Cody Lendon Mullens, MD MPH MS

Surgeon in training and health services researcher focused on improving surgical care in rural America.

I am a general surgery resident at the University of Michigan and a National Clinician Scholars Program research fellow studying how health policy, hospital financing, and care delivery models shape access to surgical care in rural America.

My research focuses on rural hospitals, surgical access, health policy, and surgical outcomes. Using national datasets, clinical registries, and policy analysis, I examine how structural factors influence surgical quality, patient travel patterns, hospital viability, and the long-term sustainability of rural surgical services.

My scholarly work has been published in journals including JAMA, Health Affairs, JAMA Surgery, Annals of Surgery, and The Journal of Rural Health. Through this work, I aim to translate rigorous health services research into evidence that informs policymakers, health systems, and clinicians working to strengthen surgical care for rural communities.

In addition to research, I contribute to surgical publishing and education through editorial work with the JAMA Network as a visual abstract editor and with Annals of Surgery as a Creative Director and Editorial Fellow. I am also a rural health leadership and policy fellow with the National Rural Health Association and serve on the Advisory Council for Rural Surgery at the American College of Surgeons and the Program Committee for the North American Rural Surgical Society.

My long-term goal is to help design health policy and care delivery models that ensure rural patients have reliable access to high-quality surgical care close to home.

Outside of medicine, I enjoy distance running, triathlon training, traveling, and spending time with my wife Liz, our daughter Millie, and our two golden retrievers, Lucy and Beau.