Friday Pathways contains information about new, exciting, and possibly unique public health jobs that have been posted during the current week.
Finding that one perfect job is always a goal and many of us are always on the hunt. We can all peruse the job boards, right? But sometimes it helps to have a mentor to point out something important, something worthwhile to strive for, or perhaps something to be wary of.
Join me each week here on Friday Pathways as I present my current picks for public health job opportunities. You never know, you might just find an exciting position that perfectly aligns with your particular skills and goals.
My commentaries about the featured jobs will also be useful advice for your current or future job search. If you are a student needing to learn about future job prospects, or perhaps you are dreaming of your future perfect job, the extra commentary I provide may be useful to you.
I truly hope you find something valuable that sends you down the right public health career path!
– Dr. Reagan
Have you landed on this page on a date too late to apply for one of these jobs? A post with current job listings is available every week. Simply click on Friday Pathways to view my favorite picks of the latest public health job postings.
Post Doctoral Fellowship in Adolescent Health
Job Title: Postdoctoral Fellowship in Adolescent Health
Employer: University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UT Health)
Location: Houston, Texas
Salary: Not specified
Degree Required: Candidate must have a doctoral degree or be in a doctoral program
Concentration Required: Various: behavioral sciences, statistics, psychology, epidemiology, public health, health behavior, communication, sociology, or a related field
Description: “The Center for Health Promotion and Prevention Research at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) School of Public Health invites applications for a one-year grant funded postdoctoral fellowship, effective summer 2021, to work with faculty on nationally funded research grants in adolescent health involving longitudinal data. Candidates must have: 1) solid methodological skills with a strong interest and ability in coding and analyzing complex intervention and longitudinal data and 2) an interest in researching adolescent health (dating violence, risky sexual behavior, substance use, and other health risk behaviors).”
Professor Reagan’s Comments: This fellowship would be an amazing opportunity for an individual who is pursuing or completed their doctoral degree in public health with a focus on behavioral sciences, statistics, psychology, epidemiology, public health, health behavior, communication, sociology, or a related field. Since the position is research-focused, it would be an excellent career path for someone who has a strong interest in pursuing an academic career.
Epidemiologist
Job Title: Epidemiologist II
Employer: Franklin County Public Health
Location: Columbus, Ohio
Salary: $25.60 to $32.00 per hour
Degree Required: Masters with 2 years work experience in epidemiology in a public health agency or a doctoral-level degree in epidemiology.
Concentration Required: Epidemiology
Description: “The Epidemiologist II for planning and assessment will identify public health problems pertinent to
the population and use critical thinking to determine whether a public health problem exists,
articulate the need for further investigation or other public health action on the basis of results of
literature review and assessment of current data. They will collaborate with others inside and
outside the agency to identify the problem and form recommendations.”
Professor Reagan’s Comments: When I worked as the Deputy General Counsel with the New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH), I frequently advised the Epidemiology and Response Division. I didn’t particularly enjoy epidemiology while I was in school (I’m not a math person), but I acquired a new-found love for epidemiology when I worked with the epidemiologists at NMDOH. What a fascinating job! This particular job looks typical for an epidemiologist working for a county or state. It involves interdisciplinary research and analysis of population health conditions, analyzing data, conducting community health assessments and improvement plans, monitoring GIS activities, and much more.
Temporary Program Assistant in Washington, DC
Job Title: Temporary Program Assistant
Employer: Population Services International (PSI). PSI is a nonprofit social marketing organization that works with and for people “to build sustainable solutions for the world’s most serious health issues.”
Location: Washington, DC
Salary: not specified
Degree Required: Associate’s degree or international equivalent. Bachelor’s degree (or international equivalent) in a related field preferred.
Concentration Required: none specified
Description: This is a 6 month temporary position in PSI’s Global Operations, Africa department. The job entails providing administrative, financial management, and management activities support.
Professor Reagan’s Comments: If I were an individual just starting my career who was interested in a temporary job to expand my public health horizons, I would jump all over this job. If you are just starting out, perhaps you are someone who is considering pursuing a career in public health, this would be a great position to gain experience. Although this is a health-related position, It does not require a public health degree. So, it would be a good entry job for building a background in public health. And, oh my, wouldn’t it look great on a school application?
MPH Program Specialist at Midwestern University Public Health Program
Job Title: MPH Program Specialist
Employer: Midwestern University, Master of Public Health Program
Location: Glendale, Arizona
Salary: Not specified
Degree Required: Bachelor’s degree in public health or related field. Master’s degree in public health preferred.
Concentration Required: None specified.
Description: “The M.P.H. Program Specialist assists the Program Director with recruiting, admitting, communicating with, and advising M.P.H. students on the successful completion of program requirements. The M.P.H. Program Specialist is also responsible for all communications and coordination between external public health practice sites, preceptors, assigned students, and program faculty for applied public health practice rotation-related issues. The position reports to the Program Director.”
Professor Reagan’s Comments: If you have your bachelor’s or master’s degree in public health and you desire to stay connected to an academic environment, this would be a great opportunity. Most schools of public health will have a job position similar to this one. I can tell you from my experience working in academia, it is a critical, essential, and very important service-oriented role.
Lead Community Health Worker in Vaccination Promotion
Job Title: Lead Community Health Worker – Vaccination Promotion
Employer: City of San Antonio, San Antonio Metro Health District (SAMHD).
Location: San Antonio, Texas
Salary: $43,539.86 – $65,309.66
Degree Required: Bachelor’s degree with coursework in a related health field. Prefers an individual with experience as a program specialist.
Concentration Required: None specified
Description: “Under general direction, is responsible for performing complex public health work in the Healthy Neighborhoods program. Work involves overseeing, planning, and evaluating public health education program activities and providing consultative services and technical assistance to program staff, governmental agencies, and community organizations. Working conditions are primarily in an inside environment and out in the field. Must be willing to comply with all OSHA regulations and current immunization policies. May exercise functional supervision over assigned staff.”
“Healthy Neighborhoods uses the Community Health Worker model for improving community health by working collaboratively with other grassroots organizers and community leaders, providing health education and community organizing presentations to groups, and supporting local health initiatives. The Lead Community Health Worker will be responsible for supporting a team of Community Health Workers working on the Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH) Vaccination Promotion team. This team will work on the near East, West, and South sides of San Antonio promoting flu and COVID-19 vaccination by equipping influential messengers, enhancing provider partnerships, and supporting mobile clinic registration.”
“The ideal candidate will have a passion for health equity and improving health outcomes in low income communities of color, the ability to promote a positive work environment through collaboration and teamwork, and demonstrated success in partnering with community members and organizations to reach shared goals.”
Professor Reagan’s Comments: Quite often I find myself telling my students that it’s a good idea to peruse job descriptions to find out what’s needed to get a job. This is a good example of a job that requires “just a little something extra.” For example, you might be someone who has a bachelor’s degree in public health, and that would meet the first job requirement listed in this job posting. However, do you have experience as a “health program specialist,” the second preferred requirement? That is an example of a specific requirement that you wouldn’t necessarily get in school. As a student, you can learn from job postings like this one. When you find a job posting that looks interesting to you, you should strive to gain the additional experience that you might not get through your school. Perhaps through a part-time job, your required internship/practicum experience, or a volunteer activity you can gain that “extra experience” needed for some job positions.