Historically, universities have taught from textbooks, with instruction led by faculty with limited hands-on experience. Moreover, academia focuses on right and wrong answers. The real world is far more complex, especially in population health, where issues arise that no textbook can solve. Thomas Jefferson University’s College of Population Health stands in that gap, helping students turn theory into muscle memory and amassing a rich history of industry firsts and real-world impact. 

As Jefferson celebrates its 200th year, Dr. Billy Oglesby, Humana Dean of the College of Population Health, shares how it prepares students to drive change in population health, even before they graduate. 

A trajectory of industry firsts

As the nation’s first college of population health, it’s among a long line of notable firsts at Thomas Jefferson University, including the first complete gastrectomy on a human and the first use of epinephrine (now used in the EpiPen) to relieve hay fever and asthma. 

Today, the College of Population Health is the editorial home to two national peer-reviewed journals — Population Health Management and American Journal of Medical Quality — and the industry’s leading textbooks in population health and healthcare quality, which are widely adopted at other higher ed institutions. Uniquely, Jefferson also includes one of the nation’s largest health delivery systems and has its own not-for-profit health insurance company serving surrounding communities. 

That culture of real-world impact helps students grow into problem-solvers in an industry that’s always shifting, juggling conflicting priorities and rising complexity.

Turning theory into muscle memory

There is a common misconception that population health and public health are synonymous, but Dean Oglesby quickly dispels this. Public health tends to focus on how health departments and community groups can work together to improve community health. (The university offers an accredited master of public health program.) Meanwhile, population health focuses on how healthcare providers, insurance companies, and pharmaceutical and medical device companies must transform to improve health. 

“They share the same goals, but population health initiatives focus more on increasing access to healthcare, how healthcare services are paid for and how the health system can better address nonclinical factors that impact health,” Dean Oglesby explains. “We also look at how the system can counter disparities in health outcomes and risk factors.” 

Practical application is critical in developing leaders who will transform those systems. Rather than focusing solely on academics, population health students are connected to an intellectual ecosystem spanning healthcare research, delivery models and operations, as well as community engagement. “You need those connections to remain on the field’s leading edge, which is why we’ve constructed the college this way,” Dean Oglesby notes.

Advancing equitable population health  

From liver transplant research and trauma-informed interventions for Black mothers to diabetes prevention and patient care for sexual and gender minorities, the College of Population Health’s active studies and initiatives are numerous and varied. What they share is an interest in reversing health inequities.

That focus on health equity earned Thomas Jefferson University a $15 million endowment from Humana in 2023 to advance population health efforts. In the short term, funds will address immediate community needs, particularly around social isolation, cardiovascular health and other health-related social challenges such as transportation. In the long term, the endowment enables Jefferson to assess and support all health equity initiatives across the entire enterprise, including its health insurance company. Finally, the endowment is funding new positions, including a health equity professor and researcher role.

The College of Population Health’s community impact also includes consulting, typically serving healthcare organizations seeking guidance on large-scale culture change and workforce development. Sample consulting projects include educating leaders or board members of healthcare organizations who lack an industry background, enabling them to better discern healthcare performance metrics and make better decisions. Organizations often lean on population health to capture or analyze complex data sets.

“Whether you are a student, faculty member, healthcare provider or patient, when you’re connected to Thomas Jefferson University, you’re connected to a vast, innovative enterprise that can gather and deploy deep expertise in providing high value care and creating health plans that serve the unique needs of vulnerable patient groups,” Dean Oglesby says.

Embracing partnerships for lasting impact

Looking ahead, Thomas Jefferson University is poised to continue driving healthcare transformation with initiatives including cancer research, climate solutions, new mobility treatments and more. 

“Not every organization has the capacity to create what we’ve created at Jefferson, just like we don’t have the capacity to expand our programs to include some of the things other universities are teaching,” Dean Oglesby points out. “That’s where partnering comes into play.”

“We’ve proven there is a business case for academic partnership,” Oglesby says. “We’ll continue to partner with other organizations, including other universities, combining our skill sets, experience and assets to advance our goals and benefit the communities we serve.”

Learn more about breakthrough initiatives in population health at Jefferson’s College of Population Health