Legal and ethical principles related to conducting health services research and their implications. Health services research stages: design, funding and proposals, execution of health and health care delivery-related projects (including recruitment of study subjects, data acquisition) under Institutional Review Board approval and legal compliance. Production of meaningful results and their dissemination to stakeholders in the health care arena.

Epidemiologic principles and techniques relevant to the design and analysis of health services research epidemiologic studies. Epidemiologic concepts, methods and related basic biostatistical approaches required to conduct robust health services research.

A foundational course in health economics and health policy. Topics covered span consumer behavior, sources and markets for health insurance, health behaviors, environmental and population health, and some elements of international development.

A foundational course in health economics and health policy. Topics covered span provider markets, provider incentives, provider regulation, and market consolidation across a variety of key industries (e.g., physicians, hospitals, post-acute care providers, and pharmaceutical firms).

Application of economic evaluation methods when conducting health services research (HSR), including cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA), cost-benefit analysis (CBA), and cost-utility analysis (CUA). Economic evaluation, emphasizing identification of health care costs and outcomes measures, data sources, understanding of utility theory, quality of life measures, Bayes' Theorem, ROC curves, and development of Markov and simulation models in HSR.

Experimental and quasi-experimental designs in health services research; randomization of treatments/interventions; explicit and implicit treatment. Internal validity and external validity. Application to real-world research with appropriate critique of articles.

Research for doctoral students preparing their topic proposal or writing their prospectus in anticipation of candidacy.

Research course for PhD students in Health Services Research. Must be taken twice as part of degree requirements. Only for doctoral students who have not yet been admitted to candidacy. Initiation and completion of an applied research project addressing a specific issue of relevance to a healthcare organization or an issue identified by the student’s faculty research advisor.

Specialized study for PhD students in Health Services Research. May be taken more than once provided the content differs substantially from that of any prior offering of the course that the student has taken.

Supervised research for the doctoral dissertation.