health policy and management phd

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At YSPH you can really explore your horizons, and that allowed me to branch out and develop expertise in multiple areas. Being able to now combine that expertise and have it coalesce has already served me well, and I expect it will continue moving forward.

PhD in Health Policy and Management

The doctoral program in Health Policy and Management (HPM) is designed to develop scholars that are able to apply theoretical frameworks from the social sciences (such as economics, political science, organizational theory and management, sociology) to address pressing health policy and management research questions. The program is purposefully interdisciplinary and seeks to prepare students for research careers in academics as well as in public and private sector agencies and organizations. Students complete courses in a broad set of health policy and management areas, biostatistics and econometrics, and a selected area of depth (i.e., economic theory and application, political and policy analysis, and organizational theory and management). Students in the department of HPM take qualifying examinations in:

• health policy and management
• quantitative methods
• their chosen area of depth.

In addition, students work directly with a specific faculty member on an individualized readings course on which they will also take a qualifying examination. The program typically requires 4-5 years to complete, including 2 years of coursework followed by 2-3 years to complete and defend the doctoral dissertation. Individuals applying to this program usually have a master’s degree and/or relevant research experience, however the minimum requirement is a bachelor’s degree.

This program requires General GRE test scores. Please send them to institution code 3987 (there is no department code).

Degree Requirements - PhD in Health Policy and Management

2023-24 matriculation.

All courses are 1 unit unless otherwise noted.

The Ph.D. degree in Health Policy and Management requires a total of 16 course units with the option of obtaining credits for previous courses. With the approval of the academic adviser and DGS, course substitutions that better suit the needs of the student may satisfy the course work requirement.

PhD Required Courses (5 course units)

• EPH 508 Foundations of Epidemiology and Public Health
• EPH 600 Research Ethics and Responsibilities (0 units)
• EPH 608 Frontiers of Public Health*
• HPM 610 Applied Area Readings
• HPM 617 Colloquium in Health Services Research (0 units)
• HPM 618 Colloquium in Health Services Research (0 units)
• HPM XXX Additional course TBD

PhD Required Methods and Statistics Courses (minimum 4 course units)

• BIS 623 Advanced Regression Models
• BIS 628 Longitudinal and Multilevel Data Analysis
• ECON 556 Topics in Empirical Economics and Public Policy
• ECON 558 Econometrics
• HPM 583 Methods in Health Services Research
• MGMT 737 Applied Empirical Methods
• PLSC 500 Foundations of Statistical Inference
• PLSC 503 Theory and Practice of Quantitative Methods
• SBS 580 Qualitative Research Methods in Public Health
• SOCY 580 Introduction to Methods in Quantitative Sociology
• SOCY 581 Intermediate Methods in Quantitative Sociology
• SOCY 582 Statistics III; Advanced Quantitative Analysis for Social Scientists
• S&DS 563 Multivariate Statistical Methods for the Social Sciences
• S&DS 565 Introductory Machine Learning

PhD Required Health Policy and Management Courses (minimum 2 course units, all with PhD Readings)

• EPH 510 Health Policy and Health Care Systems
• HPM 514 Health Politics, Governance, and Policy
• HPM 570 Cost-Effectiveness Analysis and Decision Making
• HPM 573 Advanced Topics in Modeling Health Care Decisions
• HPM 587 Advanced Health Economics

Additional Elective(s)

Minimum of 1 additional elective. Must be approved by advisor.

Specializations

Economics Specialization Required Courses (minimum 4 course units)

• ECON 545 Microeconomics May substitute for an alternative with permission of advisor and GSEC representative
• ECON 558 Econometrics Must take substitution course if taken as Methods course.

Students take two field courses in at least one concentration to develop expertise. Sets of courses across topics can be selected to meet research interests with advisor permission:

• MGMT 758 Foundations of Behavioral Economics
• PSYC 553 Behavioral Decision Making I: Choice
• ECON 600 Industrial Organization I
• ECON 601 Industrial Organization II
• ECON 630 Labor Economics
• ECON 631 Labor Economics
• ECON 680 Public Finance I
• ECON 681 Public Finance II

Organizational Theory and Management Specialization Required Courses (4 course units)

Courses are selected in consultation with the student’s advisor.

Political and Policy Analysis Specialization Required Courses (4 course units)

Suggested courses:

• PLSC 800 Introduction to American Politics
• PLSC 801 Political Preferences and American Political Behavior
• PLSC 803 American Politics III: Institutions

Course offerings subject to change.

rev. 07.10.2023

Recent Dissertation Projects

Research in HPM applies the conceptual frameworks and research methods from economics, health policy, and organizational theory and management. Examples of ongoing faculty research include the following:

• The Role of Pharmacists in Primary Care: Analyzing Predictors and Outcomes of Pharmacist Integration in Connecticut
• The Determinants and Consequences of Cognitive Aging: Evidence and Implications for Public Policy
• Essays on Quality Improvement: Three Active Approaches to Improving Care for Nursing Home Users
• Efficiency and Equity in Private Markets for Public Health Care Services
• The Role of the Physician-Patient Relationship in Chronic Disease Patients
• The Effects of Hospital Network Entry and Exit on Organizational Performance

Learn more about the Department of Health Policy and Management

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PhD in Health Policy and Management

The program trains students for a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Health Policy and Management (HPAM). It aims to develop researchers, educators, and policymakers who can contribute to improving the health of global populations. The program will equip students with a broad knowledge of theoretical underpinnings, a nuanced understanding of experimental design, and a detailed knowledge of rigorous empirical methods to advance research in management and policy. Students will also have applied experience communicating and interpreting findings based on these techniques to appropriate policy and management audiences. Students' area specializations will likely reflect the major strengths of the HPAM faculty, which include healthcare cost, access, and quality focused on health disparities.

PhD Alumni Initial Job Placements

Applicants must meet the school's  admission and application requirements  for entrance into doctoral programs at SPHTM. The HPM faculty conducts interviews with applications and match the applicant with a faculty with similar research interests who is able to mentor a doctoral student.

Please visit the university course catalog for:

• degree program requirements
• degree program competencies

Educational teaching assistant experience

All PhD students at SPHTM are required to serve as a teaching assistant (TA) for two SPHTM courses while enrolled in the PhD program. Students should register for Teaching Assistantship Educational Experience (0 credits) during the terms they complete each TA requirement. 

All other program requirements (e.g. research ethics, comprehensive exam, prospectus, and dissertation) remain the same across the old and revised programs, as outlined in the SPHTM PhD Handbook .

Please visit the 2022 university course catalog for:

The PhD program requires a minimum of 72 post baccalaureate degree credits, with at least 30 credits of advanced courses work taken at SPHTM.

Prerequisite Coursework

• SPHL 6020 Foundations in Public Health (3)
• SPHL 6060 Epidemiology for Public Health (3)
• SPHL 6050 Biostatistics for Public Health (3)
• SPHL 6070 Health Systems Policy and Management (3)

Total : 12 credit hours

PhD Doctoral Study

• HPAM 8310 Organizational Theory and Assessment (3)
• HPAM 8350 Policy Analysis and Natural Experiments (3)
• HPAM 8410 Cost Benefit/Cost Effectiveness Analysis (3)
• HPAM 8770 Health Services Research Methods (3)
• EPID 7120 Epidemiologic Methods II (3)
• IHSD 8250 Advanced Research Methods in Global Health (3)

Total: 18 credit hours

PhD Elective Courses

Electives are selected from relevant advanced level courses offered within the department, school, or university in consultation with an academic advisor. 12 credits minimum; Additional credits as needed to reach 72 credit graduation requirement and fulfill PhD Foundation Course requirements.

Total:12 credit hours

Department Chair:  Arthur Mora, PhD

Program Director:  Charles Stoecker, PhD

Department Administrator:  Alison Rinehart

Email:   [email protected]

Phone:  (504) 988-5428

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Health Policy PhD

Impact population health at a systems level.

Health policy is an interdisciplinary field that examines the organization and financing of health systems and services; the impact of health policies on population health; and the economic, social and behavioral determinants of health. It involves the investigation of all systems that affect population health, not just the medical care system. The purview of health policy is global.

The mission of our program is to prepare students for research careers in health policy and health services research; teaching; and public service in university, governmental and public policy settings. This program is distinguished by its interdisciplinary application of the social and behavioral science disciplines to real world health issues. Graduates are prepared to play lead scientific roles in addressing the many challenges facing health care and public health systems in the United States and countries around the world.

Students must successfully complete a health services research readings and methods seminar (two semesters), five specialty field courses, three quantitative research methods courses, and three additional graduate elective courses.

The program includes three specialty fields:

The Health Economics specialty field draws on economics, epidemiology and statistics to understand the causal relationship between different aspects of health and the health care sector. With an emphasis on quantifying relationships, health economics covers a broad range of study areas including health production, demand and supply of health services, health care financing, behavioral responses to institutional or policy incentives, policy evaluations and other efficiency, and equity issues surrounding health.

The Organizations & Management specialty field trains scholars in organizational behavior and political science in regards to health. Theories and methods in organizational sociology, political science and social psychology are central to the study of health organizations. Specialty field courses in macro-organizational theory, micro-organizational theory and organizational analysis of the health sector are required. This specialty field emphasizes the management of health care and public health organizations and systems, the implementation and dissemination of policies and practices within and across organizations, and the role of policy-making institutions as platforms for the creation and modification of health policies.

The Population Health Sciences specialty field trains students for research careers in the social, behavioral, and economic determinants of health and the study of interventions, policies, and practices that impact the health of populations and vulnerable communities. The specialty field emphasizes addressing the social and behavioral determinants of health through quantitative research informed by theoretical frameworks in economics, psychology, demography, and social epidemiology. Training in innovative methodologies for establishing causal relationships in quasi-experimental research is a cornerstone of the Population Health Sciences specialty field. Students will learn and integrate cutting-edge methods from key areas of strength at Berkeley: biostatistics, social science methods such as econometrics and formal demography, and the rapidly evolving set of data science innovations such as machine learning that are being advanced at Berkeley including in the Division of Computing, Data Science, and Society. The explosion of health sector data availability, along with Berkeley’s innovation hub positioning, make this an excellent track for students looking to become quantitative experts who can lead research across a wide variety of population health science and health policy questions.

Students have access to all of UC Berkeley’s disciplines and professional schools, in addition to UCSF faculty and research programs. This is a full-time program geared for careers in academia and research and students typically complete it in four to five years. Our program is administered by Berkeley Public Health and the doctoral degree is granted by UC Berkeley’s Graduate Division.

Graduates can achieve and demonstrate expertise in the following major academic outcomes:

• Develop domain expertise in core works in health policy and the selected specialty field.
• Understand central social science theoretical frameworks and debates shaping health policy.
• Demonstrate substantive knowledge of the specialty field sufficient to design and teach graduate-level courses in that field.
• Demonstrate the ability to conduct rigorous quantitative research.
• Plan and conduct independent research using advanced research methods.
• Demonstrate the mastery of academia and grant writing, conference presentation, IRB procedures and ethics in research.
• Engage in intellectual exchange among students and faculty across the university to enhance interdisciplinary research and training.

Qualifications

A master’s degree is not a requirement for this program, however, entering students should have completed introductory coursework in statistics, microeconomics, epidemiology and public health. Students without master’s-level coursework in these areas are required to take relevant courses at UC Berkeley or otherwise demonstrate mastery of these areas.

Graduates are well-prepared to assume academic careers in research and teaching. Many of our graduates move directly to positions in academia, government or research organizations. Other graduates receive postdoctoral fellowships to continue specific training in their area of interest and research.

To apply to the Health Policy PhD program, please complete the UC Berkeley Graduate Division admissions application . This program does not use the SOPHAS application.

Submissions of GRE scores are optional but strongly recommended for this program. Especially if you have no other evidence of quantitative, verbal, or analytical abilities in your application. If not submitting a score, competitive applicants will need to provide alternative evidence of strong quantitative capability and should speak to their analytical and quantitative preparation for the PhD program in their application based on past coursework (e.g. statistics, microeconomics, math) and/or professional experience.

Please submit a writing sample and provide a list of publications and/or presentations related to your academic or professional background (include the PubMed ID if applicable).

If your work is published as a website or part of it, please provide the URL. Your writing sample can be a written assignment, journal article, report, Op-Ed, commentary, conference abstract, or other publication. Please enter your most recent citation first.

This is a quantitatively-oriented health policy program. Prospective applicants primarily interested in qualitative methods are advised to explore related programs such as the UC Berkeley PhD in Social Welfare or Medical Anthropology, or the UCSF Sociology program. Prospective applicants instead primarily focused on computational methods should also consider related UC Berkeley PhD programs in Biostatistics or Computational Precision Health.

Core Faculty

The core PhD program faculty members of the School of Public Health, the Haas School of Business, School of Social Welfare, the Goldman School of Public Policy, and the Departments of Economics, Sociology, and Political Science.

Emeriti Faculty

Emeritus faculty of the Health Policy Faculty Group are Professors of the Graduate School and may serve on dissertation committees as Chair, inside members, or as an Academic Senate Representative. Their availability to students, however, may be limited compared to core faculty group members.

UCSF Affiliated Faculty

Affiliated UCSF health policy faculty can serve as co-chairs and as additional members of dissertation committees.

Julia Alder-Milstein

Margot Kushel

Andrew Auerbach

Courtney Lyles

Naomi Bardach

Kathryn Phillips

Claire Brindis

Joanne Spetz

Janet Coffman

Urmimala Sarkar

Daniel Dohan

Emily Finlayson

Affiliated Faculty

Faculty who are affiliated with the doctoral program play a contributing role for PhD students. Many of the affiliated faculty teach courses that are part of the core curriculum and serve as graders of specialty field exams. Most importantly, they serve as Academic Senate Representatives of qualifying exam and dissertation committees.

Jennifer Ahern

Amani Allen

Sarah Anzia

Christopher Ansell

Patrick Bradshaw

Jack Colford

Jason Corburn

Mathijs De Vaan

Cybelle Fox

Bruce Fuller

Anu Manchikanti Gómez

Hilary Hoynes

Alan Hubbard

Barbara Laraia

Armando Lara-Millan

David Levine

Kristine Madsen

Edward Miguel

G. Cristina Mora

Mahasin Mujahid

Malcom Potts

Sophia Rabe-Kesketh

Steven Raphael

Jasjeet Sekhon

Valarie Shapiro

Toby Stuart

Ann Swidler

Reed Walker

Health Policy Research Centers at UC Berkeley and UCSF

Health Policy PhD students have access to a wide range of resources at UC Berkeley and UCSF, including highly regarded research centers. Below are brief descriptions of a selected list of research centers most closely aligned with the Health Policy PhD program. These Centers include faculty from a wide variety of backgrounds and disciplines who bring expertise in health services research and provide settings for intensive training and mentorship opportunities for trainees.

• The  Berkeley Center for Health Technology (BCHT) , co-directed by Dr. James Robinson (Director) and Dr. Tim Brown (Associate Director), promotes the efficiency and effectiveness of healthcare through research and education on the development, insurance coverage, payment, and appropriate use of medical technologies. The focus of BCHT is on biopharmaceuticals, implantable medical devices, insurance benefit design, and payment methods. Research initiatives include leadership roundtables, case studies of leading organizations, and econometric analyses of public and private data sources. BCHT helps stakeholders design a healthcare system that combines innovation and entrepreneurship with economic efficiency and social fairness.
• The UC Berkeley  Nicholas C. Petris Center on Health Care Markets and Consumer Welfare , co-directed by Dr. Richard Scheffler (Director) and Dr. Brent Fulton (Associate Director), focuses on consumer protection, affordability and access to healthcare, especially for low and middle-income individuals. The Petris Center also focuses on and the role of information in consumer choice, and regulation and competition within healthcare markets.  The research center is named after former California State Senator Nicholas Petris, who advocated strongly on behalf of California consumers for affordable, accessible, and quality healthcare.
• The UC Berkeley  Center for Healthcare Organizational and Innovation Research (CHOIR) , co-directed by Dr. Hector Rodriguez (Director) and Dr. Amanda Brewster (Associate Director) aspires to help make the U.S. healthcare system among the most responsive in the world through practice-based research and dissemination of evidence. CHOIR emphasizes innovations in healthcare delivery and assessment of organizational performance to improve the technical quality of care delivered, patient experience and outcomes of care, population health, and cost. CHOIR works to maximize their “voice” and impact through webinars, roundtables, and discussions with private and public sector action and thought leaders.
• The  Laboratory for Systems Medicine , directed by Dr. Ziad Obermeyer, applies methods from machine learning, biostatistics, and econometrics to the complex world of medical diagnoses, interventions, and outcomes. The center translates large observational datasets into new ways to understand and improve the life and death decisions that providers and patients make every day, in the US and across the world.
• The Center on the  Economics and Demography of Aging (CEDA) , directed by Professor William Dow, was founded in 1993 to promote interdisciplinary research on the economic and demographic aspects of aging.  In response to the growing demand from government agencies, Congress, and academic researchers for timely, accessible, and practical information as well as basic research. At the central core of CEDA is a group of outstanding formal and mathematical and statistical demographers who apply their skills to a variety of research areas, including biodemography, demographic modeling and forecasting, and intergenerational transfers including fiscal accounting. This central core is enriched by other themes, notably psychological and behavioral economics with applications to economic and health-related behaviors.
• The  UC-Berkeley Opportunity Lab (O-Lab) , co-directed by Professor Ben Handel and Professor Hilary Hoynes serves as the central research hub for Berkeley scholars conducting rigorous, data-driven research on social and economic inequality in the United States. Our network of faculty and graduate students work across disciplines and study a wide array of topics, from the role of childhood food security on long-term economic security to the disparate impacts of climate change on low-income communities.
• The UCSF  Center for Vulnerable Populations  at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital carries out innovative research to prevent and treat chronic disease in populations for whom social conditions often conspire to both promote various chronic diseases and make their management more challenging. Beyond the local communities it serves, CVP is nationally and internationally known for its research in health communication and health policy to reduce health disparities, with special expertise in the social determinants of health, including literacy, food policy, poverty, and minority status, with a focus on the clinical conditions of pre-diabetes, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.  CVP is at the frontline of practice-based research on chronic diseases for the diverse and disadvantaged populations of San Francisco and the Bay Area. UCSF faculty mentors Drs. Margot Kushel, Courtney Lyles, and Urmimala Sarkar are core CVP faculty.
• The  Healthforce Center  at UCSF was founded in 1992 to help healthcare leaders and  policymakers better understand the health workforce and develop successful strategies and policies. The Center’s dynamic leadership training programs have touched thousands of people across the entire healthcare ecosystem who continue to make significant and meaningful change in healthcare. UCSF Professor Janet Coffman and Professor Joanne Spetz are core faculty of the center.

Current Health Policy PhD Students

• Madeline Adee
• Alexander Adia
• Calvin Chiu
• Christine Lo
• Jorge A. Morales Alfaro
• Rachel Ross
• Jaclyn Schess
• Alex Schulte
• Eleanor Tsai
• Solis Winters
• 2023–2024 Job Market Candidates

Graduates of the UC Berkeley PhD Program in Health Policy (formerly “Health Services and Policy Analysis”) hold leading research and teaching positions at academic and research institutions both within the United States and internationally. Many of our alumni hold tenured or tenure-track positions at respected universities and colleges such as Stanford University, Johns Hopkins University, Cornell University, UCSF, and Dartmouth College. Our recent alumni have also successfully obtained post-doctoral appointments at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Palo Alto Medical Foundation Research Institute, Kaiser Permanente Division of Research, Yale University, and Stanford University.

The following is a partial listing of PhD program alumni, their dissertation titles, and their current employment.

Jonathan Agnew, PhD Cost and Utilization of Outpatient Prescription Drugs Among the Elderly: Implications for a Medicare Benefit Owner and President, Agnew and Associates Medical Writing Vancouver, BC

Sangeeta C. Ahluwalia, PhD Professionalism among Physicians: Factors Associated with Outpatient Palliative Care Referral in a Managed Care Organization Senior Policy Researcher & Associate Director, Behavioral and Policy Sciences RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, CA

Jim Bellows, PhD Use of Worker’s Compensation Medical Care: Health Insurance Matters Managing Director Kaiser Permanente Care Management Institute, Oakland CA

Aman Bhandari, PhD National Estimates and Predictors of Pharmacy Utilization and Out-of-Pocket Prescription Drug Expenditures in Underserved Populations Vice President, Data Strategy and Solutions, Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Boston, MA

Claire Boone, PhD Essays in Health and Behavioral Economics Postdoctoral Fellow University of Chicago

Timothy T. Brown, PhD Three Essays on the Labor Market for Nonphysician Clinicians Associate Professor of Health Policy and Management Associate Director of Research, Berkeley Center for Health Technology University of California Berkeley, School of Public Health, Berkeley CA

Sahai Burrowes, PhD Essays on the Political Impact of Development Assistance Allocation in Malawi Associate Professor of Public Health Touro University, Vallejo CA

Drew Cameron, PhD The effect of short-term subsidies on future demand for potable water in rural Bihar, India: A randomized controlled trial Assistant Professor of Public Health (Health Policy) Yale University School of Public Health

Lawrence Casalino, MD, PhD Medical Groups and Physician Organization; Physician-Hospital and Physician-Health Plan Relationships; Physician Organization and Quality Professor Emeritus of Population Health Sciences Weill Cornell Medical College

Aaron Caughey, MD, PhD Applications from Behavioral Economics to Decision Making in the Setting of Prenatal Diagnosis Professor and Chair, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology Oregon Health Sciences University, Portland, OR

Paulette Cha, PhD Essays on Health Economics and Immigration Fellow Public Policy Institute of California

Susan Chapman, PhD The Experience of Returning to Work for Employed Women with Breast Cancer Professor, UCSF School of Nursing San Francisco, CA

Ann Chou, PhD Shared decision making: The selection process of treatment options and resulting quality of life implications for women with breast cancer Professor of Family and Preventive Medicine, Health Sciences Center University of Oklahoma

Elizabeth Ciemins, PhD The Effect of Mental Health Parity on Children’s Mental Health and Substance Abuse Service Utilization in Massachusetts Director of Research and Analytics American Medical Group Association Foundation, Alexandria, VA

Janet Coffman, PhD All Capitated Systems are not Alike: Effects of Organizational Structure, Culture, and Climate on Medicaid Recipients Use of Inpatient Psychiatric Care Professor of Health Policy Institute for Health Policy Studies, UC San Francisco

Carrie Colla, PhD Effects of the San Francisco Employer Health Spending Mandate Professor of Health Economics Dartmouth Medical School, Hanover NH

Leeann Comfort, PhD Applications and Extensions of Organization Theory: The Context of Accountable Care Organizations Scientist Administrator, Social Science Researcher Division of Healthcare Delivery and Systems Research Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

David Contreras-Loya, PhD Managerial Practices and Altruism in Health Care Delivery Research Professor Escuela de Gobierno y Transformación Pública Tecnológico de Monterrey

Jan Cooper, PhD Money, Sex, and Power – An Analysis of Relationship Power in the Context of Conditional Cash Transfer Interventions to Reduce Risky Sex in Tanzania Researcher, Global Health and Policy Analysis Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

Jae Corman, PhD Foreclosures and Health Senior Director of Analytics Folx Health

Alison Evans Cuellar, PhD Changing Markets and Hospital: Managed Care, Horizontal Integration and Vertical Alignment Professor of Health Administration and Policy Associate Dean of Research, College of Public Health George Mason University, Fairfax, VA

Julie Dang, PhD Two Shots to Cancer Prevention: Improving the Uptake of the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccine among Preadolescent Patients of a Primary Care Network Assistant Professor & Executive Director, Office of Community Outreach and Engagement UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center

Maria Dieci, PhD Patient vs. provider incentives for malaria care: A cluster randomized controlled trial in Kenyan pharmacies Assistant Professor of Health Policy and Management Emory University

Ebbin Dotson, PhD The Business Case for Leadership Diversity in Health Care Assistant Professor of Health Policy and Management University of Michigan Ann Arbor, MI

April Falconi, PhD Perimenopause as a Sensitive Period for Women’s Health and Aging: A Review of the Chronic Disease Literature and Two Empirical Tests of Significance Associate Director, Elevance Health

Kevin Feeney, PhD Essays on Cash Transfers and Health Economist, Amazon Los Angeles, CA

Sara Fernandes-Taylor, PhD Provider Communication, Self-Reported Health, and Post-Treatment Regret among Young Breast Cancer Survivors Scientist III Department of Surgery University of Wisconsin School of Medicine

Robin Flagg, PhD Governor Decision Making: Expansion of Medicaid Under the Affordable Care Act Continuing Lecturer, Division of Health Policy and Management University of California, Berkeley

Jennifer Frehn, PhD Understanding the Influences and Organization of Systems to Improve Community Health Post-doctoral Research Fellow, School of Public Health UCLA

Vicki Fung, PhD The Effects of Losing Brand-Name Drug Coverage: Changes in Use of Inhaled Steroids and Clinical Outcomes Among Medicare Beneficiaries with Asthma Associate Professor of Medicine, Mongan Institute for Health Policy Massachusetts General Hospital Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School Boston, MA

Daniel Gentry, PhD Organizational Bureaucracy, Legitimacy, and “Thrival”: A Study of the Response by AIDS Service Organizations in Twenty California Counties to the Ryan White CARE Act of 1990 President & CEO, Association of University Programs in Health Administration

Gabrielle Goldstein, JD, PhD A Market for Ethics Counsel Nixon Peabody LLP San Francisco, CA

Julia Goodman, PhD Three Essays on Maternity Leave Policies, Utilization and Consequences Assistant Professor of Public Health OHSU & Portland State University School of Public Health

Lakshmi Gopalakrishnan, PhD Gender norms as a social determinant of health and well-being of married adolescent girls and young women in South Asia Postdoctoral Fellow UCSF

Ilana Graetz, PhD The Impact of EHR and Teamwork on Care Transitions and Patient Outcomes Associate Professor of Health Policy and Management Rollins School of Public Health Emory University, Atlanta, GA

Chaoran Guo, PhD Social Learning in Health Insurance Choices: Evidence from Employer-Sponsored Health Plans Senior Data Scientist, Netflix Los Gatos, CA

Emily Hague, PhD Antecedents and Outcomes Associated with Hospital Participation in a Clinically Integrated Network Health Policy Researcher Mathematica Policy Research, Oakland, CA

Courtnee Hamity, PhD Social Influence and Innovation Adoption in the Clinical Setting Senior Program Officer, Evaluation and Data Strategy Blue Shield of California Foundation, San Francisco, CA

Alein Haro-Ramos, PhD Racism, Illegality, and Population Health: Mechanisms, Interventions, & Community-Engaged Research UC President’s Postdoctoral Fellow Department of Health, Society, and Behavior University of California, Irvine

Zoë K. Harris, PhD Private Health Insurance Sponsored Wellness Programs:  Examining Participation in the Healthy Lifestyle Rewards Financial Incentives Program on Health Care Costs, Utilization, and Risk Behaviors Executive Director, Head of Customer Engagement Strategy & Operations Genetech

Nianyi Hong, PhD Essays on Patient and Firm Behavior in Health Economics Analyst, Congressional Budget Office Washington, DC

Thomas Huber, PhD The Role of Micro and Macro Level Organizational Coordination in Accountable Care Organizations Adjunct Professor, The Ohio State University

Dorothy Hung, PhD Behavioral Preventive Service Delivery, Productivity, and Staff Turnover in Primary Care Practices: The Role of Participation in Decision Making and the Chronic Care Model Research Scientist and Director, Center for Lean and Engagement Research, School of Public Health University of California, Berkeley

Vanessa Hurley, PhD Collaborative Learning among Health Care Practice and Systems to Improve Patient-Centered Care Assistant Professor of Health Systems Administration Georgetown University

Jenny Hyun, PhD Person-Centered Care Program Philosophy in Capitated Community Mental Health Centers in Colorado Director, Business Intelligence Vituity, Emeryville, CA

Jennifer K. Ibrahim, PhD State Medicaid Coverage for Tobacco Dependence Treatments: Implications for a Federal Mandate Dean and Professor, College of Public Health and School of Social Welfare Temple University, Philadelphia PA

Jae Kennedy, PhD Americans Needing Assistance with Activities of Daily Living: Current Estimates and Policy Implications Professor of Health Policy and Administration Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine Washington State University, Spokane WA

Jung Kim, PhD Examining factors associated with learning and performance in primary care Graduate Medical Education organizations Assistant Professor, Health Systems Science Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine

Margae Knox, PhD Health System Efforts to Address Health Related Social Needs: Implications for Public Health, Health Services Use, and Quality Outcomes Postdoctoral Delivery Science Fellow Division of Research, Kaiser Permanente

Heather Knauer, PhD Parenting and Child Development in Rural Mexico: Examination of a Large-Scale Parenting Program Adjunct Assistant Professor School of Social Work University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI

Ada Kwan, PhD Can We Improve Quality of Care in Private Health Sectors? Evidence from a Randomized Field Experiment in Kenya Postdoctoral Researcher, School of Medicine University of California, San Francisco

Susan Lehrman, PhD Hospitals’ Participation in the Nursing Home Market Professor and Dean Emeritus, Rohrer College of Business Rowan University, Glassboro, New Jersey

Jing Li, PhD Altruism and Efficiency Preferences of U.S Medical Students and their Expected Specialty Choice Assistant Professor of Health Economics School of Pharmacy, University of Washington

Rui Li, PhD Effect of Financial Incentives on Physician Productivity in Medical Groups Senior Economist, Division of Reproductive Health Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta GA

Michael Lin, PhD Nursing Home Quality: Structure and Strategy Senior Scientist, Telligen Denver, CO

Jenny Liu, PhD Healthy Time, Home Production, and Labor Supply: The Effect of Health Shocks on Time Use within Chinese Households during Economic Transition Professor of Health Economics School of Nursing University of California, San Francisco

Christopher Lowenstein, PhD Essays on labor markets and health: Employment conditions and drug, suicide, and alcohol-related mortality among working-age adults in the United States Postdoctoral Fellow, Epidemiology Stanford University

Martin Marciniak, PhD Too Good to Be True? The Effect of Nicotine Replacement Therapy on an Individual’s Ability to Quit Smoking Vice President and Head, US Health Outcomes Chiesi USA, Inc.

Soledad Martinez, PhD Income, Health Insurance Type and the Quality of Primary Care Systems in Chile: Effects on Health Outcomes and Utilization of Services Assistant Professor School of Public Health at Universidad de Chile, Santiago Chile

Jill Marsteller, PhD The Relationship between Non-Racial Diversity in Team Composition and Performance and Creativity in a Chronic Illness Care Quality Improvement Intervention Professor, Health Policy and Management Bloomberg School of Public Health, John Hopkins University, Baltimore MD

Peter Martelli, PhD An Argument for Knowledge Variety in Evidence-Based Management Associate Professor of Healthcare Administration Sawyer Business School, Suffolk University, Boston, MA

Sean McClellan, PhD When does Adoption of Health Information Technology by Physician Practices Lead to Use by Physicians within the Practice? Health Policy Researcher Abt and Associates, Boston, MA

Rodney K. McCurdy, PhD Network Influence on Chronic Illness Care in Large Physician Organization:  A Study of the California Managed Care Network in 2001 and 2006 Professor and Program Director National University Detroit, MI

Kathryn McDonald, PhD Ambulatory Care Organizations: Improving Diagnosis Bloomberg Distinguished Professor Johns Hopkins University Schools of Medicine and Nursing

Sara McMenamin, PhD Organizational Support for Smoking Cessation Interventions in Physician Organizations Associate Professor, Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health & Human Longevity University of California, San Diego

Angela Merrill, PhD Subjective Expectations of Nursing Home Use, Medicaid, and Economic Behavior by Older Americans Principal Researcher Mathematica Policy Research, Cambridge MA

Chris Miller-Rosales, PhD Advancing Organizational Capabilities to Improve Patient Engagement in Health Care Associate, Analysis Group Menlo Park, CA

Eric Nauenberg, PhD Air Pollution and Hospitalization for Asthma in Los Angeles County: Economic and Policy Implications Associate Professor of Health Economics Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-term Care/Dept of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto, Canada

Zachary Olson, PhD Can a Conditional Cash Transfer Reduce Teen Fertility? The Case of Brazil’s Bolsa Familia Senior Economist, Amazon Seattle, WA

Michael K. Ong, MD, PhD The Effects of Regulatory Change on the Safety of Pharmaceutical Innovations Professor in Residence, Division of GIM & HSR Associate Chief of Staff for Research Department of Medicine, UCLA and VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, CA

Laura Packel, PhD Who Changes How: Strategies and Motivation for Risk Reduction Behaviors in the Context of an Economic-based HIV Prevention Intervention in Tanzania Research Director, McCoy Research Group University of California, Berkeley, School of Public Health

Mary Paterson, PhD Financial Status of Retiree Caregivers: An Analysis of the Asset Structure of the Retiree Caregiver Professor Emeritus, School of Nursing The Catholic University of America, Washington DC

Krista Perreira, PhD Exits, Recidivism, and Caseload Growth: The Effect of Private Health Insurance Markets on the Demand for Medicaid Professor of Health Economics University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, School of Medicine

Dana Petersen, PhD Social Capital, Social Support, and Quality of Life among Long-Term Breast Cancer Survivors Senior Researcher Mathematic Policy Research, Oakland CA

Aryn Phillips, PhD The Impact of Retail Availability on Health Behaviors: Policy Applications for the Prevention & Management of Chronic Conditions Assistant Professor of Health Policy and Management School of Public Health University of Maryland, College Park

Kathryn Phillips, PhD Public Policy and Screening: The Influence of State Policies on Utilization of Human Autoimmunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Screening Professor of Health Economics and Health Services Research UCSF School of Pharmacy, San Francisco CA

Jessica Poon, PhD Multilevel Pathways to Patient-Centered Care Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Division of Research Kaiser Permanente

Alexis Pozen, PhD Price Variation for Colonoscopy in a Commercially Insured Population Assistant Professor City University of New York School of Public Health New York NY

Brian Quinn, PhD The Effect of Community-Level Unemployment On Preventive Oral Health Care Utilization Associate Vice President, Research-Evaluation-Learning The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Princeton NJ

Nadia Safaeinili, PhD Evaluation of a statewide integrated medical and social service case management policy innovation: A multi-level assessment of equitable implementation for frontline staff and high-risk, high-need Medicaid patients Research Scientist, School of Medicine Stanford University

Robert Schell, PhD Understanding the Role of Socioeconomic, Health Behavioral, and Genetic Factors in Cardiovascular Disease Risk Associate, Analysis Group Menlo Park, CA

Julie Schmittdiel, PhD The Effect on Primary Health Care Orientation on Chronic Care Management Research Scientist and Associate Director of Health Care Delivery and Policy Division of Research Kaiser Permanente Northern California Oakland CA

John Schneider, PhD Regulation and Regulatory Reform in the U.S. Hospital Industry, 1980-1996 CEO and Founder Avalon Health Economics, Morristown NJ

Neil J. Sehgal, PhD Social Influences on Healthcare Outcomes in a Major Academic Medical Center Associate Professor of Health Systems and Population Health School of Public Health, University of Washington

Tetine Sentell, PhD Literacy, Health, and Health Services Use in a Nationally Representative Sample Chin Sik & Hyun Sook Chung Endowed Chair Department of Health Policy and Management Thompson School of Social Work & Public Health

Gordon Shen, PhD Global Mental Health Policy Diffusion, Institutionalization, and Innovation Assistant Professor of Management, Policy and Community Health The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) School of Public Health

Timothy Snail, PhD The Effects of Hospital Contracting for Physician Services on Hospital Performance Vice President, Charles River Associates Boston, MA

Sean Sullivan, PhD The Demand for Prescription Drugs in Elderly Americans Professor of Health Economics and Dean Emeritus School of Pharmacy, University of Washington

Aaron Tierney, PhD Virtual Diabetes and Hypertension Care in Community Health Centers: Use, Quality, and Patient Preferences Clinical Informatics Postdoctoral Fellow, Division of Research Kaiser Permanente

Yi-Wen Tsai, PhD Cigarette Taxation, National Health Insurance Professor, Institute of Health and Welfare Policy National Yang-Ming University, Taiwan

Lauren van der Walt, PhD Increasing Women’s Access to Information about Safe Abortion Methods through Local and Global Hotlines Executive Director, Optio Berkeley, CA

Megan Vanneman, PhD Consequences of Devolution: Effectiveness, Efficiency, and Equity in California’s County-based Public Mental Health Care System Assistant Professor of Medicine and Population Health Sciences University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT

Todd Wagner, PhD The Economics of Consumer Health Information Director, Health Economics Resource Center Department of Veterans Affairs Professor of Surgery Stanford University

Zachary Wagner, PhD Community Health Workers to Increase Use of ORS and Zinc to Treat Child Diarrhea in Uganda: A Cluster Randomized Trial Associate Policy Researcher, RAND Corporation Santa Monica, CA

Neal Wallace, PhD A Production Function Approach to Mental Health Service Coordination in California’s Publicly Financed Mental Health System Professor of Health Systems Management and Policy OHSU-Portland State University School of Public Health

Jessica Watterson, PhD Influences on the Effectiveness of Health Information Technology Innovations in Primary Health Care Senior Research Fellow in Public Health Monash University Melbourne, Australia

Christopher M. Whaley, PhD The Effects of Consumer Information and Cost-Sharing on Healthcare Prices Policy Researcher RAND Corporation

Justin White, PhD A Team-Based Behavioral Economics Experiment on Smoking Cessation Associate Professor of Health Economics Department of Health Law, Policy & Management, School of Public Health Boston University

Frances Wu, PhD The Role of Health Information Technology in Early Accountable Care Organizations in the U.S. Research Associate, The Healthcare Improvement Studies Institute University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom

Jill Yegian, PhD Politics, Economics, and Organizational Innovation in the Small Group Market for Health Insurance Principal, Yegian Health Insights, LLC Oakland, CA

Myoungsoon You, PhD Determinants of Risk Perception among Women with a Family History of Breast Cancer Professor Seoul National University, Korea

Jim Zazzali, PhD Executive Director, Head of Health Policy and Systems Research, and Modeling Genentech

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Celia Stafford

Olivia Zhao

“ No other institution but HBS could have given me the same level of access to resources that span business, health policy, and medicine. ”

Current Harvard Health Policy Faculty  

Current health policy (management) students.

• Hassina Bahadurzada
• Derrick Bransby
• Crystal Guo
• Tanner Houston
• Bohan Li
• Celia Stafford
• Mitchell Tang
• Gabe Weinreb
• Olivia Zhao

Current HBS Faculty & Students by Interest

• Robert S. Huckman
• Ariel D. Stern
• Kris Johnson Ferreira
• Marco Iansiti

Recent Placement

Emilie aguirre, 2021, michael anne kyle, 2021, michaela kerrissey, 2018, a jay holmgren, 2021, lauren taylor, 2020, olivia jung, 2021, philip saynisch, 2019.

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Harvard Ph.D. Program in Health Policy

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The Harvard PhD in Health Policy, awarded by the Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, is a collaborative program among six Harvard University faculties: Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Harvard Business School, Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard Law School, Harvard Medical School, and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

While the program is interdisciplinary in nature, students specialize in one of five concentrations:  decision sciences, economics, management, methods for policy research, or political analysis.

Approximately 110 faculty members from schools within the University are involved with the program, and students are free to take classes throughout the University. A hallmark of the program is the accessibility of faculty members to students and the commitment of faculty to students enrolled in the program.

The program started in 1992, and there are 67 students currently enrolled and over 250 alumni.

PhD Program in Health Policy Concentration Areas:

Decision sciences.

Methods for Policy Research

Political Analysis

Health Policy and Management, PhD

Bloomberg school of public health, phd program overview.

The Department of Health Policy and Management offers a full-time PhD program with students choosing one of four areas of concentration in which to focus their study. The program trains its students to conduct original investigator-initiated research through a combination of coursework and research mentoring. The curriculum includes core courses that are common across the four HPM PhD concentrations, including courses in health policy, epidemiology, economics, and biostatistics, along with courses specific to each individual concentration. Students enrolled in the PhD program meet the Introductory Public Health knowledge learning objectives through the required curriculum.

• The  Bioethics and Health Policy   concentration addresses the ethical issues relevant to public health policy, practice and research.
• The  Health Economics and Policy  concentration addresses the concepts and methods of economic analysis to study how clinical and public health resources are and should be allocated.
• The Health Services Research and Policy concentration addresses the organization, financing and delivery of both curative and preventive services, and their impact on access, quality, outcomes and cost, particularly for the most vulnerable.
• The Health and Public Policy concentration addresses the development, implementation, analysis, and evaluation of public policies to prevent disease and injury, reduce inequalities, and promote the health and quality of life of populations.

Concentration in Bioethics and Health Policy

Director: stephanie morain, phd.

The PhD concentration in Bioethics and Health Policy differs from most other bioethics doctoral programs in two important ways: first, it focuses on bioethics as it relates to moral questions in public health and health policy (rather than, for example, in clinical decision-making or bedside dilemmas); and, second, it provides rigorous training in quantitative and qualitative empirical research methods and expects the analysis of data to be part of the dissertation. Students and faculty in the concentration study and conduct independent empirical and normative research on ethical issues in public health practice, research, and policy such as ethics and emergency preparedness, domestic and international research ethics, genetic screening policy, ethics and obesity prevention, ethics and infectious diseases, HIV screening, social justice and resource allocation.

Original doctoral research conducted by students in the bioethics program involves analyzing primary or secondary empirical data about specific areas of public health, health policy, or health research and examining the ethical implications of the issue or study results. By the end of their PhD training, students are prepared to provide not only normative recommendations regarding ethics and public health policy but also are equipped to function as independent researchers, conducting empirical research related to bioethics, public health, and health policy.

Concentration in Health Economics and Policy

Director: matthew eisenberg, phd, mphil.

Health economics is a field of study that applies the theoretical concepts and empirical methods of economic analysis to various issues throughout the health sector, such as understanding underlying patient, provider, and insurer behaviors and evaluating healthcare interventions and policies. The PhD concentration in Health Economics and Policy prepares doctoral students for conducting innovative research on the economics of health and healthcare.

The curriculum stresses a solid grounding in applied modern microeconomic theory, economic evaluation, quantitative methods, and econometrics applications, including PhD-level courses from the Department of Economics in the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences (KSAS). Incoming students must have prior training in linear algebra, multivariable calculus, and real analysis in preparation for the economics courses at KSAS. 

Concentration in Health and Public Policy

Director: johnathon p. ehsani, phd.

Finding solutions to public health problems through the development, analysis, implementation, and evaluation of health policies is the focus of the PhD concentration in Health and Public Policy. Faculty and students consider a broad array of public health policies that affect health and safety. These include policies pertaining to food, alcohol, tobacco, firearms, inequality, housing, injury, transportation, and the environment. Students examine challenging public health problems and learn how political, social, economic, ethical, and legal factors affect health and how health policy can address these problems. Students acquire skills that enable them to conduct rigorous research to inform policy solutions, effectively translate their scholarly work to policy and practice, and emerge as leaders in public health policy.

Concentration in Health Services Research & Policy

Director: jennifer l. wolff, phd, mhs.

The PhD concentration in Health Services Research and Policy prepares students for innovative and rigorous quantitative and qualitative research and evaluation in health services delivery. The curriculum includes exposure to a wide variety of research methods, content areas, and datasets. It also offers the opportunity for in-depth study in areas such as public health informatics, organizational theory, quality of care and patient-centered outcomes research, hospital and physician payment incentives, managed care, pharmacoeconomics and economic evaluation, gerontology, and health care disparities.

The program at the Bloomberg School is one of the oldest and most respected of its type in the nation. There are many research opportunities within the Department and elsewhere within the University and Health System. The Baltimore-Washington area is the home to the largest concentration of public and private health services research and health care policy analysis organizations in the world. Formal and informal relationships with these agencies, including research practicums, thesis collaborations, and internships are encouraged and facilitated.

Program Requirements

Course location and modality is found on the BSPH website .

Concentration in Bioethics and Health Policy Curriculum

Students in the Bioethics concentration complete the departmental core requirements, including courses in health policy, epidemiology, economics, and biostatistics. In addition, students in Bioethics also complete coursework in moral philosophy, applied bioethics, and public health law. These requirements are satisfied, in part, through the Department of Philosophy of the Johns Hopkins University and Kennedy Institute of Ethics at Georgetown University. Generally, coursework is completed in the first two years of the program. Students are required by the concentration to have a normative ethics chapter in their thesis in addition to the other chapters traditionally required. Students completing the manuscript option for the PhD will have one of their manuscripts focus on the normative aspects of their selected issue or results.

Note, the timing and choice of some courses will be determined based on availability and individual needs.

Course meets one or more CEPH learning objectives .

Note , all HPM PhD students are required to complete one of the following courses in Economics, based on their individual interests.

Once students have completed all of the required and elective coursework, they must maintain a full-time registration (12+ credits per term) for the duration of their program. Students who have not yet passed the School-wide oral exam should register for 12 credits of PH.300.840 Special Studies and Research in HPM  with their advisor to work on their thesis proposal. Once a student has passed the School-wide oral exam, they should register for PH.301.820 Thesis Research in Health Policy and Management .

Graduate Seminar in Bioethics

Students in their first two years will participate in PH.306.861 Graduate Doctoral Seminar in Bioethics , a joint graduate student and postdoctoral fellows bioethics seminar at the Berman Institute of Bioethics.

Bioethics Course Requirements

All students in the bioethics concentration are required to take a total of 15 course credits in the field of bioethics. This must include at least one class in moral/political philosophy and at least two classes that are considered advanced bioethics classes. The 15 credits, as a whole, can be satisfied through a combination of JHSPH (including Masters in Bioethics) term-length bioethics courses (2-3 credits each) and/or semester-length courses either at the JHU Homewood campus or through the Kennedy Institute of Ethics at Georgetown (5 credits each). Generally, these requirements are completed during the second year of the program. Students are encouraged to enroll in at least one semester-length course as part of their course combination, but the specific course plan is to be determined by each student in consultation with the concentration director and advisor.

Special Thesis Requirements

Students in the bioethics concentration are welcome to write either a traditional thesis or a manuscript thesis. Additional guidelines for the thesis for students enrolled in the Bioethics and Health Policy concentration can be obtained from the Bioethics concentration director.

Concentration in Health Economics and Policy Curriculum

The curriculum offers a broad exposure to the health economics literature and public health disciplines and stresses the policy implications of these fields of research. Student research generally focuses on econometric analyses of hypotheses generated by economic theory or quantitative evaluation of the effectiveness of various interventions. Note, the timing and choice of some courses will be determined based on availability and individual needs.

Core Mathematics for Economics meets for 2 weeks in Summer Term and once weekly in Term 1.

KSAS courses follow a semester schedule, and overlap multiple SPH terms. Please see JHU policy on multi-term courses for more information.

Note , all HPM PhD students are required to complete one of the following courses in Economics. The Advanced Health Economics sequence is required for students in the Health Economics concentration. 

Students should choose electives in consultation with the Concentration Director and their academic advisor to ensure adequate preparation for departmental exams. Names and availability of Homewood classes are subject to change. Electives must include at least one PhD-level KSAS economics course.

All students are encouraged to choose from the following courses for their elective options, including at least one of the KSAS Applied Economics courses:

Once students have completed all of the required and elective coursework, they must maintain a full-time registration (12+ credits per term) for the duration of their program. Students who have not yet passed the School-wide oral exam should register for 12 credits of PH.300.840 Special Studies and Research in HPM  with their advisor to work on their thesis proposal; once a student has passed the School-wide oral exam, they should register for PH.301.820 Thesis Research in Health Policy and Management .

Health Economics and Policy Oral Exam Committee Composition

Dissertations in health economics and policy require specialized expertise in econometrics and economic theory. To ensure that students will have access to appropriate advising, the list of proposed committee members for the department and School-wide oral exams must be approved by the Health Economics Concentration Director. Students wishing to change primary advisors after the department or School-wide preliminary oral exam must obtain permission from the Health Economics Concentration Director and the Department chair.

Concentration in Health and Public Policy Curriculum

Through coursework, research, and practice, students in Health and Public Policy gain an understanding of the relationship between health and policy. Within this concentration, students may focus their elective and dissertation studies in one of the following areas: environmental and occupational health policy, injury prevention and control, social policy and health, and the practice of prevention; other specialty areas may be developed in consultation with each student's advisor and concentration director.

Course meets one or more  CEPH learning objectives .

Note, all HPP PhD students must complete one of the following courses: 

Note , all HPM PhD students are required to complete one of the following courses in Economics, based on their individual interests:

All HPP students should choose electives in consultation with their academic advisor; students are encouraged to choose from the following courses for their elective options:

Once students have completed all of the required and elective coursework, they must maintain a full-time registration (12+ credits) for the duration of the program. Students who have not yet passed the School-wide oral exam should register for 12 credits of PH.300.840 Special Studies and Research in HPM  with their advisor to work on their thesis proposal. Once a student has passed the School-wide oral exam, they should register for PH.301.820 Thesis Research in Health Policy and Management . Students are also encouraged to engage in a field-based practicum as part of their doctoral education.

Graduate Seminar in Health and Public Policy

Students are expected to participate in the graduate seminar during their first three years of the program and are strongly encouraged to participate as much as their schedule allows in subsequent years of the program.

Distributional Methods Course Requirements

During the second year, students complete at least two of the methods courses below (equaling at least 6 credits) in one of the following domains. The intent of the distributional methods requirement is to allow the student to develop a special area of methods expertise. Alternative methods courses require approval from the concentration director and the student's advisor. Note that, unless they are listed below, prerequisites for methods courses do not count toward the distributional methods requirement.

Specialty Areas

Students in Health and Public Policy may choose specialized areas identified to help students focus their electives in such a way as to best provide the background needed for their dissertation work. Those interested in taking additional graduate-level coursework in policy or research methods for the social sciences as part of their electives requirement should consider courses offered at the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences (KSAS) and at the School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS).

Environmental and Occupational Health Policy

Factors in the human environment that affect health require a multidisciplinary approach for evaluation. Courses from the Departments of Epidemiology, Environmental Health and Engineering, and Health Policy and Management are integrated to provide a foundation for the application of science to occupational and environmental policy. Evaluation, development and refinement of policies at local, state, federal and international levels are emphasized.

Injury Prevention and Control

In conjunction with the Center for Injury Research and Policy, students focus on injuries of all types, including road traffic injuries, falls, burns, drowning, and violence. The epidemiology of these injuries is assessed, and strategies to prevent injuries are formulated, implemented, and evaluated. Students who focus their electives in this area may also decide to complete the Certificate in Injury and Violence Prevention.

Social Policy and Health

Social policy and health examines how social policies influence public health and/or the relationship between healthcare policy and other social policies.

Practice of Prevention

The practice of prevention examines specific public health problems such as AIDS, tobacco, obesity, and violence and develops strategies for addressing problems through traditional and innovative policies.

Concentration in Health Services Research & Policy Curriculum

The curriculum stresses the development of skills in research and analysis methods, as well as content knowledge. In addition to careers in academia, this concentration prepares students for leadership careers as health services researchers and health care policy analysts working in public or private agencies or organizations. Issues of relevance to the U.S. are emphasized. All students in the concentration are exposed to a broad array of methods and content. It is expected that all students will select at least one methods sub-area (e.g., econometrics, advanced statistical methods, informatics, or qualitative analysis) and develop expertise in one or more content areas.

Course meets one or more  CEPH-defined learning objectives .

Also available 2nd and 4th terms

Once students have completed all of the required and elective coursework, they must maintain a full-time registration (12+ credits each term) for the duration of their program. Students who have not yet passed the School-wide oral exam should register for 12 credits of  PH.300.840 Special Studies and Research in HPM  with their advisor to work on their thesis proposal. Once a student has passed the School-wide oral exam, they should register for  PH.301.820 Thesis Research in Health Policy and Management .

Graduate Seminar in Health Services Research and Policy

Students are expected to participate in the graduate seminar for the first three years of the program and as much as their schedule allows in subsequent years. 

Elective Options

All HSR&P students should choose electives in consultation with their academic advisor; students are encouraged to choose from the following courses for their elective options: 

Distributional Methods

During the second year, students will complete at least two of the methods courses below (equaling at least 6 credits) in one of the following domains. The intent of the distributional methods requirement is to allow the student to develop a special area of methods expertise. Approval for alternative methods courses will require approval from the program director and the student's advisor. Students are also encouraged to familiarize themselves with the School's certificate programs , which can be combined with the PhD degree (and which, in the case of methods-oriented certificates, would in most cases meet the distributional requirements), particularly the Quality, Gerontology and Pharmacoepidemiology certificates.

HPM PhD PROGRAM Requirements

Phd program milestones and timeline.

The following is an estimated timeline for PhD students based on the average length of the program. This timeline may change based on individual circumstances.

Department PhD Core Curriculum

All PhD students must complete the Departmental core courses. These courses are incorporated into the concentration requirements. Students are also expected to take methods courses relevant to the field of their thesis research (e.g., courses in ethics, history, political science, economics, epidemiology, and/or advanced courses in biostatistics).

Residency & Course Distribution Requirements

The total number of course credits to be earned depends upon individual concentration requirements. But, to meet the Residency requirement, students must complete a minimum of 64 credits of didactic courses in four consecutive terms. When general and program-specific requirements total less than 64, the difference may be made up in electives. Thesis Research (820 series) may not be included in the count, but special studies earning credit that is part of a concentration's requirements only (840 series) are admissible.

The School's Policy and Procedure Memorandum (PPM) overseeing all PhD programs require that  at least 18 credits  of formal coursework must be completed  outside  the student's primary department. Among these 18 credit units, no fewer than three courses must be completed in two or more departments of the Bloomberg School of Public Health. The remaining outside credit units may be earned in any department or division of the University.

PhD students who have completed a master's program at the Bloomberg School of Public Health may apply 12 credits from that program toward this School requirement provided the student matriculates into the PhD within one academic year of completing their master's degree. Students must request this application of credits in a formal letter. Contact the HPM Office of Academic Affairs for further information.

Full-time PhD Registration

The Department is firmly committed to full-time PhD doctoral education. The Department's policy requires full-time registration for the duration of the student's program. Students should register for a minimum of 16 credits per term during the first year of the program. This will fulfill the School's residency requirement of four consecutive terms of 16 credits each. The Department discourages PhD students from registering for more than 18 credits in any one academic term unless required by their concentration. Any decision to register for more than 18 credits should be carefully considered and discussed with the student's advisor prior to registering.

Once a student has completed all of their required or formal coursework, they must maintain a full-time 12 credit per term registration. Students who have not yet successfully passed the School-wide Preliminary Oral Exam should register for special studies credits with their advisor while working on their thesis proposal. Once the School-wide Preliminary Oral Exam has been successfully passed, students should register for thesis research credits.

Qualifying Exam

PhD students are eligible for the departmental qualifying exam upon successful completion of the first year required courses while maintaining the minimum GPA requirement. All students matriculating in September are expected to sit for the exam at the end of the first year. The exam is offered every June. The Academic Policy and Admissions Committee (APAC), and the PhD Exam Committee will consider exceptions on a case-by-case basis. The HPM PhD Qualifying Exam Guidelines can be found on the HPM doctoral portal page (portal login required).

Research Hours

PhD students are required to engage in at least two research projects to understand different research approaches. While students are encouraged to work within the department, students are free to pursue opportunities of interest throughout the School, University, or off-campus.     The research hours can involve participation in any of the following aspects of research, including, but not limited to elements of research design (literature review and development of the conceptual framework of a study); community development and liaison activities; community needs assessment and its related social, epidemiological, behavioral, or political diagnosis; development and piloting of health interventions or materials; quantitative or qualitative data collection; data analysis and interpretation; policy analysis; literature reviews; manuscript preparation; grant preparation; and any other form of research approved by the advisor.     Students are expected to engage in at least two different research tasks, which may be related to a single study or two separate studies. Up to 50% of the required hours can be accomplished through off-campus work, as long as the advisor has approved the work. A minimum of 300 hours total split over both projects should be used as a guideline.     The research hours must be met prior to scheduling the Departmental Preliminary Oral Exam. The Department, through submission of the Research Hours Form to the HPM Office of Academic Affairs, will monitor completion of this requirement. The form is available on the HPM doctoral portal page (portal login required).

TA Educational Experience

All PhD students are required to serve as full-time teaching assistants (TA) for four  (4) Health Policy and Management courses while enrolled in the PhD program. The department strongly values this educational experience and believes that these skills are critical components of a PhD education.

The following restrictions apply to the experience:

• Only courses offered by the Department of Health Policy and Management can be used to meet the requirement.
• Courses must be for two or more credits offered during the traditional 8-week term or as part of the summer MPH curriculum.

Courses offered in the MAS program or Institutes (summer, fall, or winter) may not be used to fulfill the requirement.    Online paperwork to confirm completion of this requirement must be submitted and approved by the course instructor prior to the start of the term in which the course is offered. The link to the online form will be forwarded to identified students by the HPM Office of Academic Affairs. Once the four course requirement has been met, PhD students serving as TAs in HPM course(s) will receive payment for their efforts.

Individual Development Plan (IDP)

The Individual Development Plan (IDP) is a mechanism for self-reflection as well as a communication and planning tool for the student and their faculty advisor and mentor(s).  The goal of the IDP is to support the student's successful performance in the program and in attaining readiness for their intended future career.  To this end, the IDP creates a structure for the student to: 

• assess current skills, interests, and strengths;
• make a plan for developing skills to meet academic and professional goals; and
• communicate and collaborate with supervisors, advisors, potential employers, and mentors about evolving goals and related skills. 

Rising HPM 2nd year PhD students will receive instructions on preparing the IDP after successful completion of the 1st year qualifying exam. Students are required to complete the self assessment and the IDP and meet and discuss with their advisor prior to submission of their first progress report due in the fall of the 2nd year. Third and 4th year students will revisit their IDP and discuss with their advisor each year at the submission of their yearly progress report. 

Student Progress Report

The Department is committed to assisting students to make steady and timely progress through the PhD program. To facilitate this process, all PhD students are required to submit regular progress reports to the HPM Office of Academic Affairs. Students who have passed the written qualifying exam, but have not yet passed their School-wide Preliminary Oral Exam, must submit a progress report on December 1 and June 1 each year until they have passed their School-wide Preliminary Oral Exam. The report must be reviewed, discussed, and approved by the student’s advisor prior to submission. Once a student has passed their School-wide Preliminary Oral Exam, a yearly progress report is submitted to the HPM Office of Academic Affairs until the program is complete. The progress report is due each year on June 1st. The report must be reviewed and discussed with the student's advisor prior to submission.

Preliminary Oral Exams

Departmental.

The Departmental Preliminary Oral Exam takes place before the School-wide Preliminary Oral Exam. The Departmental Exam may not take place until after the successful completion of the departmental qualifying exam. The format of the exam is similar to the School-wide Preliminary Oral Exam and is intended to determine if the student is academically prepared to pass the School-wide Preliminary Oral Exam and carry out independent research.

The exam requires the student to prepare a thesis proposal that will be examined by the faculty exam committee. The HPM Departmental Preliminary Oral Exam committee consists of a minimum of three faculty members; one must be the student's advisor. A fourth alternative committee member should be identified and may choose to participate in the exam. Guidelines for the Departmental Preliminary Oral Exam can be found on the Department's portal page (portal login required).

School-wide

The School-wide Preliminary Oral Exam takes place after the student has successfully completed the departmental qualifying exam and the Departmental Preliminary Oral Exam. The purpose of this examination is to determine whether the student has both the ability and knowledge to undertake significant research in their general area of interest.

The examiners will be concerned with the student's capacity for logical thinking, breadth of knowledge in relevant areas, and ability to develop and conduct research leading to a completed thesis. While the specific proposal serves as a vehicle for determining the student's general knowledge and research capacity, this examination is not intended to be a defense of a specific proposal. The student will be expected to defend the public health significance of the proposal as well as the methodologies used to evaluate the problem.

The exam should be taken at the earliest feasible time, before significant engagement in thesis research, and must not take place until after the Departmental Oral Exam has been successfully passed. If the student fails the Preliminary Oral Exam and is permitted reexamination, they must be reexamined within one year.

Extension Request to Sit for Oral Exams

The School's PPM governing the PhD program requires students to sit for the School-wide Preliminary Oral Exam prior to the start of their 4th year in the program. Failure to meet this deadline necessitates the submission of an extension request by the student to both the Department and the School before they are permitted to continue in the program.

An initial request for an extension of time to sit for the oral exams must be submitted at least two months prior to the start of the 4th year in the program and may not exceed two terms.

The request is first submitted to the HPM APAC Student Matters Subcommittee for review, and if approved, is forwarded to the Student Matters Subcommittee of the School's Committee on Academic Standards (CAS). All requests must include the following information or will not be considered:

• A letter of request, initiated and signed by the student, stating the rationale for the request.
• A supporting letter signed by the advisor.
• Timetable and plan developed by the student in collaboration with the student's advisor and members of the thesis advisory committee that provide specific milestones from completion; agreement to this plan should be indicated in writing by member(s) of the thesis advisory committee.
• A (student) copy of the current transcript.
• If the HPM APAC Student Matters Subcommittee approves the request, a supporting letter from the Department will be included in the request that is forwarded to the school for final approval.

If the extension is granted, the student and advisor, in cooperation with the HPM Office of Academic Affairs, must provide evidence of progress at intervals determined by the applicable school subcommittee, not to exceed 90 days, toward satisfying the milestones specified in the plan for completion. Failure to meet the specified milestones according to the prescribed timetable for completion may result in further action. Requests for a second extension beyond that of the initial extension are taken very seriously by the Department and CAS and require extension documentation.

Thesis advisory Committee

Within three months of passing the School-wide Preliminary Oral Exam, every doctoral student must identify a thesis advisory committee. This committee, consisting of the student's advisor and at least two other faculty members from either inside or outside the Department, will meet with the student at minimum once a year until the student has graduated to evaluate the student's work and progress.

Each student is required to submit a written summary report to the advisory committee prior to the committee's meeting. This approved summary report will be submitted to the Department each June with the annual progress report. A sample of the summary report can be found on the Department's portal page (portal login required). 

Thesis Guidelines

All PhD students must complete an original investigation presented in the form of a thesis. The thesis must be based on original research, worthy of publication, and acceptable to the Department and to a committee of faculty readers. During the student's application process, various research ideas may have been discussed with faculty members. However, each student's thesis proposal must be developed, reviewed, and found acceptable to Departmental faculty while enrolled as a doctoral student at the BSPH.

PhD students in HPM have two options for the format of the thesis:

• The traditional doctoral thesis consists of a statement of the problem and specific aims; a literature review; data and research methods; analyses and results; and a discussion of findings and their implications. The form these will take reflects the specific academic discipline or orientation guiding the student's research.
• The manuscript-oriented thesis is an alternative to the traditional thesis. The manuscript thesis consists of a total of three (or more) papers linked to the student's research topic.

The decision on which format to follow should be made at the time of the Departmental Preliminary Oral Exam. If, during the writing process, the student wishes to change formats, the student must seek approval for this change from their faculty advisor and thesis committee

The Department has developed the following guidelines to help a student determine which of these options is best for their particular research. Students should discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each option with their advisor before determining a strategy.

Traditional Thesis Guidelines

The traditional doctoral thesis generally consists of an abstract, five chapters, references, and any appendices.  The outline of chapters below is merely a guide. The page numbers are rough estimates, and the form of the chapters will vary, reflecting the academic discipline or orientation of the student's research.

• Abstract : The abstract is a short overall summary of the work. It lays out the purpose(s) and aims of the study, the methods, and the key results and implications. The abstract generally is 2-3 double-spaced pages.
• Chapter I: Introduction: Statement of the problem and specific aims . This chapter, which tends to be relatively short (5-6 double-spaced pages), provides an introduction to the thesis. It describes briefly why this work was undertaken, what background conditions or data suggested it was an important problem, and what, then, this project was intended to accomplish.
• Chapter 2: Literature Review . The literature review summarizes existing literature that informed the thesis research. It generally is organized topically. The literature review tends to be a fairly detailed review, particularly for those topics most directly related to the content and methods of the thesis. The literature review tends to be 30-60 pages in length. 
• Chapter 3: Methods . The content of the methods chapter varies tremendously with the methodological approach taken by the student for the thesis research. With traditional empirical studies, it will generally include the specific aims, research questions, and/or hypothesis; a description of the source of study data, a description of the study instrument and its development, if relevant; a description of secondary data obtained, if relevant; analytic methods, including data cleaning, creation of a data set, creation of variables and/or qualitative codes, types of analyses done; and human subjects issues. The methods chapter ranges from 20-40 pages. 
• Chapter 4: Results . The results chapter reports the main findings of the thesis. It often is organized by research questions or specific aims or hypotheses but need not necessarily follow this format. The results chapter ranges from 25-50 pages. 
• Chapter 5: Discussion of results and policy implications . The discussion chapter both summarizes key findings and discusses findings in light of existing literature and in light of their policy implications.  Also included generally is a description of the study's limitations and implications for future research. The discussion chapter is generally 25-50 pages. 
• References . A listing of all citations used for the thesis must be provided. The Department allows any standard format for references. 
• Appendices . Appendices can be used for many purposes. They can include study instruments, if relevant; they can include additional tables not included in the main body of the thesis; also to be included must be a copy of the student's CV. The traditional thesis should be able to 'stand alone' without appendices; however, such results should never be put in appendices that are key to the study's main findings. 

Manuscript-Oriented Thesis Guidelines

The manuscript thesis consists of the following:

• A total of three (or more) papers, linked to the student's thesis topic. One of these papers may be a literature review, providing a comprehensive critical review, if it is suitable for publication.
• A chapter that integrates and discusses the findings reported in the manuscripts. It should include a discussion of the conclusions of the research and should make recommendations for further studies.
• An appendix outlining in detail the study methods and any accompanying data tables necessary to understand the data. 

A manuscript-oriented thesis must also meet the following criteria:

• The PhD student must be the first author on the three manuscripts used to satisfy this requirement;
• No manuscript will be accepted as part of the thesis if it was submitted for publication before the student passes the School-wide Preliminary Oral Exam; and,
• Co-authors should be determined based on the criteria for authorship developed by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE)

Role of Faculty advisor with the manuscript thesis

The advisor's role is to facilitate successful completion of the doctoral thesis. Students should refer to the HPM policy for advising for general guidelines about the frequency of meetings between advisors and students during the thesis research and writing period. The thesis must reflect the student's independent and original work. The advisor can and should provide ongoing and critical feedback, but the research must be that of the student. 

Even if the advisor (or another committee member) serves as a co-author on a manuscript, the manuscripts must be viewed first and foremost as fulfilling the student's needs in the thesis process, with publication as a secondary goal. advisors or other committee members who are co-authors may not undertake the first draft of any portions of the manuscripts nor substantial rewrites. Whether an advisor will be a co-author on any manuscript should be decided early in the thesis writing process. 

Thesis Approval

PhD advisors must provide official approval of the final draft of a student's thesis prior to dissemination to the other members of the Final Oral Examination Committee. A signed Thesis Approval Form  (portal login required) must accompany each copy of the thesis distributed. Students should provide the final copy of the thesis to the readers at least five weeks prior to the Final Oral Examination.

Thesis Readers and Final Examination Committee

Paperwork  (portal login required) to establish the formal final examination committee is submitted by the Department to the Office of Records and Registration at least six weeks in advance of the final defense.  

Final Public Seminar and Closed Oral Defense of Thesis

A formal, public seminar and closed oral defense of the thesis before a committee of the faculty is one of the final steps for a PhD candidate. The public seminar and oral thesis defense are typically held on the same day with the seminar being conducted first, followed immediately by the closed defense before the approved final exam committee.

The public seminar generally lasts approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour, and the closed defense generally lasts approximately 60-90 minutes. Members of the Final Oral Examination Committee are required to attend both the seminar and the closed defense. The Office of Records and Registration will post the final defense date and location in the Public Health calendar. Students are strongly encouraged to attend the public seminars of their fellow students whenever feasible.

The Final Oral Examination Committee judges all components of the thesis to be either: Acceptable, Acceptable with Revisions, or Unacceptable. This is the case for both a traditional thesis and a manuscript-oriented thesis. Students, with guidance from their advisor, will rework their thesis until all components are judged Acceptable.

Taking the Final Oral Examination and receiving an unconditional pass does not release the student from further responsibilities to complete the degree requirements. All students must stay continually registered until the degree requirements have been completed, including receipt of the thesis acceptance letters and electronic submission of the thesis to the Sheridan Library. Once everything has been submitted, the student will be reported to the Committee on Academic Standards and be considered complete.

Online Submission of Thesis to Sheridan Library

• ETD Electronic Submission
• Formatting Instructions
• Sheridan Library contact: [email protected]
• Publication Embargo: Students are allowed to choose an embargo period of 0, 1, 2, 3, or 4 years during the ETD submission. This means that the Sheridan Library will withhold publication of the thesis for the period of time chosen. The Sheridan Library does make some details of the thesis public (student name, degree, thesis title, abstract) during the embargo period, but the actual thesis is hidden from view. 
• The Department of Health Policy and Management does not require submission of an electronic or paper copy of the final thesis document to the department. However, students must forward the thesis acceptance confirmation from the Sheridan Library to the HPM Office of Academic Affairs to certify completion of all program requirements. 

Extension Request for Completion of Degree Requirements

The School's PPM governing the PhD program requires students to defend their thesis within seven years of matriculation. Failure to meet this deadline necessitates the submission of an extension request by the student to both the Department and the School before they are permitted to continue in the program.

A request for an extension of time to complete the degree must be submitted at least two months prior to the conclusion of the 7th year in the program and may not exceed four terms.

The request is first submitted to the HPM APAC Student Matters Subcommittee for review and if approved, is forwarded to the Student Matters Subcommittee of the School's Committee on Academic Standards (CAS). All requests must include the following information or will not be considered:

• Timetable and plan developed by the student in collaboration with the student's advisor and members of the thesis advisory committee that provide specific milestones from completion; agreement to this plan should be indicated in writing by member(s) of the thesis advisory committee.

HPM PhD Program Policies

For general HPM Departmental Academic Policies, please view this catalogue page . The policies below apply specifically to PhD students.

HPM PhD Student Work Space

The Department provides shared student office space for full-time PhD students. Each full-time PhD student in the Department will have access to a workstation and a locked drawer file cabinet in one of the identified shared office spaces. The workstation is not dedicated to an individual student; those using the office will select a station that is available when they use the space (similar to a parking lot). Any materials that the student wishes to leave in the office must be locked in their assigned file cabinet.

The HPM Office of Academic Affairs will evaluate student workspace yearly. Incoming students will be assigned keys at orientation. Upon graduation, students must return the key to the Academic Office in order to be certified for graduation. Students are responsible for both the room and file cabinet keys. Lost keys should be reported to the Academic Office immediately; replacement keys are subject to a replacement fee.

Note: Students working as Research Assistants on a funded grant that requires analyses of restricted/confidential data may be eligible for other office space arrangements. Faculty responsible for projects in this category must submit formal requests to the HPM Office of Academic Affairs stating the need for individual space.

HPM Grant Proposal Submission Process

Most sources outside the Department or School funding for PhD education require the submission of a formal grant proposal. HPM works closely with students in submitting these proposals and managing the award if and when it is awarded.

If a student is considering submitting a grant proposal, they must contact the Department's Grants and Contracts Manager who will work with them on the application process. All applications/proposals that are submitted to external funding agencies must be reviewed and approved by the Office of Research Administration (ORA). The department requires that all application materials be submitted a minimum of 8 business days before the grant due date. Students should seek guidance from the Grants and Contracts Analyst for specific due dates.

Once a grant has been submitted, the student must be available by email or phone at least 72 hours after submission in case any questions arise.

IRB Approval

The Institutional Review Board (IRB) supports students in applying ethical principles in their research interactions with humans and/or their data, regardless of whether IRB review is required. 

All HPM PhD research must undergo IRB review and students must receive approval or an approved exemption within three months of passing the School-wide Preliminary Oral Exam. Students should consult the IRB website and specifically review the Student Primer and FAQ that are posted on that page.

PhD students are required to submit the "Thesis Research Documentation Form"  within three months  of passing the School-wide Preliminary Oral Exam. This form requires the signature of the HPM Academic Office in addition to the student and advisor prior to submission. Forms should be submitted to the HPM Office of Academic Affairs which will forward the completed form to the appropriate school office. Forms submitted directly to the school office without a departmental signature will not be accepted.

PhD Program Learning Outcomes

Hpm phd departmental competencies.

Upon successful completion of the PhD program in Health Policy and Management, students in each of the four concentrations will have mastered the following core competencies; specifically, students by the end of the program will have the ability to:

• Analyze the nature, scope and determinants of major health policy problems by applying conceptual frameworks from key academic disciplines, formulating testable hypotheses, and identifying appropriate interventions based on an understanding of the existing evidence base.
• Critique the policymaking process, including the underlying roles of legislation, regulation, litigation, and advocacy; the differences between federal, state, and local policies; and the influence of academic research in the policy formulation and evaluation processes.
• Assess the organization and financing of public health and/or medical services and critique their impact on access and use, quality of care, costs, and outcomes.
• Apply appropriate rigorous empirical methods to the evaluation of health policy, including a well-rounded foundation of the methods and tools of public health.
• Communicate scientific findings effectively through written and oral methods to technical and lay audiences, demonstrating an ability to interpret study limitations and prior research.
• Conduct research in accordance with the highest ethical standards, scientific integrity, and interpersonal collegiality.

Concentration in Bioethics and Health Policy Competencies

Upon successful completion of the PhD concentration in Bioethics and Health Policy, students will have mastered the following core competencies; specifically, students by the end of the program will have the ability to:

• Recognize ethical dimensions of problems in public health practice, research, and health policy, and identify which ethical principles or foundational ethical theories are at stake and potentially in tension.
• Analyze ethical problems in public health practice, research, and health policy, identify and communicate morally compelling lines of argument that may include: building on existing ethical frameworks, further specification of an existing framework or ethical principle; further specification of an ethical norm or formulating a novel ethical norm.
• Critically review and synthesize relevant literature from moral and political philosophy and public health ethics in analyzing moral problems in public health practice, research, and health policy.
• Identify when, why, and how empirical scholarship can make a contribution to bioethics and how data can be relevant to normative analysis.
• Construct ethical arguments for or against different kinds of public health programs and policies.

Concentration in Health Economics and Policy Competencies

Upon successful completion of the PhD concentration in Health Economics and Policy, students will have mastered the following core competencies; specifically, students by the end of the program will have the ability to:

• Apply key concepts in microeconomic theory, including how the behavior of individual households and firms affects the market supply and demand of goods and services and how market failures arise under certain circumstances.
• Analyze key theoretical concepts in health economics, including the underlying determinants of health, patient demand for healthcare services, and the organization and financing of healthcare services, with an emphasis on critiquing the effects of alternative forms of financing and organizing healthcare services on cost, quality, access, and overall public health.
• Apply key concepts in applied econometrics, including sophisticated empirical models for healthcare utilization, expenditures, and health outcomes.
• Apply key concepts in applied econometrics, including various rigorous empirical approaches that emphasize causal inferences for policy analysis.
• Conduct original research in the field of health economics, ranging from conception of innovative ideas through study design, selection and application of appropriate analytic methods and data; interpretation of results; and both written and oral dissemination of findings.

Concentration in Health and Public Policy Competencies

Upon successful completion of the PhD concentration in Health and Public Policy, students will have mastered the following core competencies; specifically, students by the end of the program will have the ability to:

• Identify, describe, and analyze a public health problem, and recommend an appropriate policy solution to address it (e.g., legislative, regulatory, judicial, organizational).
• Examine and explain the steps of the policymaking process, including problem setting, formulation, implementation, analysis, and evaluation.
• Critically compare and apply theories of the policy process to the study of public health problems.
• Characterize the major institutions, sectors, and stakeholders involved in the policymaking processes at the global, federal, state, and local levels.
• Effectively translate and communicate public health policy research, in both oral and written forms, to policymakers, key stakeholders, and the public.

Concentration in Health Services Research & Policy Competencies

Upon successful completion of the PhD concentration in Health Services Research and Policy, students will have mastered the following core competencies; specifically, students by the end of the program will have the ability to:

• Characterize and illustrate key concepts and developments in the field of health services research, including issues relating to care quality and safety, access, cost, and the role and effects of alternative forms of organizing and financing services. 
• Integrate and critique theoretical and empirical literature in the formulation of an original and significant health services research and policy research question with a clear and testable hypothesis.
• Evaluate the strengths and weakness of experimental, quasi-experimental and observational study designs and formulate the most appropriate design for a specified research question.
• Identify, evaluate, and determine the most suitable data source for a specified research question (data sources may include existing data sources or the development of a primary data collection protocol utilizing quantitative or qualitative methods). 
• Select and implement appropriate analytic techniques from advanced epidemiological, statistical, economic, and qualitative or survey methods to examine a specified research question. 

CEPH-Defined Introductory Public Health Learning Objectives

According to the requirements of the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH), all BSPH degree students must be grounded in foundational public health knowledge. Please view the  list of specific CEPH requirements by degree type .

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Doctor of Philosophy in Public Health (PhD) in Health Policy and Management

The PhD in Public Health specializing in Health Policy and Management at Kent State University prepares students for a career in public health research, which demands interdisciplinary skills to meet the challenges of a rapidly changing field. 

Doctoral students in the health policy and management specialization will learn to design and implement studies and use advanced quantitative methods to examine critical and emerging health issues.

Students pursuing their PhD in Public Health specializing in Health Policy and Management will benefit from active faculty research agendas in:

• Health systems research
• Occupational health and safety
• Reproductive health
• Access to health care
• Health literacy
• Substance abuse
• Community based interventions

Students who graduate with the PhD in Public Health's Health Policy and Management specialization are scholars and leaders in a variety of job settings, including Federal and state health agencies, academic health centers and hospitals, policy and research institutes, managed care and insurance corporations, and health planning organizations.

If you want to pursue a career that will help you make a difference, the Kent State College of Public Health is a great place to get started.

The PhD in HPM is temporarily suspended and closed to applications. No applications will be accepted for Fall 2023. 

Don’t forget to explore our other  PhD in Public Health  programs and find out how they can help you prepare for career opportunities in the field.

Doctoral Handbook   UNIVERSITY CATALOG   learn more

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PhD in Health Policy and Management

Phd in health policy and management admission requirements.

Admission to the Health Policy and Management PhD program at the IU Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health is based on completion of a baccalaureate degree, although it is anticipated that many applicants will have completed a post-baccalaureate degree in public health or other health-related discipline.

Application, admission, and degree-granting requirements and regulations shall be applied equitably to all individuals, applicants and students regardless of age, gender, race, disability, sexual orientation, religion, or national origin.

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Application criteria and requirements

In addition to completing the SOPHAS application, you are also required to submit the following supporting documentation directly to SOPHAS.

Graduate Record Examination (GRE)

GRE scores are not required for admission, however, if you plan to attend the PhD program as a full-time funded student, you are strongly encouraged to submit them with your application, since some funding sources require current GRE scores (less than five years old) in order for students to be eligible.  Applicants must submit GRE scores to SOPHAS using the following designation DI Code 0167.

The admission committee does not list expected minimum scores.

Statement of Purpose and Objectives

Provide an essay of approximately 750 words describing your past education, experience, and current professional career objectives. You are encouraged to comment on any or all of the following: plans you have to use your education and training; the needs and/or challenges you perceive as important in your field of study; and, any personal qualities, characteristics, and skills you believe will enable you to be successful in your chosen field of study.

Résumé or CV

For each position on the résumé or CV, provide the job title, employing agency, dates employed, and responsibilities held. Indicate any additional strengths or skills such as fluency in foreign languages, research experience, teaching experience, community service, and demonstration of leadership skills. Include professional certifications, honors, and awards.

Official Post-Secondary Transcripts

Official post-secondary transcripts from all U.S. institutions attended must be sent directly from the institutions to SOPHAS. This includes previous study at Indiana University.

It is strongly recommended that all transcripts be submitted no later than 15 days before the application deadline to allow SOPHAS adequate time to verify transcripts. Please note it can take up to four weeks for transcripts to be verified.

Transcripts must be sent from institution in the institution's sealed envelope directly to SOPHAS.

For regular mail, please send your transcript to: SOPHAS P.O. Box 9111 Watertown, MA 02471-9111 For overnight delivery ONLY: SOPHAS c/o Liaison International 311 Arsenal Street Watertown, MA 02472 Phone: 617-612-2090

World Education Services (WES): ICAP course-by-course evaluation for all post-secondary foreign institutions attended. Please note: U.S. applicants who studied at foreign institutions as part of a study abroad experience at their U.S. college or university, do not need to provide a WES evaluation of their study abroad coursework.

International applicants

Applicants who have attended post-secondary institutions outside of the U.S. are also required to submit the following supporting documentation to SOPHAS with their application:

World Education Services (WES) ICAP evaluation of foreign academic credentials

The Indiana University Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health requires all applicants with foreign academic credentials to provide a World Education Services (WES) ICAP course-by-course evaluation of those credentials. Applicants should submit their transcripts to WES at least one month in advance of the application deadline to ensure that the evaluation is completed in time.

Through special arrangements with SOPHAS, WES will deliver its credential evaluation report directly to SOPHAS by secure electronic transmission. This expedites the delivery of the evaluation report—as well as images of the applicant’s verified transcripts—to SOPHAS and allows SOPHAS to process the report most efficiently.

Visit WES for more information

U.S. applicants who have attended post-secondary institutions outside of the U.S. as part of a study-abroad program at a U.S. college or university, do not need to provide a WES evaluation of their foreign coursework as long as it is noted on their U.S. transcript.

Please note: Upon admission to IUPUI, international students will be required to provide the Indiana University Office of International Affairs with original transcripts from all universities attended in the US and abroad.

Letters of Recommendation

Three letters of recommendation from persons qualified to assess your academic work; clinical, public health, or professional experiences; or leadership potential in public health. These letters should be from professional sources who can provide an unbiased, current and critical assessment of your abilities, skills, strengths and weaknesses related to successfully completing a doctoral program.

The applicants are invited to interview at the discretion of the admission committee.

In-person interview: Applicants will be invited to participate in an in-person interview with several members of the admission committee. Alternative arrangements can be made for applicants unable to be interviewed onsite.

Completion of an on-site essay: Applicants participating in the interview process may be asked to write a short essay on a specific topic assigned to them using Microsoft Word. The purpose of this step is to allow the admissions committee to assess the applicant's English writing skills.

The PhD in Epidemiology admissions committee conducts interviews using Skype video conferencing for applicants who are unable to travel to Indianapolis for the interview. Skype is a free software application that allows users to connect through the internet to communicate. Note that applicants will need access to a webcam and microphone for the interview.

Proof of English Proficiency

Applicants whose native language is not English or whose academic study was done exclusively at non-English speaking institutions, must prove English proficiency by providing either official Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or International English Language Testing System (IELTS) scores. Scores must be less than two years old.

The preferred minimum English language test scores for admission to the Fairbanks School of Public Health are:

• Internet-based TOEFL: minimum score of 92
• Computer-based TOEFL: minimum score of 263
• Paper-based TOEFL: minimum score of 620
• IELTS (total band score): minimum score of 7

TOEFL IELTS

SOPHAS applicants

SOPHAS applicants should use the following designations:

• TOEFL scores to SOPHAS using the following designation DI Code 5688 .
• IELTS scores can be uploaded electronically to SOPHAS and official copy sent to IUPUI School Code 1325 .

English language test waiver

The English Language test requirement may be waived if an applicant has earned a bachelor’s degree or higher from the U.S. or other English-speaking country.

See more information

Review of applications

Completed applications will be carefully reviewed by the Health Policy and Management PhD admissions committee after the program deadline. The admissions committee will determine each applicant’s acceptance or non-acceptance to the Health Policy and Management PhD program by using the following selection criteria:

• Scientific leadership potential : Assessed by the applicant’s résumé/CV, personal statement, and personal interview.
• Ability to engage in advanced graduate work: Assessed by the applicant’s personal interview, evaluation of letters of recommendation, overall grade point average in prior graduate work, and scores from the GRE or other graduate entrance exams.
• Learning goals and objectives:  Assessed by the applicant’s personal statement and personal interview.

You may apply to our Health Policy and Management PhD program online via SOPHAS , the centralized Schools of Public Health Application Service.

Remember to designate the IU Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health as one of your school choices, along with your desired program.

We'll notify you by email once your application has been received. If you have questions about the application process or about the PhD in Health Policy and Management program, contact Shawne Mathis at snmathis@iu.edu .

Note: All applications must be verified by SOPHAS prior to the deadline to be guaranteed review by the PhD Health Policy and Management admissions committee. Applications that are not verified by the deadline are not guaranteed review. Applications take four to five weeks to be verified by SOPHAS. We recommend submitting your application to SOPHAS no later than one month prior to the deadline.

Upon offer of admission, applicants will need to complete the IU Graduate CAS, a required secondary application, by using the invitation code and link provided with the admission offer. The IU Graduate CAS application resembles the SOPHAS application. To apply, unofficial transcripts earned at bachelor's, master's, or doctorate-granting institutions must be uploaded.

Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health social media channels

• Policies, Procedures & Forms

PhD in Health Policy and Management

Make a meaningful impact with our health policy and management doctoral program..

Dig into an area of public health that fascinates or inspires you. Hone your research, teaching, and management skills. And take your career in public health to purposeful new places with a PhD in health policy and management from UMass Amherst.

Designed to prepare you for teaching and research positions in academic institutions and leadership positions in health-related agencies, our program offers both major and minor areas of concentration. The minor area may be content- or methods-related in areas such as biostatistics, computational methods, epidemiology, maternal and child health, health economics, and community health education. You’ll apply our pioneering use of multimodality methods in your research, from digital storytelling to participatory action research.

PhD in health policy and management course requirements:

• Seven major concentration courses in health policy and management (21 credits)
• Four minor concentration courses in areas such as epidemiology, biostatistics, and economics (12 credits)
• Two doctoral seminar courses (6 credits)
• Dissertation research (18 credits)

Benefits list

Support for Your Education

Doctoral students have priority in teaching assistant (TA) positions and tend to support themselves with these offerings during the first 1-4 years. Faculty assist students in applying for federal or foundation funding to support dissertation research. 

Research Opportunities Await

You’ll find a wealth of opportunities to research health policy issues and explore field work through the  Center for Community Health Equity Research ,  Center for Program Evaluation , and  Institute for Global Health , all of which are led by health promotion and policy faculty.

Make the Program Your Own

PhD students come to our program with a deep commitment to their studies and complex interests. Our faculty work one-on-one with doctoral students to help you select courses and research that fit your unique interests.

Featured class

The theory of internal organization and management applied to health care organizations. Analysis of management functions. Interrelationship between health institutions, their surrounding communities, and government.

Featured faculty

Airín denise martínez.

Focus on community-based participatory research; racial and ethnic health disparities; Latinx immigrants; mixed methods; health policy.

Jennifer Whitehill

Focus on injury prevention; substance use; cannabis policy; social media; mobile technology and health (mHealth).

Kimberley Geissler

Focus on health economics, health insurance, empirical methods, physician referrals, access to care.

Laura Attanasio

Focus on maternal health; women’s reproductive health; health equity; patient-provider relationship

Focus on health care quality measurement, health policy, health informatics, and high-dimensional data.

Application information & deadlines

Prospective students must apply first through the SOPHAS site and then the UMass Graduate School Supplemental Application, which will be emailed to you upon completion of the SOPHAS application.

Priority Deadline

December 1, 2023.

To be considered for priority admissions, applications must be submitted by Dec. 1.

Application Deadline

February 1, 2024.

The application deadline is Feb. 1.

Health Policy and Management

Providing leadership skills to help solve complex health-related problems.

• Graduate Admissions in Health Policy and Management
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• Department of Health Promotion and Policy

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Health Policy and Management

Unc gillings ranked no. 1 public school of public health in us.

• Mission: The Department of Health Policy and Management’s mission is to improve health for all by creating and translating knowledge into policy and practice and educating current and future health leaders, managers, policymakers, practitioners and researchers.
• Vision and Values: Our vision encompasses high-quality, accessible and affordable health systems that achieve optimal population health in North Carolina, across the United States and around the world.
• Faculty, research and practice: The Department includes some of the top experts and authorities in health services research, management, and health policy. Faculty bridge these domains to develop and apply innovative solutions from local to global. See a list of faculty interests and expertise. Known not only for a robust research program and first-rate teaching abilities, our faculty also represent a diversity of disciplinary backgrounds and experiences.

Kristin Reiter, PhD

Welcome to the Department of Health Policy and Management! The field of health has never been more dynamic and the pace of change more rapid. Payers, providers, patients, advocates and policy makers are focused on finding strategies to advance health equity and achieve the quadruple aim of reducing costs, improving patient experience, improving the health of populations and improving provider work life. Both locally and globally, technological innovations and entrepreneurship are disrupting the health system and changing the ways and places where care is provided. In the midst of complexity and uncertainty, the world needs great leaders - leaders with the vision, adaptability, compassion, humility, technical skills and people skills to innovate, shape policy and transform systems to equitably meet the needs of a growing and diverse global population. If you are looking for an academic home that will provide you with exceptional training for a career as a health leader, manager, policymaker, practitioner, or researcher, Health Policy and Management at the Gillings School of Global Public Health could be right for you.    

Emily Ha, first-year Master of Healthcare Administration (MHA) student recently received the Association of University Programs in Health Administration (AUPHA) Corris Boyd Scholarship, continuing the long history of Gillings students receiving the award.

Arrianna Marie Planey, PhD, MA

Dr. Planey's research and teaching focuses include the application of spatial analytic/statistical/epidemiologic methods to study interactions between health(care) policies, healthcare access and utilization and underlying, population-level health inequities, and identify points of intervention at structural- and system-levels.

Jessica Howard, MHA

Jessica Howard graduated in May 2023 and began an administrative fellowship with the Duke Private Diagnostic Clinic.

The BSPH degree program with a major in Health Policy and Management prepares students with a strong public health foundation, in-depth knowledge of the U.S. health system and essential analytical, teamwork and management skills, who pursue careers as health leaders, managers, policymakers, practitioners, clinicians and researchers.

The Residential Master of Health Care Administration (MHA) degree focuses on developing competencies for students interested in pursuing careers in health-care management and consulting. A broad range of management competencies are addressed in the degree, including finance, leadership, human resources management, information technology and health-care strategy.

The Master of Health Care Administration (MHA) - Executive degree is designed for people who work full-time in health care/public health. The degree provides students with a comprehensive understanding of public health and health care, management methods, finance and quantitative values; the curriculum also offers insight into policy-related careers in health services management.

The Master of Public Health (MPH) concentration in Health Policy trains the next generation of leaders in policymaking and practice so they can address the complex challenges of health care delivery.

The Master of Science in Public Health (MSPH) degree is particularly appropriate for individuals interested in pursuing careers at consulting firms, contract research organizations, federal and state government entities, think tanks, non-governmental organizations, health insurers, and international health organizations.

The Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree combines rigorous training in research methodology with a substantive knowledge base. Graduates receive the academic foundation and research experience to become creative and independent researchers.

The Executive Doctoral Program in Health Leadership (DrPH) Program is designed for mid- to senior-level professionals who seek the skills to assume greater leadership roles in either public or private sector settings at the local, national and international levels.

Awards and scholarships are given to students in recognition of their merit and excellence in the classroom, research and service. Some awards are offered to outstanding students as part of their financial aid package during recruitment. Read more about our Awards and Financial Assistance Opportunities .

Office of Scholarships and Student Aid

The UNC Office of Scholarships and Student Aid advises, assesses and approves students for a variety of financial aid opportunities. These include scholarships, grants and loans.

Funding from the Graduate School

The Graduate School offers resources that are designed to help students compete for internal and external grants and fellowships critical to the financial support of our graduate students.

Costs and Residency

Tuition and Fee information can be found on the Office of the University Cashier’s website. You can also view your student account and bill in Connect Carolina. Residency information can be found on the University Registrar website.

Career Opportunities

Our department provides our students with career services and professional development support throughout their time in the program. This support enables students to connect with our over 4500 alumni located worldwide. Our residential undergraduate and master's degree programs support students with securing summer internship experiences.

Learn more about our department's Professional Development and Career Services .

Individuals interested in helping provide financial support for the following awards may do so online at the Gillings School of Global Public Health Donate Now page by selecting Health Policy and Management .

CAHME serves the public interest by advancing the quality of healthcare management education.

The Association of University Programs in Health Administration (AUPHA) is a global network of colleges, universities, faculty, individuals and organizations dedicated to the improvement of health and healthcare delivery through excellence in healthcare management and policy education.

The UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center is a cancer research and treatment center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Serving patients at the N.C. Basnight Cancer Hospital, UNC Lineberger is the only public comprehensive cancer center in the state of North Carolina.

Information for:

Department of Health Policy and Management

In a dynamic, rapidly evolving healthcare landscape, the Department of Health Policy and Management (HPM) at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health aims to advance the effectiveness, efficiency, and equity of health services for both personal and population health. The department is home to some of the nation’s most prominent thought leaders on health policy issues, as well as leaders in the development of evidence that contributes to improving the performance of health institutions locally, nationally, and globally. The department’s faculty have founded and continue to run highly influential research centers at UCLA Fielding, and are well connected with major centers and leading experts across the UCLA campus, in Southern California, and beyond. These centers also provide important sites for the department’s master’s and doctoral students to receive research training and employment. HPM alumni, who are influential leaders in the region, remain highly engaged with the department, providing students with ample opportunities for work experiences and mentorship during their time at FSPH. These connections, combined with the stellar reputation of HPM students within the healthcare policy and management communities, lead to a nearly 100% job placement rate for the department’s graduates.

Ninez Ponce

Professor and Chair, Department of Health Policy and Management

Department Administration

View the faculty and staff who make up the Department of Health Policy and Management administrative team.

Among the faculty are more than a dozen members of the prestigious National Academy of Medicine along with multiple winners of top honors in the field, such as AcademyHealth’s Distinguished Investigator Award, New Investigator Award, Article of the Year Award, and Health Services Impact Award. Beyond their research and teaching, faculty members serve on governance and advisory groups for local, regional, national, and international organizations; provide testimony or consultation to legislative and executive government agencies and policy-oriented non-governmental organizations; and serve as editors for multiple journals.

Faculty work closely with colleagues in the department, as well as with faculty from other parts of the school and UCLA campus, through research centers — large, collective enterprises that draw experts across disciplines to produce results that make an impact well beyond the confines of UCLA. These centers also provide important sites for the department’s master’s and doctoral students to receive research training and employment.  

UCLA is a “low walls” environment, making it easy to find collaborators across a campus that boasts leading experts in nearly every conceivable topic. These active networks raise new opportunities for HPM faculty and students alike to pursue both short-term exchanges and long-term collaborations that advance their research and scholarship.

HPM Alumni Association

The Health Policy and Management Alumni Association builds and strengthens personal and professional relationships among graduates and students.

Among the department’s greatest strengths is its close ongoing relationship with the network of HPM graduates. Alumni stay actively involved in HPM activities in many ways — raising money for department activities, contributing their time as guest lecturers, serving on advisory boards, and hiring students as interns and as full-time employees upon graduation. HPM graduates are represented in many of the top healthcare management positions in Southern California, and in key policy posts nationally and internationally. They improve the health of populations by shaping the direction of healthcare management and policy — and their organizations benefit from the high-quality, well-trained graduates they can bring on to their teams.  

Centers & Programs

HPM – Upcoming Events and Activities for Students

Hpm departmental events for students .

Spring 2024:

Lunchtime Tea Celebration

Wednesday, May 1, 2024 at 1 p.m. in the FXB Atrium

Come have some tea and snacks and celebrate the end of the semester with us!

HPM Students, Faculty and Staff are Welcome!

We look forward to seeing you there!

HPM Research Seminars

Please feel free to contact Rachel Levitt, Senior Administrative and Communications Coordinator (Health Policy and Management) at [email protected] with any questions HPM Research Seminars.  Once presenters are announced, Doug Scaffidi will include that information in the HPM Weekly E-Newsletter.

Spring (all Weds, 1-2pm unless noted*)

April 26, 2024

May 10, 2024

June 9, 2024 (*Friday 1-2) – seminar slot filled

MPH HM & HP Student Cohort Meetings 

These meetings are held throughout the academic year.   Information regarding these meetings (dates/times/zoom links) will be sent to students via email. For more information about HPM cohort meetings, please visit:  https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/health-policy-and-management/mph-hm-and-hp-student-cohort-meeting-schedule/

Other Items

Student hardship fund.

The Student Hardship Fund is designed to support students who are experiencing financial hardship due to unexpected expenses for which they lack the ability to pay. Should you need assistance, we encourage you to apply.

Click here to learn more about: Student Hardship Fund For more information, contact [email protected]

Student Office Hours with Maritza Hernandez, Associate Dean for Student Services

Students are invited to meet with Maritza Hernandez, the Associate Dean for Student Services. Students can introduce themselves to her or provide a topic for discussion. An appointment can be made via the following Calendly links: Virtual Meeting or In-Person

For more information, contact [email protected]

Sustainability at Harvard // Upcoming Events

Please visit here for more information:   https://green.harvard.edu/events?utm_source=Web+Sign+Ups&utm_campaign=43f208b722-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2018_09_04_05_50&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_e881688224-43f208b722-156493621

News from the School

Bethany Kotlar, PhD '24, studies how children fare when they're born to incarcerated mothers

Soccer, truffles, and exclamation points: Dean Baccarelli shares his story

Health care transformation in Africa highlighted at conference

COVID, four years in

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Concentration in Health and Public Policy

Offered By: Department of Health Policy and Management

Onsite | Full-Time | 4 -5 years

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• Kiara Alvarez, PhD
• LaPrincess C. Brewer, MD, MPH
• Melissa Radey, PhD, MA, MSSW
• Sophia L. Johnson, PharmD, MPH, PhD
• Supriya Gupta Mohile, MD, MS
• Virginia McKay, PhD
• Andrew Cohen, MD, PhD
• Angela Chen, PhD, PMHNP-BC, RN
• Christopher Salas-Wright, PhD, MSW
• Eliza Park MD, MS
• Jaime M. Hughes, PhD, MPH, MSW
• Johanne Eliacin, PhD, HSPP
• Lingrui Liu ScD MS
• Meaghan Kennedy, MD
• Nicole Stadnick, PhD, MPH
• Paula Aristizabal, MD
• Radhika Sundararajan, MD
• Sara Mamo, AuD, PhD
• Tullika Garg, MD MPH FACS
• Allison Magnuson, DO
• Ariel Williamson PhD, DBSM
• Benita Bamgbade, PharmD, PhD
• Christopher Woodrell MD
• Hung-Jui (Ray) Tan, MD, MSHPM
• Jasmine Abrams, PhD
• Jose Alejandro Rauh-Hain, MD
• Karen Flórez, DrPH, MPH
• Lavanya Vasudevan, PhD, MPH, CPH
• Maria Garcia, MD, MPH
• Robert Brady, PhD
• Saria Hassan, MD
• Scherezade Mama, DrPH
• Yuan Lu, ScD
• 2021 Scholars
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• The George G. Graham Lecture

About the Concentration in Health and Public Policy

The concentration in Health and Public Policy is designed for students interested in preventing leading public health problems through the development, analysis, implementation, and evaluation of public health policies. Students in this concentration consider a broad array of public health policies which affect health, safety and quality of life and acquire skills that enable them to conduct rigorous research to inform policy solutions, effectively translate their scholarly work to policy and practice, and emerge as leaders in public health policy. The emphasis on prevention policy makes this concentration one of the few nationwide with a cadre of faculty advancing policy research to prevent leading public health problems.

Students in Health and Public Policy may choose specialized areas identified to help focus their electives in such a way as to best provide the background needed for their dissertation work. Areas include Environmental and Occupational Health Policy, Injury Prevention and Control, Social Policy and Health, and the Practice of Prevention.

Environmental and Occupational Health Policy

Factors in the human environment that affect health require a multidisciplinary approach for evaluation. Environmental and Occupational Health Policy integrates courses from the Departments of Epidemiology, Environmental Health and Engineering, and Health Policy and Management to provide a foundation for the application of science to occupational and environmental policy. Evaluation, development, and refinement of policies at local, state, federal and international levels are emphasized.

Injury Prevention and Control

In conjunction with the Center for Injury Research and Policy, students focus on injuries of all types, including road traffic injuries, falls, burns, drowning and violence. The epidemiology of these injuries is assessed, and strategies to prevent injuries are formulated, implemented, and evaluated. Students who focus their electives in this area may also decide to complete the Certificate in Injury and Violence Prevention.

Social Policy and Health

Social policy and health examines how social policies influence public health and/or the relationship between healthcare policy and other social policies.

Practice of Prevention

The practice of prevention examines specific public health problems such as AIDS, tobacco, obesity, and violence and develops strategies for addressing problems through traditional and innovative policies.

What Can You Do With a Graduate Degree In Health And Public Policy?

The program prepares students for successful research careers as health policy experts. Former students have gone onto careers in academia, government, research-oriented non-profits, and the private sector.

View a list of selected recent graduates and dissertation titles for the PhD Concentration in Health and Public Policy.

Curriculum for the Concentration in Health and Public Policy

Browse an overview of the requirements for this PhD program in the JHU  Academic Catalogue  and explore all course offerings in the Bloomberg School  Course Directory .

Admissions Requirements

For general admissions requirements, please visit the How to Apply page.

Standardized Test Scores

Standardized test scores are  not required and not reviewed  for this program. If you have taken a standardized test such as the GRE, GMAT, or MCAT and want to submit your scores, please note that they will not be used as a metric during the application review.  Applications will be reviewed holistically based on all required application components.

Cassandra Crifasi, PhD '14, MPH,

studies how evidence-based policies and programs can reduce violence and advance equity.

All accepted PhD students receive a standard funding package.  As of September 1, 2023 this package includes full tuition support, a $30,000 per year stipend, individual health, dental, and vision insurance and the University Health Services clinic fee for four years.

For funding sources, please see PhD funding page .

Need-Based Relocation Grants Students who  are admitted to PhD programs at JHU   starting in Fall 2023 or beyond can apply to receive a $1500 need-based grant to offset the costs of relocating to be able to attend JHU.   These grants provide funding to a portion of incoming students who, without this money, may otherwise not be able to afford to relocate to JHU for their PhD program. This is not a merit-based grant. Applications will be evaluated solely based on financial need.  View more information about the need-based relocation grants for PhD students .

Questions about the program? We're happy to help. [email protected] 410-955-2488