Heller encourages all doctoral students to become involved in a research project through one of the four social policy research institutes that contribute to the intellectual foundation and scholarship within the Heller School.
Heller and its nationally-renowned research institutes and centers have pioneered in a variety of policy areas, including health; mental health; substance abuse; children, youth, and families; aging; international and community development; disabilities; work and inequality; and hunger and poverty. At the Heller School, over $11 million of sponsored research projects play an integral part in graduate education, and the social policy institutes and centers serve as an intermediary for students and scholars in policy specialties to secure resources and respond to funding opportunities.
Heller Faculty and Areas of Expertise
By coming to Heller, you will be choosing to work side-by-side with mentors who will hone your research and analytical skills. The relationships you build, both in and out of the classroom, with faculty and research staff will be the foundation for collaborative work when it comes time for the dissertation.
Stuart Altman, PhD
Federal and state health policy
Christine Bishop, PhD
Economics of long-term care for elders
Michael Doonan, PhD '02
State health policy, health care for vulnerable populations
Barry Friedman, PhD
Social security, income maintenance
Deborah Garnick, ScD
Quality of care, managed behavioral health services
Andrew Hahn, PhD '78
Employment, education, youth, community development, philanthropy
Anita Hill, JD
Racial and class disparities, law, women's studies
Constance Horgan, ScD
Financing, organization, and delivery of substance abuse and mental health services
Family support, developmental disabilities
A.K. Nandakumar, PhD
International health policy issues, including financing, national health accounts, household demand and expenditures on health
Susan Parish, PhD
Health and finance well-being of children and adults with disabilities
Jeffrey Prottas, PhD
Organizational behavior, community-based action research
Leonard Saxe, PhD
Psychology, human development
Thomas Shapiro, PhD
Racial inequality, American society
Donald Shepard, PhD
Cost-effectiveness analysis, international health financing
Stanley Wallack, PhD
Prescription drugs, organizational issues in health care
