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.

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
Full Program Info
PhD Handbook
Program of Study 2024
Program of Study 2021, 2022, 2023
Admissions
People at desk
Careers

Graduates are prepared for positions in:

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

Contacts

Lindsay Sabik
Associate professor
Director, MS and PhD programs
A610 Public Health
lsabik@pitt.edu

Jessica Dornin
Recruitment and academic affairs administrator
A631 Public Health
jld115@pitt.edu

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

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.