What UCSF Phillip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies (IHPS) does

The UCSF Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies (IHPS) is an interdisciplinary academic research institute founded in 1972 within the UCSF School of Medicine, headquartered at 490 Illinois Street, Floor 7, San Francisco, California. It was the first interdisciplinary health policy research group at a major health sciences campus and was formally established as an organized research unit by the Board of Regents of the University of California in 1981. The institute's core activity is conducting and translating multi- and interdisciplinary health policy and health services research across 12 focus areas, including Access to Care, Aging & Long-Term Care, Child & Adolescent Health, Reproductive Health, Quality/Cost/Value, Healthcare Workforce, Informatics & Digital Health, Social and Commercial Drivers of Health, and Substance Use & Mental Health. It serves policymakers at local, state, national, and international levels; healthcare systems and providers (including UCSF Health, UC Health ACO, and the San Francisco VA Health Care System); health policy scholars and trainees; and vulnerable populations.

The institute's product portfolio is non-commercial and consists of research outputs (peer-reviewed publications, policy analysis, technical assistance to agencies such as CMS), educational programs (the Master's in Health Policy and Law, Philip R. Lee Health Policy Fellowship, National Clinicians Scholar Programs, UCSF-Kaiser Family Foundation Fellowship, Emerging Scholars Program), and public engagement platforms (monthly Grand Rounds, Chancellor's Health Policy Lecture Series, the annual Health Services Research Symposium, and the IHPS Impacting Policy Series webinars). There is no proprietary technology stack, no patents, and no commercial software products. The business model is entirely grant- and donation-funded: revenue streams comprise federally and privately funded research grants and contracts (NIH, federal/state government, private foundations), endowment income from three named chairs (Caldwell B. Esselstyn Chair in Health Policy, Claire D. and Ralph G. Brindis Endowed Professorship, Brenda and Jeffrey L. Kang Presidential Chair in Healthcare Finance), educational program fees, and philanthropic donations through UCSF giving programs (including the Philip R. Lee Next Generation Fund and the IHPS Director's Rapid Response Fund). The institute operates as part of the public University of California system under The Regents of the University of California, with reported core staff of 13, and has been led by four directors across its 50+ year history: Philip R. Lee (1972-1993), Harold Luft PhD (1993-2008), Claire Brindis DrPH (2008-2020), and current Director Joanne Spetz PhD (2020-present).

Name

UCSF Phillip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies (IHPS)

Legal name

The Regents of the University of California

Website

https://healthpolicy.ucsf.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1972

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The UCSF Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies (IHPS) is a 50+ year-old interdisciplinary academic research institute within the UCSF School of Medicine that conducts health policy and health services research across 12 focus areas, trains scholars through graduate and fellowship programs, and provides technical assistance to federal, state, and local policymakers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Health Policy Research

SIC

Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)

akta.pro primary industry

Health Equity, Access & Social Determinants Programs (BPAIAJAO)

akta.pro secondary industry

Economic Evaluation & Health Technology Assessment (Public Programs) (HLAJANAL)

Keywords

• Health policy research
• Health services research
• Policy education programs
• Postdoctoral health fellowships
• Health economics research

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Research Grants and Contracts: Federally and privately funded research grants from agencies such as NIH, federal and state government, and private foundations support the institute's research activities and operational costs.
2. Educational Program Fees: Revenue from master's programs, postdoctoral fellowships, and training programs including the Master's in Health Policy and Law, Philip R. Lee Health Policy Fellowship, and National Clinicians Scholar Programs.
3. Philanthropic Donations: Gifts and donations through UCSF giving programs support the institute's work, including the Philip R. Lee Next Generation Fund, IHPS Director's Rapid Response Fund, and endowed chairs.
4. Endowment Income: Income from endowed chairs and professorships including the Caldwell B. Esselstyn Chair in Health Policy, Claire D. and Ralph G. Brindis Endowed Professorship, and Brenda and Jeffrey L. Kang Presidential Chair in Healthcare Finance.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

IHPS conducts interdisciplinary health policy and health services research across 12 focus areas (including access to care, aging and long-term care, child and adolescent health, reproductive health, quality/cost/value, healthcare workforce, informatics and digital health, social and commercial drivers of health, and substance use and mental health). It delivers graduate and postdoctoral training programs, including the Master's in Health Policy and Law, the Philip R. Lee Health Policy Fellowship, the National Clinicians Scholar Programs, the UCSF-Kaiser Family Foundation Fellowship, and the Emerging Scholars Program, alongside public engagement events such as Grand Rounds, the Chancellor's Health Policy Lecture Series, and the annual Health Services Research Symposium.

Product overview

The Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies (IHPS) is an interdisciplinary academic research institute within UCSF that offers a portfolio of educational programs, research services, and professional development offerings rather than a unified technology product. The core offerings include graduate education (Master's in Health Policy and Law), postdoctoral fellowships (Philip R. Lee Health Policy Fellowship, National Clinicians Scholar Programs, UCSF-Kaiser Family Foundation Fellowship), faculty development (Emerging Scholars Program), and public engagement through lecture series (Grand Rounds, Chancellor's Health Policy Lecture Series) and the annual Health Services Research Symposium. Research activities span multiple focus areas including healthcare systems, population health, and clinical practice.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Interdisciplinary Health Policy Research Multi- and interdisciplinary research conducted by IHPS faculty across 12 focus areas including Access to Care, Aging & Long-Term Care, Child & Adolescent Health, Reproductive Health, Quality/Cost/Value, Healthcare Workforce, Informatics & Digital Health, Social and Commercial Drivers of Health, and Substance Use & Mental Health, producing evidence-based publications and policy analysis for government, healthcare systems, and academic partners.
• Master's in Health Policy and Law Graduate-level educational program training students in health policy and law, offered by IHPS at UCSF.

Quantifiable outcome

• 95% of hospitals compliant with desegregation standards within one year of Civil Rights Act provisions taking effect (through Dr. Lee's leadership)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• UCSF Healthforce Center (School of Dentistry)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIHPS Director Dr. Joanne Spetz serves as Associate Director for Research at the UCSF Healthforce Center, which is a nationally recognized resource for health workforce research and policy analysis.
• UCSF Schools and DepartmentscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIHPS collaborates closely with UCSF schools and departments, other universities, the private sector, government, and community-based organizations to address issues critical to the health of the public.
• UC-BerkeleycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with UC-Berkeley on health workforce and financing research as part of Dr. Spetz's work leveraging multiple research, training, practice and service improvement programs across campus.
• UC-Hastings School of LawcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with UC-Hastings School of Law on healthcare financing and policy research as part of cross-campus efforts.
• Stanford UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParallel and complementary efforts underway at Stanford University in healthcare financing and policy research.
• San Francisco VA Health Care SystemcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with SF VA Health Care System on healthcare financing and policy research as part of cross-institutional efforts.
• Center for Healthcare ValuecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIHPS houses research initiatives related to healthcare value and financing in collaboration with the Center for Healthcare Value.
• Caring Wisely ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealthcare quality improvement initiative collaborating with IHPS on evidence-based approaches to reducing unnecessary care.
• UC Health Accountable Care OrganizationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with UC Health ACO on healthcare financing and policy research related to accountable care delivery.
• Kaiser Family FoundationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUCSF-Kaiser Family Foundation Fellowship program providing training and research opportunities in health policy.
• National Clinicians Scholar ProgramscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPostdoctoral training program preparing clinicians to become leaders in health policy and health services research.
• Philip R. Lee Health Policy FellowshipcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPostdoctoral fellowship program named after the institute's founder, supporting training in health policy research.
• UCSF/UC Hastings Consortium on Law, Science and Health PolicycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with UC Hastings College of the Law on law, science and health policy research and education.
• Bixby Center for Global Reproductive HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. Claire Brindis was a Founding Director of the Bixby Center, and IHPS maintains collaborative relationships on reproductive health policy research.
• National Adolescent and Young Adult Health Information CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIHPS helped lead the establishment of this national resource for adolescent and young adult health information and policy.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health: Harvard Chan School houses multiple health policy research centers (e.g., Center for Health Policy) and educates the next generation of policy leaders. Comparable to IHPS in mission and output but operates at significantly larger scale and as part of a broader public health school.
• Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health: Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School is a leading public health institution with substantial health policy research capacity. Comparable in producing policy-relevant research and training the policy workforce, but operates at much greater scale with broader scope than IHPS.
• Brookings Institution: Brookings conducts policy research across multiple domains including health, economics, and governance. Its health policy program produces evidence to inform federal and state policy comparable to IHPS's mission, though as part of a much broader think-tank portfolio.

Direct peers

• Commonwealth Fund: Commonwealth Fund is a private foundation supporting independent health policy research on coverage, quality, and equity. Comparable in producing evidence to inform federal/state policy and in funding academic health services research.
• Duke-Margolis Institute for Health Policy: Duke-Margolis is an academic health policy research institute within Duke University that informs federal and state policy on health care delivery, payment reform, and biomedical innovation. Comparable to IHPS as an academic, interdisciplinary health policy unit producing evidence for government and industry.
• Stanford Health Policy: Stanford Health Policy is an interdisciplinary health economics and policy research group at Stanford, explicitly noted as having 'parallel and complementary efforts' to IHPS in healthcare financing and policy. Direct geographic and disciplinary peer.
• Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF): KFF is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization focused on health policy analysis, journalism, and research. IHPS partners with KFF on the UCSF-KFF Fellowship, indicating direct programmatic overlap and a shared policy-research audience.
• RAND Corporation: RAND is a nonprofit research institute conducting policy analysis across health, education, and other sectors. It directly parallels IHPS's health policy research and government advisory model, with a far larger scale and broader policy portfolio.
• Urban Institute Health Policy Center: Urban Institute's Health Policy Center conducts economic and policy research on health insurance, access, and equity. It is directly comparable in mission (evidence-based health policy research for government and the public) and competes for similar federal funding streams.

Others

• Milken Institute: Milken Institute is a nonprofit think tank that conducts economic and health-related research, including on health financing and population health. It is adjacent to IHPS's mission, focused on actionable policy and market insights rather than academic health policy research.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ucsf_ihps
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/UCSFIHPS
• Facebookfacebook.com/UCSF.HealthPolicy
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ucsf-phillip-r-lee-institute-for-health-policy

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about UCSF Phillip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies (IHPS)