Fellows will pursue a Ph.D. degree in one of four departments at the University of California, Los Angeles: Health Services, Economics, Epidemiology, or Sociology. In addition, they will become involved in research projects with some of the country's leading researchers at UCLA or at the RAND Corporation's Health Sciences program. This combination of doctoral-level course work with hands on research experience provides fellows with strong qualifications to pursue the study of health services in an academic, research, or government setting.

Grants provide support for tuition and fees, plus a stipend (currently $20,772 per year) for two years. Travel money is also available for fellows to attend professional meetings. Although support after the second year is not guaranteed, fellows have a number of other funding opportunities through UCLA and RAND.

The training program has three components:

• training in health services research methods
• grounding in an academic discipline
• training and practice in health services research and policy applications

Course Requirements

Fellows must fulfill all requirements for the Ph.D. program in the department in which they are enrolled. In addition, those enrolled in the Department of Health Services must choose a "minor" from one of several disciplines.

The Department of Health Services requires that its Ph.D. students complete a minimum of 17 full graduate-level courses (usually 4 units each) in research methods, statistics, and health services applications. During the first year of the program, fellows are required to enroll in the department's 3-quarter sequence in research methods, and during the second year, attend a weekly seminar series focused on health services applications. Fellows are also required to complete a minimum of three graduate level courses in their minor area. Finally, at least three issue-related courses must be taken at UCLA or RAND.

You may contact Marleis Dietrich to obtain more information about the Department of Sociology at (310) 825-1026. If you are interested in the Department of Epidemiology, please contact Barbara Garcia at (310) 206-3901. For the Department of Economics, contact Lora Clarke at (310) 206-1413. In addition to completing all course work towards a Ph.D., fellows enrolled in these departments are required to fulfill requirements specific to the training program. These include the 3-quarter sequence in health services research methods in the Department of Health Services during the first year, the Department of Health Service's weekly seminar series on health services applications during the second year, and at least three issue-related courses at UCLA or RAND.

On-the-Job Training

Fellows will also obtain hands-on experience in conducting health services research and policy analysis. Beginning the second quarter of the first year, they will choose to work for 10 hours per week on an ongoing research project at UCLA or RAND. UCLA and RAND have numerous ongoing projects in the health services research area. These fall into several areas, including:

• access/utilization among the underserved
• assessing quality, effectiveness, and outcomes
• health behaviors
• alternative delivery systems
• hospital and physician payment
• health care cost containment
• technology assessment
• private health insurance
• international comparisons