HPM 500a or b, Independent Study in Health Policy and Management  Staff

Student-initiated directed readings or supervised research under the direction of a Health Policy and Management faculty member. Enrollment requires the development of a term plan approved by a primary faculty mentor and the HPM independent study director. A term plan for directed readings shall include (a) topic and objectives, (b) applicable YSPH or departmental competencies, (c) 13 weeks of readings, (d) a schedule for meetings between the student and supervising faculty mentor, and (e) a description of a culminating written assignment to be completed by the conclusion of the term. A term plan for a research project shall include (a) a project description, (b) weekly benchmarks and activities for 13 weeks, and (c) a description of a final project or other written product to be produced by the conclusion of the term. The student and faculty mentor are expected to meet regularly throughout the term. This course is designed for M.P.H. students but is also open to other students at Yale with approval of a supervising HPM faculty mentor and the HPM independent study director. M.P.H. students may enroll in this course no more than twice for credit; each independent study must meet all requirements described above.
HTBA

HPM 514a, Health Politics, Governance, and Policy  Mark Schlesinger

This course is designed to familiarize students with the various processes by which governmental health policy is made in the United States, and with current policy debates. One focus of the course is to understand the politics underlying the successes and failures of health policy making during the course of the twentieth century. This includes a discussion of the relevant governmental institutions, political actors, the major national programs that have been established, and how political actors use resources and set their strategies.
T 10am-11:50am

HPM 543b, The Future of Public Health Leadership in Divided Times  Ashwin Vasan

This course examines the evolving role of public health leadership, including challenges and opportunities of leading in an era of rising health threats and deepening political and social divides. Students explore how leaders can advance prevention, equity, and measurable health outcomes at scale, while navigating myriad crises including pandemics, mental health reform, the epidemic of chronic and diet-related disease, and climate change. Through guest lectures from leading national experts and practitioners, real-world case studies, and interactive simulations, students gain practical skills in political analysis, policy design, crisis communication, and data-driven decision-making to lead in divided and resource-constrained environments. Taught by Professor of the Practice and former New York City Health Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan, the course equips future leaders with the skills to navigate crisis, build trust, and shape health policy for the pressing challenges of the day, in complex and divided times.
T 8am-9:50am

HPM 546a, The Future of Health: Emerging Themes in Health Innovation  Kaakpema Yelpaala

This course examines the rapidly evolving field of health innovation and its impact on population health, focusing on the interplay of technological advancements, funding models, and organizational strategies. Students explore the historical evolution of public health innovation, from government and philanthropic initiatives to the emergence of venture capital in the health innovation space. A cross-cutting theme is the role of equity-centered innovation principles in ensuring that novel approaches to solving health challenges can also reduce health disparities. The curriculum highlights transformative technologies—such as artificial intelligence, digital health, and genomics—and their potential to reshape models of care and intervention. Through real-world case studies and best-practice examples, students analyze how health innovators balance operational complexities, funding expectations, regulation and technological opportunities to pursue sustainable impact at scale.
Th 1pm-2:50pm

HPM 555b, Health Policy Practicum  Shelley Geballe

This course is one of the options available to HPM students to fulfill the M.P.H. applied practice experience requirement. The Health Policy Practicum places students with legislators, government agencies, and NGOs assisting the placement preceptor in public health policy work.  This is a project-based learning experience in which students each week work between 8-10 hours. Check the course Canvas site for details about applying. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor. Not open to auditors.
F 12pm-12:50pm

HPM 556a, Advanced Health Policy Practicum  Shelley Geballe

This course is designed for students who wish to deepen their practice-based learning and develop additional research, communication, and advocacy skills through continuing work in a particular practicum placement and/or on a particular health policy topic. Students are placed with state and/or local legislative or executive agency policy makers, or with senior staff at nonprofit health policy or advocacy groups. Prerequisites: completion of HPM 555 and permission of the instructor.
F 12pm-12:50pm

HPM 557b, Evidence-Based Decision-Making in Global Health  Kristina Talbert-Slagle

This course is a capstone seminar for M.P.H. students in the Global Health Concentration. Through a mixture of teaching approaches including lecture, large- and small-group discussion, case studies, practicum sessions, and student-led experiential learning, students study and apply principles of evidence-based decision-making in global health to their specific area(s) of interest. Students learn how to define evidence and explore different types of evidence that are and have been used in global health evidence-informed decision-making. By analyzing case studies, students also examine what has and has not been considered evidence in global health decisions, and they develop critical-thinking approaches to enable evaluation of both the quality and robustness of evidence, as well as potential gaps. By studying the experience of others in the field of global health, students are also able to apply lessons learned from past examples of global health evidence-based decision-making to their own work and interest area(s). The final product for this course is a fifteen-page paper summarizing how the principles and practice of global health evidence-based decision-making apply to each student’s interest area. Prerequisites: completion of one year of an M.P.H. program and a global summer M.P.H. internship experience.
T 1pm-2:50pm

HPM 559b, Big Data, Privacy, and Public Health Ethics  Jennifer Miller

This course provides an introduction to ethical theory and decision-making applied to real-world cases at the intersection of big data and public health. The first part of the course focuses on patient medical information held by hospitals and health systems—exploring the ethics concerns and public health goals of hospitals sharing these data with technology companies like Google and Amazon, drug companies, and others. The role of informed consent in data sharing, whether patients have a duty to share medical information to benefit others, the ethics of paying people for their data, and whether data should be considered a public good are discussed. The second part centers on pharmaceutical industry data—discussing concerns around demographic inclusion and representation in clinical trial data; the ethics of providing patients access to experimental medicines (with limited efficacy data) outside of trials, particularly during pandemics; whether drug companies have a duty to advance seemingly unprofitable (or less profitable) but medically promising drugs, by sharing data; and companies’ post-trial responsibilities for access to medicines from a population health perspective. We wrap up the course exploring the role of venture philanthropy by patient groups in generating clinical trial data and advancing drug development. This includes a discussion on conflicts of interest. The course is intended primarily for M.P.H. students but is open to all Yale students, including undergraduates.
M 1pm-2:50pm

HPM 560b, Health Economics and U.S. Health Policy  Zack Cooper

This course introduces students to the organization and operation of the American health care system. The course examines systems of health care delivery and finance and recent trends in their organization, including the growth of managed care. The course seeks to provide students with an understanding of the existing structure of the system and with conceptual frameworks. Not open to auditors.
T 5pm-6:50pm

HPM 564b, Vaccination Policy and Politics  Jason Schwartz

This course explores critical topics in vaccination policy in the United States and internationally. It does so by examining the interconnected political, regulatory, social, cultural, ethical, economic, legal, and historical issues that contribute to ongoing debates about the design and implementation of vaccination programs and policies. Students acquire an understanding of the scope and design of contemporary vaccination programs and policies in the United States and worldwide; the policy and political landscapes in which vaccination programs are developed, funded, and implemented; the positions, evidence, and arguments of both proponents and critics of contemporary vaccine policy; and the application of principles and concepts from health policy and policy analysis to the study of vaccination policy. Not open to auditors.
W 1pm-2:50pm

HPM 565b, Health Care Management Practicum  Martin Klein

This course is one of the options available to HPM students to fulfill the M.P.H. applied practice experience requirement. The Health Care Management Practicum enables students to apply their academic and practical knowledge of business and healthcare to challenges and opportunities facing a hospital or other health provider organization under the guidance of a preceptor. This is a project-based learning experience in which students each week work between 7-8 hours. Check the course Canvas site for details about applying. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor. Not open to auditors.
F 12pm-12:50pm

HPM 570a, Cost-Effectiveness Analysis and Decision-Making  A. Paltiel

This course introduces students to the methods of decision analysis and cost-effectiveness analysis in health-related technology assessment, resource allocation, and clinical decision-making. The course aims to develop technical competence in the methods used; practical skills in applying these tools to case-based studies of medical decisions and public health choices; and an appreciation of the uses and limitations of these methods at the levels of national policy, health care organizations, and individual patient care.
W 5pm-6:50pm

HPM 571a, Designing Health Systems of Tomorrow: Sharp Strategy and Fierce Execution  Zerrin Cetin

Taught from a practitioner perspective, the course draws on real case studies of hospitals across the country to teach strategic planning and critical thinking skills. We utilize case discussions, teamwork, interactive lectures, and other methods of applied learning to illustrate how to build and execute business strategy for the future. Hospital examples ground us in the arc of developing a well thought-out and executionable strategic plan. We simulate a boardroom management discussion during our classes to practice synthesis and concise, impactful communication.
T 5pm-6:50pm

HPM 575b, Evaluation of Global Health Policies and Programs  Drew Cameron

This course provides students with exposure to the methods used to evaluate global health policies and programs. The first half of the course focuses on impact evaluation, a set of tools at the cross-section of public policy, applied economics, and project management. The purpose is to harness current econometric tools to evaluate the causal impact of policies and programs in low- and middle-income countries. The second half of the course explores the principles, fundamental concepts, and application and design of cost analyses as they are applied to health economic evaluations to support the design, implementation, and scaling up of global health interventions. Over the course of the semester, students gain familiarity with the objectives and uses of cost data in global health and learn the appropriate methods and approaches to collect and analyze these data. This course includes a weekly combination of lectures, guest presentations, and class discussions exploring these concepts. In addition to weekly readings, students  engage in a series of short lab-based homework assignments designed to provide familiarity with various econometric tools and work in small teams to design an impact evaluation and economic evaluation proposal on a global health program of their choosing. Students should have completed an introductory class in statistical methods that covered testing the difference between two means and linear regression, and preferably have experience using statistical software such as R or Stata.
F 9am-9:50am, M 10am-11:50am

HPM 580a / EMD 580a, Reforming Health Systems: Using Data to Improve Health in Low- and Middle-Income Countries  Robert Hecht

Health systems in low- and middle-income countries are in constant flux in the face of myriad pressures and demands, including those emanating from the current COVID-19 pandemic. Under such conditions, how can senior country officials and their international partners make the best decisions to reform health systems to achieve universal coverage and improve the allocation and use of resources to maximize health gains, including on scale-up of programs to fight infectious diseases and address other health problems? The course provides students with a thorough understanding of health systems, health reforms, and scaling up—their components, performance, and impacts—by teaching the key tools and data sources needed to assess options and make coherent and effective policy and financing choices. Using these frameworks, students analyze case examples of major country reforms and of scaling up of national disease programs (e.g., AIDS treatment, immunization, safe motherhood, mental health services, cardiovascular illness prevention, etc.) and prepare a paper applying what they have learned to real-world health systems challenges. This course is open to all Yale students with interest in the topic. A knowledge of global health, health policy, and health economics and financing is desirable but not required.
Th 10am-11:50am

HPM 583b, Methods in Health Services Research  Jacob Wallace

This course introduces students to quantitative social science methods—with an emphasis on causal inference—for health services research. The statistical concepts and methods are illustrated using data and examples primarily from the fields of health services research and health economics. The course begins with a refresher on linear regression (with a focus on intuition), progresses to causality and experimental research design, and then finishes with a tour of quasi-experimental techniques common in health services research: matching, difference-in-differences, regression discontinuity, instrumental variables, and synthetic control methods. Students learn to apply these techniques to data in the programming language of their choice (e.g., Stata/R) as well as gain general experience analyzing and visualizing data. Prerequisite: EPH 505.
T 3pm-4:50pm

HPM 586a, Microeconomics for Health Policy and Health Management  Jason Hockenberry

This course introduces students to microeconomics, with an emphasis on topics of particular relevance to the health care sector. Attention is paid to issues of equity and distribution, uncertainty and attitudes toward risk, and alternatives to price competition. This course is designed for students with minimal previous exposure to economics.
M 1pm-2:50pm

[ HPM 587, Advanced Health Economics ]

This course applies the principles learned in HPM 586 to the health of individuals, to health care institutions and markets, as well as to health care policy. The economic aspects of health behaviors, hospital markets, cost-benefit analysis, regulation, and the market for physician services are covered. Prerequisite: microeconomics or permission of the instructor.  1 Course cr

HPM 588a, Public Health Law  Rebecca Haffajee

This course provides an introduction to the multiple ways the law acts as a structural and social determinant of health and health inequity, as well as ways the law can be used as a tool to promote health in individuals and health justice among populations. It is designed specifically for students with no legal training. The course first provides background on the powers and duties of federal, state, and local governments to equitably promote and protect community health, as well as structural constraints on those powers, such as protection of individuals’ constitutional rights. Then, using case examples, it focuses on law as a tool to promote population health, including through direct and indirect regulation to alter the information and built environments, through measures to control communicable disease and reduce chronic disease and injury, and through the use of governments’ “power of the purse” to fund public health programs and services and influence individual and corporate behavior. Throughout the term, the course examines the role of courts in interpreting law and resolving disputes among branches and levels of government as well as among individuals, businesses, and government. Students gain basic proficiency in finding and interpreting primary legal sources, applying the law to public health problems, and identifying ways to most effectively influence the legislative, administrative, and judicial lawmaking processes. The course requires active student engagement that often includes working in small groups. Prerequisite: HPM 514 (or current enrollment in HPM 514), or permission of the instructor. Not open to auditors.
W 10am-11:50am

HPM 592b, Mental Health Care Policy in the US  Susan Busch

This course is designed for students with limited previous exposure to mental health policy. The goals of the course are to provide students with the tools to evaluate alternative mental health policies and to better understand potential effects, sometimes unintended, of government and private policies related to mental health care. By the end of the course students should be able to approach a problem in mental health policy by defining the policy, assessing possible solutions, and making a recommendation.  Students are expected to have previously taken an introductory economics course. This requirement can be satisfied by any course in the Yale Economics Department, HPM 586, or an introductory economics course taken at another university. If you are unsure if a course fulfills this requirement, you may email the instructor information about the course you have taken (e.g., syllabus, textbook used, course number, title and description). The goal of this prerequisite is that all students be familiar with the language of economics as several of the readings will consider models commonly used in economics. Not open to auditors.
W 3pm-4:50pm

HPM 595b, Food and Drug Administration Law  Aaron Kesselheim

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is the premier consumer protection agency in the United States, with control over the availability and public discourse about potentially lifesaving therapeutics, foods, supplements, and related consumer products. Its authority has been built in response to public health crises and is constantly under scrutiny from all sides of the political spectrum. The class reviews the history of the FDA’s regulation over the health care products market, the noteworthy legislation that has shaped its oversight in this area, Supreme Court and other cases that have impacted its authority, and an introduction to key current controversies related to the FDA that affect health care delivery. (This course does not cover food law.) The enduring theme is how the FDA balances its vital public safety role against countervailing forces of personal autonomy and the rights or interests of consumers, patients, physicians, and corporations. Each class is organized around interactive discussion introducing students to the material, including hypothetical cases that require students to apply the day’s lessons and themes in determining legal and policy solutions. Students with high-quality papers will be given specific guidance in submitting them for publication in the peer-reviewed medical/public health/policy literature. A paper of 2,500–4,000 words is required.
M 1pm-2:50pm

HPM 597b, Capstone Course in Health Policy  Jason Hockenberry

This course is designed as the capstone educational experience for students concentrating in health policy. It integrates previous course work in health policy and public health and facilitates students’ transition from the academic setting into the world of professional policy analysis. Students practice different approaches to policy formulation, policy analysis, and policy implementation. As part of their course assignments, students use various strategies to frame policy debates to promote desired outcomes. There is extensive work on improving oral and written presentation skills pertinent to current, applied policy dilemmas. Prerequisite: Restricted to health policy graduate students in their final year of M.P.H. coursework, unless otherwise permitted by the instructor. Not open to auditors.
Th 1pm-2:50pm

HPM 600a or b, Independent Study or Directed Readings  Chima Ndumele

Independent study or directed readings on a specific research topic agreed upon by faculty and student. By arrangement with faculty. For Ph.D. students only.
HTBA

HPM 610b, Applied Area Readings  Staff

Required of HPM Ph.D. students, in preparation for qualifying exams. Readings arranged with specific faculty in related research area. By arrangement with faculty.
HTBA

HPM 617a and HPM 618b, Colloquium in Health Services Research  Staff

This seminar focuses on the analysis of current issues in health policy and on state-of-the-art methodological issues in health services research. The format includes guest speakers and presentations of ongoing research projects by YSPH and other faculty and graduate students. Students participate in critical discussions of the issues that arise in both types of sessions. Prerequisite: doctoral status or permission of the instructor.  0 Course cr per term
W 12pm-1:20pm

HPM 620b, Readings in Health Services Research  Staff

In-depth readings, discussion, and analysis of topics specific to health policy research. Optional for Ph.D. students choosing this area of depth. By arrangement with faculty.
HTBA

HPM 630b, Advanced Readings in Health Services Research  Staff

In-depth readings, discussion, and analysis of topics specific to health services research. Optional for Ph.D. students choosing this area of depth. By arrangement with faculty.
HTBA

HPM 631a, Public Health Entrepreneurship and Intrapreneurship  Teresa Chahine

This is a case-based course about innovation and entrepreneurship for health equity and drivers of health. Health equity means that everyone has a fair and just opportunity to be as healthy as possible. This requires addressing obstacles to health such as poverty, racism, gender and other biases and their consequences, including powerlessness and lack of access to good jobs with fair pay, quality education and housing, healthy foods, safe environments, and health care. We refer to these as drivers of health. The cases in this course bring to light the complexities in drivers of health, and the role of entrepreneurship and cross-sectoral collaboration in eliminating health disparities. Class discussions are aimed at providing students with experience in understanding potential benefits and pitfalls of applying public health entrepreneurship to improve health equity and drivers of health. We examine cases of entrepreneurship for health equity in the U.S. and globally, using a research-based framework to analyze the role of design justice, resource mobilization, financial viability, cross-disciplinary collaboration, and systems strengthening. Cases include start-ups and new ventures within existing institutions, referred to as intrapreneurship. We also examine cases of collective impact, or innovating across multiple institutions. Over the years, students in this class have began referring to these as extrapreneurship. This course brings together students from the Schools of Management, Public Health, Environment, Global Affairs, Divinity, Engineering, Arts and Sciences, and undergraduates. Not open to auditors.  ½ Course cr
HTBA

HPM 645b, The Chinese and U.S. Health Systems in Comparative Perspective  Xi Chen

This course aims for an in-depth understanding of the Chinese and American health systems, the two largest health systems in the world. While the two countries are in very different stages of development, their health systems have much in common, and the recent reform of Chinese health systems has largely followed the United States. This course summarizes principles regarding health systems and reform that may apply to both countries and explains why they are different in other main aspects. The course discusses well-crafted research that adopts appropriate research designs and techniques to evaluate health policies and reform in both countries through lectures, writing referee reports, and designing individual research projects. The course highlights the importance of causal inference in evaluating and guiding health policies and reform. Students also learn skills in transforming research findings to policy and propose viable solutions to address key health challenges in China, the United States, and globally when applicable. Prerequisite: familiarity with basic statistics/econometrics. The formal requirement is one term of statistics/econometrics (EPH 505, HPM 583, or a similar course) or permission of the instructor. First-year M.P.H. students are permitted to take this course and HPM 583 (or another methods course) concurrently, providing them opportunities to work with health care data companies in funded summer internships.
W 10am-11:50am

HPM 688b, Managing Health Care in Complex Systems  Michael Apkon

This course serves as a capstone for students in the Health Care Management Program and is intended to prepare students for leadership roles in diverse health care organizations domestically and internationally. Drawing on theories, concepts, and tools from prior course work, students address complex challenges in health care leadership and management to improve functioning of teams, organizations, and agencies in health systems. Students apply principles and practices of grand strategy (e.g., a comprehensive approach to achieving large ends with limited means) to address a consequential problem in health. An interdisciplinary lens is essential. Disciplinary foci include: leadership/management; organizational behavior; finance/accounting/economics; policy and regulations; operations; marketing; negotiations; epidemiology; and research methods including literature reviews. Students engage with the content through in-class exercises, facilitated discussions, readings, cases (from U.S. domestic and international settings), guest experts, working in a team, and written and oral presentations. Not open to auditors.
TTh 10am-11:50am, Th 5pm-5:50pm

HPM 697a, Health Policy Leadership Seminar  Shelley Geballe

This seminar introduces students to innovative health policy leaders working in federal, state, and local government, nonprofit policy/advocacy organizations, business, and/or health policy-oriented foundations. The speakers present on a variety of current health policy issues and also reflect on their own career paths. The seminar, required of Health Policy students, meets biweekly at the end of the day with a light dinner served. Although no credit or grade is awarded, satisfactory performance will be noted on the student’s transcript.  0 Course cr
M 5pm-6:20pm