Health Policy and Management

Research & Practice

Our nationally recognized research has an ongoing impact on policy at the local, state and federal levels. HPM faculty, staff and students specialize in Medicaid policy, cancer care, opioids, health equity, maternal and reproductive health, health insurance markets, pharmaceutical policy, long-term care, aging and disability, mathematical modeling and simulations, and learning health system science. We collaborate with researchers in multiple disciplines through several affiliated centers and institutes.

Research Strengths

  • Medicaid policy
  • Cancer care
  • Substance use and mental health
  • Health equity
  • Maternal and reproductive health
  • Health insurance markets
  • Pharmaceutical policy
  • Long-term care
  • Aging and disability
  • Mathematical modeling and simulations
  • Learning health system science
Research Highlights
  • Measuring and evaluating the quality of health care with a concentration in chronic care
  • Evaluating the impact of health care financing changes, with concentrations in Medicare, Medicaid, and pharmaceutical policy
  • Measuring and incorporating patient preferences into clinical and health policy decisions
  • Conducting comparative and cost-effectiveness analysis
  • Examining the impact of new technology on health care and resource outcomes, including evaluating new drugs and medications, the implementation of electronic health records, and new diagnostic tests
  • Conducting legal research concerning the impact of law on disaster response and preparedness
  • Studying the application of analytic methods from operations research and management science to evaluate health care problems
  • Studying advancements in decision analytic methods, the value of information analysis, and simulation methodologies

Faculty Research

Health Policy and Management faculty, staff and students to make out ­size contributions to health care and health policy through high-impact research. Our research spans a range of policy and clinical areas that work alongside and in collaboration with disciplines across the School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh and other universities and organizations around the country.

Our research continuously appears in peer-reviewed publications, generates millions of dollars in research funding from federal, state and local government and foundation sources and is cite by local and national media. HPM researchers and our part­ners to lead the way in producing research findings that lead to evidence-based policy to improve our communities.

Read more about our faculty's work »

Funding Organizations

  • Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)
  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
  • Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
  • Health Resources and Services Administration
  • National Institute on Aging (NIA)
  • National Cancer Institute (NCI)
  • National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR)
  • National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
  • National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR)
  • National Institute for Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD)
  • National Institute for Reproductive Health (NIRH)
  • Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI)
  • US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)

  • American Cancer Society
  • Arnold Ventures
  • Commonwealth Fund
  • Donaghue Foundation
  • Jewish Healthcare Foundation
  • Richard King Mellon Foundation
  • Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

  • Allegheny County Department of Human Services
  • Pennsylvania Department of Health
  • Pennsylvania Department of Human Services
Centers and Research Groups
Center for Bioethics and Health Law

Founded in 1987 as the Center for Medical Ethics, and given an expanded mission and renamed in 1998, the University of Pittsburgh Center for Bioethics and Health Law (CBHL) is committed to bringing together scholars and researchers from a variety of disciplines to cooperate in addressing issues in bioethics and law from both theoretical and clinical perspectives.

Visit CBHL Website
Center for Public Health Practice

The Center for Public Health Practice (CPHP) was founded in 1995 with line-item appropriation of $250,000 from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to enhance the linkages between the academic and practice arenas of public health. Its mission is to become a national model for academic public health practice by advancing the scholarship of practice within the mission of the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health through research, teaching, and service.

Visit CPHP Website
Center for Research on Health Care

The Center for Research on Health Care (CRHC) provides a forum for talented multidisciplinary investigators from throughout the university community to collaborate in high-quality health services research and train future investigators in methods and practices critical to the conduct of rigorous and exemplary research.

Visit CRHC Website
Health Policy Institute

The Health Policy Institute (HPI) pursues its mission to enhance health in the Pittsburgh region by improving healthcare decision-making through a variety of interrelated activities such as the Governance Initiative. The Initiative addresses increasingly difficult challenges that face those who govern healthcare organizations through HPI’s Governance Briefings.

Visit HPI Website
Medicaid Research Center

Part of the HPI, the Medicaid Research Center works with government, foundations and stakeholders to ensure the sustainability of programs which serve our most vulnerable citizens. Our multi-disciplinary research teams conduct epidemiologic, economic and program evaluation studies to improve the quality and efficiency of care, improving population health and program efficiency in Medicaid. 

Visit Medicaid Research Center Website
Public Health Dynamics Laboratory

The Public Health Dynamics Laboratory (PHDL) is an interdisciplinary activity at the School of Public Health focused on the development of computational methods to improve the theory and the practice of public health. The mission is to develop interdisciplinary approaches using computational models to advance the theory and practice of public health and contribute to systems thinking in the training of the next generation of public health professionals. 

Visit PHDL Website
Center for Pharmaceutical Policy and Prescribing

Since 2013, the Center for Pharmaceutical Policy and Prescribing (CP3) has fostered multidisciplinary collaboration to improve the quality, safety, and efficiency of medication use.  The Center’s focus is on informing the regulation, coverage, and equitable access of pharmaceuticals and improving patient and prescriber decision-making on prescription drugs. Prescription drugs are used by 80% of Americans and are essential in the treatment and prevention of acute and chronic conditions.

Visit CP3 Website
Cancer Health Services Research Workgroup

The Cancer Health Services Research Workgroup brings together researchers from across the University of Pittsburgh who are conducting cancer related research in the areas of health services, outcomes, policy, and related fields to support current projects and promote new collaborations. The CHSRW mission is to advance research that informs policies and practices aimed at improving access to and delivery of affordable, efficient, high-quality cancer care, and preventive services.

Visit CHSRW
Center for Innovative Research on Gender Health Equity

The Center for Innovative Research on Gender Health Equit (CONVERGE) is multidisciplinary community of scholars who conduct and translate research focused on sex- and gender-related health across the lifespan and sexual and reproductive health outcomes, with particular attention to marginalized populations. We offer expertise in person-centered research, including health services and clinical research; community-based participatory research; epidemiology; digital health solutions; legal, ethical, and policy analysis; social science; and implementation science.

Visit CONVERGE Website

Currently Funded Projects

Through its investigators, the Department of Health Policy and Management has received more than $14 million dollars in funding from federal, state, and local partners.

NIH Reporter
Student in lab