Curriculum

Concentration in Health Policy and Management

Health Policy & Management Concentration

The DrPH Health Policy & Management Concentration comprises four tracks:

  • Healthcare Management & Leadership Track 

  • Health Policy Track

  • Public Health Informatics Track

  • Quality & Patient Safety Track

Scroll below to see the competencies and curricula for all four tracks. When applying to the Health Policy & Management concentration, applicants will need to select both the concentration and a track.

Health Policy and Management concentration students must complete at least 26 credits of courses within one track per the requirements listed below. Students also complete at least two credits of course 311.861 Graduate Seminar in Health Care Management & Leadership to fulfill the 27 concentration credits.  Students may in some cases substitute alternate and/or onsite courses for track electives, with approval from their academic advisor and track director.

Concentration Directors

The DrPH Health Policy & Management Concentration Directors are:

Shannon Frattaroli, PhD, MPH

Lilly Engineer, MD, DrPH

Please click their links to learn more about their research interests, departmental and center or institute affiliations, and contact information.

Healthcare Management & Leadership Track

The Healthcare Management and Leadership track focuses on measuring, monitoring, and improving the clinical and financial performance of health services organizations, as well as training leaders for organizational change. The track curriculum is based on the Malcolm Baldridge Healthcare Criteria for Performance Excellence framework and targets those who have master's level training related to healthcare management and/or public health.

Healthcare Management & Leadership Track Competencies

The competencies for the track in Healthcare Management and Leadership are met through required and elective coursework, a practicum, and the process of writing a dissertation. Upon successful completion, students will have mastered the following track competencies; specifically, students by the end of the program will have the ability to:

1. Evaluate the role of organizational leadership in the development and communication of a shared mission, vision, and core values.
2. Evaluate the role key financial performance indicators serve in managing and improving organizational performance.
3. Apply evidence-based tools and frameworks to enhance organizational performance in the human, clinical, financial, information and supply chain domains to drive value and improved outcomes.
4. Manage data, information, and knowledge systematically to improve assessment of patient outcomes, reduce medical errors, enhance quality of medical care and patient safety, and strengthen overall service delivery.
5. Assessing Quality and Patient Safety programs as a means to develop and sustain a culture of patient / client focused excellence.

Healthcare Management & Leadership Track Curriculum

In addition to two credits of TBD DrPH Health Policy and Management Concentration Seminar, students are expected to complete a minimum of 26 credits of track-specific courses. Courses taken to fulfill foundational requirements may not be applied to fulfill track requirements.
 

Health Policy Track

The Health Policy Track welcomes public health and adjacent professionals who are interested in engaging in the policy process at the federal, state, and local levels. The curriculum includes courses in policy, advocacy, communication, and leadership as well as study design and methods. Through training in the skills needed to affect policy formulation and implementation and the rigorous methods for evaluating policy initiatives, the Track offers learners an educational experience that will prepare them to conduct research that is responsive to real-world needs.

Health Policy Track Competencies

Upon successful completion, students will have mastered the following track competencies; specifically, students by the end of the program will have the ability to:

1. Critically assess policy interventions to address complex public health problems.
2. Apply data to inform decision making for policy formulation, and weigh scientific, political, ethical, and social public health concerns.
3. Formulate and execute advocacy strategies that are responsive to public health policy goals.
4. Communicate the role of public health within the larger health and social policy system, with a focus on response to managing health crises.
5. Apply state-of-the-science, leadership, and communication strategies to effectively disseminate scientific evidence to policymakers.

Health Policy Track Curriculum

In addition to two credits of  TBD DrPH Health Policy and Management Concentration Seminar, students are expected to complete a minimum of 26 credits of track-specific courses. Courses taken to fulfill foundational requirements may not be applied to fulfill track requirements.

Public Health Informatics Track

The Public Health Informatics track offers training in methods and concepts of informatics for application to public health and population health management. The track curriculum is designed for public health professionals or population health managers who wish to develop an area of expertise or specialization in the emerging field of public health informatics.

Public Health Informatics Track Competencies

Upon successful completion, students will have mastered the following track competencies; specifically, students by the end of the program will have the ability to:

1. Assess the state of the science and current research and policy issues related to the foundation of population health informatics. 
2. Identify the most effective visualization techniques that can be used to convey impactful results to different end users (e.g., patients, clinicians, care managers/coordinators, health system admin, and policy makers).
3. Propose a high-level design for a decision support intervention and implementation.
4. Evaluate various informatics solutions for public or population health management interventions based on different criteria such as user-centered software design and system architecture, design thinking and interoperability, standards, human factors, security, privacy, and ethical issues.
5. Articulate the proper management approaches for an organization to evaluate organizational readiness and implement solutions utilizing change management strategies.

Public Health Informatics Track Curriculum

In addition to two credits of TBD DrPH Health Policy and Management Concentration Seminar, students are expected to complete a minimum of 26 credits of track-specific courses. Courses taken to fulfill foundational requirements may not be applied to fulfill track requirements.

 

Quality & Patient Safety Track

The Quality and Patient Safety Track provides students with the skills and knowledge to implement and evaluate projects, programs, and policies that promote high quality of care and patient safety in healthcare delivery. The curriculum features courses addressing quality improvement, implementation methods, evaluation design, and approaches to understand success or failure of programs and projects to enhance quality and safety.

Quality & Patient Safety Track Competencies

Upon successful completion, students will have mastered the following track competencies; specifically, students by the end of the program will have the ability to:

1. Apply quality improvement and evaluation frameworks to health services challenges.
2. Evaluate and manage measurement challenges.
3. Identify implementation barriers and leverage facilitators and evidence to enhance quality and patient safety in practice.
4. Assess utility of specific quality improvement and patient safety measurement interventions and methods.
5. Apply a framework for analyzing and improving the quality of medical care.

Quality & Patient Safety Track Curriculum

In addition to two credits of TBD DrPH Health Policy and Management Concentration Seminar, students are expected to complete a minimum of 26 credits of track-specific courses. Courses taken to fulfill foundational requirements may not be applied to fulfill track requirements.