Training Curriculum

Based on 25 years of experience, we believe that a combined doctoral and post-doctoral program provides the strongest training environment because each group brings different strengths, values, and perspectives to the classroom and the research project. Students with diverse interests, experiences, and from a variety of disciplines and clinical specialties benefit from peer interaction in the classroom, and from working together on projects and in study groups. Because we require applicants to have a minimum of three years work experience in health care, they bring a wealth of real-world experience to the program.

The Health Services Research Training Program provides comprehensive knowledge of health care, health policy, and the determinants and disparities of population health. It provides rigorous training in the theory of, and research methods in, key disciplines so that trainees can conduct solid research and translate that research into practice and policy. Trainees also acquire expertise in an area of emphasis through intensive preparation in research theory, content, and methods. Working collaboratively with faculty, each trainee applies this expertise to health services research, health policy, and practice issues.

The program prepares trainees to conduct quality independent and collaborative health services research by offering multidisciplinary, applied research opportunities on a wide variety of topics, supported by faculty who serve as mentors to individual trainees. The program provides structure to the research process through the curriculum and with mentors guiding students through the steps to the finished product.

The program's mission and goals translate into a series of specific research training competencies