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:
- Describe salient institutional features of the U.S. health care system and theoretical frameworks for studying health care delivery and policy
- Formulate policy-relevant research questions and design original research based on foundational knowledge of the U.S. health care system theory
- Design original empirical research, applying methods from econometrics and quasi-experimental design to address an applied problem in the delivery, financing or quality of health care
- Communicate research findings both verbally and in writing to inform policy
- Lead applied health services and policy research studies that draw on multidisciplinary expertise to expand the field of knowledge
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