Health policy has monumental impact on societies, locally, nationally and around the world. Policymaking in this field must weigh factors ranging from child welfare to employment law, the national economy to breakthroughs in medicine and care. The Harris Health Policy Specialization is designed to provide students with the background, concepts and tools necessary to understand and address pressing health policy problems.

Students who complete this specialization will be able to:

  • Understand the economic, human capital and governmental inputs forces that influence the production and consumption of health resources
  • Articulate how regulatory bodies affect decisions by individuals, providers and payers
  • Analyze the efficacy of the Affordable Care Act, Medicaid expansion, medical savings accounts, medical specialization, pharmaceutical innovations, health maintenance organizations and behavioral nudges.

The specialization's menu of electives is designed to allow students to explore the multiple disciplines and fields that speak to domestic and international health challenges, such as the organization and regulation of health care provision, influential international actors such as the Gates Foundation, public finance, behavioral science and program evaluation. In addition, we encourage students pursuing this specialization to participate in events sponsored by the Center for Health and the Social Sciences and the Harris Health Policy Student Association that bring scholars and practitioners to campus.

Harris specializations function as areas of specialization within the degree. Specializations assume knowledge of the 6-course Harris Core and build upon that foundation with coursework in specific policy areas or technical skills.

Application Process

The specialization is open to Harris Public Policy graduate students only. Please indicate your intent to pursue this specialization using the Harris Specialization Declaration Form.

For specialization registration questions, please reach out to harrisregistration@uchicago.edu.

Planning for the Specialization

For information on which quarter(s) each course will be offered see the Harris Courses page and filter by specialization.

Specialization Requirements

The specialization requires completion of three specialization courses. Students must achieve at least a B- grade in each course. No specialization course may be taken on a pass/fail grading basis.

Required courses

Students must complete one of the following courses to fulfill the requirement:

  • PPHA 38300 Health Economics and Public Policy
  • SSAD 47522 / PPHA 37520 U.S. Health System and Policy (open to GPHAP students only)

Elective courses

Students must complete two of the following courses to fulfill the requirement:

  • PPHA 37910 Race and Ethnic Differences in Health: Epidemiology, Behavior and Policy
  • PPHA 60000 Policy Lab (with permission of the Specialization Director)
  • BUSN 40206 Healthcare Business Analytics
  • BUSN 42300 Global Health and Social Policy
  • CCTS 42006 / PPHA 42006 Decision Modeling for Health Economic Evaluation
  • HMRT 31400 Health and Human Rights
  • LAWS 43359 Regulation of Drug, Devices, Biologics, and Cosmetics
  • PBHS 30910 Epidemiology and Population Health
  • PBHS 31100: Introduction to Mathematical Modeling in Public Health (must fill out substitution form)
  • PBHS 31450 Social Inequalities in Health: Race & Ethnicity
  • PBHS 33700 Sexual Health: Identity, Behavior, and Outcomes
  • PBHS 35100 / PPHA 38010 Health Services Research Methods
  • PBHS 35500 / PPHA 37720 U.S. Health Policy and Politics
  • PBHS 35600 / PPHA 38340 Money, Medicine, and Markets: The Financialization of the US Health System
  • PBHS 38010 / PPHA 38290 Economic Analysis of Health Policies
  • SSAD 46622 / PPHA 37302 Key Issues in Health Care: An Interdisciplinary Case Studies Approach (open to GPHAP students only)
  • SSAD 62912 / PPHA 32760 Global Development and Social Welfare
  • Not offered in 24-25:
    • PPHA 37820 Health Care Markets and Regulation
    • PPHA 37710 Medicaid: Understanding the Public Policy of a Federal-State Partnership
    • PPHA 58400 Policy Analysis and Priority Setting in Health and Medicine

Specialization Contacts

Kelsey Bogue, Administrative Director

David Meltzer, Specialization Director

David Meltzer

Professor

David Meltzer

David O. Meltzer is currently leading a Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Innovation Challenge award to study the effects of improved continuity in doctor patient relationships on the costs and outcomes of care for frequently hospitalized Medicare patients.