Department of Health Policy was established in 2002, along with the establishment of the Medical University's of Silesia School of Public Health. From the very beginning it carries out research in the field of social and health policy, as well as health politics. The main fields of our interest are:

-        community-based health promotion,

-        Health systems and health reforms in transition countries,

-        privatisation and the role of non-public sector (including Third Sector) in the health care

-        decision-making processes in health policy and politics.

Over the past years we have conducted a number of research in collaboration with international and national partners, i.e.: London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (UK), University College London (UK),  University of Hertfordshire (UK), University of Adelaide (AUS), Polish Ministry of Health, associations of Polish self-government units, European Public Health Association, Slovak Public Health Association – SAVEZ,  Medical University of Białystok (PL), Jagiellonian University (PL), A. Mickiewicz University in Poznan (PL).

The most significant past projects in which we participated are:

• Assessment of emigration scale of Polish healthcare professionals – project commissioned by Ministry of Health

• STEPS – project focusing on cooperation between NGOs and the science sector in the field of public health – FP7

• "Polish health poster in 20th century" – research grant funded by Wellcome Trust Foundation

• HPsource.net – international database on activities in the area of health promotion

• PHLawFlu – international project focusing on the solutions in the field of crisis management and procedural framework in case of pandemic diseases.

• HSR-Europe – an international research project on health services

The Department also provides teaching at the School of Public Health, Medical University of Silesia for undergraduate and postgraduate students in the courses focusing on: social and health policy, social and health insurance, health systems, international health issues, regional policy, organisation and management in health care, and EU policies.