Shaping Visionary Leaders in the Future of Healthcare and Public Health
In the department of Management, Policy, and Community Health (MPACH), we strike a harmonious balance between academic rigor and practical involvement.
Equipping students with the tools to lead health departments, government agencies, healthcare organizations, research facilities, and culturally sensitive programs is our mission.
We teach a variety of professionals and prepare all for work in healthcare, medical industries, social science research, health departments, non-profits, and community-based organizations – all collaborating to enhance both clinical and societal well-being.
Our faculty creates a dynamic learning environment that seamlessly integrates real-world insights with classroom theories, drawing from their own experiences as well as the knowledge our students share. This constructive intersection between real-world experience and formal education enriches our curriculum and fosters a vibrant culture of engagement and mentorship throughout our department.
Welcome! On behalf of the dedicated faculty, staff, and the vibrant community of scholars in the Department of Management, Policy, and Community Health (MPACH), I extend our heartfelt congratulations as you embark on your graduate journey with us.
At MPACH, you are presented with a range of exciting academic opportunities. We offer master's and doctoral programs in Community Health Practice, Healthcare Management and Policy, and Health Economics and Health Services Research, alongside certification options in Healthcare Administration, Leadership Theory and Practice, and more.
Our strategic location within the Texas Medical Center (TMC), the largest medical center in the world, grants you unparalleled access to a network of over 21 hospitals, academicinstitutions,innovation hubs and healthcare enterprises.
As you progress through your academic pursuits, the prospect of engaging in cutting-edge research awaits you within our affiliated Centers or through collaborations with TMC's esteemed research institutions. Additionally, our department fosters active participation in MPACH student organizations tailored to your specific interests, such as The Board (focused on management), AcademyHealth (centered on health services research), or ISPOR (dedicated to pharmacoeconomics and outcomes research), and many more.
The achievements of our graduates span the globe, with alumni making significant contributions in academic and research institutions worldwide, leading local and regional health departments, directing government agencies and community organizations, and managing healthcare systems, hospitals, and clinics.
We eagerly anticipate offering you an enriching intellectual home within the UTHealth School of Public Health and supporting your journey to make a meaningful impact inthe field of public health.
Aanand Naik, MD
Department Chair
Community Health Practice
Pushing for progress on the front lines of public health in communities.
Community Health Practice focuses on understanding social, economic, cultural, inter-organizational, and geographic factors to promote or protect the health of specific populations. Our community health programs help students learn to use those societal building blocks to develop, implement and evaluate programs rooted in social justice and health equity. Upon graduating, our students go on to build the bridges between theory-based interventions and practical application, often working directly with community members to create grassroots partnerships and programming that support population health needs.
Healthcare Management and Policy
One of the few Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education (CAHME) accredited Master of Public Health degree programs.
Healthcare management and policy programs provide an overview of the components and dynamics of health systems, a close examination of the operations of health services organizations, and an analysis of the impact of policy and politics on health systems and the health of populations. Graduates enter a variety of administrative or operational roles in health service delivery organizations and the organizations that regulate, finance and supply health services. The MPH HCM master program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Care Management Education.
Fast Facts
In 2023-2024, the MPH-HCM program had:
105
MPH Students
11
faculty members with academic and professional experience in healthcare management
100% of graduates report the degree provided them the organizational management skills to meet the demands of their job
96% of graduates reported being employed full time <6 months after graduation; 75% at the time of graduation
90% of graduates completed the M.P.H. program within 3 years; 20 months is median time to graduate
90% of graduates experienced practical opportunities to apply their public health knowledge
About 70% of graduates worked full-time while in the program
Graduates in fellowships earn an average salary of $65,000
Median job salary for graduates $85,000
Health Economics and Health Services Research
Measuring success to improve healthcare for all.
The Health Economics/Health Services Research program provides specializations in either health economics or health services research. The program helps understand how health services, systems, technologies and policies can be designed to function in a way that is effective, equitable, efficient, and ethical. Students train under faculty who have teaching and research expertise in fundamentals of health economics, healthcare supply and demand, economic evaluation of public health, survey design, quantitative/statistical methods, big data management and analysis, health outcomes and quality of care studies, disparities in healthcare, economic and social determinants of health, healthcare decision making, and healthcare policy.
Management, Policy and Community Health (MPACH) Research
We provide an enriching and dynamic research environment characterized by numerous grant-funded initiatives and significant partnerships with the Texas State Government, as well as various health and community organizations of prominence. MPACH is also affiliated with the Center for Health Services Research, the G.M. Fleming Center for Healthcare Management, the Institute for Health Policy, and the Center for Health Care Data, which all offer additional opportunities for leadership and enriching experience.
Our research interests and efforts include:
- Community
- Accountable Health Communities/Accountable Communities for Health
- Collective Impact and other collaborative interventions
- Integrated Data Systems
- Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR)
- Cultural Competence & Diversity
- Military/Veterans
- Homelessness
- Long-term Care
- Criminal Justice
- Designing & Conducting Surveys
- Biomarkers and Self-Sampling
- Survey Design & Implementation
- Program Evaluation / Comparative Effectiveness
- Multi Agency Collaborative Interventions
- Formative and Outcomes Evaluation
- Statistical and Econometric Methods in Comparative Effectiveness
- Health Economic Evaluations
- Cost Effectiveness and Cost Benefit Analyses
- Net Benefit Estimations
- Budget Impact Assessment
- Econometrics (Statistical and Regression Based Approaches for Economic Evaluation)
- Uncertainty, Sensitivity and Scenario Assessment
- Environmental
- Climate Change
- Cumulative Risk
- Tobacco Waste
- Management
- Health Information Technology
- Leadership Effectiveness
- Managerial Economics / Finance
- Organizational Theory
- Quality improvement and Evaluation
- Value-based Healthcare
- Community and Organizational Needs and Asset Assessment
- Population Health Management
- Youth Participatory Action Research for Community Health Assessment
- Policy
- Policy Evaluation
- Behavioral Health Outcomes
- Medicaid Waiver Evaluation
- Safety Net Providers
- Public and Private Insurance
- Health System Reform
- Qualitative
- Ethnography
- Qualitative Methods
- Secondary Data Preparation & Analysis
- Claims / Administrative / Clinical
- Health Care Utilization
- National Survey
- Registry & Census Data
- Spatial
- Built Environment / Urban Economics
- GIS / Spatial & Cluster Analysis / Visualizing Geographic Distributions
- Spatial Econometrics
- Spatial Autoregressive and Advanced Regression Techniques
- Disease Conditions
- Behavioral Health
- Cancer outcomes research
- Cardiovascular outcomes research
- Diabetes Outcomes Research
- Epilepsy
- Global, Indigenous
- Infectious Diseases including Hepatitis and HIV
- Smoking
- Methodological
- Measurement of Health Services and Health Needs
- Survey Instrument/Questionnaire Design
- Health Economic Evaluation Methods
- Statistical, Data Analytical, and Econometric Methods
- Social Network Analysis
- Software and Application Design
Degree programs
The Department of Management, Policy and Community Health offers the following degrees:
Master of Public Health (MPH)
Doctor of Public Health (DrPH)
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Certificates offered
The Department of Management, Policy and Community Health offers the following certificates:
For non-degree seeking students:
- Healthcare Administration Certificate
- Leadership Theory and Practice Certificate
- Cancer Health Economics and Health Services Research (in development)
For degree-seeking students:
Contact us
Carol Galeener, PhD
Professor, Admissions Coordinator
[email protected]
Leticia F. Valles
Academic and Admissions Advisor III
(713) 500-9196
[email protected]
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Our Impact
November edition has been released! Take a minute to check it out and subscribe to stay connected with us.
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Testa awarded $6.2 million NIH grant to address firearm violence with hospital-based program
A five-year, $6.2 million grant to implement a hospital-based intervention program to address firearm violence has been awarded to researchers at UTHealth Houston by the National Institute of Nursing Research, part of the National Institutes of Health.
Researchers leading the project are Sandra McKay, MD, associate professor of pediatrics with McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston, and Alexander Testa, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Management, Policy and Community Health at UTHealth Houston School of Public Health. -
Celebrating Teaching Excellence: Laura Uribarri and Ginger Raya Win Teaching Innovation Awards
Laura M. Uribarri, PhD, MPAff, and Ginger Raya,EdD, MPA, MS, have been awarded the Teaching Innovation Award for the academic year 2024-2025
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School of Public Health Ranked Top 25 Best Public Health School by U.S. News
UTHealth Houston School of Public Health has achieved top 25 ranking among 209 graduate schools of public health, according to the U.S. News & World Report.
Among publicly-funded institutions offering graduate-level degrees in public health, UTHealth Houston School of Public Health ranks No. 9 nationally, and holds its position as No. 1 in Texas.
Read moreSchool of Public Health Ranked Top 25 Best Public Health School by U.S. News
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Raya Receives 2024 TAMACC Woman of Distinction Award
Ginger Raya, EdD, MHA, MPA, an associate professor at UTHealth Houston School of Public Health in El Paso who leads the George McMillan Fleming Center for Healthcare Management, has been recognized by the Texas Association of Mexican American Chambers of Commerce (TAMACC) as a 2024 Woman of Distinction.
Read HereRaya Receives 2024 TAMACC Woman of Distinction Award
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Catherine Troisi, PhD, published article in Spring Link
Past-Year HIV Testing, Current Antiretroviral Therapy Use, and Participation in Services for People Who Inject Drugs
Read HereCatherine Troisi, PhD, published article in Spring Link
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Jack Tsai, PhD, MSCP, and Youngran Kim, PhD, published article in Medical Care
on the Performance of the Elixhauser Comorbidity Index
Read HereJack Tsai, PhD, MSCP and Youngran Kim, PhD, published article in Medical Care
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Gabriela Gallegos, JD, MPP, Safeguarding Triathletes
Associate Professor of Management, Policy & Community Health, Gabriela Gallegos, JD, MPP, serves on the executive board of World Triathlon.
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Gordon Shen, PhD, Jack Tsai, PhD and Alaina Beauchamp, PhD, MPH (UTSW) have been awarded a grant under the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Health Data for Action program.
The goal of the study is to generate important, significant, and policy-relevant information aimed at upstream solutions to improve population health and well-being, including the need for innovative service and payment models that integrate medical and social services.
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NEW DEGREE OFFERING
Earn and MPH in Healthcare Management in El Paso
Beginning fall 2022, the master of public health (MPH) in Healthcare Management will be offered with a hybrid of online and in-person classes on Friday evenings and Saturdays at the Medical Center of the Americas Foundation building to meet the needs of working professionals.
