PhD in Health Services and Policy

Established in 1950, our doctoral program has evolved into one of the top programs in health services research. Our objective is to equip students with a deep conceptual understanding in health policy, health organization and management, and health economics, paired with a rigorous grounding in research and evaluation methods. This foundation prepares graduates for impactful careers in research, teaching, and policy analysis within a dynamic and evolving healthcare landscape.

Students benefit from working with faculty who are engaged in interdisciplinary research across the university and the College of Public Health, including collaborations with leading scholars in Medicine, Nursing, Political Science, Epidemiology, Community and Behavioral Health and related fields. The University of Iowa’s prominent role in statewide health research offers exceptional opportunities for students to engage in meaningful research, policy development, and public service. Graduates of the program consistently find strong career placements in academia, government agencies, state Medicaid programs, research institutions, managed care organizations, and consulting firms.

Contact Us

Kanika Arora
Associate Professor

Department of Health Management and Policy

kanika-arora@uiowa.edu

“I’m working on a project that looks at how changes in Medicaid policy affect medical debt in rural hospitals, specifically critical access hospitals.
I’ve learned a ton from this project and I’m really excited to get it published since it’s the first study to explore this relation.”

Fadi Martinos, PhD Student

The Iowa Advantage

Curriculum

Our PhD program offers a comprehensive curriculum covering health insurance and financing, health care delivery, cost-effectiveness, Medicare and Medicaid policy, health policy, and health economics, with specialized courses on methods for evaluating federal and state health policies. Students also take elective courses across the university.

Applied Research Focus

PhD students work closely with advisors in an apprentice-style model, collaborating on projects that often yield multiple publications before graduation. Starting in their second year, they conduct independent research to develop a publishable paper that may evolve into a core component of their dissertation.

Dissertation Flexibility

Our doctoral program offers students the option to complete either a traditional dissertation or a three-paper model. The three-paper model is designed to support students in publishing multiple peer-reviewed papers, increasing their scholarly visibility and competitiveness on the job market.

Faculty and Research Environment

Our widely published and funded faculty cover diverse research areas including health insurance, health economics, aging, maternal and child health, mental health, rural health, telehealth, and health equity. Students gain hands-on experience through multiple federally funded centers within the department, collaborating on projects or using data for independent research.

Funding and Professional Development

Full-time PhD students typically receive funding through research or teaching assistantships. We support professional development by providing resources for attending academic conferences, offering opportunities to present in the department’s seminar series, and offering training in statistical software.

PhD Program Competencies

Graduates of our PhD program acquire a broad spectrum of skills essential for advancing knowledge in the field and contributing to the academic and professional community. While not exhaustive, the following list highlights key competencies students will be expected to develop:

Demonstrate breadth of health services research theoretical and conceptual knowledge by applying alternative models from a range of relevant disciplines;
Pose innovative and important health service research questions, informed by systematic reviews of the literature, stakeholder needs, and relevant theoretical and conceptual models;
Select appropriate interventional, observational, or qualitative study designs to address specific health services research questions;
Use conceptual models and operational measures to specify study constructs for a health services research question and develop variables that reliably and validly measure these constructs;
Use appropriate analytical methods to clarify associations between variables and to delineate causal inferences;
Effectively communicate the findings and implications of health services research through multiple modalities to technical and lay audiences;
Demonstrate hands-on teaching experience.