population health management
Study management and policy to develop value-based and population-oriented healthcare delivery systems.
Career opportunities: Legislative policy advisor, management policy advisor, hospital/managed care administrator, program planner and evaluator, health services research analyst, policy analyst, academics.
Overview
The population health management concentration focuses on providing comprehensive, authoritative strategies for improving the healthcare systems and health policies that affect healthcare quality, access, delivery, costs, and outcomes, ultimately improving the health of an entire population both nationally and internationally. The concentration encompasses two of the major roles of leaders, healthcare manager and policy developer in public health. To become a health care professional in population health management, skills in outcome measurement, health economics, strategic and program planning, community engagement, data analysis, operations research, and policy making are essential. Development, analysis, interpretation, and evaluation of health care programs require both analytic skills and social skills, as well as a deep understanding of politics and economics. Our program provides interdisciplinary curriculum with a foundation of knowledge in health services, health economics, and health policy, and also teaches concepts, principles, and scientific skills necessary for population health management.
Students interested in PHM come from a variety of backgrounds. Many of them have majored in health services, policy, economics, business, or finance in their undergraduate programs, although students from the social and basic sciences, as well as many other fields, often find their way to PHM. Another large group of students has health professional backgrounds. These individuals are either current students of a health profession or they are current employees in public health, need of training and development in health policy, heath economics, and health services research.
Career opportunities in public health administration and policy are widely available in health agencies at all levels — federal, state, and local. MPH graduates with a population health management concentration are also employed in research and policy institutes, foundations, professional organizations, and the healthcare industry.
If you are interested in the population health management concentration, please check out our step-by-step MPH application instructions webpage, the Department of Health Services Research, Management & Policy webpage, and contact askmph@phhp.ufl.edu with any questions.
Population Health Management Curriculum
Starting with the Fall 2023 cohort, students in the Population Health Management concentration can choose to complete the program fully online or on campus. Additional information on the curriculum, including plans of study, can be found in the MPH Student Handbook.
- Standard 48-credit/42-credit MPH Curriculum, Population Health Management Concentration, In-Person format
- All MPH students complete an Applied Practice Experience and Capstone.
Population Health Management Core Courses
- PHC 6104 Evidence-Based Management of Public Health Programs Campus Program or Online Program
- HSA 6436 Health Economics
- HSA 7759 Public Health Quality & Outcomes
- PHC 6716 Survey Research Methods
- PHC 6103 Systems Thinking for Public Health
Concentration Competencies
Upon completion of the MPH program, students with a concentration in population health management should have mastered the following competencies:
- Integrate systems thinking theory to incorporate multiple stakeholders at state and local levels to address a public health issue
- Create an evaluation plan for a public health initiative
- Apply principles and theory of budget preparation, managerial accounting and financial management to organizations in the health sector
- Develop a survey instrument that validly examines public health research questions and produces data that addresses health implications and their relationship to policy and contexts
- Conduct an economic analysis of a major health policy issue
Interested in the other concentrations offered in the MPH program? Explore other options on the Concentrations page.