The PhD in Health Services Research and Health Policy at the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University is a full-time program that trains researchers in the fields of health policy, health economics, health management, and health services research.
Students take doctoral-level classes in the Department of Economics, the Department of Health Policy and Management, the Goizueta business school, and elsewhere throughout the university. Many students also collaborate with faculty on research.
Following the completion of their coursework, students work on their independent research for their dissertation.
What You’ll Learn
Students in our program take classes in one of two tracks: Economics or Organizations and Management.
Economics Track
Students in the Economics track take graduate-level classes in the Department of Economics, alongside students pursing a PhD in economics. The economics track prepares students to apply economic theory to evaluate topics in health and health policy.
Organizations and Management Track
Students in Organizations and Management take advanced and doctoral-level courses in Emory’s Goizueta School of Business. The track prepares students to examine questions pertaining to access, quality, cost of health care and health outcomes. Students in this track will learn how theories and concepts from fields such as organizational behavior and technology management can be applied to medicine and health care organizations.
Core Courses and More
All students in the program take classes in statistical methods, research design, and health policy seminar. Students have room to take electives, which could be any graduate-level class at Emory or nearby universities (Georgia State, Georgia Tech).
What Can You Do With a Graduate Degree in Health Services Research and Health Policy?
The program prepares students for a variety of research-focused careers in academia, think tanks, foundations, government agencies, pharmaceutical firms, and consulting. Graduates are employed at the American Cancer Society, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration, Trilliant Health, Flatiron, Carnegie Mellon, Washington University (St. Louis), the Urban Institute, Northwestern University, Harvard Medical School, and Emory Medical School.
We discourage applications from students who view a PhD as a credential or who want to focus exclusively on administration, management, or advocacy. There are other professional degrees that are better suited to those types of careers.
What Type of Research Will You Do in the Health Services Research and Health Policy PhD Program?
Students perform research on a wide variety of topics related to delivery of medical care, insurance, and the determinants of health. Some examples of the papers that students have published from their dissertations include:
Vertical integration of oncologists and cancer outcomes and costs in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. JNCI 2022. (Xin Hu, Ph.D. 2023)
Evaluating Medicaid Managed Care Network Adequacy Standards And Associations With Specialty Care Access For Children. Health Affairs 2023. (Allison Hu, P.D. 2023)
Heuristics in the delivery room. Science 2021. (Manasvini Singh, Ph.D. 2020)
The effect of Medicaid expansion on crime reduction: Evidence from HIFA-waiver expansions. Journal of Public Economics 2017. (Heifei Wen, Ph.D. 2015)
Effect of Medicaid disenrollment on health care utilization among adults with mental health disorders. Medical Care 2019 (Xu Ji, Ph.D. 2017).
Patterns of use and survival outcomes of positron emission tomography for initial staging in elderly follicular lymphoma patients. Leukemia & Lymphoma 2017 (Ashish Rai, Ph.D. 2015)
Are two heads better than one or do too many cooks spoil the broth? The tradeoff between physician division of labor and patient continuity of care for older adults with complex chronic conditions. Health Services Research 2016. (Kenton Johnston, Ph.D. 2015).
Admissions Requirements
Applicants should provide:
- Complete application
- 3 letters of recommendation
- A transcript from each post-secondary institution you have attended
- Statement of purpose (500-1000 words): Please describe your previous research experiences or training that have led you to apply to this program. Include a discussion of your current research interests, how this program aligns with those interests, and your long-term goals after completing your doctoral degree.
- Graduate faculty identification: Please identify at least two Health Policy and Management Faculty memberswith whom you are interested in working.
- Resume/CV
Please note:
- GRE scores are encouraged (The Emory Code for the GRE is 5187)
- TOEFL scores are optional
- Applicants do not need to have a master’s degree
Visit Emory’s Laney Graduate School website to apply now.
You do not need to contact the program or faculty before applying. We give equal attention to all applications, regardless of whether applicants know faculty or have had prior contact with them.
If you would like to learn more about our program or have questions, please register for our informational webinar on November 1, 2024 at 12:30 pm ET using this link:
https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJ0of-2urTkuHdJzkjI--xoZFldQSUjbEUzs#/registration
Please contact the director, Ilana Graetz, ilana.graetz@emory.edu, or the program administrator, Kent Tolleson, ktolles@emory.edu if you have additional questions.
Key Dates
September 15, 2024: Application opens for Fall 2024
November 1, 2024, 12:30-1:30 pm ET: Informational webinar. Please register using this link
December 1, 2024: Application deadline
February 2025: Offer letters sent to successful applicants
PhD Student/faculty social event at PlantHouse