About the Pathway
The Health Policy Pathway teaches students how to apply policy concepts to current problems and questions in their healthcare environment. Over the course of four electives, the pathway exposes students to fundamental principles of health and science policy that affect doctors, patients and society. Although the pathway is designed to be completed over the course of four years, it can be completed in three years in certain cases. The pathway is comprised of the four electives listed below, which are required for all students intending to complete the pathway.
Course Electives
- MEETH-413 – Introduction to Health Policy. Offered for MS1 during Term MS1-1 and for MS2 during Term MS2-1.
- MEETH-414 – Health Policy Seminar. Offered for MS2, beginning in Term MS2-1b (September) and ending in Term MS1-4 (April).
MEETH-415 – Health Policy Analysis. Offered for MS3 and MS4, 2 times/year in 2-week Block 9 (Oct/Nov) and 2-week Block 20 (Apr).
MEETH-419 – Research in Medical Ethics and Health Policy. Offered for M3 and MS4; can be taken during any open 4-week rotation.
Enrichment Activities
- Developing Issues in Bioethics and Society Seminar Speaker Series
- Annual Health Policy Symposium
- Other speaker events sponsored by the Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy
- Community activities related to health policy, such as activities sponsored by the Texas Medical Association and the Harris County Medical Society
How to Commit to the Pathway
To commit, students must meet with Pathway Leadership no later than the Fall term of their MS2 year to review the program requirements and timeline. Once the student has met with Pathway leadership, they must submit a Pathway Commitment Form. Students who wish to use their Inquiry Project (IP) as their Pathway capstone must submit this form by December 31 of the MS2 year. A Pathway commitment form can be subsequently submitted for students who chose to complete separate IP and capstone projects but must still be submitted to be considered part of the pathway.