PhD in Health Policy Management

Become well prepared to take on independent research roles

The PhD in Health Policy and Management program at the Indiana University Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health at Indianapolis trains students in the advanced analytical and methodological techniques of health services research to inform health policy and management within and across the public, private, and nonprofit sectors.

Didactic training is provided by an outstanding faculty with specialized expertise in health services research, including non-experimental research design, quantitative and qualitative analysis, administrative claims and electronic health records, and public and population health informatics.

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Students are mentored in a collaborative environment with access to a rich array of opportunities to conduct research with local public health and health system partners as well as on projects funded by state and national agencies.

Alumni of the program have been successful as independent researchers in both academic settings and in public and private organizations. Their work has appeared in top tier, peer-reviewed publications, and has been used to inform policy and innovate practice to address health-related challenges in both Indiana and the nation.

To support this research, faculty members have a wide-ranging research funding portfolio that includes grants and contracts from the NIH, AHRQ, SAMHSA, NCAA, CDC, and numerous Indiana state agencies.

You will have access to outside expertise through the department’s longstanding close collaborations with the IU School of Medicine, the Regenstrief Institute, the IU Kelley School of Business, the IU School of Nursing, the Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute, the Indiana Hospital Association, the Indiana State Department of Health, and top health systems and professional organizations throughout the state and nation.

Justin Blackburn, PhD
Associate Professor and PhD Program Director

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Faculty

The Health Policy and Management (HPM) department is comprised of a renowned, award-winning and connected faculty. The faculty’s research interests are varied and focused on important local and global health issues, including health information technology, population health, healthcare organizations, health policy and law, health impact assessment, and public health systems and services.

View the Health Policy & Management faculty

Curriculum

All PhD students must satisfactorily complete a minimum of 90 credits. For those without a recent MPH degree in health policy, the curriculum would consist of required core courses, methods courses, elective courses, a doctoral minor, doctoral research seminars and guided dissertation research.

Competencies

Demonstrate in-depth knowledge of the history, structure, and operation of health care systems domestically and internationally.
Understand and apply bioethical principles and theories, and utilize them in research, policy, and practice.
Design and conduct health policy and services research studies.
Access, manage, and utilize administrative and other secondary data sources in research studies.
Prepare grant applications and manage research projects.
Analyze and evaluate policies and programs.
Utilize and report the results of advanced quantitative and qualitative data analysis.
Interpret and report the findings of original research for scholarly audiences.
Translate and apply findings from original and existing research in policy and practice.
Educate and train students and professionals about health policy and management.

Students

PhD students in the HPM department come from different backgrounds and have varied research interests. The students’ research interests include health information technology, mental health services, the organization of public health systems, and the impact of health policies and laws.

Meet our Health Policy & Management PhD students