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 Co-directors
The DrPH Health Policy & Management Concentration co-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 Balridge 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. | Enable senior leaders to develop an effective organizational leadership and governance system to deploy shared visions, missions and core values to address societal and community health needs. |
| 2. | Utilize strategic assessment and planning skills to identify internal and external issues that may impact health services delivery; and, apply facilitation skills to ensure the participation of key internal and external organizational stakeholders for both strategy development and deployment. |
| 3. | Apply evidence-based tools and frameworks to enhance organizational performance in the human, clinical, financial, information and supply chain domains so as to drive value and improved outcomes. |
| 4. | Develop and sustain a culture of excellence that builds upon providing visionary leadership, valuing people, ethics and transparency, societal responsibility and community health, organizational learning and agility, patient/client focused excellence, delivering value and results, management by fact, and managing for innovation with a focus on success. |
| 5. | Manage data, information and knowledge systematically to improve quality of decision-making to enhance quality of care and service delivery. |
| 6. | Apply organizational and systems thinking theories to create high performing teams that promote care integration, create value, promote efficiencies and organizational and personal learning. |
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.
Course Requirements for DrPH-HPM Healthcare Management & Leadership Track (26 credits):
Required Courses: Take all the following courses
| Course # | Title | Credits |
| 312.603 | Fundamentals of Budgeting and Financial Management | 3 |
| 312.701 | Strategic Leadership and Decision Making | 3 |
| 312.620 | Performance Measurement in Health Care | 2 |
| 313.641 | Introduction to Health Economics | 3 |
| 313.790 | Introduction to Economic Evaluation | 3 |
Choose at least one of the two courses below:
| Course # | Title | Credits |
| 309.631 | Population Health Informatics | 3 |
| 312.633 | Health Management Information Systems | 3 |
Choose at least one of the three courses below:
| Course # | Title | Credits |
| 311.615 | Quality of Medical Care | 3 |
| 309.730 | Patient Safety and Medical Errors | 3 |
| 309.712 | Assessing Health Status and Patient Outcomes | 3 |
Choose elective(s) from the courses below to complete 26 track credits:
| Course # | Title | Credits |
| 312.703 | Learning Organizations and Knowledge Management | 3 |
| 312.702 | Leading Change: Building and Empowering Teams | 3 |
| 140.607 | Multilevel Models | 2 |
| 309.616 - 617 | Introduction to Methods for Health Services Research and Evaluation I-II | 4 |
| 312.630 | Healthcare Financial Management | 3 |
| 313.793 | Extended Exercises in Cost Effectiveness | 2 |
| 312.604 | Quantitative Tools for Managers | 3 |
| 312.617 | Fundamentals of Financial Accounting | 3 |
| 380.611 | Fundamentals of Program Evaluation | 4 |
| 340.727 | Introduction to Health Survey Research Methods | 2 |
| 380.611 | Fundamentals of Program Evaluation | 4 |
| 410.635 | Applications of Innovative Methods in Health Equity Research | 2 |
| 410.671 | Introduction to Qualitative Research Methods | 3 |
| 410.673 | Introduction to Qualitative Data analysis for Public Health | 2 |
| 312.693 | Introduction to Comparative Effectiveness and Outcomes Research | 3 |
| 340.667 | Health Equity Research Methods to Address Social Determinants of Health | 4 |
| 340.716 | Implementation Science Concepts, Methods and Study Designs | 2 |
| 550.601 | Implementation Research and Practice | 3 |
| 330.650 | Methods in Implementation Science | 3 |
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 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.
Required Courses:
| Course # | Title | Credits |
| 300.650 | Crisis and Response in Public Health Policy and Practice | 3 |
| 300.712 | Formulating Policy: Strategies and Systems of Policymaking in the 21st Century | 3 |
| 301.645 | Health Advocacy | 3 |
| 305.684 | Health Impact Assessment | 3 |
| 318.864 | Current Issues in Policy: Special Topics in Advanced Policymaking | 3 |
Choose elective(s) from the courses below to complete 26 track credits:
| Course # | Title | Credits |
| 317.605 | Methods in Quantitative Risk Assessment | 4 |
| 317.610 | Risk Policy, Management and Communications | 3 |
| 180.634 | Public Health Emergencies: Risk Communication and Decision Science | 3 |
| 317.615 | Topics in Risk Assessment | 2 |
| 313.643 | Health Economics | 3 |
| 313.790 | Introduction to Economic Evaluation | 3 |
| 313.601 | Economic Evaluation I | 3 |
| 313.602 | Economic Evaluation II | 3 |
| 313.793 | Extended Exercises in Cost Effectiveness | 2 |
| 380.611 | Fundamentals of Program Evaluation | 4 |
| 306.650 | Public Health and the Law | 3 |
| 180.628 | Introduction to Environmental and Occupational Health Law | 4 |
| 180.620 | An Introduction to Food Systems and Public Health | 4 |
| 180.619 | Drinking Water and Water Policy: Avoiding Another Flint | 1 |
| 380.740 | Nutrition Programs, Policy and Politics in the United States: The Impact on Maternal, Child, and Family Health | 3 |
| 410.604 | Harm Reduction: A Framework for Evidence-Based Policy and Practice | 3 |
| 305.630 | Transportation Policy and Health | 2 |
| 180.606 | Case Studies in Food Production and Public Health | 4 |
| 380.768 | Selected Topics in Women’s Health and Women’s Health Policy | 4 |
| 380.761 | Sexually Transmitted Infections in Public Health Practice | 4 |
| 380.663 | Gender-Based Violence Research, Practice and Policy: Issues and Current Controversies | 3 |
| 340.663 | Epidemiology Workshop: Interpreting and Using Epidemiologic Evidence | 2 |
| 410.614 | A New View: Improving Public Health Through Innovative Social and Behavioral Health Tools and Approaches | 4 |
| 221.654 | Systems Thinking in Public Health: Applications of Key Methods and Approaches | 3 |
| 223.680 | Global Disease Control Programs and Policies | 4 |
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. | Analyze the state of the science and current research and policy issues related to the foundation of public health informatics; and, explain how informatics can be leveraged to improve the practice of public health and enhance the overall role of public health organizations. |
| 2. | Characterize and critically evaluate the integration of different domains of public health informatics such as bio-surveillance, decision support, predictive modeling, and population risk stratification using clinical informatics systems such as laboratory information systems or electronic health records (EHRs). |
| 3. | Evaluate a given public or population health information system based on different criteria such as standardized protocols, common classification systems, governance structures, and embedded decision support systems. |
| 4. | Critically analyze and evaluate various informatics solutions for public or population health management interventions based on different criteria such as system architecture, interoperability, standards, human factors, security, privacy, and ethical issues. |
| 5. | Articulate the proper informatics management tools for an organization to implement solutions that assure confidentiality, security, integrity and legal compliance while maximizing the availability of information for public and population health use. |
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.
Course Requirements for DrPH-HPM Public Health Informatics Track (26 credits):
Required Courses: Take all the following courses
| Course # | Title | Credits |
| 309.635 | Population Health: Analytic Methods and Visualization Techniques | 3 |
| 309.631 | Population Health Informatics | 3 |
| **ME.250.053 | Introduction to Public Health and Biomedical Informatics | 3 |
| **ME.250.952 | Leading Change through Health IT | 3 |
| **ME.250.750 | Health Information Systems: Design to Deployment | 3 |
| **ME.250.901 | Health Sciences Informatics: Knowledge Engineering and Decision Support | 3 |
| **ME.250.955 | Applied Clinical Informatics | 3 |
Choose elective(s) from the courses below to complete 26 track credits:
| Course # | Title | Credits |
| 380.603 | Demographic Methods for Public Health | 4 |
| 340.696 | Spatial Analysis I: ArcGIS | 3 |
| 340.697 | Spatial Analysis II: Spatial Data Technologies | 2 |
| **ME.250.957 | Database Querying in Health | 3 |
| **ME.250.756 | Informatics & the Clinical Research Lifecycle | 3 |
| **ME.250.771 | Introduction to Precision Medicine Data Analytics | 3 |
| **ME.250.770 | Clinical Data Analysis with Python | 3 |
| **ME.250.777 | Clinical Decision Analysis | 3 |
| **ME.250.755 | Natural Language Processing in the Health Sciences | 3 |
| **ME.250.778 | Implementing Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) | 3 |
| **ME.250.782 | Observational Research with Observational Medical Outcomes Partnership (OMOP) | 3 |
| **ME.250.755 | Natural Language Processing in the Health Sciences | 3 |
**ME: Course offered through the School of Medicine.
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. |
| 2. | Recognize implementation barriers and facilitators to quality and patient safety in the real world. |
| 3. | Assess utility of specific quality improvement and patient safety methods. |
| 4. | Leverage opportunities for adapting quality and patient safety methods to different types of organizations. |
| 5. | Address pitfalls of quality improvement and patient safety activity and research. |
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.
Course Requirements for DrPH-HPM Quality & Patient Safety Track (26 credits):
Required Courses: Take all of the following courses
| Course # | Title | Credits |
| 309.712 | Assessing Health Status and Patient Outcomes | 3 |
| 309.730 | Patient Safety and Medical Errors | 3 |
| 311.615 | Quality of Medical Care | 3 |
| 312.620 | Performance Measurement in Health Care | 2 |
| 312.701 | Strategic Leadership and Decisionmaking | 3 |
| 312.693 | Introduction to Comparative Effectiveness and Outcomes Research | 3 |
Choose at least one of the two courses below:
| Course # | Course Title | Credits |
| 309.631 | Population Health Informatics | 3 |
| 312.633 | Health Management Information Systems | 3 |
Choose at least one of the two courses/series below:
| Course # | Course Title | Credits |
| 309.600 | Evaluating Quality Improvement and Patient Safety Programs | 3 |
| 309.616-617 | Introduction to Methods for Health Services Research and Evaluation I-II (both courses) | 4 |
Choose elective(s) from the courses below to complete 26 track credits:
| Course # | Title | Credits |
| 140.607 | Multilevel Models | 2 |
| 221.722 | Quality Assurance Management Methods for Developing Countries | 4 |
| 309.620 | Managed Care and Health Insurance | 3 |
| 312.604 | Quantitative Tools for Managers | 3 |
| 312.603 | Fundamentals of Budgeting and Financial Manaqement | 3 |
| 312.670 | Negotiation in Health Care Settings | 3 |
| 340.717 | Health Survey Research Methods | 4 |
| 340.727 | Introduction to Health Survey Research Methods | 2 |
| 380.611 | Fundamentals of Program Evaluation | 4 |
| 410.635 | Applications of Innovative Methods in Health Equity Research | 2 |
| 410.671 | Introduction to Qualitative Research Methods | 3 |
| 410.673 | Introduction to Qualitative Data Analysis for Public Health | 2 |
| 330.650 | Methods in Implementation Science | 3 |
| 340.716 | Implementation Science Concepts, Methods & Study Designs | 2 |
| 550.601 | Implementation Research and Practice | 3 |