Greetings,
I am writing to introduce our Master of Science program in Health Policy and Economics at Cornell's medical school in New York City. The program provides a strong foundation in economic concepts and current policy issues pertaining to health care. Students learn to apply advanced research methods to evaluate policies and programs while gaining hands-on experience in data analysis under the mentorship of faculty members. I have copied some information about the program below. Please feel free to contact our department if you have any questions. If you would like to discuss the program in more detail, I'm also happy to talk with you via Skype.
Thank you for your interest in our program.
Sincerely,
Hye-Young Jung (“Arian”), PhD
Assistant Professor, Department of Healthcare Policy and Research
Director, Master of Science in Health Policy and Economics
Weill Cornell Medical College
402 East 67th Street, Suite 232
New York, NY 10065
Phone: 646-962-8047
Fax: 646-962-0281
Master of Science in Health Policy and Economics
Weill Cornell Medical College of Cornell University
Goal of the MS in Health Policy and Economics
Our program seeks to train the next generation of leading healthcare researchers and analysts. Students learn to apply advanced research methods to evaluate policies and programs while gaining hands-on experience in data analysis under the mentorship of faculty members.
Job Prospects
After completing their degree, our students have career opportunities as researchers and policy analysts in the healthcare industry, federal and state health departments, research institutes, academia, and consulting firms. Employers in these fields increasingly need individuals with advanced skills in analytics, economics, policy evaluation, decision science, and implementation science ? and our alumni are well-prepared for Ph.D. programs if they wish to further pursue their studies. Each student will be paired with a faculty member to mentor their thesis and provide advice on career paths. One of our recent alumni is currently Director of Data and Analytics for a healthcare startup ? Please read more about her story online.
Student Backgrounds
Students enter our program with unique experiences and diverse backgrounds including individuals with bachelor's degrees in areas such as public policy, biology, sociology, and economics, in addition to people with medical degrees and others with prior experience in healthcare professions. We have close ties to other departments within the Medical College and University, Cornell Tech, and New York-Presbyterian Hospital.
Mentoring
We keep our class sizes and student-to-faculty ratio low so that our students get the most personalized experience possible. Because of this, mentoring with a faculty member throughout the program is provided to all of our students. Many even continue their relationship well beyond becoming alumni and working in their careers. Our faculty within the Department of Healthcare Policy and Research have over 170 years of combined experience and are experts in topics such as health policy, informatics, economics, health services research, biostatistics, epidemiology, cost effectiveness, and comparative effectiveness.
The Curriculum
As the name implies, the curriculum for our program provides a strong foundation in health policy and economics. Understanding how incentives present in the nation’s healthcare system influence the cost and quality of care is essential to keep up with the changing healthcare landscape and to provide the best care possible. Our students learn to conduct rigorous analyses with healthcare data using statistical computing packages such as SAS, Stata and R. Using the results of these analyses, they can better comprehend how changes in health policy and new interventions in the delivery of care may improve the health of people across the country.
Differences between an MPH and Our Program
There are differences between an MPH and our program. For example, most MPH programs tend to place greater emphasis on population health and epidemiology. MPH programs also tend to be more theoretically oriented while our Health Policy and Economics program is more applied with a practice-based focus. Our program emphasizes a broader policy perspective to include payment policy, health insurance coverage, and structural issues related to the healthcare delivery system. Our goal is to prepare our students to work effectively in organizations and in the related policy environment as well-trained healthcare researchers with strong analytic skills.
Application
Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences will begin accepting applications for the Master of Science in Health Policy and Economics on Thursday, October 1, 2015. Master of Science in Health Policy and Economics offered through the Department of Healthcare Policy and Research at Weill Cornell Medical College. Full-time students can complete coursework in 12 months and part-time students in 18-24 months. Standardized test scores are not required. However we encourage applicants to take and submit scores as they can help strengthen an application.
