About
The Health Systems and Policy concentration provides training in health politics and the policy process, health policy analysis, health economics, health insurance markets, policy and program evaluation, advocacy, and communication. Students in this concentration will learn how to leverage the health policy process to identify problems in our health care system, conduct analyses to inform debates or assess potential solutions, and advocate for evidence-based policymaking to change our health care and public health systems. Students will also learn about new models of health care financing and delivery designed to move the U.S. health care system away from volume-based incentives to value-based incentives. Graduates of this concentration will be able to succeed in policy and health care delivery settings with a focus on improving population health and eliminating health disparities in the healthcare delivery system.
In addition to meeting the 22 MPH Foundational Competencies, graduates from the Health Systems and Policy concentration will meet the following concentration specific competencies.
Concentration Competencies
- Define evidence-based health policy and the main values (effectiveness, efficiency, equity) used to evaluate health systems
- Develop written and oral policy analysis and communication skills for targeted stakeholders and audiences
- Explain the operation and interaction of the health care and health insurance industries, including regulatory and other noncompetitive elements
- Explain major concepts in program evaluation, including the type of evaluation and their purpose, levels of measurement, sources of data, study designs and threats to validity.
- Compare health care payment models to create and modify incentives that influence the provision of health care services
Concentration Director
