Health Policy and Practice
The successful implementation of public health programs requires the ability to understand and address complex policy questions. This is true for public health practitioners working on issues such as climate change, initiatives to curb obesity or tobacco use, and programs that ensure access to reproductive healthcare. In each case, practitioners must understand the policies and politics of health systems, as well as the central economic and organizational factors at play.
The Certificate in Health Policy and Practice prepares MPH students for this critical role. The program provides a valuable framework for students from diverse disciplines, equipping them with the knowledge and skills necessary to integrate issues of healthcare quality, access, and cost with the associated political, social, and economic factors.
Drawing on the expertise of the school’s faculty, students will learn from professors with firsthand experience in policy strategy and formulation. Graduates will be able to apply these skills both in the United States and internationally, in a variety of public health fields, including population and family health, environmental health, and epidemiology.
Admissions Eligibility
The Health Policy and Practice certificate is open to Columbia MPH students in:
- Biostatistics
- Epidemiology
- Population and Family Health
- Sociomedical Sciences
Students interested in applying to this certificate must submit a statement of interest describing how the certificate aligns with their professional and academic goals.
Competencies for This Certificate
Graduates of the program will be able to:
- Analyze the history and structure of the U.S. healthcare system and explain how social, political, legal, and economic forces have shaped it.
- Assess key policies and components of the U.S. healthcare system, including public and private insurance coverage and regulation, quality monitoring, payment methods, and healthcare financing.
- Apply economic theories to analyze the healthcare system and healthcare policies.
- Design policy solutions based on a sound analysis of stakeholder perspectives, political institutions, technical feasibility, and value acceptability.
- Evaluate innovative policy solutions to emerging healthcare system challenges.
Learn More
Visit the Certificates Database to learn more about core and credit requirements.
Sample Courses
Public Health Law
This course introduces students to:
- Basic principles of the U.S. legal system.
- Major elements of the legal framework governing healthcare administration.
Students will gain familiarity with legal terminology and approaches while analyzing federal and state statutes, regulations, and case law relevant to healthcare administrators, providers, and consumers. The course explores how public policy shapes healthcare law and vice versa.
By the end of the course, students will:
- Understand the legal principles governing healthcare administration.
- Recognize common legal issues and approaches to managing them.
- Develop a foundational understanding of key healthcare laws.
- Gain insight into the relationships among major players in healthcare delivery and their implications for ethics, law, and public policy.
The course also examines constitutional law through the lens of public health policy, evaluating tensions between individual and collective concerns. Students will assess public health issues from a legal perspective, considering federalism, morality, economics, and the politics of science.
Health Policy and Political Analysis
Addressing complex policy issues requires strategic engagement from political actors. This course explores various strategies, including:
- Reframing issues or introducing new evidence to stimulate coalitions.
- Persuading legislators that supporting controversial measures may benefit their careers.
- Engaging the media in making complex policy issues accessible and compelling.
- Changing the venue of policy debates—such as filing lawsuits or shifting discussions to different legislative bodies.
The course provides a deeper understanding of the key actors and the best venues for policy change. Students will apply these theories to real-world case studies, including tobacco regulation, children's health insurance expansion, Medicare, auto safety, and bone marrow transplants.
Health Policy and the Political System
Why does the government play such a central role in healthcare? What unique factors in American politics have shaped our current healthcare system, and how much change is possible within these constraints? This course examines:
- The role of major institutions, including the federal government, private sector, and interest groups, in shaping health policy.
- Normative and cross-national perspectives on healthcare policy.
- The impact of political changes on policy shifts (or lack thereof).
Students will explore topics such as political history, policy formation, market forces, economic influences, and potential future changes in the healthcare system.