Health Services Research Training

Program Directors: Jennifer Waljee, MD, MPH, MS and Richard Hirth, PhD

Application Deadline: December 31st, 2023

About the Program

This training program focuses on four broad pedagogic competencies to train the next generation of researchers to address issues related to quality, safety, effectiveness, access, and costs in the health system:

  1. Understanding the fundamentals of health services problems and issues;
  2. Understanding theory and methods from social science and health science disciplines, and how they can be applied to health services problems and issues;
  3. Conducting health services research, both in an independent and leading role as well as a supporting team-based role; and
  4. Developing oneself continually as a health services scholar.

The program is designed to produce independent investigators by providing a solid academic foundation, experience in the conduct of health services research, and socialization into the normative behavior of high quality, ethically sensitive research and its associated values. This program is intended for both predoctoral and postdoctoral fellowships, though for predoctoral students is usually utilized in the first one to two years of study.

Trainees will gain research experience through courses, participation on research teams led by faculty, and independent development and leadership of their own research projects. From the beginning, trainees will also be immersed in one or more research teams led by their faculty mentors and given roles that will allow them to develop new skills and contribute meaningfully to various aspects of the project.

Coursework for both predoctoral and postdoctoral trainees will be based on the Health Services Organization and Policy predoctoral curriculum in Health Management and Policy. Given the more advanced career stage of postdoctoral trainees, they will participate in a selected subset of courses from the predoctoral curriculum. The postdoctoral trainees’ coursework will vary across individuals depending on prior training. The course curriculum consists of the following components:

  1. Health and health services and the structure of operation of the health system (10 credit hours)
  2. Research methods, applied statistics and epidemiology (12 credit hours)
  3. Cognate disciplinary theory and methods (24 – 27 credit hours)
  4. Intra- and cross-disciplinary integration (9 – 12 credit hours)

The program combines clinical and social science perspectives, and leverages connections to key stakeholders such as provider organizations and payers.

Fellows will receive a stipend, benefits, travel funds, and additional research support. A salary supplement is available for PhD applicants. 

How to Apply

To apply, please send the following to [email protected]:

  • A cover letter describing your research interests, experience, and career plans in the area of health services research
  • A curriculum vitae
  • One current letter of reference, preferably from a faculty member in your doctoral program
  • A copy of your best written work

Applications will be reviewed after the closing date. Candidates will be notified by February 1st if invited for an interview and March 31st if offered a spot in the training program.

NEXT CLOSING DATE: December 31st, 2023.