Health Services Research and Policy PhD Program

The Health Services Research and Policy (HSRP) PhD program meets an ongoing need for public health researchers who focus on cost, access and quality of the health care system. Graduates will be prepared to conduct research on policy issues affecting the organization, financing, and delivery of health care and public health services.

Careers

Graduates are prepared for positions in:

  • academia
  • government
  • private sector as experts in health services research and policy

Recent Dissertation Titles

  • Reducing Disparities in Colorectal Cancer Screening Among Low-Income Non-Elderly Adults in the U.S.
  • Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Extended-Release Medications for Opioid Use Disorder: Comparing Single-Drug and Multi-Drug-in-Sequence Treatment Strategies 
  • Expanding Coverage and Addressing Social Determinants of Health in PA Medicaid 

Browse titles in D-Scholarship, the institutional repository for research output at the University of Pittsburgh.

Competencies

Graduates will be able to:

  • read and effectively analyze published research in health services research at the level necessary to generate research proposals of their own.
  • demonstrate knowledge of the structures, performance, quality, policy and environmental context of health and health care to formulated solutions for health policy problems.
  • summarize and present health services research orally and in writing.
  • conduct all aspects of a health services research and policy related research project, including generating and testing research hypotheses, analyzing data, and interpreting research results.

Requirements

  • 72 credits, about half coursework and half research
  • Coursework in health economics
  • Coursework in foundations of public health
  • Advanced coursework in statistics and research methods
  • Advanced dissertation research and coursework in an area of focus