Health Policy and Management
Gain the leadership skills to help solve complex health-related problems.
Health policy and management optimizes the trade-offs among cost, quality, and access to health services. The field develops and uses models based on organizational, economic, decision, and motivation theories to understand the health care system; analyze its strengths and weaknesses; and design, implement, evaluate, and improve programs.
Our programs prepare you for leadership positions in academia, health care organizations, and health-related agencies. Faculty expertise includes public health policy, economic evaluation of health services, violence and injury prevention, maternal and child health policy, health inequities, and health care quality.
We use an interdisciplinary approach that blends social, behavioral, economic, and political science for a broader perspective on health services and policy. You’ll come away equipped with the conceptual models, analytical foundations, and practical skills to solve complex health-related problems, including understanding of:
- Social, economic, legal, and political issues that impact policies
- Management of health programs and institutions
- Managerial problem-solving in oral and written communication
Explore our programs
Jump in faculty research funding for the School of Public Health and Health Sciences from 2017 to 2022
Job growth projections for health services managers through 2031, much faster than average
Research Areas
Benefits list
Career-Focused Programs
Our degree programs prepare public health professionals for managerial and administrative positions in health organizations and institutions (both voluntary and private), and in planning and regulatory bodies of federal, state, and local health agencies.
Opportunities Await You
You’ll find a wealth of opportunities to research health policy issues and explore field work through the Center for Community Health Equity Research, Center for Program Evaluation, and Institute for Global Health, all of which are led by Health Promotion and Policy faculty.
CEPH Accreditation
Every program in the department of Health Promotion and Policy, like every other department within the School of Public Health and Health Sciences, is fully accredited by the Council of Education for Public Health, a key benefit of attending UMass.
Alumni spotlight
In the spotlight
“I have been incredibly fortunate to work as a research assistant for the Center for Community Health Equity Research (CCHER), which has encouraged me to incorporate a health equity lens into my research. I can build on what I have learned about health equity by applying it to questions around policing, criminal justice reform, and drug policy.”
Featured faculty
Laura Attanasio
Focus on maternal health; women’s reproductive health; health equity; patient-provider relationship
David Chin
Focus on health care quality measurement, health policy, health informatics, and high-dimensional data.
Jennifer Whitehill
Graduate Program Director, Department of Health Promotion and Policy
Focus on injury prevention; substance use; cannabis policy; social media; mobile technology and health (mHealth).
In the news
SPHHS Announces 2024 Research Day Award Winners
The School of Public Health and Health Sciences held its annual Research Day on April 17, 2024, in the Campus Center Auditorium.
In Memoriam: Paula Stamps
Paula L. Stamps, Professor Emerita of Health Promotion and Policy, passed away on March 22, 2024.
In the Media: News Roundup (March 22, 2024)
SPHHS researchers comment in multiple media outlets on health-related topics.
Health Policy and Management
Providing leadership skills to help solve complex health-related problems.