Sophie Mitra

Professor of Economics
Curriculum Vitae

Fordham University
E-524 Dealy Hall
441 East Fordham Road
Bronx, NY 10458-9993

[email protected]
Phone: 718-817-5337 
Fax: 718-817-3518

Ph.D., Universite Paris I Pantheon-Sorbonne (France)
Disability, Global Health, Aging, Human Development, Social Policy, Applied Microeconomics.
Sophie Mitra is professor of economics at Fordham University in New York City. She is the principal investigator and founder of the Disability Data Initiative. Her research agenda has documented economic insecurity and evaluated policies that try to reduce it. A central line of work consists in producing evidence to document disability inequalities through disaggregated statistics and to understand the root causes that drive them, such as discrimination or extra costs of living for families (e.g. medical or transportation costs).

She is the author of more than 80 peer-reviewed articles in public health, public policy and economics and the author Disability, Health and Human Development (Palgrave MacMillan, 2018), in which she proposed the human development model disability, health and wellbeing based on the capability approach.

She has had policy experience or conducted field work in Haiti, India, South Africa, the United States and Vietnam. She frequently engages with policymakers and public audiences to translate research into action. She earned her doctorate in economics from Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne and has held leadership roles in several organizations, including the Human Development and Capability Association (HDCA) and the Center for Inclusive Policy. She is an HDCA fellow, an IZA fellow and an elected member of the National Academic of Social Insurance. At Fordham University, Sophie Mitra founded the Research Consortium on Disability and co-founded the Disability Studies program.
Publications in peer reviewed journals

Mitra, S., Patchaiappan, K., Carpenter, B., Kamalakannan, S., Pinilla-Roncancio, M., Rivas Velarde, M., Murthy, GVS, Hanass-Hancock, J. (2026). The Association between Disability and Problems in Accessing Healthcare: Evidence for Women ages 15 to 49 in 16 Low- and Middle-Income Countries. Public Health.

Mitchell, A., Aromí, D. and Mitra, S. (2026). Has the Beyond-GDP agenda made its way into policy discourses? Evidence from the legislative branch in Canada and the United States. Social Indicators Research. Vol. 182. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-026-03813-z

Graham T., Wiener R.C., Mitra S., Wang H., Shen C., Pedaprolu L., Sambamoorthi U. (2026) Association of Combined Marijuana and Opioid Use with Major Depressive Disorder among Adults with Chronic Conditions in the United States. Substance Use: Research and Treatment. Feb 23;20:29768357261423812. https://doi.org/10.1177/29768357261423812

Fontana, M., Mitra, S., Rohwerder, B., Gergin, G. (2026). Disability-inclusive trade: a conceptual framework grounded in human rights. Journal of International Development. Vol. 38(2), pp. 290-300 https://doi.org/10.1002/jid.70042

Theiss, K., Carpenter, B., Hanass-Hancock, J., Kamalakanna, S., Kulchar, R.J., Murthy, GVS, Pinilla-Roncancio, M., Rivas Velarde, M., Tetali, S., Mitra, S. (2026). Is disability prevalence higher in rural areas? Evidence from functional difficulty and nightlight data in 15 low- and middle-income countries. Disability and Health Journal. Vol. 19(1). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dhjo.2025.101964.

Banks, L.M., Morris, Z., Rotenberg, S. <…> et al. Mitra, S. (2025) Estimating the magnitude and scope of disability-related direct costs: a systematised review. European Journal of Health Economics. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10198-025-01851-x

Biggeri, M., Mitra, S. and van der Veen, S. (2025). Towards Person-Centred Care: Using the Capability Approach Together with the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health. Journal of Human Development and Capabilities. Vol 26(2), 276-284. https://doi.org/10.1080/19452829.2025.2477525

Asadullah, M.N., Mitchell, A., Greco, J., Mitra, S., Biggeri, M., Venkatapuram, S., Boni, A., Chiappero-Martinetti, E. (2025). Halfway There, Long Way to Go: The Role of People’s Agency in the Final Years of the Sustainable Development Goals. Journal of Human Development and Capabilities. Vol. 26(1), 1-8. https://doi.org/10.1080/19452829.2024.2416890

Hervé, J., Theiss, K., and Mitra, S. (2025). Are women with disabilities more at risk of intimate partner violence? Social Forces. Vol. 104(2). https://doi.org/10.1093/sf/soaf023

Shen C, Wang H, Djiotsop AN, Wiener RC, Pathak M, Mitra S, Findley PA, Sambamoorthi U. (2025) Association of Reported Sleep Disturbances with Objectively Assessed Mild Cognitive Impairment among Adults in the United States. Sage Open Medicine. 13. https://doi.org/10.1177/20503121251317912

Pathak, M., Mitra, S., Shen, C., Wang, H., Findley, P.A., Wiener, R.C., Sambamoorthi, U. (2025). Association of Long COVID with Vision Limitations Among Adults in the United States. Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness Vol. 119(4). https://doi.org/10.1177/0145482X251365588

Pathak, M., Mitra, S., Pinnamraju, J., Findley, P. A., Wiener, R. C., Wang, H., Zhou, B., Shen, C., & Sambamoorthi, U. (2025). Stress Due to Inflation and Its Association with Anxiety and Depression Among Working-Age Adults in the United States. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 22(1), 26. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22010026

Carpenter, B., Kamalakannan, S., Patchaiappan, K., Theiss, K., Yap, J., Hanass-Hancock, J., Murthy, GVS, Pinilla-Roncancio, M., Rivas Velarde, M., and Mitra, S. (2024). The Disability Statistics – Estimates Database: an innovative database of internationally comparable statistics on disability inequalities. International Journal of Population Data Science. Vol. 8(6). https://doi.org/10.23889/ijpds.v8i6.2478

Carpenter, B., Kamalakannan, S., Saikam, P., Vicente Alvarez, D., Hanass-Hancock, J., Murthy, GVS, Pinilla-Roncancio, M., Rivas Velarde, M., Teodoro, D., and Mitra, S. (2024). The disability statistics questionnaire review database (DS-QR Database): a database of population censuses and household surveys with internationally comparable disability questions. International Journal of Population Data Science. Vol. 8(6). https://doi.org/10.23889/ijpds.v8i6.2477

Nascimento Dial, A., Mitra, S., Vicente, D., Teodoro, D. and M. Rivas Velarde (2024). Did high frequency phone surveys during the COVID-19 pandemic include disability questions? An assessment of COVID-19 surveys from March 2020 to December 2022. BMJ Open.; Jul 11;14(7):e079760. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2023-079760

Dalal, J., Mitra, S., James, A., Rivas Velarde, M. (2024). Links across disabilities: unveiling associations between functional domains. BMC Public Health 24, 41 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-023-17523-5

Mont, D., Madans, J., Goodman, N., Mitra, S., Morris, Z., Ne’eman, A., Wittenburg, D. (2024). When Designing Disability Survey Questions, Align Measurement To Purpose: A Response To Landes et al.", Health Affairs Forefront, October 3, 2024. https://www.healthaffairs.org/content/forefront/designing-disability-survey-questions-align-measurement-purpose-response-landes-et-al

Pathak M., Findley P.A., Mitra S., Shen, C., Wang, H., Wiener, R.C., Sambamoorthi, U. (2024). Association of Marijuana Use With Psychological Distress Among Adults in United States. American Journal of Health Promotion. 2024;0(0). doi:10.1177/08901171241307431

Mitra, S., Shen, C., Pinnamraju, J., Wiener, R.C., Wang, H., Pathak, M., Findley, P.A., Sambamoorthi, U. (2024). Stress Due to Inflation: Changes over Time, Correlates, and Coping Strategies among Working-Age Adults in the United States. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 21, 157. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21020157

Chipanta, D., Mitra, S., Amo-Agyei, S. et al. (2023) Differences between persons with and without disability in HIV prevalence, testing, treatment, and care cascade in Tanzania: a cross-sectional study using population-based data. BMC Public Health 23, 2096. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-023-17013-8

Mont, D., Banks, L.M., Carraro, L.; Cote, A., Hanass-Hancock, J., Mitra, S., Morris, Z.; Nasiir, M., Pinilla-Roncancio, M. (2023) Methods for Estimating the Impact of Disability Costs for Designing Inclusive Policies. Disabilities 2023, 3, 539-549. https://doi.org/10.3390/disabilities3040034

Gao J., Kim H., Mitra S. (2023). Out-of-Pocket Health Expenditures Associated with Chronic Health Conditions and Disability in China. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2023; 20(15):6465. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20156465

Hanass-Hancock, J., Kamalakannan, S., Murthy, G.V.S., Palmer, M., Pinilla-Roncancio, M., Rivas Velarde, M., Tetali, S., Mitra, S. (2023). What cut-off(s) to use with the Washington Group short set of questions?, Disability and Health Journal, Volume 16, Issue 4, 101499. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dhjo.2023.101499

Mitra, S., Q. Gao (2023). Disability and social policy: global evidence and perspectives. Global Social Policy. Vol. 23(1), pp. 3-10.

Mitra, S., J. Yap, J. Hervé, W. Chen (2023). Inclusive Statistics: A disaggregation of indicators by disability status and its implications for policy. Global Social Policy. Vol. 23(1), pp. 39–66. Earlier version as World Bank Policy Research Working Paper 9626. Inclusive Statistics: Human Development and Disability Indicators in Low- and Middle-Income Countries.

Danemayer, J. Mitra, S., Holloway, C. Hussein, S. (2023). Assistive technology access in longitudinal datasets: a global review. International Journal of Population Data Science, 8 (1), Article 08.

Findley, P.A., Wiener, R.C., Mitra, S., Wang, H., Shen, C., and Sambamoorthi U. (2023). Whole Health in Parts: Omissions from National Data Sets. Population Health Management, Vol. 26(1), pp. 22-28.

Manning, S.E., Wang, H., Dwibedi, N., Shen, C., Wiener,R.C., Findley, P.A., Mitra, S. , Sambamoorthi, U. (2023). Association of multimorbidity with the use of health information technology. Digital Health, Vol. 9, 20552076231163797.

Wiener, RC, Findley, PA, Shen, C., Wang,H., Mitra, S., Sambamoorthi, U. (2023). Cost Conversation Research, The Journal of the American Dental Association, Vol. 154(1), pp.6-7

Kim, H. and Mitra, S. (2022). Economic and Health Effects of Long-term Care Insurance: New Evidence from Korea. Journal of Economics of Aging. Vol. 23 100412 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeoa.2022.100412

Lewis, E., Mitra, S. and Yap, J. (2022). Do disability inequalities grow with development? Evidence from 40 countries. Sustainability, Vol. 14, no. 9: 5110. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14095110

Kim, H. and Mitra, S. (2022). Dynamics of Health and Labor Income in Korea. Journal of Economics of Aging. Vol. 21, 100351. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeoa.2021.100351

Mitra, S., W. Chen, J. Hervé, S. Pirozzi and J. Yap (2022). Invisible or Mainstream? Disability in Surveys and Censuses in Low- and Middle-Income Countries. Social Indicators Research. 163, pp. 219–249. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-022-02879-9. Earlier version as World Bank Policy Research Working Paper 9625.

Brucker, D.L. , Jajtner, K., Mitra, S. (2022). Does Social Security impact food security? Evidence for older Households. Applied Economic Perspectives & Policy. Vol. 44(2), pp. 671-686. https://doi.org/10.1002/aepp.13218

Jajtner, K., Brucker, D.L. , Mitra, S. (2022). Midlife Work Limitations are Associated with Lower Odds of Survival and Healthy Aging. Journal of Gerontology: Series B. Volume 77, Issue 4, April 2022, Pages 790–802, https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbab214

Yap, J., Vandana Chaudhry, Chandan Kumar Jha, Subha Mani, S. Mitra, (2020). Are responses to the pandemic inclusive? A rapid virtual audit of COVID-19 press briefings in LMICs. World Development. Vol. 136, December 2020, page 105122.

Mitra, S. Palmer, M. and Vuong, V.A. (2020). Development and interdisciplinarity: a citation analysis. World Development. Vol. 136, November 2020, page 105076.

Mitra, S., Brucker, D.L. and Jajtner, K. (2020). Wellbeing at older ages: an inclusive and multidimensional measure. Disability and Health. Volume 13, Issue 4, page 100926.

Mitra, S. and Brucker, D.L. (2020). Disability and aging: from successful aging to wellbeing through the capability and human development lens. Disability and Health. Volume 13, Issue 4, Pages 100924.

Mitra, S., Gao, Q., Chen, W. and Zhang, Y. (2020). Health, work and income among adults: a panel analysis for China. Journal of Economics of Aging. Vol. 17.

Puliyel, G., Kim, H. and Mitra, S. (2020). Paid Maternity Leave and Child Mortality: The Asia-Pacific Experience. Asia-Pacific Development Journal Vol.27, No.1, June 2020).

Jajtner, K., Fountain, C. and Nichols, A. and Mitra, S. (2020). Rising Income Inequality Through a Disability Lens: Trends in the United States 1981–2018. Social Indicators Research. 151, pages 81–114.

Mauro, J. and Mitra, S. (2020). Youth Idleness in Eastern Europe and Central Asia Before and After the 2009 Crisis. Applied Economics. Vol. 52 (15), pp. 1634-1655.

Palmer, M., Cuong, N., Mitra, S., Mont, D., and Groce, N. (2019). Long-lasting consequences of war on disability. Journal of Peace Research. Vol 56 issue: 6, pp. 860-875.

Mitra, S. and D. Brucker (2019). Monitoring Multidimensional Poverty in the United States. Economics Bulletin. Vol. 39(20, pp. 1272-1293.

Mont, D., Palmer, M, Mitra, S., Groce, N. (2019). Disability identification cards: issue in effective design. Development. Vol. 62(1), pages 96-102.

Simeu, N. , Mitra, S. (2019) Disability and household economic wellbeing: evidence from Indonesian longitudinal data. Oxford Development Studies. Vol. 47(3), pp. 275-88.

Mitra, S. and T. Shakespeare (2019). Remodeling the ICF. Disability & Health journal. Vol 12, pp. 337-39.

Mitra, S. (2018). From Disability in Resource-Poor Settings to Policy and Research Opportunities in Global Health. American Journal of Public Health. Vol. 108 (9). pp. 1163-1164.

Meraya, A., Dwibedi, N. Innes, K., Mitra, S., Xi, T., Sambamoorthi, U. (2018), The Dynamic Relationships between Economic Indicators and Physical Health Measures among Working-Age Adults in the United States. Health Economics 27(8), pp. 1160-1174.

Mani, S., Mitra, S. and Sambamoorthi, U. (2018), Transitions in Health and Employment: New Evidence from Indonesia. World Development 104, pp. 297-309 (earlier version is IZA working paper 10256.)

Mizunoya, S., Mitra, S. and Yamasaki, I. (2018), Disability and school attendance in 15 low- and middle-income countries. World Development 104, pp. 388-403 (earlier version is Innocenti Working Paper No.2016-03, UNICEF.)

Meraya, A., Dwibedi, N. Innes, K., Mitra, S., Xi, T., Sambamoorthi, U. (2018), Heterogeneous relationships in health by race/ethnicity. Health Services Research. 2018 Aug;53 Suppl 1:2910-2931.

Disease Control Priorities-3 Child and Adolescent Health and Development Authors Group (2018). Investment in child and adolescent health and development: key messages from Disease Control Priorities, 3rd edition. Lancet 391(10121) , pp. 687-699.

Mitra, S., Palmer, M. Kim, H., Mont, D. and Groce, N. (2017). Extra costs of disability: a review of the literature. Disability and Health 10(4), pp. 475-484

Mitra, S., Palmer, M. Pullaro, S., Mont, D. and Groce, N. (2017). Health Insurance and Children in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: a Review. Economic Record 93(302), pp. 484-500

Mitra, S. and Jones, K. (2017). The Impact of Recent Mental Health Problems on Labor Supply: new evidence from longitudinal data. Applied Economics 49(1), pp. 96-109.

Mitra, S., Palmer, M., Mont, D. and Groce, N. (2016). Can households cope with health shocks in Vietnam? Health Economics 25(7). DOI: 10.1002/hec.3196

Mitra, S. and Brucker, D. (2016). Income Poverty and Multiple Deprivations in a High-Income Country: The Case of the United States. Social Science Quarterly. DOI: 10.1111/ssqu.12291

Mizunoya, S., Yamasaki, I., and Mitra, S. (2016). The Disability Gap in Employment Rates in a Developing Country Context: New Evidence from Vietnam. Economics Bulletin 36(2), pp. 771-777.

Palmer, M., Mitra, S., Mont, D., Groce, N. (2015). The impact of health insurance for children under age 6: A regression discontinuity approach. Social Science and Medicine 145, pp. 217-226.

Brucker, D.L.. Mitra, S. Chaitoo, N., Mauro, J. (2015), More likely to be poor whatever the measure: working age persons with disabilities in the United States. Social Science Quarterly 96 (1), pp. 273-296.

Mitra, Sophie (2014). Reconciling the capability approach and the ICF: A response, ALTER - European Journal of Disability Research / Revue Européenne de Recherche sur le Handicap 8(1), pp. 24-29.

Mitra, S. and U. Sambamoorthi (2014). Disability Prevalence Among Adults: Estimates for 54 Countries and Progress Toward A Global Estimate. Disability and Rehabilitation 36(11), pp. 940-47.

Mitra, S. (2013). Data Revolution for Disability-Inclusive Development. Lancet Global Health 1(4), pp. E178 - E179, October.

Mizunoya, S. and S. Mitra (2013). Is there a Disability Gap in Employment Rates in Developing Countries? World Development 42, pp.28-43.

Mitra, S., Posarac, A. and Vick, B. (2013). Disability and Poverty in Developing Countries: a multidimensional Study. World Development 41, pp. 1-18. A longer and earlier working paper is World Bank Social Protection Working Paper 1109.

Mitra, S., K. Jones, B. Vick, D. Brown, E. McGinn and M-J Alexander (2013). Implementing a Multi-dimensional Poverty Measure using Mixed Methods. Social Indicators Research 110 (3), pp. 1061-1081.

Vick, B., K. Jones and Mitra, S. (2012). Poverty and Psychiatric Diagnosis in the U.S.: Evidence from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey. Journal of Mental Health Policy and Economics 15(2).

Sambamoorthi U., S. Mitra, P. Findley and L. Pogach. (2012). Decomposing Gender Differences in Low Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol Among Veterans with or at Risk for Cardiovascular Conditions, Women's Health Issues 22(2), pp. e201-e208.

Mitra, S. and J-M. Boussard (2012). A Simple Model of Endogenous Agricultural Commodity Price Fluctuations with Storage, Agricultural Economics 43(1), pp. 1-15.

Mitra, S. and J-M. Boussard (2011). Les Stocks et la Volatilité des Prix Agricoles : un Modèle de Fluctuations Endogènes, Economie Rurale, no 321 Jan - Feb. Paper in English: [A Storage and the Volatility of Agricultural Prices: A Model of Endogenous Fluctuations].

Mitra, S. (2010) Disability Cash Transfers in the Context of Poverty and Unemployment: the Case of South Africa. World Development 38(12), pp. 1692 - 1709.

Mitra, S. (2009), Disability Screening and Labor Supply: Evidence from South Africa, American Economic Review Papers and Proceedings 99(2), pp. 512-516.

Mitra S. and U. Sambamoorthi (2009), Wage Differential by Disability Status in an Agrarian Labor Market in India, Applied Economics Letters 16(14), pp. 1393-98.

Mitra, S., P. Findley and U. Sambamoorthi (2009), Health Care Expenditures of Living with a Disability, Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation 90, pp. 1532-40.

Mitra, S. (2009), Temporary and Partial Disability Programs in Nine Countries: What can the United States Learn from Other Countries?, Journal of Disability Policy Studies 20(1), pp. 14-27.

Mitra S. (2008), The Recent Decline in the Employment of Persons with Disabilities in South Africa, 1998-2006, South African Journal of Economics 76(3), pp. 480-492.

Mitra, S. and U. Sambamoorthi (2008), Disability and the Rural Labor Market in India: Evidence for Males in Tamil Nadu, World Development 36(5), pp. 934-952.

Mitra, S. (2008), The Reservation Wages of Social Security Disability Insurance Beneficiaries, Social Security Bulletin 67(4), pp. 89-111.

Mitra, S. (2006), The Capability Approach and Disability, Journal of Disability Policy Studies 16(4), pp. 236-247

Mitra, S. (2006), Disability and Social Safety Nets in Developing Countries, International Journal of Disability Studies 2(1), pp. 43-88, also World Bank Social Protection Working Paper No. 509.

Mitra, S. and U. Sambamoorthi (2006), Government Programs to Promote Employment among Persons with Disabilities in India, Indian Journal of Social Development 6(2), pp. 195-213.

Mitra, S. and U. Sambamoorthi (2006), Disability Estimates in India: What the Census and NSS Tell Us, Economic and Political Weekly, September 23; 41(38), pp. 4022-4026.

Mitra S. and U. Sambamoorthi (2006), Employment of Persons with Disabilities: Evidence from the National Sample Survey, Economic and Political Weekly, January 21; 41(3), pp. 199-203.

Mitra, S. and D. Brucker (2004), The Early Intervention Project: An Innovative Initiative to Return Social Security Applicants to Work, Journal of Disability Policy Studies 15(3), pp. 159-167.