Program Overview

Introduction to the Health Services Research PhD Program

The Health Services Research doctoral program at George Mason University prepares students to apply rigorous methods and conduct independent research studies on the delivery, financing, and outcomes of health care services. Drawing from faculty in the social sciences, public health, and health informatics, this post-master's interdisciplinary PhD program equips its graduates with the skills to analyze data and yield findings that will inform health policy, enhance quality of care, and improve outcomes at scale.

Program Overview

Since its founding in 2015, the PhD program has yielded innovative research to advance access, quality, and equity in health care. Mason's proximity to Washington DC provides many opportunities to collaborate with experts at federal agencies, nonprofit organizations, and leading health systems.

Key Features

• Use advanced data analytics and methods to address complex healthcare challenges.
• Proximity to Washington DC, federal agencies, think tanks, and health policy organizations.
• Pursue careers in health care systems, consulting, policy, informatics, and academia.

Concentration Tracks

The program offers two concentration tracks:

• Health Systems and Policy (HSYP): Prepares PhD students to evaluate, design, and implement policies that impact health care delivery and financing. Gain expertise in U.S. health care systems and learn how to communicate findings and shape evidence-based policies to improve cost, access, and quality.
• Knowledge Discovery and Health Informatics (KDHI): Prepares PhD Students to apply computational methods to develop solutions that address complex health challenges. Develop skills in machine learning, predictive analytics, and big data modeling to support innovations in clinical, administrative, and public health settings.

Program Structure

This 72 credit-hour PhD program consists of:

• A common core curriculum covering health services research (HSR) methodologies (30 credits)
• Concentration coursework (30 credits) in one of the two tracks: Health Systems and Policy or Knowledge Discovery and Health Informatics
• A dissertation sequence designed to develop independent research capabilities (12 credits). Students receive 1-on-1 advising support from a dissertation advisor.

Research Topics or Methods

Research topics or methods may include:

• Healthcare workforce
• Temporal data analysis
• Disability and aging
• Causal inference
• Medicare / Medicaid financing
• Agent-based modeling
• Survey data analysis
• Biomedical ontologies
• Qualitative study design
• Complex data analysis
• Ethics in Human Subjects Research
• Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Health Care

Student Opportunities

Health Services Research PhD students engage in research, interdisciplinary collaboration, and funded faculty projects. They regularly present at national conferences, including the AcademyHealth and the American Public Health Association (APHA). Students also gain experience through co-authored publications, mentorship, and applied research in health policy, public health, and informatics.

Career Outcomes

Many of the program's graduates pursue careers as university faculty researchers, senior analysts in government, post-doctoral fellows, consultants, and data scientists in health care provider organizations, and leaders in contract research organizations and private industry. With the development of critical thinking skills and advanced training in rigorous methods and data analysis, the PhD in Health Services Research prepares graduates to lead in research, policy, and data science.

Accreditation Information

The Health Services Research PhD program is accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) as of June 2025.