Upon completion of the PhD in Health Services and Policy Research, the graduate is able to:

• Analyze key factors that have the potential to influence health and provision and use of health services. These may include policy, organization, and financing of healthcare services. They may also include social, economic, cultural, political, and biological factors that influence population health, health equity, and the use of services.
• Critique, adapt, and develop theoretical analyses of health services and policies, including explanations of their structures and processes, the use of health services, the effectiveness and implementation of health policies, and the effects of health services and policies on individual and population health and health equity. This may be done by drawing upon the foundational fields of sociology, economics, anthropology, political science, psychology, demography, epidemiology, management, and/or organizational science.
• Develop original, relevant, and important research questions to pursue in HSPR that are grounded in both a critical analysis of prior HSPR literature and relevant theoretical perspectives.
• Identify and analyze the strengths and weaknesses of a variety of possible study designs that can appropriately address specific HSPR questions. Appropriate methods may employ experimental or observational approaches, qualitative or quantitative analytic techniques, and a variety of data types.
• Based on relevant theory and selected research question(s), develop an HSPR design, specifying study constructs, research objectives, hypotheses, and methods that reliably and validly measure outcomes of interest. Select optimal analytical approaches, in combination as necessary, to investigate hypotheses.
• Acquire and manage appropriate data to answer HSPR questions. Collect and manage primary health and healthcare utilization data and/or assemble and manage existing data from public and private data sources in accordance with an original research design.
• Apply appropriate analytical techniques to data in order to investigate HSPR questions. Utilize appropriate combinations of analytic techniques to enrich data analysis and interpretation.
• Develop, document, and employ procedures that ensure the reproducibility of the science, the responsible use of resources, mutual accountability with collaborators, and the ethical treatment of research subjects.
• Effectively communicate the process, findings, and implications of HSPR using multiple modes, including via peer-reviewed publications, oral presentations, and electronic media. Translate findings to multiple stakeholders and audiences including funders, research participants, colleagues, policymakers, news media, and managers.

The required PhD courses consist of a foundational curriculum of theory, quantitative and qualitative methods, applications of health services research, and elective courses that can be used to define an area of emphasis. The core courses cover a variety of topics including foundations of health services research, research design and methods, health economics, and organization theory. Mastery of core material is demonstrated by successful completion of the qualifying process, which includes a comprehensive exam and oral defense of the dissertation proposal.

Students enrolled in the program full-time generally complete course work within two years and usually take an additional two years to complete the qualifying process and their dissertations.

Students typically complete a dissertation that is the equivalent of three publishable papers.

A key strength of the PhD program in Health Services and Policy Research is the engagement of a talented interdisciplinary faculty that is eager to mentor doctoral students in a variety of areas.

Faculty are actively engaged in diverse areas of research & scholarship, and the department is closely affiliated with two internal research centers focused on health services related to disability, along with a nearby multi-site center for health services research within the US Department of Veterans Affairs.

Today’s most relevant health care issues are being addressed by ongoing faculty research. Faculty examine a broad range of challenges in the American health care system and introduce fresh approaches by drawing on diverse backgrounds, including social sciences, medicine, economics, business, and policy. Collaboration with affiliated research centers provides access to further resources and expertise.

Health policy & management, health economics, health outcomes measurement, and health reform are the department’s main areas of research. For the most up-to-date research activity, please view the highlights section.

Our program has been awarded a T32 training grant in health disparities from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality that offers full-time tuition, AHRQ-specified pre-doctoral stipend, health insurance, and travel to conferences for the first two years of doctoral study.

The Partnered Evidence-based Policy Resource Center (PEPReC) is a group of health economists and health services researchers that provides timely, rigorous data analysis to support the development of high-priority policy, planning, and management initiatives. PEPReC also coordinates and supports the design and implementation of randomized program evaluations with strong potential to improve the quality and efficiency of VA healthcare. Trainees will learn to analyze very large administrative databases and make valid causal inferences regarding clinical outcomes, costs, and quality of care. Research Assistantships at PEPReC provide a stipend and full tuition coverage for at least four years.

The NIDA-funded Integrated Care for Addiction, HIV and HCV Research and Education (ICAHRE) program provides training for doctoral and masters students in the areas of addiction, HIV and HCV. ICAHRE offers full tuition coverage, stipend, and health insurance coverage. Trainees will participate in research rotations, research communication and dissemination activities, and other mentored research in ICAHRE content areas.

ICAHRE is committed to four years of full funding for doctoral students.

The PhD program also offers a limited number of partial tuition scholarships to incoming doctoral students. All accepted PhD in HSPR students are eligible to receive these scholarships and no additional application is required.  In addition, some advanced students, with assistance from program faculty, have sought and obtained dissertation research grants from federal agencies and other funding sources.

Adrian Ashley

Adrian is a PhD Student in Health Services and Policy Research at the Boston University School of Public Health. He is also a research assistant at the Partnered Evidence-Based Policy Resource Center (PEPReC). Prior to joining Boston University, Adrian was a Senior Policy Associate at the Massachusetts Health Policy Commission (HPC), where he supported the HPC’s efforts to provide oversight and transparency to the Massachusetts health care market. He is interested in better understanding, and evaluating, the impacts of payment and policy reform at a state and federal level. Drawing on his experience at the HPC, he plans on researching the relationship between health insurance coverage and other social determinants of health and access to high-quality, low-cost health care. Adrian received a B.S. in Chemistry and Biology and an M.S. in Global Health Policy and Management from Brandeis University.

David Biko

David is a doctoral student in Health Services Research at Boston University interested in research utilizing implementation science and behavioral economics to look at altering value based payment systems to create more accessible prescription drug pricing. He received his BSA in Human Ecology from The University of Texas, and his MHA from Columbia University. Prior to starting at BUSPH, David has worked in consulting, health outcomes research, and health policy analysis.

Breanne Biondi

Breanne (Bre) Biondi is a PhD student in Health Services Research at Boston University School of Public Health. She is interested in studying how policies affect access to medication treatment for opioid use disorder and treatment outcomes. Before coming to BUSPH, Bre worked at Yale University in the AIDS Program as a Research Associate, where her work focused on substance use disorders and their intersection with HIV and justice-involved populations. She received her MPH in Epidemiology from Rutgers School of Public Health and her BA from Muhlenberg College.

Connor Buchholz

Connor is a doctoral student in Health Services and Policy Research at Boston University School of Public Health interested in studying how policies affect the receipt of medications, treatment models, and outcomes for opioid use disorder. Prior to BUSPH, Connor worked as a research assistant at Massachusetts General Hospital in the Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine where he focused on how to improve the opioid treatment model for adolescents. He received his B.A. in Psychology from Xavier University and M.S. from Boston University School of Public Health. @BuchholzConnor

Anne Buck

Anne K. Buck, MS is a doctoral student in the Department of Health, Law Policy & Management focusing on health disparities at Boston University School of Public Health. Her research interests focus on the intersection of trauma surgery and social justice to identify community resource disparities. She is currently the Resident Research Chair for the founding chapter of Socially Responsible Surgery at Boston Medical Center. She received her BA in Philosophy from Georgia State University with a focus in Bioethics and her MS in Clinical Research from the BU School of Medicine where she is currently the academic program manager for the MSCR and an instructor of research ethics.

Amanda Davis

Amanda Davis is a PhD student in Health Services Research at the Boston University School of Public Health. Throughout her 15+ years as a healthcare executive, Amanda has developed analytic teams to create data-driven approaches guiding innovative clinical care delivery and health disparities reduction. She has spearheaded the development of population and provider performance reporting tools to further understand health care access and use among vulnerable populations and enable value-based care strategies and appropriate financial reimbursement models. Her research focuses on policies and interventions to reduce socioeconomic disparities in health care access and use among dual-eligible Medicare-Medicaid beneficiaries.

Nigel Deen

Nigel is a doctoral candidate in Health Services Research. He is interested in studying racial disparities in maternal and child outcomes and the role data, technology, and policy play in achieving health equity. In the past, he's performed healthcare quality improvement research, business intelligence for an electronic medical records company, and has served as a public health consultant for a federal healthcare agency. He received his B.A. in Neurobiology, with a minor in Global Health and Health Policy, from Harvard University.

Yareliz Diaz

Yareliz Diaz, MPH is a Gates Millennium Scholar in Health Services Research in the Department of Health Law, Policy, and Management at Boston University School of Public Health. In the past, Diaz has worked with the Disparities Research Unit at Massachusetts General Hospital on mental health research under PCORI and NIDA grants. She also coordinated a PCORI Eugene Washington Engagement Award that focused on building research infrastructure and developing genuine engagement in partnership with under-resourced communities in Boston. Diaz is a 2015 graduate of Tufts University and received her MPH at BUSPH with concentrations in Health Policy and Law and Epidemiology/Biostatistics in 2020. Her research interests are on disaster response and its intersection with public health, specifically in low-income communities of color. She is interested in community resilience, the idea of “bouncing forward” after disasters, and how current policies create inequitable outcomes in communities.

Marsida Domi

Marsida Domi is a PhD student in the Health Services and Policy Research program at Boston University School of Public Health. She is interested in examining the effects of policies and interventions, including payment reform and health insurance coverage, on access to care and health outcomes for medically complex and marginalized populations. Prior to joining Boston University, Marsida was a senior research analyst for American Health Care Association where she evaluated the effects of policies on quality in post-acute and long-term care, developed several quality measures, and designed state Medicaid Value-Based Purchasing programs. Additionally, she has served on multiple technical expert panels with the National Quality Forum and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. She received a BA in Economics from Brown University and an MPH in Comparative Effectiveness and Outcomes Research from Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health.

Allison Dorneo

Allison Dorneo is a doctoral student in Health Services Research at Boston University School of Public Health. She is also a research assistant at the Partnered Evidence-based Policy Resource Center (PEPReC). Her research interests include payment and delivery system reform, aging, and patient-centered care. Before attending Boston University, Allison was an economist at RTI International. At RTI, she worked on the evaluation of the Financial Alignment Initiative, a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) demonstration integrating care for dual eligible individuals. She also contributed to post-acute care research initiatives under the IMPACT Act for the Assistant Secretary for Planning & Evaluation (ASPE). She received her B.A. in economics and community health from Tufts University.

Diadora Finley

Diadora Finley is a doctoral candidate in Health Services and Policy Research in the School of Public Health at Boston University. She is interested in community engaged research, peer-led services, and bridging the gap between clinical services and community-led services, specifically in recovery from substance use disorder. Diadora received her Bachelor of Science degree with a major in psychology, a minor in communication, and a concentration in mental health services at Worcester State University. Following her graduation, she completed a 2-year NIDA-funded post-baccalaureate Research Fellowship in the Health Through Flourishing lab at Massachusetts General Hospital. There she began her career in research examining recovery community centers across the nation. Diadora plans to utilize her expertise in recovery community centers to further understand and improve the many support systems in place for recovery from substance use disorder, specifically, examining peer recovery support specialists and their role in recovery. LinkedIn.com/DiadoraFinley

Kerrin Gallagher

Kerrin Gallagher is a doctoral student in Health Services Research at Boston University School of Public Health. She is interested in maternal & child health and health policy. She has been working with real-world data and is interested in using healthcare claims data in unique ways to assess health outcomes and cost, and to evaluate programs and policy. Previously, Kerrin earned her MPH concentrating in biostatistics at BUSPH. She has worked as a data analyst at BUSPH’s Biostatistics and Epidemiology Data Analytics Center, Panalgo, and HealthCore. Kerrin will be working with Dr. Megan Cole Brahim on the TEAM UP project.

Clara Godoy-Henderson

Clara is a licensed social worker in Minnesota with research interest in all things mental health, including: trauma, loneliness, and social support interventions. Before attending BU, Clara coordinated a ketamine clinical trial for veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder and depression at the Minneapolis VA. Clara is particularly passionate about using mixed-method study designs to address health disparities. Clara earned her bachelor's degrees in Social Work and Public Health from St. Catherine University, and she completed her Master of Science in Health Services Research at the University of Minnesota. LinkedIn.com/Clara-Godoy-Henderson

Demetri Goutos

Demetri Goutos is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Health Law, Policy, and Management at the Boston University School of Public Health, and works as a Graduate Research Assistant at the Center for Antiracist Research and with Dr. Paul Shafer. His interests lie in the measurement of disparities in health, and the evaluation of policy and initiatives designed to reduce them. Prior to joining the School of Public Health, Demetri worked as a researcher at the Yale Center for Outcomes Research and Development, where he focused on the design and implementation of methods to measure disparity in Medicare and Medicaid programs. He has also worked as an operations consultant at a rural health clinical in Guatemala, and participated in research assessing access to care for vulnerable groups in Maine. Demetri received his BA from Yale University and his MBA from La Salle University.

Juan P. Herrera-Escobar

Juan Herrera-Escobar, MD, MPH, is a physician-scientist from Colombia and a Ph.D. student in Health Services and Policy Research at BUSPH. His academic interests are in studying the long-term physical, mental, and social health consequences of traumatic injuries and in developing interventions to improve trauma survivorship. He earned his MD from the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana (Bogota, Colombia) and his MPH from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Juan has served as Research Scientist at the Center for Surgery and Public Health at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, where he has been the Project Director of the Functional Outcomes and Recovery after Trauma Emergencies (FORTE) Study and Co-Investigator for the National Trauma Research Action Plan (NTRAP). He has received funding as PI from the Stepping Strong Center for Trauma Innovation and the Mass General Brigham United Against Racism initiative. @juanph19

Rashedat (Kemi) Ibrahim

Rashedat (Kemi) Ibrahim is a PhD student in Health Services and Policy Research at Boston University. She holds an M.S. in Pharmaceutical Sciences and an M.Ed. in Quantitative Methodology from The University of Texas at Austin, as well as a B. Pharm with honors from the University of Lagos, Nigeria. Rashedat has extensive experience in health economics, outcomes research, and regulatory affairs, having worked as a Senior Research Consultant at Humana and as a Senior Regulatory Officer at the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) in Nigeria. Her research interests focus on utilizing quantitative methods to improve health outcomes through data-driven decision-making and equitable healthcare policies.

Ginger Jin

Ginger Jin, MS is a doctoral student in Health Services Research at Boston University School of Public Health. Her research interests are mental health and substance use disorders, and related service utilization, health policies, and health disparities, especially racial disparities. Before attending Boston University, Ginger worked at the Center for Surgery and Public Health (CSPH) in the Department of Surgery at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, where she carried out health service research in collaboration with internal and external researchers and physicians, with an emphasis on public health in the biostatistics field. At CSPH, she worked on projects related to trauma surgery, emergency medical service, geriatric oncology, cancer quality measurements, and other surgical outcome research. Ginger attended the University of Albany, SUNY for both her undergraduate and graduate education and received her B.S in Mathematics and Economics (health), and her M.S. in Biostatistics.

Kim Kaczor

Kim Kaczor is a PhD student in the Department of Health Law, Policy and Management at Boston University School of Public Health. Her academic interests are in injury/trauma and child health. Prior to her arrival at Boston University, she was a Sr. Research Scientist at a leading children’s hospital and collaborated with multi-disciplinary teams to conduct child abuse-related research. Her portfolio of work is focused on differentiating abusive from accidental trauma in infants and young children and child abuse-related fatalities. She also served as the Director of Operations for a program addressing leading causes of child mortality and provided provide operational, financial, and strategic leadership for the program. She received her BS in Chemical Engineering from Bucknell University, MS in Biomedical Engineering from The University of Memphis and The University of Tennessee, Memphis – Joint Program in Biomedical Engineering, and MPH in Community Health Needs from DePaul University.

Farai Kuwonza

Farai Maxwell Kuwonza is a Research Fellow at the Partnered Evidence-based Policy Resource Center (PEPReC), VA. Farai is also a PhD student in Health Services Research (Health Economics) in the Department of Health Law, Policy, and Management at Boston University School of Public Health. Farai has worked as a consultant with Health Capital Group on projects surrounding the 340B Drug Pricing Program - serving clients in the pharmaceutical industry. Prior to consulting, Farai served as a graduate research assistant in the Department of Population Health Sciences at Weill Cornell Medical College, focusing on the acquisition of skilled nursing facilities by private equity firms and real estate investment trusts (REITs).
Broadly, his research interest lies at the intersection of health policy and health care financing. He is interested in using quasi-experimental designs to evaluate health policy challenges that affect vulnerable and underserved populations.
Farai received his MS in Health Policy and Economics from Cornell University- Weill Cornell Medical College, MPhil in Development Finance from Stellenbosch University, and a BSc in Economics from the University of Zimbabwe.

Claudine Lavarin

Claudine is a doctoral candidate in Health Services Research in the School of Public Health at Boston University. She is interested in the investigation and implementation of evidence-based programs in health services to reduce health disparities. Her primary research is centered on sickle cell disease and access to quality care. Claudine received her Master’s in Public Health Policy and Management from New York University. There she began her career in research as an associate research scientist and became a project coordinator on a CDC-funded research study on HIV prevention and sexual health. Drawing on her past, present, and future research, Claudine plans on implementing and sustaining successful interventions that inform policy to improve health systems and help prevent many of the social health injustices that patients face.

Alex Levine

Alex Levine is a PhD candidate in Health Services Research at the Boston University School of Public Health. Their research uses quality measurement and implementation science to support equity in disability and aging health services. Alex is currently a Torda Fellow at the National Committee on Quality Assurance (NCQA), where they are involved in equity measurement and accountability projects for HEDIS and CMS. Alex received their MPH from the Boston University School of Public Health and their BA in Health & Human Biology from Brown University. @adelealexandr

Yufei Li

Yufei is a PhD student in the Health Services and Policy Research program at Boston University School of Public Health. She is also a data analyst at the Partnered Evidence-based Policy Resource Center (PEPReC). She is broadly interested in health workforce, mental health and substance use, access to care, especially for underserved populations. Prior to joining Boston University, Yufei received an MPH in applied epidemiology and biostatistics from Brown University and a BS in psychology from Beijing Normal University. During her master’s program, she worked as a research fellow at the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) on a project related to the 340B drug pricing program.

Kenneth Lim

Kenneth Lim is a PhD student in Health Services Research in the Department of Health Law, Policy, and Management at Boston University School of Public Health. His research interests include Medicaid managed care, health care delivery reform, and the integration of health and social care within the clinical setting. Prior to attending Boston University, Kenneth was a research analyst at Mathematica, a health services and policy research firm. He worked on projects for federal and state government agencies and private organizations related to primary care transformation, community-based care coordination, and integrated care programs for individuals dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid. He received his B.S. in Public Policy and Global Health from Northwestern University. @kennethnlim

Daniel Lipsey

Daniel Lipsey is a PhD student in the Department of Health Law, Policy & Management at the Boston University School of Public Health. He will also be a research assistant at the Partnered Evidence-based Policy Resource Center (PEPReC). He is interested in studying the impact of health information technology on care quality, accessibility, and cost. Prior to joining Boston University, he worked in the Division of General Internal Medicine at Einstein-Montefiore where he helped implement an electronic consult program to improve specialty access for primary care patients. He received his B.A. in Biology from Kenyon College.

Erin Major

Erin Major is a PhD student in Health Services Research at Boston University interested in harm reduction for substance use disorders, particularly supervised consumption sites. She has worked in the harm reduction sphere for over five years now, including experience conducting research on supervised consumption sites in Switzerland and New York, and volunteer efforts with harm reduction organizations in Appalachia. Some of her previous research has also focused on buprenorphine access in rural areas and perinatal substance use disorders, with a particular emphasis on equity and barriers to access. Erin received her B.A. in Public Health and Education Policy at Davidson College in 2019 after conducting research on syringe access programs and other evidence-based harm reduction methods for people who use drugs.

Nicole McCann

Nicole McCann is a doctoral student in the Health Services Research Program at Boston University School of Public Health studying in the NIDA-funded Integrated Care for Addiction, HIV, and HCV Research and Education Training Program. She is interested in researching ways to increase access and engagement in treatment and prevention programs among people with and at risk for HIV, HCV, and substance use disorders. Before coming to BUSPH, Nicole worked at the Medical Practice Evaluation Center of Massachusetts General Hospital evaluating HIV-related policy using cost-effectiveness modeling. Nicole received her BA in Biology and the Science in Society Program from Wesleyan University.

Clarisa Medina

Clarisa Medina, MPH, is a doctoral student in Health Services Research in the School of Public Health at Boston University. Prior to beginning her PhD journey, Medina responded to the COVID-19 pandemic through managing vaccine distribution and testing sites in the Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia area. In addition, she worked as a Program Officer for PAHO/WHO, serving Latin America and Caribbean Regions. Clarisa obtained her Master of Public Health in Health Policy and Management from Texas A&M University in 2018, where she was awarded the department’s “Student Excellence Award.” Her research interest includes systemic racism in health care systems, looking at how law impacts health, and how to improve government sponsored healthcare. Clarisa obtained her Bachelor of Arts in Global Studies in 2015 from St. Mary’s College in Notre Dame, Indiana, with concentrations in Economic Development and International Development and minors in Intercultural Studies and Spanish. Clarisa Medina was awarded the Gates Millennium Scholarship in 2012 and serves as an active scholar.
@medclara13

Yassir Mohamed

Yassir received a medical degree (M.B.CH.B) from University of Benghazi, Libya and MPH (certificates in Epidemiology and Biostatistics) from Boston University School of Public Health. He is interested in health economics and comparative effectiveness research, with a focus on drug addiction and infectious diseases like HIV and other STIs. Before joining the HSR Doctoral Program, he worked as a Clinical Trials Manager in charge of major industry and NIH funded studies at Fenway Health. Additionally, he served as a biostatistics consultant in the development of NIH grants at Fenway and other local Boston institutions.

Martha Mulugeta

Martha Mulugeta is a doctoral candidate in the Health Services Research program at Boston University School of Public Health. She is interested in using mixed-methods research to evaluate the impact of interventions and policies on marginalized populations. More specifically, her interests and past research have centered around health disparities regarding access to care among immigrant and low-income communities. Prior to attending Boston University, Martha received a BS in Neuroscience from the University of St. Thomas and MPH in Epidemiology from Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health.

Yuxin “Curney” Ni

Yuxin “Curney” Ni previously worked as a research assistant at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill project-China and focused on delivering digital network-based secondary distribution of HIV self-testing among Chinese men who have sex with men. Ni is interested in employing mixed-methods research to identify perceived hurdles and develop evidence-based innovative HIV prevention interventions among sexual and gender minorities through community-engaged strategies.

Claire A. Pernat

Claire A. Pernat, M.Phil., is a doctoral student and an AHRQ T-32 fellow in the Department of Health Law, Policy, and Management at the Boston University School of Public Health. Her research focuses on migrant health and access to and utilization of preventive health services, notably vaccination. She also serves on the Advisory Committee for AcademyHealth's Global Health and Health Care Interest Group. Prior to her enrollment at BUSPH, she conducted research in the field of health services and public health at various institutions, including NORCE--Norwegian Research Centre, Massachusetts General Hospital's Cancer Center, Department of Surgery, and Institute of Health Professions, as well as the University of Minnesota's Program in Health Disparities Research. Claire holds a B.A. in Community Health from Tufts University and an M.Phil. in Global Development with a specialization in Health Promotion from the University of Bergen in Bergen, Norway.

Yi-Jung Shen

Yi-Jung brings a strong passion for investigating major healthcare system challenges on the care fragmentation and the impact of health system reforms. Her research interests focus on improving care integration and understanding complex interactions between care providers, both interpersonally and interorganizationally. Before joining Boston University, Yi-Jung received her BA from Taipei Medical University and MS from National Yang Ming University in Taiwan where she worked as a project coordinator and data analyst.

Sooyeon Song

Sooyeon Song is a PhD candidate in Health Services and Policy Research at Boston University. Her research goal is to better understand how clinicians respond to payment and delivery reforms, such as selective contracting and telemedicine. Her dissertation project focuses on measuring the value of physician practices. She used econometric techniques to analyze large datasets, including claims and administrative data, EHR (labs and vital signs), clinician salary information, and patient experience survey. Prior to her doctoral training, she worked in government management in global health and practiced clinical internal medicine. She received her MPH in health policy and management, BS in nursing, and BA in philosophy in South Korea. blogs.bu.edu/songsy/

Haoran Tao

Haoran Tao is a PhD student in the Health Services and Policy Research program at Boston University School of Public Health. His research interests revolve around quantitative studies focusing on health insurance market characteristics and policies, healthcare access, and health disparities in vulnerable populations, etc. Before attending Boston University, Haoran earned his MSPH in Health Services Research at Emory University and a BS in Pharmacy at Xi'an Jiaotong University.

Jih-Cheng Yeh

Jih-Cheng (Jack) Yeh is an Integrated Care for Addiction, HIV and HCV Research and Education (ICAHRE) T32 Predoctoral Fellow. He is passionate about addressing health disparities among vulnerable populations such as underrepresented racial/ethnic and sexual/gender minorities at a population level. His research interests include social determinants of health and related inequalities surrounding health outcomes related to alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, and opioids. He’s especially drawn to harm reduction approaches that incorporate strategies for long-lasting positive treatment outcomes.  Jack obtained his B.S. from the University of Washington and MPH from National Taiwan University.

Sugy Choi, PhD, MS

Sugy Choi, PhD, MS, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Population Health at New York University Grossman School of Medicine. She received her PhD. in Health Services Research from BUSPH in 2021. She is interested in conducting evaluations of state and federal health policies and programs, with a focus on improving access to treatment services for vulnerable populations like individuals with Medicaid, substance use disorder (SUD), HIV, and other severe mental illnesses. Her dissertation identified multilevel facilitators and barriers to addiction treatment services for pregnant and parenting women to improve access and engagement in SUD treatment.

Why were you interested in getting a PhD in Health Services Research?

I wanted to strengthen my knowledge of national population health research and to engage in practical and translational research that can impact the most vulnerable populations. I was particularly interested in learning about innovative and practical approaches to solve health disparities and inequities. Finally, I realized that I needed more training to conduct independent research, and thought a PhD in HSR will help me develop the research skills necessary to become an independent researcher.

What stood out about the PhD program at BU?

I was drawn by the rigorous research methodology classes at BUSPH and its extensive research, training, and service in addiction treatment and policy. Additionally, the emphasis on interdisciplinary studies in HSR appealed to me.

How do you feel the program prepared you for your current position?

The HSR program trained me in many ways of conducting research: conceptualizing research questions and study designs driven by a framework, carrying out hypotheses using rigorous methods, and scientifically sharing and disseminating results.

Stephanie Ettinger de Cuba, PhD

Stephanie Ettinger de Cuba is Executive Director of Children’s HealthWatch, a multistate research and policy network based at Boston Medical Center. Dr. Ettinger de Cuba has worked on issues related to the health of young children and their families in program, policy/advocacy, and research roles. She has published on connections between health/health care utilization and public program participation, food security, and housing stability, particularly focused on equity and children of immigrants. Dr. Ettinger de Cuba served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Bolivia and received her BA from the University of Michigan and her MPH in International Health from BU School of Public Health.

Why were you interested in getting a PhD in Health Services Research?

My career has had a lot of zigzags that allowed me to gain experience in a wide variety of fields and roles, ultimately coalescing around a core interest in the health and health care utilization of families and children and how they are affected by changes to public policy and the environment they live in. I had worked on research in various roles for a long time and realized that to pursue my own interests and ideas as a researcher, I would need a PhD. Moreover, I knew my abilities were strong in some areas but limited in others, and I wanted to strengthen my skillset in both quantitative and qualitative study design and analysis.

What stood out about the PhD program at BU?

When I came to the department for the first time to see if my interests fit within Health Services Research, I was greeted with enthusiasm.  What was supposed to be a 30 min exploratory meeting turned into a 2-hour conversation. The then-director of the PhD program introduced me to the professor who later become my advisor and I found we had so much to talk about. The department’s focus on mixed methods was really exciting to me and, given my own unusual path to Health Services Research, I was excited to hear about all of the cross-disciplinary work that was happening.

How do you feel the program prepared you for your current position?

I took on my current position during my time in the PhD program, which was definitely a challenging balancing act to ensure I was giving my best to both roles – and to my family – during that period.  However, the benefit of working while studying is that each informs the other.  I could see immediate applications in my work leading our research and policy network of the concepts and theories I was learning in class. Simultaneously, I could bring my real-world experience into class to ground conceptual discussions.  The program’s focus on being a critical thinker, designing rigorous methods, writing succinctly, and constantly asking questions have made me both a better leader and a better researcher.

Yevgeniy Feyman, PhD

Yevgeniy Feyman is an economist in the Office of Health Policy in the Office of The Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. His research has been published in a variety of journals including JAMA Health Forum, Health Affairs, Health Services Research, and Health Economics. Previously, Yevgeniy worked at the Veterans Health Administration and the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health. His research areas include Medicare Advantage, Veterans health, and prescription drug utilization. Yevgeniy received his BA in economics and political science from Hunter College, City University of New York.

Why were you interested in getting a Ph.D. in Health Services and Policy Research (HSPR)?

I realized early on in my career that I didn't want to do research for the sake of research. I wanted to apply rigorous methods and deep policy knowledge to answering important questions that matter and have the potential to affect policy. This meant that I needed to find a program that was committed to teaching the theory and context while also prioritizing empirical methods and helping to build experience during the program.

What stood out about the HSPR Ph.D. program at BU?

One of the first things I noticed was that all of the faculty in the HSPR program were committed to doing meaningful research. On the day of my interview, I learned about all of the interesting and important questions that faculty were interested in and how they worked to incorporate students into the work they were doing. Everyone was warm and welcoming, and willing to chat about research and opportunities to collaborate. Lastly, the ability to conduct analysis related to operations at the VHA was a big plus. This was the kind of work I was hoping to do, where the effects and implications are clear.

How do you feel the program prepared you for your current position?

The combination of learning health policy across various areas of specialization, from faculty with different approaches to answering important research questions, gave me a huge advantage in my current role. Additionally, the emphasis on learning and applying rigorous causal inference methods with large datasets helped me jump right into complicated projects as soon as I started at ASPE.

Kevin Griffith, PhD

Kevin Griffith is an assistant professor in the Department of Health Policy at the Vanderbilt School of Medicine and an investigator at the Boston VA Healthcare System. His work has been published in a variety of journals including Health Affairs, JAMA Network Open, Diabetes Care, and Medical Care. Prior to joining Boston University, Kevin worked for the U.S. Army and Department of Defense where he evaluated the costs and outcomes of interventions to improve mental health & resilience in active duty soldiers.  He received his M.A. in Public Policy & B.S. in Economics from The Ohio State University.

Why were you interested in getting a PhD in Health Services Research?

My unusual journey to health policy has shaped the types of questions and research I’m interested in. I’ve worked in government at various levels, observed public programs in action, worked with their data. I’ve developed a lifelong commitment to making these programs better – not simply because I am interested in their effectiveness, although that is important. I want these policies to be informed by research and evidence, and to use that evidence to improve their incentive design, effectiveness, and value. I wanted the PhD so that I could serve as principal investigator, enabling me to select research topics that I care most about and set my own research agenda. I've also always enjoyed teaching and mentorship, and I knew that a PhD would open doors to academia where I could continue these experiences.

What stood out about the PhD program at BU?

My campus visit to Boston University was very different from my experiences at other schools. The faculty were warm, articulate, and seemed genuinely eager to learn about my interests and background. Office doors were open and folks seemed to enjoy each other's company. The department also has a large and diverse faculty, both in terms of educational background and research areas. So there's ample opportunities to get involved in research, no matter what topic you're interested in. I also appreciated the ability to specialize in health economics, and to take coursework or collaborate with professors in the Department of Economics and Questrom School of Business. Lastly, the faculty have strong links with the Veterans Health Administration which was attractive given my  background working with military populations.

How do you feel the program prepared you for your current position?

The coursework provides a strong foundation in study design, quantitative and qualitative research, and conceptual models for health services research. I also had numerous opportunities to serve as a teaching assistant and to collaborate with various professors to gain applied research experience. Faculty supported and encouraged me to conduct my own research, present at conferences, and to write articles for peer-reviewed journals. My mentors also provided critical grant-writing expertise and guidance, which helped me to obtain NIH funding for my dissertation and prepared me to take advantage of future opportunities.

Michal Horný, PhD

Michal Horný is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences at Emory University and an Affiliate Research Fellow at the Harvey L. Neiman Health Policy Institute. His work examines how health policy, provider incentives (payment models), and patient incentives (cost-sharing and other aspects of health insurance benefit design) impact the use of care and ultimately health outcomes, with a particular focus on cancer screening and diagnostic imaging. He is also interested in drivers of health care spending and the assessment of the value of care.

Why were you interested in getting a PhD in Health Services Research?

My preoccupation with the health care system was triggered early by my parents—both practicing physicians. After graduating from college, I worked for a consulting company. I enjoyed the few healthcare-related projects in which I had the opportunity to participate, but I regretted that I did not have a role in the decision-making on which problems of the health care system to prioritize. Even more importantly, I quickly started to realize that my skills and knowledge were limited and I needed a more rigorous education.

What stood out about the PhD program at BU?

The program at BUSPH offered a combination of three aspects that I found extremely valuable. First, not only did BUSPH have several excellent faculty members that were associated with the program, but they were also generally available to students and always willing to help. Second, I found the size of the program just right. On the one hand, the number of students in a typical cohort offered an intellectually stimulating environment as well as an opportunity to make friends; on the other hand, I always felt connected to the program. Third, I appreciated the opportunity to learn not only to conduct high-quality research but also to teach.

How do you feel the program prepared you for your current position?

I believe the program prepared me well. Although the learning process never ends, the program gave me a strong knowledge base and taught me how to teach myself new skills whenever a need arises.

Hillary Mull, PhD, MPP

Hillary Mull, PhD, MPP is an investigator from VA Boston Healthcare System’s Center for Healthcare Organization and Implementation Research (CHOIR), as well as a research assistant professor in the Department of Surgery at Boston University Medical School. Dr. Mull received her PhD in Health Services Research from the Boston University School of Public Health in 2011. She also has a Master's in Public Policy from the University of Michigan and her BA in Japanese from the University of Michigan. Dr. Mull completed a VA HSR&D-funded Career Development Award on adverse event surveillance in outpatient surgery in 2018. She is interested in the application of informatics tools to increase the efficiency of patient safety surveillance and to improve quality of care, particularly in outpatient settings.

Why were you interested in getting a PhD in Health Services Research?

I had been studying informatics tools for adverse event surveillance as a health policy analyst. I had so many questions and ideas about how these tools could be harnessed with data from electronic medical records to improve care. I realized I could only lead my own research with a PhD and that HSR would give me the desired skills to achieve an independent research career.

What stood out about the PhD program at BU?

The faculty are wonderful, not just because of their extensive research portfolios but because of their genuine commitment to student’s success.

How do you feel the program prepared you for your current position?

I continue to work with a lot of BUSPH faculty, and without getting my PhD at BU I don’t think I’d have this job!

Naomi Sacks, PhD

Naomi Sacks is a Director for Precision Xtract, part of the Precision Medicine Group. At Precision, Naomi focuses on delivering scientifically rigorous and commercially relevant health economics and outcomes research to global biopharma clients. Before joining Precision Xtract, Naomi was an Instructor and Project Director in the Department of Quantitative Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts Medical School, where she directed research on Acute Myocardial Infarction (AMI) hospitalizations and outcomes in elderly Medicare beneficiaries. This research used Medicare administrative data to evaluate trends in AMI hospitalizations and post-AMI mortality, variations in these trends by race, sex and age, and trends in the coding of AMI over time, in response to financial and other incentives. Naomi is an adjunct professor at the Tufts University School of Medicine, where she is course director for Introductory Health Economics and Topics in Health Economics courses.

Why were you interested in getting a PhD in Health Services Research?

I came to the BUSPH program in HSR from a career in software quality assurance, and prior graduate training in social anthropology. When the software industry imploded in the early 2000's, I was suddenly—and unexpectedly—unemployed. I enjoyed SQA, but didn’t find my work meaningful, and was reluctant to seek another tenuous position in what was then a shaky industry.  I had been involved in a retrospective analysis of diabetic foot ulcers using insurance claims data in my most recent position at a biotech software startup, and, while I didn’t know it then, I was hooked on health services research. A BUSPH PhD epidemiologist whom I had met at the biotech startup encouraged me to consider the BUSPH program.

What stood out about the PhD program at BU?

My graduate program in social anthropology emphasized qualitative research. But my subsequent work in software and data analysis was quantitative. The Health Services Research program, which was new at the time, provided training in both quantitative and qualitative approaches to research. The interdisciplinary aspects of HSR also appealed to me, given my interdisciplinary background. Finally, as the mother of 3 children (then ages 10, 15 and 17), the part-time option at BU enabled me to continue to work and support my family while completing my degree.

How do you feel the program prepared you for your current position?

I now work for the Precision Medicine Group where I design, implement and oversee health economics and outcomes research. Much of my work involves using large, administrative databases—claims and/or electronic medical record data. Coursework in health economics, health policy and survey design have been valuable to me in this work. Most important, my dissertation work prepared me for designing and implementing research on the economic and clinical burden of disease and treatment outcomes. I am also an adjunct assistant professor at the Tufts University School of Medicine, where I teach introductory health economics courses to MPH and other graduate students. HSR faculty were very helpful as I prepared my first classes.

Kertu Tenso, PhD

Kertu Tenso is a data scientist in Apree Health, an advanced primary care and health technology company. She obtained her Ph.D. in Health Services Research from BUSPH in 2024. Kertu is passionate about employing advanced methodologies to deliver actionable healthcare insights, including assessing the effectiveness and value of different healthcare tools and programs. Her doctoral dissertation focused on utilizing machine learning and causal inference techniques to explain and predict suicide outcomes.

Why were you interested in getting a Ph.D. in Health Services and Policy Research (HSPR)?

During my master's program at Sciences Po Paris, I interned at the World Health Organization and Institut Pasteur. Through these internships, I realized that I needed a stronger technical background to conduct advanced research. This realization led me to pursue a Ph.D. to build a solid methodological foundation for healthcare research. Additionally, I wanted to enhance my understanding of the American healthcare system, as my previous experience was mainly in global health.

What stood out about the HSPR Ph.D. program at BU?

Three main reasons led me to choose this program. First, it's one of the top public health schools in the United States, offering advantages like outstanding professors and strong financial support and opportunities. Second, I appreciated the program's flexibility, which allowed us to pursue our own interests and take additional courses essential for our career paths. Third, I found the environment at BUSPH to be much more supportive and uplifting than many other schools I had visited, and that was the kind of environment I wanted to be in.

How do you feel the program prepared you for your current position?

I believe the program did an excellent job of preparing me for my current data science job. It offers a strong foundation in quantitative methods courses, and it also allowed me to take additional methods courses, including data science courses, that were crucial for my dissertation research and career development. I appreciated the opportunity to engage in interdisciplinary work; for example, one of my committee members was from the MIT Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department. Additionally, my research assistantship at the Veterans Health Administration provided hands-on data analytics experience working with electronic health records, which certainly helped me secure my current position. I also valued how supportive the department and my advisors were of my decision to pursue a non-academic career path.

Hill Landon Wolfe, PhD, MPA

Why were you interested in getting a PhD in Health Services and Policy Research?

I pursued a PhD because my experience in various policy roles, including in human rights and higher education, deepened my interest in how social and policy factors shape health and healthcare access of individuals and communities. I wanted to develop advanced skills in public health research methods and their practical application, focusing on underserved populations, with the goal of generating evidence to advance health equity and improve outcomes.

What stood out about the HSPR PhD program at BU?

The HSPR PhD program is one of the few policy-focused programs offering comprehensive training in both quantitative and qualitative methods. Both the HSPR PhD program and School of Public Health are highly ranked and is home to faculty with diverse expertise across public health, medicine, and policy. The faculty also bring valuable experience from both academia and government which enhances the program's practical and theoretical foundations.

How do you feel the program prepared you for your current position?

The program provided me with numerous opportunities to collaborate with faculty on competitive grants and projects, allowing me to both lead and assist in studies utilizing a variety of rigorous research designs in health services research. The skills I developed through these experiences have been essential in designing and leading studies as part of my work at the CDC. Additionally, while in the program, I was able to connect with researchers across different schools, centers, and universities, expanding my professional network and leading to further opportunities.

The Health Services and Policy Research PhD Program Profile offers a statistical portrait across key metrics, which we hope will provide prospective PhD students a clear sense of the program.

Boston University’s PhD Program Profiles

There is no ideal applicant because each person brings unique strengths and training needs to the program. Having said that, we look for strong analytic skills as well as written and oral communication skills, experience in health services and policy research, and a demonstrated commitment to improving health care access and delivery for vulnerable populations. In addition, we look for a good fit with current research projects underway in our department. A full list of application requirements can be found here.

We begin reviewing applications after December 1st. We will reach out for virtual interviews in January and competitive applicants will be invited to campus for a round of in-person interviews with several of our faculty from the department in mid-February. Applicants will be notified of final decisions in late-February/early-March.

We typically receive over 150 applications for about 8 seats.

Applicants invited to campus will have several opportunities to meet with current students in formal and informal settings. We are also happy to arrange individual connections on request.

No, you do not need a faculty member to sponsor you.

Yes, you can mention faculty or research projects you are interested in in your statement of purpose. There is also a space on the application to list faculty members and research projects.

We do not recommend applicants reach out to faculty members at this stage. There will be time to connect with faculty members through virtual interviews and on-campus interviews later in the application process.

We are committed to fully funding all of our full-time doctoral students. Funding includes tuition and fees as well as a monthly stipend. The program has three standard funding tracks with more details available on our website:

• NIDA T-32 Training Grant
• AHRQ T-32 Training Grant
• PEPReC Graduate Research Assistantships

The T-32 Training Grants are only open to US citizens and permanent US residents, but the Graduate Research Assistantships are available to international students. These opportunities usually require demonstrated interests and skills in quantitative data analysis.

Our program is designed to train applied research professionals who will study and improve health care for vulnerable populations including immigrants, low-income families, and racial and sexual minorities historically underserved by American health care financing and delivery systems.

We are located next to Boston Medical Center, which is the largest safety-net hospital in the Boston area and we work closely with the network of community health centers in the area as well as with the US Department of Veterans Affairs, a national safety-net delivery system for low-income and disabled veterans.

We have extensive ongoing research related to access to care, social determinants of health, mental health and substance use disorders as well as related infectious diseases, evaluation of policy and program effects on vulnerable populations, and health care financing and payment policy.

5 years is the most common time in the program.

Unfortunately, no. You cannot attend the program part-time or online.

Most students spend the first 2 years taking courses and working on collaborative research projects with faculty. They take the qualifying exam in the summer or winter after year 2, and then develop a dissertation topic and recruit a committee during year 3. The next step is to write and orally defend their dissertation proposal (usually in year 3 or 4) and then write and defend the dissertation between years 5 and 7.

About half of our graduates pursue careers in academia and the other half take jobs in government, non-profits, consulting, and industry.