Mission Statement

The Department of Health Management and Policy at The University of Michigan School of Public Health prepares qualified and motivated men and women for high-level careers that span the entire spectrum of health administration and policy analysis. By seeking admission to our graduate programs, applicants declare their desire to become complete professionals: to acquire the necessary skills of contemporary management and policy analysis, to acquire the knowledge to use skills effectively, and to develop the values that are essential for addressing the unique problems and humanistic goals of health care and public health.

Statement of Ethical Values

Vision

In the Department of Health Management and Policy, we believe that future leaders in our field must possess or develop qualifications in four broad areas:

First, they must have demonstrable leadership potential, be highly motivated, articulate, and able to master a complex body of material. We look for these attributes in our applicants.

Second, they must acquire knowledge of the economic, medical, epidemiological, social and political phenomena that relate specifically to health and the health care industry, and they must have a firm grasp of the organizational factors that influence the health of populations and the need for health services.

Third, they must acquire and learn to apply the basic skills of business administration or policy analysis. As health managers or policy makers they must function successfully as agents of change, and as such must be able to identify both the shortcomings and the potentials of the system as a whole and the organizations in which they work. They must understand the processes necessary to marshal economic, political, and organizational resources to improve the system's performance. They must be able to develop financially viable programs and gain community support for their effort.

Finally, our students and graduates must be committed to health care as a fundamental expression of social good will. In their careers they must be willing to support programs that benefit all people, including minorities, the disadvantaged and the poor, and that seek to narrow the gap between the healthiest and most disadvantaged sectors of society.

Values

A growing number of people and groups recognize the excellence of the Department's Masters degrees. We take pride in that recognition. Many factors go into our success, including student selection, our faculty, the mentoring our graduates receive and their record on the job. Of particular importance is the effort in the classroom, both by faculty and students.

In 2000, the faculty approved this statement of some of the expectations we believe are essential to continue and improve our achievements.

Our faculty gain great satisfaction from the study of health and health care, both in the exploration of new ideas and research, and in communicating a growing body of knowledge to students.
We expect our students to share our enthusiasm, now and through their careers. We all have favorite topics and others we like less well but must master to support professional competence. We expect students to approach topics they like less well with an open mind and diligent study. We want to say that each of our graduates, "has mastered all the areas necessary for professional success."
Our faculty prepare for each class, striving to make an orderly flow of new information and reinforcing the old so that each student has a chance to master the skills, knowledge, and abilities offered.
We expect our students to prepare with the same diligence. Students whom we rate highly come to class prepared, participate actively in the discussion, and are always willing to help others learn.
We respect our colleagues, who bring unique skills to Michigan and contribute to its excellence.
We expect our students to respect faculty, guests, and peers. In particular, we believe students have much to teach one another, and we expect all students to participate in an environment of mutual growth. We welcome suggestions on the improvement of our classes. These should be offered in a manner designed to promote careful evaluation and effective response, as would be appropriate in any professional interaction.
The University of Michigan actively supports diversity, in recognition of the worth of all humans, and the Nation's practical needs in the 21st century. The faculty support this commitment. We expect our students and alumni to join us in that support.
We recognize and respect the extra effort necessary to diversify health care leadership.
The faculty believe that scrupulous honesty is the foundation of excellence. We expect students and alumni to share that belief, and to apply it diligently in all their work. We stand ready to investigate reports of misconduct, with due regard to the rights of individuals, and to act constructively in the light of the evidence.

Minority Recruitment

The Department of Health Management and Policy believes strongly that a diverse student body is critical to the education of all students in the School of Public Health. Since much of the burden of illness in the U.S. falls disproportionately on ethnic and racial minority populations, we feel that it is essential for minority students to be represented both in the classroom and in healthcare institutions. We believe that members of minority groups may be more sensitive to both the health needs of minority populations and the factors that affect their health status.

One of our major activities designed to increase the diversity of our student body is the Health Management and Policy Summer Enrichment Program (SEP). This is an 8-week paid internship program for undergraduate sophomores and juniors that places students in health care organizations throughout Southeast Michigan. Click here to see the SEP web site. The department also participates in a wide variety of recruitment activities, such as minority career days and visits to historically black colleges and universities, which focus on attracting students from underrepresented minorities.