Pharmaceutical Health Outcomes and Policy

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Pharmaceutical Sciences

Application Deadline for Fall 2023: January 3, 2023

The Pharmaceutical Health Outcomes and Policy (PHOP) Concentration within the Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences offers a learning and research environment that combines the collaborative opportunities of the Texas Medical Center’s world-class healthcare and scientific community with the academic resources and award-winning faculty at Houston’s only Carnegie Institute-designated Tier One public research university.

Pharmaceutical Health Outcomes and Policy consists of pharmaceutical practice and policy research, a multidisciplinary field that examines cost, access, and quality of pharmaceutical care from clinical, sociobehavioral, economic, organizational and technological perspectives.

Traditional and innovative areas of pharmaceutical health outcomes research include pharmacoepidemiology, pharmacoeconomics, comparative effectiveness research, patient-centered outcomes research, and translational research.

Program Eligibility

Completion of the PHOP Concentration of the Ph.D. program requires a minimum of 75 credit hours and successful defense of a doctoral dissertation. Applicants with a pharmacy background and/or advanced training will be given preference, and prospective students with health care-related backgrounds and/or experience are encouraged to apply.

Curriculum

The graduate program offers structured learning and experiences in health care systems, health care quality, health behavior, biostatistics, multivariate analyses, research methods and design, pharmacoepidemiology, and pharmacoeconomics.

Elective courses such as secondary data analyses, multilevel modeling, patient-reported outcomes, and risk adjustments provide advanced learning experiences, along with the opportunities to participate in grant proposal writing and teaching and research practicums.

Graduate courses in healthcare administration and healthcare evaluation and policy also are available from TMC academic institutions, such as The University of Texas School of Public Health and the University of Houston Clear Lake, to provide well-rounded graduate training in pharmaceutical health outcomes and policy.

Faculty

The PHOP Department's faculty members come from a range of backgrounds, including pharmacoepidemiology, practice-based research, public health, biostatistics, and socio-behavioral and administrative pharmacy.

Among our faculty are recipients of awards and/or research grants from such organizations as the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality (AHRQ), the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)/Texas Health and Human Services Commission, and pharmaceutical companies.

Program Dynamics

Yearly enrollment on a competitive basis
Financial assistance for qualified applicants based on availability
Collaboration with health care institutions in the Texas Medical Center and beyond
Collaboration with the pharmaceutical industry and pharmacy organizations

Financial Aid

Almost all of our students (international and domestic) are awarded stipends from Research or Teaching Assistantships, and are reimbursed for all tuition and fees. Please see the Financial Aid section for more details.

Job Opportunities

Pharmaceutical Health Outcomes and Policy Concentration graduates are in high demand by the pharmaceutical industry, healthcare consulting groups, pharmacy benefit management companies, healthcare organizations, academia and government/regulatory agencies.