Health Policy Analysis Specialization | Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis
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Health Policy Analysis Specialization

This specialization prepares students to research, analyze and implement public health policies at local, state and federal levels.

The policy landscape today is more complex and dynamic than ever, as health care reform and the Affordable Care Act present ongoing challenges and opportunities for firms, consumers, nonprofit organizations, policy researchers and governments. Our curriculum provides students with the tools to measure and understand the implementation and impact of health policies in today’s environment, and the perspective to recommend and take appropriate actions based on critical analysis.

Students will learn how to enhance the public’s health by understanding the way policies are designed, implement, analyzed and assessed. Graduates are prepared to work across sectors to navigate the rapidly changing world of modern health policy practice and research—from perspectives ranging from consumers to providers.

Specialization Requirements: 15 Credits

  • Health Economics
  • Quantitative Methods for Health Policy Analysis
  • Health Politics & Policy
  • Transdisciplinary Problem Solving (TPS) course*
  • MPH practicum (health policy-focused)

*Select from a list of pre-approved courses related to health policy

TPS course options include:

  • TPS: Health Reform Implementation
  • TPS: Chronic Disease, Policy & Prevention for Public Health
  • TPS: Interrogating Health, Race and Inequalities
  • TPS: Gender, Poverty and Global Health

Practicum

The MPH program requires 360 hours of practicum. Sample Health Policy Analysis practicum sites include:


  • BJC HealthCare
  • California Department of Health
  • Centene Corporation
  • City of St. Louis Department of Health
  • Generate Health
  • Management Sciences of Health
  • Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services
  • Pan American Health Organization
Linda Raclin

Specialization Chair

Timothy McBride, the Bernard Becker Professor in the Brown School,  is an influential health policy analyst and leading health economist shaping the national agenda in health insurance, health reform, rural health care, Medicare and Medicaid policy, health economics and access to health care.

 McBride studies the effects of health reform at the state and national levels, the uninsured, diabetes policy, Medicare Advantage, and long-term entitlement reform. 

He is co-director of the Center for Health Economics and Policy (CHEP) at the Institute for Public Health at Washington University.

Ryan Sterling

Featured Graduate

"The Brown School’s Health Policy Analysis Specialization prepares students to navigate the rapidly changing health care system at each level of social work and public health – micro, mezzo, and macro. A comprehensive understanding and the ability to analyze regulations, policies, and procedures serves patients, communities, organizations, and the public. Adding the Health Policy Analysis Specialization is an invaluable investment in academic and professional development."



—Lindsey Nienstedt, MPH/MSW ’20, PUBLIC HEALTH ANALYST, FEDERAL OFFICE OF RURAL HEALTH POLICY, HEALTH RESOURCES AND SERVICES ADMINISTRATION, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES