MHS Health Services, Policy, and Outcomes Curriculum Overview

The Health Services, Policy, and Outcomes (HPO) curriculum represents an exceptional opportunity for MHS candidates who are interested in outcomes and effectiveness research – with an emphasis on identifying clinical and policy-relevant questions and answering them in a rigorous manner.

The MHS-HPO Program aims to train and prepare the next generation of leaders in translational research that focuses on clinical outcomes, effectiveness, quality, and health for all. Trainees will learn key methodologic skills that will enable them to not only conduct clinically and policy-relevant research but will use the resulting evidence to drive meaningful changes to improve health and healthcare for patients. The over-arching goal of the program is to prepare a cadre of clinician researchers who will use their skills to forge meaningful partnerships, identify critical research questions, and generate reliable and actionable evidence.

The HPO curriculum is thoughtfully designed to set trainees up for success, providing the skills and tools needed to begin applying research methods to their own work right away. Classes are placed to fit alongside other responsibilities, typically about three half days in person each week during the summer and fall, and two half days in person each week in the spring. For example, the biostatistics course begins with a short summer session and then continues in manageable segments throughout the year.

The curriculum consists of five main classes (see detailed descriptions below), four of which primarily occur in Year One, Biostats, Quantitative and Qualitative Research Methods, Health Policy and the Healthcare Ecosystem (HPHE), and Foundations of Community Engaged Research, and a Mentored Thesis Research Project that spans both Years One and Two; Research-in-Progress sessions are included within the Mentored Thesis Research Project.

The HPO curriculum is thoughtfully designed to set trainees up for success, providing the skills and tools needed to begin applying research methods to their own work right away. Classes are placed to fit alongside other responsibilities, typically about three half days in person each week during the summer and fall, and two half days in person each week in the spring. For example, the biostatistics course begins with a short summer session and then continues in manageable segments throughout the year.

The curriculum consists of five main classes (see detailed descriptions below), four of which primarily occur in Year One, Biostats, Quantitative and Qualitative Research Methods, Health Policy and the Healthcare Ecosystem (HPHE), and Foundations of Community Engaged Research, and a Mentored Thesis Research Project that spans both Years One and Two; Research-in-Progress sessions are included within the Mentored Thesis Research Project.

This comprehensive course in Biostatistics is designed to cultivate expertise in both theoretical concepts and practical applications. Throughout the program, participants will develop the skills needed to employ statistical analyses for diverse data sets and research studies. Extensive lab training provides participants with “hands-on” experience using Stata. These include descriptive and simple statistics, multivariate analyses encompassing linear and logistic regression, survival analyses, and specialized topics such as hierarchical analyses, Poisson regression, general linear models, repeated measures, longitudinal analysis, weighting, and meta-analysis. By the course's conclusion, participants will be adept at not only conducting bivariate and multivariable statistical analyses but also critiquing and interpreting statistical methods frequently used in medical literature.

This research methodologies course integrates quantitative and qualitative approaches to clinical and health services research. Participants learn to design rigorous studies, with emphasis on study design, sampling, data collection, and analysis. Instruction is sequenced across the year, with quantitative methods in summer, qualitative methods in fall, and advanced topics in spring.

The summer session provides an intensive introduction to clinical epidemiology, covering core concepts such as measures of disease frequency and association; study designs including randomized and non-randomized trials, cohort, case-control, cross-sectional, and ecologic studies; screening principles; reliability and validity; bias; confounding; and effect modification.

The fall Fundamentals of Qualitative Research series offers a structured introduction to the theoretical and practical foundations of qualitative research in public health, nursing, and medicine. Delivered over nine sessions, the course addresses key epistemological, philosophical, and ethical considerations while building practical skills. Topics include qualitative and mixed-methods designs, theories and frameworks, sampling, rigor, data coding and analysis, data saturation, and scholarly writing for publications and grants.

Advanced Quantitative Methods, offered from late fall through spring, examines methods commonly used in health outcomes research. Taught by faculty with extensive methodological expertise, the course covers longitudinal observational studies, survey methods, intervention studies, dissemination and implementation science, meta-analysis, and causal inference, as well as cross-cutting topics such as responsible conduct of research and diversity and inclusion.

This half-year course (July–December) equips participants with the theoretical foundations and practical skills needed to conduct community-engaged research. Serving as an introduction to patient-centered care research and implementation science, the course presents multidisciplinary content focused on engaging community members in mutually beneficial knowledge creation. Drawing on community-based participatory research (CBPR) and related frameworks, the National Clinician Scholars Program emphasizes effective engagement of diverse stakeholders. Scholars gain core principles, practical guidance, and relationships to support the implementation or evaluation of community-engaged research (CEnR) projects during their time as NCSP scholars or HPO fellows. The course addresses community engagement across varied perspectives, power dynamics, and investments, while covering multiple frameworks, including but not limited to CBPR.

The course enrolls 16–20 students and meets primarily during designated class times, with schedule, location, and format varying throughout the year. Sessions are held weekly from July through mid-August and from September through December. Coursework includes required community meetings, visits, and walking tours, with optional sessions noted in the syllabus. Active participation is expected through discussion, interactive activities, and preparation outside of class.

Instruction is grounded in case-based exercises addressing contemporary issues in community-engaged research, such as partnership development, intervention evaluation, and integration of community perspectives. Through individual and collaborative work, scholars build skills in defining community-engaged research, assessing population-level impact, incorporating community insights into research design, addressing challenges and limitations, and implementing community-engaged research plans in both familiar and new settings.

This summer course is designed to cultivate a working knowledge of both theoretical concepts and practical applications to equip students with policy knowledge and understanding to ensure that their research efforts are targeted to have the greatest potential relevance and impact for patients and on health systems. The curriculum provides exposure to the fundamental principles and practices in health care policy, financing, and delivery, as well as health care management. Specifically, the HPHE course covers: a) the fundamentals of US health care financing and payment, including both public and private sectors; b) the organization of the US public and healthcare systems, including the professions, delivery systems, regulators, insurance sector, and technology industries; and c) topics in policy development, analysis and evaluation, with a focus on the clinician-researcher’s role, at the federal, state and local levels. The HPHE course content is taught in a seminar format using lectures, case studies, and interactive discussions, all supplemented with relevant readings (both textbook and journal articles).

Electives: HPO Fellows who complete the full list of courses above along with their thesis will have an adequate number of credits to complete the MHS requirements. However, HPO Fellows are encouraged to consider participating in additional course electives in their second-year training. Courses throughout the University are available either for auditing or course credit, with the approval of the instructor.

To graduate, all participants in the Master in Health Sciences Research program must write a thesis demonstrating mastery of resources and methods and making an original contribution to the field, through new discoveries, methods, theories, or applications. The thesis should be of publishable quality, ideally resulting in a peer-reviewed article, and one research paper may serve as the thesis. Two faculty members – primary research mentor and the Director, Cary Gross and Co-Director, Ilana Richman must approve it as meeting requirements.

Final thesis draft, which has been approved by the full study team and the mentors, should be submitted for approval by April 1^st of anticipated graduating year.

Take a look at what the current HPO trainees are working on!