Department of Health Policy and Management
https://public-health.tamu.edu/departments/hpm/index.html
Department Head: Alva O. Ferdinand, DrPH, JD
The degree programs in the Department of Health Policy and Management integrate instruction, research, and practice. Faculty and students are engaged in research and outreach efforts through centers, programs, and individual scholarly efforts. Many students are subsequently employed in hospitals, physician groups, public health agencies, consulting firms, pharmaceutical companies, and other health-related organizations.
For program curricula see Department of Health Policy and Management.
- Master of International Affairs and Master of Public Health Combined Degree Program
- Master of Public Health in Health Policy and Management
- Master of Public Health in Health Policy and Management (PHPM) and Juris Doctor (JDLW) Combined Degree Program
- Master of Science in Public Health in Health Policy and Management
Public Health Policy and Management
PHPM 601 Foundations of Population and Public Health
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
An introduction to the field of public health and to health conditions, issues, professions, organizations, and policies relevant to the health of communities. Prerequisite: Master of Health Administration Majors.
PHPM 602 Managerial Statistics
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
This course will cover analytical techniques to support managerial decision making in health care. The course will cover descriptive statistical techniques for the presentation of health care data and applicability of descriptive statistical techniques, a survey commonly used inferential statistical techniques for data analysis is presented. Throughout the course material, emphasis is on the sources and uses of health care data and information for decision-making, and on the interpretation and evaluation of health care research.
PHPM 603 Managing Healthcare Data and Information
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Applicability of descriptive statistical techniques for the presentation of health care data; presentation of commonly used inferential statistical techniques survey for data analysis. Prerequisite: Enrolled in EMHA program, or approval of instructor.
PHPM 604 Population and Public Health for Health Professionals
Credits 4.
4 Lecture Hours.
Public health and its concentration areas; examination of how the federal, state and local health care and public health system/infrastructure has evolved; public health problems, diseases and risk factors; role of public health in preventing/alleviating same; reviews the core functions of public health. Prerequisite: Enrollment in Executive MHA only.
PHPM 605 Introduction to Health Policy and Management
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Prepares students for administrative or policy positions in governmental programs, voluntary health organizations, or in other health service organizations. Supports effectiveness of public health and health services professionals by providing knowledge of health organizations and services and associated management policy issues. Introduces the U.S. health system and health management areas and emphasizes policy topics.
PHPM 606 Health Systems Management
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Introduction to conceptual frameworks and practices associated with key functions in the management of complex health organizations. Prerequisite: Graduate classification.
PHPM 614 Strategic Planning and Marketing
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Introduction to strategic planning and management in health services organizations; processes and formats employed in strategic planning and marketing; elements of market assessment, environmental analysis and strategy development; case studies and practices. Prerequisite: PHPM 605 or PHPM 606, or concurrent enrollment.
PHPM 615 Strategic Planning And Marketing II
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
This course builds upon strategic planning and marketing concepts introduced in PHPM 614. It provides an overview of marketing and how it can be applied effectively to health care organizations. The course covers the history of health care marketing, basic marketing concepts and tools, the process of developing and managing a marketing plan, and the nature of health care markets and consumers. Prerequisites: PHPM 605 or PHPM 606 prior or concurrently and PHPM 614.
PHPM 616 Management of Human Resources
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
An introduction to the range of human resources issues facing the health delivery system administrator from benefits to grievances and human resources management in health organizations; personnel practices such as job analysis and description, recruitment, selection and compensation in various health delivery system settings. Prerequisite: PHPM 601 or concurrent enrollment.
PHPM 617 Quality and Process Improvement
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Overview of evolving health delivery system quality mechanisms and approaches for maximizing quality control in health care organizations; includes concepts and practices of quality assessment, control and improvement, and accreditation and outcome analysis in service delivery systems. Prerequisite: PHPM 602, PHEB 602, STAT 651, or STAT 652.
PHPM 619 Organizational Theory
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
The primary purpose of this course is to develop competency in application of several major organizational theories to health care systems. During the semester, students will become familiar with central assumptions, predictions, and implications of the following theories: sociology of professions, culture and climate, social networks, agency and stewardship, resource dependence, institutional theory, and change implementation. Prerequisite: PHPM-PhD students.
PHPM 620 Operations Management
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Organized around the types of tactical and operational decisions made by health care operations managers; tactical decisions are medium- and long- term decisions that together determine the processes by which health care services are produced and delivered, while operational decisions are short-term decisions concerned with utilizing resources to meet the objectives of the organization in an efficient manner; building on a “system-based” approach to the health care environment, analytical tools are examined to aid problem solving and decision-making in health care organizations; spreadsheets used to ease computational work, facilitate analysis and aid in the presentation of results; examination of operational decisions through a combination of lectures, problem sets, organizational analysis and readings. Prerequisites: PHPM 617 and PHPM 631.
PHPM 623 Health Care Financial Management I
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Overview of health financing and techniques for financial management in health service settings; examination of major sources of public and private health services funding. Prerequisite: Graduate classification or approval of instructor.
PHPM 624 Health Care Financial Management II
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
This is an intermediate course on health care financial management which covers several topics from PHPM 623 in depth and introduces new topics and tools relating to capital financing, financial evaluation, and developing forecast financial statements. Several special topics are included that deal with current trends and issues (e.g., mergers and acquisitions, physician integration, and new payment mechanisms). The course consists of lectures and case studies. As a team project, students develop a long-range financial plan for a hypothetical hospital. Prerequisites: Graduate classification.
PHPM 625 Management Strategies and Principles for Public Health Organizations
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Designed to prepare for entry-level positions in public health organizations; exploration of planning, organizing, controlling, directing, staffing and decision making functions; includes discussions, in-class exercises and guest speakers pertaining to select topics. Prerequisites: Enrollment in Master of Public Health in Health Policy Management or approval of instructor.
PHPM 626/MKTG 643 The Business of Healthcare
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Preparation for contributing to the healthcare system by gaining an understanding of selected business of healthcare topics such as the role of healthcare in the economy, the cost of healthcare, the patient experience, technology and ethics. Prerequisites: Public Health or Business majors; or approval of instructor. Cross Listing: MKTG 643/PHPM 626.
PHPM 631 Health Information Management Systems
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Examination of computer-based information systems, architectures, and applications in the management of health services organizations; addresses systems designs, data management systems, data access and communications, and the implications of expanding technological capacities for information management systems. Prerequisite: PHPM 605 or PHPM 606, or approval of instructor.
PHPM 633 Health Law and Ethics
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Torts, contract law, corporate liability, malpractice, key federal and state regulations, and records management relative to health care; important health case law; ethical considerations as they relate to the law and management of health delivery systems. Prerequisite: PHPM 605 or PHPM 606.
PHPM 636 Project Management in Health Systems
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Focuses on project management within health systems; discusses various project management approaches, project management tools, communication approaches, risk management strategies, and best practices to successfully complete projects within public health organizations. Prerequisites: Enrollment in the MHA or MPH program.
PHPM 637 Political Foundations of Public Health
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Study of how the political process works; how the political process shapes health policy; identification of key theories of political science; evaluation of how current health policy impacts subsequent political debates.
PHPM 638 Global Health Systems: Design & Analysis
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Global Health Systems: Design & Analysis. Comprehension of the role of international organizations, state actors and civil society in global health; application of structured theoretical framework for evaluating, designing and reforming national health systems; development and analyses of goals and metrics for health system performance; financing, payment, organization, regulation and behavioral mechanisms in different countries. Prerequisite: Graduate classification.
PHPM 639 Global Health
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Globalization of health is evolving dramatically spurred on by the globalization of trade and commerce, migration of peoples, and advances in communication. These changes are having a significant impact on health and health care. Multiple diseases, as influenza, emerging in a local site but then are transmitted at a global or pandemic proportion with a few short weeks or months. International travel and the migration of populations across countries can lead to the introduction of diseases or conditions previously unheard of or noted in only small numbers.
PHPM 640 Health Policy and Politics
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Examination of concepts and tools for understanding the complexities and dynamics around health care policy in the U.S; analysis of key features of the current U.S. health care and political system; assessment of political and socio-economic concepts central to health policy debates; evaluation of pressing health policy problems. Prerequisites: Graduate classification.
PHPM 641 Advanced Health Policy
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Examination of the process by which national health policy is made including the role of government, interest groups and the public, and how policy analysis and program evaluation can inform health policy but also be constrained by the politics of health.
PHPM 643 Health Policy Analysis
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Study of problems in public health and identification of policy-based solutions to those problems; identification of policy problems, development of policy solutions, evaluation of options and implementation of changes aimed at addressing public health issues. Prerequisites: PHPM 640; or approval of instructor.
PHPM 644 Texas Training Initiative For Emergency Response (T-Tier)
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
This course develops the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to effectively respond to bioterrorism, infectious disease outbreaks, and other public health threats and emergencies in a multi-disciplinary approach. The course will focus on competencies paralleling the critical benchmark of emergency preparedness as identified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as to gain the knowledge, skills and abilities along with practice to protect the public's health. Roles of the many public health workers will be explored.
PHPM 653 Health Economics and Insurance
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Basic concepts in economic theory and analysis applied to health care delivery and financing in the United States; supply and demand issues for health services, market competition and public sector involvement; emphasis on issues of health insurance including adverse selection, moral hazard, underwriting, selective contracting, employer-sponsored health insurance, the Affordable Care Act, Medicare and Medicaid. Prerequisite: Graduate classification.
PHPM 654 Health Insurance and Managed Care
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Overview of health insurance in the U.S., with emphasis on the private health insurance markets and managed care; demand for insurance, insurance underwriting and rate making; the role of employer-sponsored health insurance; the impact of managed care on hospitals and physician markets; health savings accounts and consumer-directed plans. Prerequisites: Graduate classification.
PHPM 661 Introduction to Health Economics
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Basic concepts in economic theory and analysis applied to health care delivery in the United States; addresses supply and demand issues for health services, reimbursement systems and health insurance; issues in health delivery in a competitive market and public sector involvement. Prerequisite: Graduate classification.
PHPM 662 Health Economics II: Advanced Health Economics
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
This course is intended to provide a more in depth examination of the economic aspects of the supply of and demand for health and health care services. Prerequisite: PHPM 661.
PHPM 663 Cost Effectiveness Analysis and Health Policy
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
This course provides an overview of the methods of cost-effectiveness analysis and decision analysis and their applications to resource allocation decisions in public health and medicine, particularly as it relates to health policy. Prerequisite: PHPM 661.
PHPM 667 Analytical Issues in Health Services Research I
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Overview of analytical issues confronted by health services researchers studying health care access, cost, and quality across multiple health care settings; experimental and observational study techniques using survey and administrative data sources widely utilized in health services and policy research. Prerequisites: PHPM 671 or equivalent.
PHPM 671 Introduction to Health Services Research
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Examines issues pertaining to health care access, cost and quality across multiple health care settings. Prerequisite: PhD or MSPH students only.
PHPM 672 Data Science for Health Services Research
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Introduces multidisciplinary approaches to conducting health services research. Course focuses on both primary and secondary data analysis for the purpose of understanding the quality and effectiveness of various health delivery systems and the policy implications for the health of citizenry. PhD students only. Corequisite: PHPM 669.
PHPM 674 Secondary Analysis of Health Data
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Support secondary data analysis opportunities in health services research; introduction to available databases, mechanisms of access, health policy issues that can be addressed through secondary data analysis; data cleaning and analytical techniques necessary to examine key health policy issues. Prerequisites: Graduate classification.
PHPM 676 Analytical Issues in Health Services Research II
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Review of simple and multivariate regression models, and an overview of extensions of the classic linear regression model, including simple dichotomous dependent variable models, polytomous choice models, duration (survival) analysis, quantile regression, differences-in-differences analysis, panel data, propensity score adjustment methods, and instrumental variables estimators; focus is on review and replication of practical applications in the health services research literature. Prerequisites: PHPM 667 or equivalent.
PHPM 677 Data Science in Public Health
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
The primary purpose of this course is to apply data science to health data for public health applications in order to improve the three core dimensions in health care: (1) improve quality, (2) reduce costs, and (3) improve access. The course focuses on computer programming skills to turn raw data into valid information and the fundamentals of data science. For assignments, we will select a statistical package to practice the programming concepts learned. Prerequisite: PHEB 602 or approval of instructor.
PHPM 678 Qualitative Research in Public Health
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Focuses on qualitative research within public health; discusses various qualitative research theories, methods of data collection and data analysis, qualitative research design, research ethics, and disseminating qualitative data. Prerequisite: Graduate classification or approval of instructor.
PHPM 680 Health Systems Leadership
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Integration of essential content presented in health policy and management curriculum by assessing issues confronted by health service organizations leaders and employing tools acquired in prior courses to address the issues. Prerequisites: Graduate classification; MHA or MPH program.
PHPM 681 Seminar
Credits 1 to 3.
1 to 3 Other Hours.
Discussion and review of current practice in Health Policy and Management. Prerequisite: Graduate classification or approval of instructor.
PHPM 684 Practicum
Credits 1 to 15.
1 to 15 Other Hours.
Field placement experience to work closely with a departmental faculty member and appropriate field professional(s) applying skills and techniques acquired through coursework. May be repeated for credit. Must be taken on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory basis. Prerequisite: Graduate classification.
PHPM 685 Directed Studies
Credits 1 to 12.
0 Lecture Hours.
1 to 12 Other Hours.
Investigation of a topic not covered by other formal courses; conducted under the direction of a graduate faculty member. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisites: Graduate classification; School of Public Health major.
PHPM 686 Directed Research
Credits 1 to 3.
0 Lecture Hours.
1 to 3 Other Hours.
Student research initiative not within the scope of a thesis or dissertation. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisite: Approval of student's academic advisor.
PHPM 689 Special Topics - Health Policy and Management
Credits 1 to 4.
1 to 4 Lecture Hours.
Revolving topics seminar in an area of specialization within the department. May be repeated for credit.
PHPM 691 Research
Credits 1 to 23.
0 Lecture Hours.
1 to 23 Other Hours.
Research for thesis or project. May be repeated for credit. Must be taken on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory basis. Prerequisite: Graduate classification; School of Public Health major.
PHPM 791 Doctoral Capstone
Credits 1 to 23.
0 Lecture Hours.
1 to 23 Other Hours.
Doctoral dissertation or equivalent project(s). May be repeated for credit. Must be taken on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory basis. Prerequisite: Graduate classification; School of Public Health major.
Alexander, Adam, Instructional Professor
Health Policy & Management
EDD, University of Louisiana at Monroe, 2015
DMD, University of Mississippi Medical Center, 2014
Andreyeva, Elena, Assistant Professor
Health Policy & Management
PHD, Georgia State University, 2016
Blackburn, Christine Crudo, Assistant Professor
Health Policy & Management
PHD, Washington State University, 2015
Boyce, Matt, Assistant Professor
Health Policy & Management
PHD, Georgetown University, 2024
Buckley, John J, Professor of the Practice
Health Policy & Management
MBA, George Washington University, 1969
Butkus, Shannon E, Adjunct Assistant Professor
Health Policy & Management
PHD, Texas A&M University, 2018
Cote, Murray J, Associate Professor
Health Policy & Management
PHD, Texas A&M University, 1996
Cuevas, Carolyn, Adjunct Assistant Professor
Health Policy & Management
PHD, Texas A&M University, 2021
Ferdinand, Alva O, Associate Professor
Health Policy & Management
PHD, University of Alabama Birmingham, 2013
Ford, Eric W, Adjunct Professor
Health Policy & Management
PHD, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 2000
Griffith, Jennifer M, Instructional Professor
Health Policy & Management
DrPH, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2004
Haeder, Simon, Associate Professor
Health Policy & Management
PHD, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2022
Huber, John C, Visiting Lecturer
Health Policy & Management
PHD, University of Texas, HSC, 2004
Kirkland, Stephanie, Instructional Assistant Professor
Health Policy & Management
PHD, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 2022
Kum, Hye Chung, Professor
Health Policy & Management
PHD, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2004
Lin, Sherry, Instructional Associate Professor
Health Policy & Management
PHD, Texas A&M University, 2015
Linde, Sebastian, Associate Professor
Health Policy & Management
PHD, Purdue University, 2017
Lockman, Alee, Assistant Professor
Health Policy & Management
PHD, Harvard University, 2023
Marthey, Daniel, Assistant Professor
Health Policy & Management
PHD, University of Maryland, 2022
Miller, Thomas Ray, Adjunct Assistant Professor
Health Policy & Management
PHD, The University of Iowa, 2007
Moats, Jason B, Professor of the Practice
Health Policy & Management
PHD, Texas A&M University, 2013
Ohsfeldt, Robert L, Professor
Health Policy & Management
PHD, University of Houston, 1983
Radcliff, Tiffany A, Professor
Health Policy & Management
PHD, School of Public Health University of Minnesota, 2000
Schmit, Cason D, Associate Professor
Health Policy & Management
JD, Arizona State University, 2012
Ukert, Benjamin, Assistant Professor
Health Policy & Management
PHD, Georgia State University, 2016