PhD in Health Law, Policy, and Management
Program: Health Law, Policy, and Management
Degree: Doctor of Philosophy
Credits: 73
Length of Program: 4 years/8 Semesters
Term: Fall
Format: Hybrid
Our PhD in Health Law, Policy, and Management equips students with the knowledge and skills needed to delve deeper into the root causes of health outcomes among population groups in the United States. This interdisciplinary degree is designed to enable students to develop distinctive and pioneering approaches and interventions to tackling complex issues in an increasingly evolving health system.
Students will have the opportunity to be a part of the only doctoral program in health law, policy, and management that directly incorporates the Political Determinants of Health framework by Daniel E. Dawes. By learning from Dean Dawes himself, as well as other top-ranked faculty, who incorporate his framework into effectuating change at the most upstream levels to have the greatest impact on moving the health equity needle forward. This program will be the first to apply such a unique lens across countries that may be facing similar challenges and sharing novel approaches to developing solutions together.
What to Expect:
- The PhD in Health Law, Policy, and Management requires completion of a minimum of 73 credit hours, including choosing a dissertation topic and research.
- All classes will be held virtually with select in-person sessions at our Meharry Medical College campus. This is a non-residential program, relocation to Nashville is not required.
- This program is intended to accommodate the working adult; therefore, live virtual courses are offered during the evenings.
- Students will engage with world-class faculty who are passionate health equity champions, bringing a wealth of knowledge and professional experience to the classroom from various spaces including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, The White House, the United States Congress, World Health Organization, United Nations General Assembly, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Insurers, Biopharmaceuticals, Biotechnology, Medical Device Companies, Disparities & Health Equity Research, Law & Policy, Responsible Artificial Intelligence, Geographic Information Systems, Medicine, Public Health, Management, Urban & Regional Planning, Clinical Trials, and more.
- This program aims to provide both domestic and global professional and scholarly experiences. Additionally, students will participate in distinguished lectureship series and skill-based workshops.
Students looking to participate in this program come from a variety of professions and training backgrounds
The SGH PhD candidate is well-rounded and looking to expand their knowledge and experience of the intricacies of navigating and managing health law and policy in global health. Students who wish to pursue this program will have already –in some way, shape, or form, begun working on this endeavor to advance health equity. At their core, these individuals are health equity champions within their own ecosystem, and will come from a variety of professional and academic backgrounds. Some examples include public health, medicine, nursing, allied health, mental and behavioral health, STEM, social sciences, political science, health law and policy, justice and advocacy work, social work, community health work, etc.
While there is no one perfect mold, the ideal candidates will be:
- self-motivated,
- bring their intellectual curiosity and lived experiences – both personal and professional, into the classroom,
- engaged in various health-related topics both in and outside of the classroom,
- and committed to the advancement of health equity for all.
This program is fully accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.
PhD Admissions Process
Step 1
Complete your free SGH application here (no application fee required):
https://student.wd12.myworkdaysite.com/meharrymedicalcollege/MMCSGH
- Complete your personal statement, please use the designated prompt below for your specific program (minimum of 500 words)
- Health Law, Policy, and Management, PhD:
- I) Identify an existing law or policy that has perpetuated health inequities. What amendments or reforms would you recommend to transform it into a tool for equity?
- II) How will you utilize the Health Law, Policy, and Management PhD degree to overcome the observed challenge(s) in your chosen area of interest. The student is encouraged to discuss lived experiences (academic, professional, or personal) in their response.
- Complete Short Answer Questions: complete the short answer questions with a maximum of 300 words permitted per response, located on the online application
Step 2
Gather your application documents:
- Letters of Recommendation
Three letters of recommendation are required, at least two of which must be from an academic mentor (major professor, thesis advisor, etc.) who can speak to the applicant’s potential to undertake graduate studies.
- Official transcripts
Applicants must submit official transcripts of coursework attempted and completed at all previous colleges and universities whether or not a degree was earned at the institution. Please ask your institution to send official college transcripts electronically directly to the School of Global Health at sghenrollment@mmc.edu
If the institution prefers to mail transcripts, please use this address:
School of Global Health
Meharry Medical College
3401 West End Avenue
Suite 160
Nashville, TN 37203
All submitted transcripts become the property of the Meharry Medical College and will not be returned.
Test scores are not required for consideration into our program
STEP 3
Final Decision
- Once all documents have been appropriately submitted to SGH, they will be reviewed by the Faculty Admissions Committee.
- Applicants being considered for the PhD must undergo an interview, SGH will contact applicants directly to coordinate a designated date and time.
- All applicants will receive a final decision response by e-mail.
STEP 4
Admitted Students
- Accept your admission decision by submitting your seat deposit. This will be sent via e-mail.
- Complete your FAFSA and make sure to send information to Meharry Medical College.
- Our central Office of Admissions and Recruitment at Meharry Medical College will contact you to begin your journey as a Meharrian.
- All applicants possessing a baccalaureate degree must have earned a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 (on a 4-point scale) in the last 60 semester hours (approximately two years of work).
- Applicants possessing a master’s degree must have earned a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 (on a 4-point scale).
- Applicants possessing a baccalaureate degree including some graduate work, but not a graduate degree, must have earned a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 (on a 4-point scale) individually in both sets of coursework.
Course Offerings
Download our course offerings here.
Total: 15 Credit Hours
*Courses and course title are still in review process and subject to change.
Specialization coursework (include total credit hours and course names in a list):
Students are expected to complete 46 credit hours in specific coursework geared towards varying topics related to factors affecting health outcomes.
Students who enroll in the PhD in Health Law, Policy, and Management program will be exposed to a wide spectrum of coursework such as but not limited to:
- Applied Legal Epidemiology
- Emerging Technology
- International Law
- Leadership
- Policy Design and Writing
- Policy in Global Health Practice
- Persuasive Policy Communication
- Practice and Leadership of Health Policy and Health Equity
- Advanced Health Economics Approaches
- Justice Theory and Health
In addition, students will have the opportunity to gain exposure to health disparity/equity research abroad or domestically, through an applied learning experience.
Total: 12 Credit Hours
Dissertation and Defense:
Consistent with Meharry Medical College’s goal of developing distinctive and pioneering approaches to teaching, the School of Global Health’s Doctor of Philosophy program in Health Law, Policy, and Management, will pair each student up with a faculty member to guide them in the development of their doctoral thesis and research. Each student is expected to conduct independent research in each semester of year four, respectively. The student is at liberty to choose a health law and policy issues related to their own research topic, and complete a thesis based on 1) their professional experience, 2) their academic experience, 3) their Applied Experiential Learning, or 4) any combination thereof. Conferral of the doctor’s degree is contingent upon a student’s successful defense of their dissertation in the final semester of year four.
Celeste Philip, MD, MPH,
Associate Dean, Applied Health Practice, Professor Public Health Practice
Interim Chair, Department of Public Health
Celeste Philip, MD, MPH, is a physician leader with two decades of public health and medical experience in local, state, federal, and international settings. She…
Fazal Khan, MD, JD,
Department Chair, Population Health
Professor of Health Law, Policy, and Management
Dr. Fazal Khan, MD, JD, serves as the department chair for population health and professor of health law, policy, and management. Dr. Khan brings a…
Michael C Caldwell, MD, MPH, FACP,
Professor of Public Health Practice, School of Global Health
Associate Vice President, Vaccine Research & Education Chief Medical Officer, Dry January USA Associate Professor, Internal Medicine, and Professional & Medical Education Meharry Medical College
Dr. Caldwell joined Meharry Medical College in August 2021. He provides leadership for health communications, vaccine research & education, as well as alcohol research, education…
Leah Alexander, PhD, MPH,
Associate Professor, Public Health Practice
EDUCATION BA, Psychology, Spelman College MPH, Health Behavior, University of Alabama, Birmingham-Ryals School of Public Health PhD, University of Alabama, Birmingham-Ryals School of Public Health…
Wansoo Im, PhD,
Professor, Department of Population Health
Faculty Advisor, MS in Health Equity
EDUCATION Ph.D. in Urban Planning and Policy Development, Rutgers , the State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ M.U.R.P in Urban and Regional Planning,…
Cost per credit hour for the 2025-2026 academic year
The total cost per credit hour for the current academic year is estimated to be $1,626*.
Estimated annual tuition for 2025-2026: $29,278
Click here to download the SGH Tuition PDF 2025-2026
*Tuition & fees are subject to change.
*This rate is subject to change on an annual basis.
Scholarship Consideration Deadline: December 15
Completed applications submitted by December 15 will be reviewed for merit-based scholarship opportunities. Only a select number of qualified applicants will be awarded. Scholarships are competitive and dependent on the strength of the applicants completed application, supporting documents, and interview. Awardees will receive a formal SGH scholarship award letter in the spring. Please note, at this time we are only able to offer partial scholarship support to select students.
External Scholarships
Applicants are encouraged to apply for external scholarship opportunities where available.
Mahia Valle, MBA
Director, Communications and Enrollment Management
School of Global Health,