Population Health Management (MSc)
Programme structure
The competence-oriented programme trains you to look and act with a cross-domain and innovative view; become an academic strategic partner who speaks the language of different domains, with focus on medicine, data science, behaviour and governance.
In all courses, project cases, research activities and internships is the practical translation of the academic competence at stake. Close connection with real-world health care practice is emphasized. You will be trained in research skills, but also in communication and presentation competences to argue and discuss different perspectives for new health care strategies in the complex arena of various stake holders.
The curriculum offers a seamless evolution from a monodisciplinary start to an interdisciplinary and eclectic expertise.
Check our curriculum overview.
First year
In the first semester, after an introductory course on Population Health Management, students take four courses with monodisciplinary knowledge on epidemiology, governance, data analytics and behaviour. The second semester covers interdisciplinary courses on topics like alternative payment models, syndemics and predictive modelling. The first year is completed with two courses on implementation: panel management and implementation. Two real life project cases, which run parallel to the programme, ensure the mutual consistency between the first year courses.
All first year courses:
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Fundamentals of Population Health Management (5EC) Study Design (5EC) Health and Health Behaviour (4EC) Governance (4EC) Responsible Data Analysis (5EC) Alternative Payment Models (4EC) Projectcase I (6EC) Syndemics (5EC) Predictive Analytics (5EC) Panel Management Next Level (5EC) Implementation: putting PHM into action (5EC) Projectcase II (7EC) |
During two orientation weeks in the first year, you are supported in constructing your own individualized second year programme in which you choose a specialization in epidemiology, data science, governance or syndemics.
Governance
Integration of care increasingly requires collaboration between professionals and organizations in health care networks. Apparent competing interests need to be aligned for the health of the individual and the population. These developments go beyond every day practice and require advanced competences and skills in governance, organization and planning.
Syndemics
In disadvantaged populations, accumulations of risk factors intertwine with complex social problems that lead to an excessive burden of disease and interventions that are ineffective. In syndemic research and interventions, "context is key," as structural factors such as poverty, stigma, and oppressive social relations, are considered causally involved in pathways to poor health. In this course you will gain knowledge of syndemic theories and learn how to operationalise these in research and interventions.
Panel Management
For specific patient groups, a new strategic care pathway will be designed, based on a solid data analysis. This pathway needs to be implemented and monitored using existing data registries. Specific challenges are the implementation in an network of competing interests and the monitoring on indicators based on existing data registries. The effect of these new pathways for specific populations is assessed using mix methods techniques.
Second year
The first 30 ects of the second year are reserved for deepening your knowledge, skills and competences in one of the four in depth specialisations: Governance, Syndemics, Data Science or Epidemiology. Within the chosen field, you are allowed to make your own individualized programme. In order to help you make a good choice and create your individual programme, the coordinators organize two orientation weeks during the first year.
You will get the opportunity to follow courses at Leiden University or universities abroad combined with internships in national or international organizations or research institutes; we have a broad network of international partner universities. All acquired competences will come together in the final piece of the Master’s programme: the final research project.
The courses and internships per specialisation can be found below. You can find a more detailed overview here.
Cources:
- Collaborative Governance
- Data-Driven Policymaking
- Public Policy and Values
- Management and Change of Public Organizations (in het Nederlands)
- Regulatory Policy: Theory and Practice
- Visual Anthropology of Health
- Imigration, Creativity and Health: Arts and Communication
- Design Thinking for the Greater Good: Innovation in the Social Sector
- Design Practice in Business: Spark Innovation Like a Designer
- One Health Summer School
Examples Intership Topics:
- How can Health Professionals Promote a Healty Lifestyle from a Positive/Population Health Approach?
- Finding the Way Towards more PHM on the Central Coast
- Implementation Strategy Chronic Care
- Maternal Health
- Access to Medicines in Vulnerable Populations
- Implementation of PHM in the Region of Ede, The Netherlands
- The Role of Planetary Health for PHM
- Health Data Governance
- Striving Towards an Optimal Format for the Organization Group Consultations
Courses:
- Qualitative Research Methods Course
- Basic Therapeutic Skills
- Designing Interventions for Behavioral Change
- Psychological Assessment and Interventions in Chronic Disease
- Cognitive Behavior Interventions
- Medical Anthropology
- Cross-Cultural Psychology of Health and Illness
- Mixed Methods
Examples Intership Topics:
- 4th Trimester Arizona Village Evaluation Tool
- Heart Disease in Pregnant Women
- Traineeship European Parliament
- Qualitative LGBTQ Research Project
- FRESHAIR4Life Project
- Mom-and-Baby Unit for Maternal Mental Health
Courses:
- Introduction to Machine Learning
- Data Science in Practice
- Software Development and Product Management
- Introduction to Deep Learning
- Social Network Analysis for Computer Scientists
- Missing Data and Causal Inference
- CS50's Introduction to Programming with Python
- Python for Data Science and Machine Learning Bootcamp
- Machine Learning with Imbalanced Data
- Systems Thinking
- Big Data Analytics
- Text Mining
Examples Intership Topics:
- Data Science in Relation to Policy and Implementation
- Literature review
- Diabetes Type 2 Referral Optimization
Courses:
- Capita Selecta
- Survival Analysis
- Meta-Analysis
- Causal Inference
- Repeated Measurements
- Sex, Reproduction and Development
- Text Mining
- Prediction Modelling and Intervention Research
- START-Course
- Using R for Data Analysis
- Regression Analysis
- Meta Analysis
- Biostatistics in Public Health Specialization
Examples Intership Topics:
- Data-Driven Policy Making
- Unwanted Pregnancy
- Using Proteomics to Identify Risk Factors for Cardiometabolic Diseases in a Dutch Population
- Physical Activity in Parkinson's Disease
- Outcome Differences Between Insulin Resistance Subtypes in Adults aged 45-65
- Health Monitor - Substance Use in Adults
- Dutch Obesity Study
International experience
The international nature of the scientific field of PHM and its worldwide relevance demands an international environment. We encourage you to broaden you international scope during your second year by taking courses or arrange an internship abroad at one of our partner universities (among others: Johns Hopkins University Baltimore (USA), University of Newcastle (Australia), University of Cape Town (South Africa) and University of Toronto (Canada) or through our partner organisations (the LERU Association and the International Foundation of Integrated Care (IFIC)).