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Job outlook for public health advisors in the United States
Are public health advisor jobs in demand?
Public Health Advisor job and salary trends over time
Public Health Advisor jobs over time
Public Health Advisor job growth rate over time
Year  | # Of Jobs | % Of Population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2,370 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 2,459 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 2,487 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 2,495 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 2,464 | 0.00% |
Average public health advisor salary over time
Public Health Advisor salary by year
| Year | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $44,541 | $21.41 | +2.3% |
| 2024 | $43,531 | $20.93 | +1.8% |
| 2023 | $42,743 | $20.55 | +0.5% |
| 2022 | $42,522 | $20.44 | +1.6% |
| 2021 | $41,837 | $20.11 | +2.1% |
Public Health Advisor jobs by state
Most common states for public health advisors
| Rank | State | Population | # of Jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 366 | 53% |
| 2 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 1,433 | 26% |
| 3 | North Dakota | 755,393 | 188 | 25% |
| 4 | Vermont | 623,657 | 149 | 24% |
| 5 | Wyoming | 579,315 | 134 | 23% |
| 6 | Wisconsin | 5,795,483 | 1,178 | 20% |
| 7 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 215 | 20% |
| 8 | Indiana | 6,666,818 | 1,204 | 18% |
| 9 | Missouri | 6,113,532 | 1,092 | 18% |
| 10 | Utah | 3,101,833 | 550 | 18% |
| 11 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 1,007 | 17% |
| 12 | Iowa | 3,145,711 | 523 | 17% |
| 13 | Idaho | 1,716,943 | 292 | 17% |
| 14 | Delaware | 961,939 | 168 | 17% |
| 15 | North Carolina | 10,273,419 | 1,682 | 16% |
| 16 | Michigan | 9,962,311 | 1,631 | 16% |
| 17 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 1,391 | 16% |
| 18 | South Dakota | 869,666 | 139 | 16% |
| 19 | Ohio | 11,658,609 | 1,758 | 15% |
| 20 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 198 | 15% |
Most common cities for public health advisors
| Rank | City | # of Jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | 3 | 0% | $61,970 |
| 2 | Atlanta | 2 | 0% | $42,458 |
Public Health Advisor job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of public health advisor experts
Michigan Technological University
SUNY Polytechnic Institute
Texas A&M University San Antonio
University of North Florida
University of South Florida
University of South Florida
Idaho State University
SUNY College at Oswego
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center
Baylor University
Tennessee State University
Northeast Ohio Medical University
University of Nevada - Las Vegas
Wake Forest University
University of Baltimore
What general advice would you give to a Public Health Advisor?
Catherine Annis Ph.D.: The jobs that pay top dollar in the public sector are leadership positions or highly specialized roles, so it is important to focus on building your credentials. Utilize resources like the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook to easily explore careers by salary, field of degree, education requirements, predicted job growth, and more. Identify and target the jobs you might want early on. Build experience in the content, skills, and experience that will make you a strong candidate for the job. Keep track of instances where you made a positive impact and demonstrated performance success for future job applications and interviews!
What Public Health Advisor skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Catherine Annis Ph.D.: The world continues to become more interconnected, digitized, and globalized. Strong public sector candidates will be able to demonstrate skills related to collaboration, technology, and foreign language proficiency.
What will help Public Health Advisors increase their earning potential?
Catherine Annis Ph.D.: Seek out those in the career paths that you are interested in and ask to meet. Ask them questions about how they got there and details about their work. In this way, you can assess whether that career trajectory fits you while also building your professional network.
What will help Public Health Advisors increase their earning potential?
Tayler Haapapuro MS: Take advantage of the connections you've made during your undergraduate degree. Professionals that you've met shadowing, interning, at conferences can all help you and guide you. Don't be afraid to continue your education through certifications and conferences. There is always more to learn and it can make you even more marketable, and will help you expand your connections.
What general advice would you give to a Public Health Advisor?
Natalie Stepanian Ph.D., RN: Maximizing your salary is of course an important aspect of starting any career or job. When you are looking for your first job do your homework. You will need to look at the company or agency where you would like to apply for a job. You will need to understand what type a career ladder exists or potential for growth. You will want to know what type of benefits you will receive. Perhaps depending on your current degree, you may want to obtain a Masters in Public Health, will the company or agency help you with tuition? Would there be a career advance if you did obtain an MPH? Sometimes it is not about the highest paying job if the working environment is a healthy one and has room for growth may be more important. Do not dismiss the opportunities that exist in the U.S. Public Health Service (https://www.usphs.gov/) or working with the local, state, or federal Public Health Departments, they have many career opportunities.
What Public Health Advisor skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Natalie Stepanian Ph.D., RN: Having a degree in Public Health can provide you many opportunities in the job market. There are a wide variety and levels of jobs that are available depending on the degree or degrees you hold. When you are first starting to look at possible venues you would like to work for start with a good internet search. There are many opportunities within the U.S. Public Health Service which most people are unaware of. You can also look at the Department of Health and Human Services with the federal government where Public Health is under their umbrella. This is a federal agency, there are also state and local Public Health Departments that have a variety of jobs. Some of the categories for jobs are: Epidemiology, Disaster and Emergency Specialists, Natural Science Managers, Public Health Nurses, Water Quality Planner, Healthcare Manager, Public Health Educator, Environmental Health Scientist, Biostatistician, Infection Preventionist, Public Health Consultant, Public Health Nutritionist, Health Policy Analyst, Biomedical Researcher, Occupational Health and Safety Specialist, Clinical Research Coordinator, Research Assistant, Nonprofit Coordinator, Nonprofit Executive Director, Social and Community Service Manager, just to name a few. Before you jump in see if you can arrange to shadow someone that is in a Public Health job so you can really see what the job will entail before you pursue it.
What will help Public Health Advisors increase their earning potential?
Natalie Stepanian Ph.D., RN: Since the Covid Pandemic of 2020 happened it has been very apparent that our Public Health infrastructure needs to be strengthened at the local, state, and federal levels. Currently there is a great need for individuals with Public Health degrees and training. I only see this need to continue to rise. The U.S. government is making efforts to fortify and strengthen our Public Health services. Between climate change, manmade and natural disasters, viral, bacterial, prion, and vector born illnesses new or emerging outbreaks are continuing.
What general advice would you give to a Public Health Advisor?
Shawn Gibbs PhD, MBA, CIH: There are plenty of jobs available in the field of public health. However, the exact position you want may not be in the exact location you want at the exact time that you want. So, it is important to be flexible in your job search. Setting yourself apart from the rest of the applicant pool is also important, you can demonstrate this through your skillsets or through additional certifications that others may not have. Of course, I am biased, but I would also recommend a Texas A&M; University School of Public Health degree; we are a land-grant, space-grant, sea-grant, member of the Association of American Universities so we have everything you could need to set you up for success in your career.
What Public Health Advisor skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Shawn Gibbs PhD, MBA, CIH: The field of public health offers so many opportunities. I would recommend that you come into the field with a plan but be willing to adapt that plan when new opportunities or interests present themselves to you. This will allow you to accomplish your goals and set new goals as you learn more about public health and how it relates to your own interests and life goals.
What will help Public Health Advisors increase their earning potential?
Shawn Gibbs PhD, MBA, CIH: Public Health has a rich history. I think the ability to manage change in the field, including the applicability of new and evolving technologies. Communication is a skillset that always has value, you need to know your audience and be able to meet your audience where they are with your communications.
What general advice would you give to a Public Health Advisor?
Stephanie Hooper MPH, HTL: Attaining degrees and additional credentials like certifications and licensures will certainly help with job options as well as salary increases. If there is an area of public health that is of particular interest (i.e., nutrition, physical activity, etc.), researching credible certifications or licenses and attaining them shows a mastery in that area, and dedication to continual education in order to maintain that credential. If there are many applicants competing for the same job, but you are able to show that you have advanced degrees or additional credentials, it could be the difference in landing the position over someone else. Additionally, it is important to recognize that even if you have advanced degrees and credentials, often times in life we have to be willing to start at a lower salary than we had hoped for and work our way up. Many times, public health students are offered positions following an internship role, but the pay may be less than anticipated. It is important to remember that hard work and experience are also essential for getting our salaries to where we want them to be.
What Public Health Advisor skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Stephanie Hooper MPH, HTL: One of the most important things to do is volunteer or shadow at places that align with your future professional goals. Not only does doing these types of activities show potential employers that you are ambitious and willing to put in the time needed to be successful, sometimes we think that a career might be the one for us but once we get out there and try it, our opinion changes. Public health is an extremely broad field so getting hands-on experience can be extremely beneficial for helping to narrow down the choices and save time and money in the long run by eliminating what you are not interested in.
What will help Public Health Advisors increase their earning potential?
Stephanie Hooper MPH, HTL: In the next 5 years I think it will be extremely important to have basic computer skills in many areas including Microsoft Office and even data analysis software. No matter what area of public health we work in, data is collected and used to determine population health issues, resources available/lacking, and effectiveness of health or education programs. Therefore, if young professionals are able to utilize the basic data collection and analysis tools, they will be best prepared to enter the workforce. Additionally, public speaking skills are essential in this field. Even if you land a job that does not require speaking at a conference, we are always tasked with presenting our public health findings to a wide variety of players including community members and various stakeholders; so, having presentation skills and being comfortable speaking in front of others is very useful. Aside from the aforementioned skills, I also believe that communication skills are necessary in public health. As I mentioned previously, we are interfacing with all sorts of groups, and with large populations of people. Therefore, aside from having the ability to speak publicly, understanding how to create written materials (i.e., fact sheets), and using social media to create health content is invaluable. Being that technology is continually expanding, and along with that means of communication are shifting, it is important to stay on top of trends and familiarize ourselves with new communication platforms as they allow us to reach large audiences in real-time.
Ms. Michelle Edelstein MPH
Director of Marketing and CommunicationWhat general advice would you give to a Public Health Advisor?
Ms. Michelle Edelstein MPH: Attached are responses from Claire Brown, MPH, Director for Student Experiences & Alumni Affairs, Rutgers School of Public Health.
What Public Health Advisor skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Ms. Michelle Edelstein MPH: Attached are responses from Claire Brown, MPH, Director for Student Experiences & Alumni Affairs, Rutgers School of Public Health.
What will help Public Health Advisors increase their earning potential?
Ms. Michelle Edelstein MPH: Attached are responses from Claire Brown, MPH, Director for Student Experiences & Alumni Affairs, Rutgers School of Public Health.
What general advice would you give to a Public Health Advisor?
Maureen Chiodini-Rinaldo: God gave you two ears and one mouth. Listen twice as much as you talk. Remain open-minded and stay in touch with your mentors. We should always be learning. Find your path and your niche by doing what makes you happy. Don't chase the money. If you are happy and doing what you love and are passionate about, the money will come.
What general advice would you give to a Public Health Advisor?
Laura Rusnak MPH, CPH, CHES: People need to know their specific area within public health and understand the salary potential for that specific field. They also need to realize that for-profit organizations are going to pay folks very differently than non-profits or governmental organizations. While salary is important, so are benefits like healthcare, educational assistance, work-life balance, and many others. Graduates need to consider the whole compensation package and do their research on the industry, as well as employer, within their field of interest.
What Public Health Advisor skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Laura Rusnak MPH, CPH, CHES: Find your passion and jump in to gain experience. Many students don't know "what I want to do with my life" and feel stuck. They don't know how to figure that out. It doesn't come from thinking about it. It comes from DOING it and gaining some hands-on experience. Part-time jobs, volunteering, and internships all provide invaluable experience that students need to figure out the best fit for them in the beginning of their careers. I advise students to get out there and gain experience early on, even before they graduate if they can. Getting into the field will help you decide if you're doing what you should be doing, and the steps you need to take to cultivate your career in public health.
What will help Public Health Advisors increase their earning potential?
Laura Rusnak MPH, CPH, CHES: Technology skills are essential, as are people skills. Being able to leverage technology is essential to improving health outcomes. But public health professionals also need to be able to deal with people. Technology is going to be able to do many of the tasks that people used to do. But it is people who will have to effectively leverage that technology and make sure that it is being used correctly/ethically. And people want to get health services from humans, not computers. Computers can't do what we do in public health. So we need to be able to leverage technology and keep doing what computers can't, personalizing public health activities.
What general advice would you give to a Public Health Advisor?
Kristin Van De Griend PhD, MPH: Try to gather as much information as you can about current trends in salaries in the field. Ask your colleagues, professors, and career counselors, and then negotiate for yourself before you accept a job offer. Often, you can negotiate salary, paid time off, parental leave, and startup costs for research.
What Public Health Advisor skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Kristin Van De Griend PhD, MPH: According to the Council on Education for Public Health, graduates of public health programs should be skilled in explaining and addressing the 'cultural, social, political, and economic determinants of health and how the determinants relate to population health and health inequities.' They should also understand how globalization impacts population health, with special attention to disparities among different populations. The focus in public health has moved from individual behaviors and behavior change to communities and partnerships.
What will help Public Health Advisors increase their earning potential?
Kristin Van De Griend PhD, MPH: To maximize your salary potential, try to gather as much information as you can about current trends in salaries in the field. Ask your colleagues, professors, and career counselors, and then negotiate for yourself before you accept a job offer. Often, you can negotiate salary, paid time off, parental leave, and startup costs for research.
Dr. Jessica Harris CHES
Assistant Professor of Health Promotion and Wellness Management at SUNY Oswego, Assistant Associate Director of the Honors Program at SUNY Oswego, Part-time Instructor at Syracuse University Exercise Science Falk College, and Certified Health Education SpecialistSUNY College at Oswego
Gerontology
What general advice would you give to a Public Health Advisor?
Dr. Jessica Harris CHES: Adapting to evolving trends, technologies, and population needs will be critical for success in the health promotion field in the coming years. Alongside this trend, digital health literacy is set to become increasingly important, with virtual care delivery and integration of digital health technologies into everyday practice. Furthermore, cultural awareness and diversity awareness will remain essential as the field continues to serve diverse populations, requiring professionals to tailor interventions that resonate with different cultural backgrounds.
What Public Health Advisor skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dr. Jessica Harris CHES: Acquiring additional certifications or specialized training in high-demand areas can significantly enhance your qualifications and marketability, thereby potentially increasing your earning potential. Secondly, actively seek out opportunities for career advancement and professional growth within your organization or through networking with industry peers and mentors.
What will help Public Health Advisors increase their earning potential?
Dr. Jessica Harris CHES: For graduates stepping into their career field, I suggest fostering a curious and adaptable mindset. This is crucial as many fields are constantly evolving, with new research, technology, and approaches emerging regularly. Staying updated on current trends, best practices, and advancements can be achieved through seizing learning opportunities like workshops and conferences. Furthermore, strong communication and interpersonal skills are essential for effective collaboration and engagement with diverse populations.
What general advice would you give to a Public Health Advisor?
Gerard Carrino PhD, MPH: Many public health jobs are in the public and nonprofit sectors, which offer a lot of autonomy, authority, and visibility, while providing a good paycheck, great benefits, and solid job security. You can maximize your earning potential in these sectors by learning a few skills that most graduates and many in the workforce don’t have, such as project management, budgeting, and managing disaster scenarios. You can also double down on some highly sought-after skills like mathematical modeling of disease or working with Big Data, if that’s your skillset. More and more, private industry is recognizing the extraordinary value of the public health degree - which helps make it the second fastest-growing undergraduate degree in the nation - because our graduates hit the ground running and are able to apply real-world skills like critical thinking, evaluating evidence, and project management immediately after graduation.
What Public Health Advisor skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Gerard Carrino PhD, MPH: Public health professionals must be curious, open-minded, systematic, and adaptable to rapidly changing situations. Now and in the near future, being creative and cool-headed and having an entrepreneurial spirit will certainly help too. At the Julia Jones Matthews School of Population and Public Health, we teach all our students to think critically; to evaluate facts and evidence fairly, systematically, and dispassionately; and to make tough decisions when situations are uncertain. By the time you graduate from a public health program, you should have a command of common tools like Microsoft Excel, you should understand the great promise and potential peril of artificial intelligence, you should be able to interpret Big Data to make important decisions, and you should be able to spot misinformation and disinformation from a mile away.
What will help Public Health Advisors increase their earning potential?
Gerard Carrino PhD, MPH: Be curious, and be open to a very different way of thinking about health, healthcare, illness, and wellness. Rather than working to cure disease or to fix people up after they get sick or hurt, public health professionals work to make sure they don't get sick or injured in the first place. At the Julia Jones Matthews School of Population and Public Health, our goal is to ensure the well-being of entire communities and populations, analyzing trends, identifying root causes, and implementing interventions to promote health and wellness on a large scale.
Gabriel Benavidez MPH, PhD
Assistant Professor - EpidemiologyBaylor University
Public Health
What general advice would you give to a Public Health Advisor?
Gabriel Benavidez MPH, PhD: I think students can maximize their salary potential by having a strong technical skill set. The more a graduate knows how to do, the more valuable they make themselves to future employers. Another important aspect is networking. Graduates should also attempt build a large network of individuals from a variety of different career fields. Building a strong professional network can open doors to opportunities that may not be advertised publicly. Attend industry conferences, join professional organizations, and connect with alumni to expand your network
What Public Health Advisor skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Gabriel Benavidez MPH, PhD: Many skills in the field of public health are likely to become more crucial due to technological advancements and evolving health priorities. Proficiency in data analytics and digital health tools will be extremely important as public health increasingly relies on big data and telehealth technologies for decision-making and health management. Skills in health equity and cultural competency will be essential, with a growing focus on designing inclusive health programs that address disparities and reach diverse communities effectively. Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration and crisis management. Public health professionals will need to adeptly manage cross-sector partnerships and navigate complex crisis scenarios, including emergency preparedness and response. Effective communication and policy advocacy skills will also be critical for conveying public health messages and influencing health policies in response to emerging global health challenges and misinformation.
What will help Public Health Advisors increase their earning potential?
Gabriel Benavidez MPH, PhD: I would tell recent public health graduates, both grad and undergrad, not to underestimate their skills. Public health training equips students with a robust and diverse range of skills that are highly applicable across various roles and fields, even outside traditional public health paths. So, when you're out there job hunting, think outside the box. Your public health skills are not just applicable to traditional public health roles; they’re applicable and needed across a spectrum of careers.
Charles Brown Ph.D., M.Ed.
Associate ProfessorTennessee State University
Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
What general advice would you give to a Public Health Advisor?
Charles Brown Ph.D., M.Ed.: Recent graduates should strive to acquire skills that are transferrable throughout various sectors of the health field. For instance, project management, business, and collaboration skills are imperative and tends to offer individuals numerous opportunities when seeking to maximize their overall salary potential.
What Public Health Advisor skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Charles Brown Ph.D., M.Ed.: In the next 3-5 years, it will be important for graduates to become proficient in collecting, analyzing, and reporting data to better understand the barriers, facilitators, and effective strategies that may be used to help people improve their overall health.
What will help Public Health Advisors increase their earning potential?
Charles Brown Ph.D., M.Ed.: My advice to recent graduates is to become more self-aware of your professional strengths and areas for improvement in the field. With this in mind, pursuing opportunities that offers the ability to work on areas for improvement and utilizing key strengths may be the best approach for recent graduates. This realization may lead graduates to their next set of experiences in the field.
Amy Lee MD, MPH, MBA
Professor and Program DirectorNortheast Ohio Medical University
Public Health
What general advice would you give to a Public Health Advisor?
Amy Lee MD, MPH, MBA: For any field, including public health, I would advise a graduate to network—speak to everyone and find mentors. If you aspire to be promoted in your organization, talk to people who are in a job that you want and find out what they would advise that you do to grow and develop your career.
What Public Health Advisor skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Amy Lee MD, MPH, MBA: To maximize your salary potential, young professionals should keep on top of their field. This includes finding mentors, expanding your network, asking questions, finding out what others are doing.
What will help Public Health Advisors increase their earning potential?
Amy Lee MD, MPH, MBA: Public health is diverse! However, general skills that will be more important in the next few years are communication and the ability to collaborate. Being able to address misinformation and being able to use multiple channels of communication, including social media is important to deliver evidence-based information to the public. Collaboration is important to mobilize resources and to change systems to improve the community’s health.
Van Whaley DC, EdD
Assistant Professor-in-ResidenceUniversity of Nevada - Las Vegas
Nutrition Sciences
What general advice would you give to a Public Health Advisor?
Van Whaley DC, EdD: Specificity in training or certifications definitely can increase someone's salary potential. Also, there is a wide variety of jobs (and pay rates) within most fields. Someone in private practice may make two times more than someone with the same credentials working at a non-profit. However, those two would have very different experiences and demands in their work demands.
What will help Public Health Advisors increase their earning potential?
Van Whaley DC, EdD: Integration, cooperation, and critical thinking. Today's top healthcare includes virtual doctor visits, multiple places doing tests, and a centralized location that organizes this data to best help the patient. The days of a lone practitioner treating a community are replaced by a team of healthcare providers taking care of an individual.
What Public Health Advisor skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Van Whaley DC, EdD: Anatomy & Physiology (A&P) is a vital part of so many healthcare and human-performance fields. Understanding how our bodies work creates better therapists, nurses, doctors, experts, trainers, and more understanding people. We all have friends and family members who face health issues - diabetes, high BP, high cholesterol, autoimmune conditions, hormone/chemical imbalances, arthritis, etc. Learning A&P helps us to help others, including being a health advocate for loved ones.
Dr. Shari DeVeney Ph.D., CCC-SLP
Graduate Program Chair, Department of Special Education & Communication DisordersOmaha
Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
What general advice would you give to a Public Health Advisor?
Dr. Shari DeVeney Ph.D., CCC-SLP: There are a number of skills that will become increasingly important in health and wellness fields over the next 3-5 years. One of these is expanding capacity for interdisciplinary collaboration. Efficiently and successfully addressing complex health, wellness, and/or educational issues often requires collaboration across different professional disciplines. Effective communication is essential for these kinds of collaborations. You will need to be able to contribute to a team and work well with others to explain complex concepts specific to your area of the field with clients and colleagues as well as provide complementary - not overlapping or contradictory - clinical services with your professional partners. Additionally, cultural competence -showing respect and understanding of cultural backgrounds, beliefs, and values that differ from your own - will become increasingly important for effective clinical practices within a pluralistic society. Finally, skills related to successful and appropriate remote care delivery are important to cultivate. The rise of tele-medicine, tele-therapy, and remote client monitoring will require health and wellness professionals to adapt their skill sets so they can not only provide high-quality care through in-person interactions, but also through remote formats.
What Public Health Advisor skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dr. Shari DeVeney Ph.D., CCC-SLP: To maximize your salary potential as a new professional in health and wellness fields, I encourage you to research salary trends and expectations for entry-level positions in your specific professional and geographic areas. Salaries can vary substantially depending on work setting and geographic location. We see this a lot in my own field of speech-language pathology. Research the cost of living in different areas and consider relocating if it's a viable option for you and your salary may be higher relative to living expenses there. Be open to opportunities for professional growth! You can achieve growth not only through advancements or promotions within your organization, but sometimes through lateral moves as well if these lateral opportunities provide you with new experiences and skills that can enhance your overall value as an employee. Enhancing your professional value and capacity for meaningful contributions can lead to increases in your earning potential over time.
What will help Public Health Advisors increase their earning potential?
Dr. Shari DeVeney Ph.D., CCC-SLP: For new graduates entering the workforce in health and wellness fields, there are a number of important aspects to be mindful of that could help you find success in your new career. Namely, I would encourage you to commit yourself to continued education. Create good habits early for staying current on the latest research and evidence-based practices in your field by seeking out professional development opportunities (e.g., attending conferences and seminars, participating in organizational workshops, etc.), particularly in content areas relevant to your new position. Further, networking and professional relationship building is key. Making connections to others in your field can provide you with valuable insights, mentorship, and even career advancement opportunities. Finally, be sure to take some time for yourself. Starting a new career is challenging and can feel all-consuming at times. Be sure to make time for activities that allow you to feel recharged. This will help you prevent burnout and maintain your own physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing as you embark on your new professional adventure.
What Public Health Advisor skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Leland Ackerson ScD, MPH: The use of data is becoming more important in all job fields, including public health. Skills in informatics and technology will be crucial in the coming years to allow public health professionals to collect, analyze, store, and communicate this information so they can optimize population health outcomes. Learning to use software for data visualization, information management, and statistical analysis will improve your ability to plan better public health strategies, and can really give a boost to your career prospects.
What Public Health Advisor skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Helisse Levine Ph.D.: While your MPH degree will provide the academic credentials and specialized
knowledge that employers want, take advantage of volunteer opportunities, fellowships,
workshops, internships, research projects, and practicum experiences that your
Program offers. As a recent MPH graduate embarking on a public health career, keep
in mind that career paths may not be linear, and your first position will most likely not be
your last. As artificial intelligence, healthcare systems, value-based care, and cross-
sector partnerships, such as business and government collaborations have become
more of the norm than the exceptions, and risk factors for emerging infectious disease
transmission have increased, familiarize yourself with the areas where public health
graduates are needed; remember the field is innovative and dynamic.
There are many rewarding career pathways for MPH graduates that lead to professional
and personal growth including community health, finance, strategic management,
healthcare administration, policy development, research, advocacy, and leadership.
Public health graduates have opportunities to work in government health, the
pharmaceutical industry, public hospitals, and the nonprofit and private sectors. Stay
the course and keep an open mind!
Ted Eaves
Associate teaching professorWake Forest University
Sports, Kinesiology, And Physical Education/Fitness
What general advice would you give to a Public Health Advisor?
Ted Eaves: For general advice for graduates with a degree in Kinesiology, I would suggest finding an area that you are passionate about. There are a lot of different directions that graduates can take after school such as health care, research, clinical applications, behavioral medicine, pharmaceutical/device sales, and insurance or other business related programs.
What Public Health Advisor skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Ted Eaves: I think as far as skills are concerned, all graduates need to have the basic knowledge and ability to use that knowledge to help their patients/clients; however, the interpersonal skills are the ones that will be the most important moving forward. Caring/compassionate care is essential, empathy and listening skills help you relate to your patients/clients, and cultural competency is a big emphasis now. Communication and collaboration among constituent groups is also really important if going into health care. Taking care of patients requires an entire team of professionals and being able to interact with these different groups is going to be crucial to offering the best care possible.
What soft skills should all Public Health Advisors possess?
Tina Di Franco: The most important soft skills are:
-Leadership skills - a true leader is someone who can inspire others, encourage creativity, and ignite excitement about the mission of the organization.
-The ability to work collaboratively in a team to accomplish organizational goals. Public health is a multi-disciplinary endeavor, and the importance of teamwork cannot be over-emphasized. It is through this collaboration that strategic plans can be operationalized.
-The ability to communicate effectively. That is, to articulate one's position and be able to actively listen to others.
-Flexibility and Adaptability. Healthcare is a dynamic process, and one must be able to adjust the strategies and approaches to best meet the needs of those we serve. Subsumed in this skill is the ability to problem-solve based on the evidence and data available at the time. However, public health is somewhat like a game of chess. There has to be an ability to anticipate fluctuations in the needs of the community based on the scientific evidence available. Critical thinking will lead to strategic decision-making and implementation.
What hard/technical skills are most important for Public Health Advisors?
Tina Di Franco: Computer skills, including proficiency in excel, data visualization platforms, and PowerPoint. Staying current in healthcare technology advancements and data analytics is of utmost importance.