: 38028909.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 9/28/2023
Al Lawati H, Shin M, Lamkin R, Thompson T, Epshtein I, Mull H, Basnet Thapa D, Drekonja D, Rodriguez-Barradas MC, Xu TH, Gold H, Elwy AR, Strymish J, Branch-Elliman W. Engaging patients in antimicrobial stewardship: co-designed educational tool to improve periprocedural care through de-implementation of guideline-discordant antimicrobial use. Antimicrob Steward Healthc Epidemiol. 2023; 3(1):e163. PMID: 38028930.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 7/31/2023
Price ME, Gordon S, Emmitt C, Ndugga N, Kabdiyeva A, Mull H, Pizer S, Garrido MM. Growth of community-based immunotherapy treatment in the Veterans Health Administration. Cancer Med. 2023 Sep; 12(17):18110-18119. PMID: 37519258.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 5/1/2023
Reyes Dassum S, Mull HJ, Golenbock S, Lamkin RP, Epshtein I, Shin MH, Strymish JM, Blumenthal KG, Colborn K, Branch-Elliman W. A Novel Informatics Tool to Detect Periprocedural Antibiotic Allergy Adverse Events for Near Real-time Surveillance to Support Audit and Feedback. JAMA Netw Open. 2023 May 01; 6(5):e2313964. PMID: 37195660.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 3/1/2023
Shanahan J, Vimalananda VG, Graham L, Schumann R, Mull HJ. Association Between Preoperative Diabetes Control and Postoperative Adverse Events Among Veterans Health Administration Patients With Diabetes Who Underwent Elective Ambulatory Hernia Surgery. JAMA Netw Open. 2023 Mar 01; 6(3):e236318. PMID: 37000453.
Read at: PubMed
View 62 more publications: View full profile at BUMC