Concentration in Health Policy and Management
Health Policy & Management Concentration
The DrPH Health Policy & Management Concentration comprises four tracks:
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Healthcare Management & Leadership Track
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Health Policy Track
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Public Health Informatics Track
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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 28 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:
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 focus of the Healthcare Management and Leadership track is 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
Students in the Health Policy track develop, identify, and translate the best available evidence to inform critical public health policy challenges at the local, state, national, and global levels. The case-based curriculum incorporates systems thinking and rigorous scientific methods from multiple disciplines to be responsive to the needs of today's public health practitioners and policymakers. Also included in the curriculum is the conceptual foundation needed to understand complex problems and propose and critically assess solutions to those problems and propose and critically assess solutions to those problems; deep subject matter expertise in select topic areas, essential skills to effectively communicate and disseminate scientific evidence to decision makers; and the methods to assure implementation is effective and efficient. Courses will include field experience in the policy areas of Washington D.C., state, and local governments.
The track is relevant to those currently working (or who aspire to work) in public health policy and practice settings at the intersection of evidence, decision-making, and implementation; and who seek training to meaningfully impact the dialogue about how to solve public health problems.
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 addresses issues related to quality of healthcare, patient safety, patient-centered outcomes, and performance measurement and improvement. The curriculum is designed for public health, clinical and management professionals who wish to develop the expertise to identify challenges in these areas, implement evidence-based interventions and improve care delivery. The curriculum includes a variety of specialized courses in quality, patient safety, patient-centered outcomes, performance measurement, human factors and the evaluation of programs and interventions for improving the safety and quality of health care services. The track targets those who have master's level training related to public health, healthcare management and/or clinical sciences.
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.