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The New HPHE Doctoral Program: An Interview
Please note: This article was written in November 2003 and some program-specific details may no longer be accurate. Please refer to the Health Policy and Health Education web pages for current information.
D’Youville College has inaugurated its first academic doctoral program with the introduction of a curriculum offering a doctor of education degree (EdD) in Health Policy & Health Education (HPHE). Designed for working professionals who have previously earned degrees in a healthcare field, the program has concentrations in both health policy and health education. D’Youville has been developing the program for the past several years and recently received approval from the New York State Board of Regents to implement it. D’Youville’s 1908 charter allows the granting of doctoral degrees and one was granted to a student in 1912 but no formal doctoral program was in place until now.
Sherry Fontaine, PhD, (was the former) director of doctoral programs at D’Youville College and head of the new HPHE program. Dr. Fontaine spoke with our web reporter on a beautiful late autumn morning about the reasons for the program and some of its specific features. Here’s what she shared with us.
Q: When did the program get underway?
A: We began our first classes in the new doctoral program this fall. We have 14 students in our first class.
Q: Whom is the program designed for?
A: The program is designed to serve working professionals involved in the health care industry. Classes are offered in the evenings and weekends to accommodate working students. It’s designed to be a part-time program. We have people coming from clinical backgrounds such as nurses, physicians’ assistants and nurse practitioners. We have people from administrative backgrounds in health administration, public administration, and business administration. We ask that students have some work experience before entering the program. That enriches the classroom. We’re hoping that students will come in with some administrative and managerial experience. A master’s degree is required for the program.
Q: Are there two separate doctoral programs, one for health policy and one for health education?
A: No, it is one program with a common core. There are four courses that all doctoral students take, and then they select a concentration in either health policy or health education. That’s when they take the concentration courses.
Q: How long does the program take?
A: The core might take one or two years, depending on the student. The maximum estimated time for the entire program is six years, including courses and dissertation. Four years for course work and two years for dissertation. That’s the maximum and it’s based on two courses per semester. Of course, students can finish it earlier. Typically in a part time program, students will average two courses per semester. This program enables you to achieve a doctoral degree while still balancing your career and family.
Q: Will the program focus on current issues in health care systems?
A: Yes, and the program will also provide a foundation for understanding the historical background and policy processes that underlie current policy issues.
Q: What are some of those issues?
A: There are many. We’ve moved from a heavily regulated system to a more market based system involving competition. Consequently, there are a many issues involving insurance and reimbursement and critical issues involving access to care. Policy issues are constantly changing. So as we go through system changes—the new legislation on prescription drugs for Medicare is one example—there will be a host of issues and consequences across the board. The system is always changing. It is important to be able to look at a policy issue, understand the basis of the policy, and understand why the policy was enacted. It’s equally important for students to understand the consequences of the policy and the impact a given policy will have on the health care system.
Q: Are these the kinds of issues that would be addressed in the core segment?
A: The core segment will address current issues in the health care system. For students with management and leadership skills, we want them to have a good understanding of the system, how it operates, how it functions, and how services are delivered. To this end, we offer four courses in the areas of organizational behavior, communications, finance, and policy. These courses provide an excellent foundation for people who enter an educational environment, a corporate environment, a research environment, or a non-profit health care environment.
Q: A press release states that “the program will produce individuals who will help solve contemporary problems in health care delivery so that people will be better served.” How do you envision that happening?
A: By better understanding how the system works. By being able to critically analyze issues and policies. This will help students create better health care delivery systems. The real core of the program is being able to develop critical thinking and problem solving skills. What makes this degree unique is that it focuses on applied research. So when students look at a problem and research a problem, they are taking into consideration what the applications of their research will be.
Q: Is this how a student is led to a subject for a dissertation?
A: Students may find that here’s a health care issue they would like to discover more about. And in the course of their study and dissertation, that’s what they want to focus their research on. When we prepare students for doctoral research, we look at something that’s not merely an exercise in problem solving. Rather it’s a subject that involves doctoral level conceptualizing, understanding and research.
Q: According to the graduate catalog, another program requirement is the writing of a position paper dealing with a substantive issue in health care policy. Is this preparation for the dissertation?
A: Yes, here we’re developing analytical and critical reasoning skills. We also require a student take a comprehensive exam, a common feature of doctoral programs.
Q: Who are the program mentors and what is their role?
A: The mentors are respected and knowledgeable people in the community who will guide the students. Because of the applied focus of this program, in addition to having your academic advisor, each student will be assigned a field mentor. So when we look at a problem academically, a field mentor will say let me help you guide your research so that this same problem or issue can be made applicable to an external organization, to the community. The mentor is going to help shape that research.
Q: Are the mentors in positions that the students are aspiring to?
A: It’s not expected that the students will necessarily take positions in these organizations. The purpose of using the field mentors is that we value their experience and want them to work with the students. Typically they will be on their dissertation committees. They will have strong professional credentials and experience in the health care system. They will help the students in terms of career development but it’s not an internship situation. They’re guiding the students in terms of their research and advising them in their courses. We have two field research courses—in inter-institutional problem solving and intra-institutional problem solving. The mentors are involved in those two field research courses as well, helping to guide the student’s research.
Q: Are the mentors on campus?
A: No, they’re in the community and the students go into the community to undertake their field research. For example, if they’re taking a field research course focusing on inter- or intra-institutional problem solving, the mentor will help define the problem and help them define the pertinent research questions. However, we’d like them to develop a relationship with the mentors early on so that they can help define research issues and questions for other courses as well. That way, when they get to their dissertation they’ll have a clear idea of what research questions they would like to examine.
Q: Is there one mentor for each student?
A: Yes. I think the one-to-one relationship works best. We also work on a cohort system.
Q: How does that work?
A: Cohorts are groups of students who work together, typically about 5 to 10 students. We want to keep the cohorts small. The students get to know each other, work together and go through the program together. This fall we have one cohort; next fall we’ll have two. In the course of the year, they become a more closely knit group because they’re having a common educational experience. Since the students come from different backgrounds, they have different experiences to share. There’s a good interaction and a constructive blend of personalities. So when we study an issue or an article in class, we’re going to get different interpretation and viewpoints. I think that enriches the class.
For more information on applications, admissions, and prerequisites to the HPHE doctoral program, please contact D’Youville College Graduate Admissions at (716) 829-8400 or (800) 777-3921.