The present pandemic has created several lucrative opporunities for the public health practioners in the national and international market. Dr Hannah Jordan tells you more

We are encountering new challenges in public health like the COVID-19 pandemic and the health impacts of climate change and an aging population in many countries. This means that demand for highly skilled public health professionals is growing.

With new challenges come more opportunities to improve population-level health and public health practitioners require a broad range of knowledge and skills across a range of disciplines including epidemiology, the control of communicable diseases, disaster management, leading health service organisations, and health economics.

Training is usually undertaken at postgraduate level and it's important to do your research before committing to a master’s programme- choosing the right programme can unlock the door to a wide range of career opportunities.

The World Health Organization (WHO)’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a key focus for public health policy and practice globally. SDG 3

Epidemiology is the discipline underpinning both effective public health practice and research into the causes, control and prevention of disease. Knowledge and understanding of epidemiological concepts and methods is a basic requirement for effective public health practice and an essential component of any good public health degree.

Assessing health needs and tackling health inequalities are also key to public health work at the local, national and international level. Public Health graduates require an understanding of programme planning, and the monitoring and evaluation of programmes.

Health protection is one of the cornerstones of public health. The control of communicable diseases is one of the major functions of health protection and in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, health systems globally are re-evaluating their policies and processes, requiring input for talented and skilled public health practitioners

Public health practitioners also have a role to play in strengthening public health systems through influencing and shaping health policy at the regional, national, district, and community levels.

Developing understanding of how to apply management and leadership theories and styles in different health care contexts can be extremely useful for those wishing to pursue careers in health policy.  Public health is a complex and multifaceted discipline- it is  both an art and a science, and has the power to  underpin social change and promote health and wellbeing for the wider benefit of society.

Qualified public health practitioners are in demand in a variety of areas.  There is growing demand for information analyst roles, senior public health management positions, experts in health promotion  and for public health specialists in local, regional and national health services. Internationally, public health graduates can find excellent opportunities in Governments, health departments, universities, hospitals, as well as non-governmental organisations, undertaking leadership roles, public health programme interventions and evaluations, research and policy-making.

If you are considering a career in public health, look for a PG programme that will help you develop the research, evaluation and analytical skills you need to understand and undertake a wide range of public health activities, in national and international contexts.

Some institutes offer online programmes for those looking to combine study with work, whilst others allow for more intensive full-time study, leading to a Masters in just one year.

Look for programmes accredited by the Agency for Public Health Education Accreditation this ensures a high quality programme that is well aligned with the needs of employers globally.

The writer is a university teacher at the School of Health and Related Research at the University of Sheffield, UK