Health Policy and Management
Shaping policies and leaders for a healthier future.
Located in the heart of the nation’s capital, the Department of Health Policy and Management offers students unparalleled access to U.S. leadership and an opportunity to make lasting and impactful changes to the world we live in. Students focus on developing and advocating for better public health policies while learning how to be effective, productive and compassionate healthcare leaders.
Graduate Degrees and Certificates
The Department of Health Policy and Management offers a number of graduate degrees that allow students to specialize in key aspects of this broad and dynamic field.
Whether you are looking to obtain an MPH or an MHA, options are available to students both in the classroom and online. We also offer a doctorate program and joint degrees. Only a few blocks from the Capital Building, White House and Supreme Court, health policy begins and ends in our community.
Hear from an Alum
Meet Dalia Karadsheh, PharmD and a Master of Public Health alum who found clarity, purpose, and direction through her health policy education. Dalia reflects on what drew her to the Milken Institute School of Public Health’s MPH program and how it shaped her path in public health.
Meet Our Department Chair
Anne Markus, PhD, MHS, JD
Department Chair
The overarching theme of social justice weaves through Professor Markus's work. An expert on the financing and organization of health care and on access to care, she is particularly interested in how the health system addresses - or fails to address - the needs of women, trans and nonbinary persons, minorities and children, including those of low-income and with special needs.
Student Opportunities
HPM in the US
National Opportunities
Each semester, faculty, staff and students from HPM practice what they teach and learn in the classroom with the goal of better health for all.
HPM in DC
In Our Own Community
HPM offers unique opportunities to work with federal agencies on the most pressing public health problems facing the world.
HPM at GW
Here on Campus
GW is home to a wide range of public health research and practice activities both within GWSPH and across the university.
Explore HPM
Research
Our rigorous, objective research focusing on outcomes and ways to improve health and healthcare policies and leadership practices is enhanced by our unique location.
Practice Experience
Our extensive and ever growing partner network enables students to work with leading Washington, D.C. and regional based health organizations as practice settings.
Careers and Alumni
Earning one of our many degrees can lead to a wide range of professional opportunities upon graduating. Click for a sampling of opportunities and alumni profiles.
Department News
New Analysis: Community Health Centers Face Financial Crisis Amid Policy Shifts
GW experts available for interviews
November 10, 2025
New Analysis: Community Health Centers Face Financial Crisis Amid Policy Shifts
Addressing Rural Health Challenges: Lessons from the Field
At the 2025 Geiger Gibson Distinguished Visitor presentation, rural health leader Mary Ann Zelazny shared the realities and resilience of community health centers in upstate New York.
October 30, 2025
At the 2025 Geiger Gibson Distinguished Visitor presentation, rural health leader Mary Ann Zelazny shared the realities and resilience of community health centers in upstate New York.
New National Tracker Reveals Stark Gaps in Rural Medicaid Primary Care Workforce
Data tool from George Washington University offers states critical insights as $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Program gets underway
October 17, 2025