Public health skills open unexpected doors

Eddie Weeks ’23 MHA never expected his path from architecture to public health to lead him into a career focused on real estate and making healthcare more accessible for Ohio children.

“My non-traditional career path actually has led me to some pretty interesting opportunities,” Weeks said.

At Nationwide Children’s Hospital, he helps find buildings and land where new doctors’ offices can serve high-need areas across the state. Helping more children receive excellent healthcare is one of the most rewarding parts of his career, Weeks said.

“I’m able to help be a part of that mission through the construction and design piece of building a space that works for them,” he said.

While many College of Public Health alumni pursue traditional roles at local and state health departments as community health educators, epidemiologists or health data scientists, the degree opens paths in many directions.

“In the classroom, we focus on skill building, public health concepts and professional networks to be strong in the opportunities they pursue,” said Liz Klein, professor and chair of the Division of Health Behavior and Health Promotion, adding that a public health education provides a strong set of versatile skills that apply to a variety of fields.

Navigating today’s career landscape

Federal policy shifts affecting public health are causing career anxiety, but that doesn’t mean the prospect for jobs has diminished, said Annmarie Driscoll, a senior career counselor in the college.

Public health professionals are always needed to improve community health at state and local levels, Driscoll said, but she also encourages students and recent alumni to be open-minded about how their education transfers to nonprofits, law, policy, research and other industries.

For example, consulting firms that partner with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health and other government agencies offering alternative paths to gain federal public health experience.

Public health has faced and overcome adversity in the past and, regardless of shifting priorities, public health practice will persevere, Klein said.

“The more we can prepare our students with a strong set of skills, with versatility, flexibility, grit and passion for doing this work, the more they will thrive.”

Unexpected paths lead to fulfillment, growth

Public health skills are highly valuable to careers in health-related fields but also build a foundation for success outside of traditional public health, Driscoll said.

Olivia Fox ’21 BSPH discovered this versatility when, as an undergraduate student, she realized she could combine her love of public health with consulting.

“I spent my Thanksgiving break really trying to get a feel for it,” Fox said, “What would a job look like? Is there even a place for healthcare within it? It was a huge question mark, but also really exciting.”

Fox is now a healthcare and transformation manager at global consulting firm Baker Tilly, where she’s applied her public health education for the last five years.

She advises health plan providers on operations and administrative functions with a heavy dose of analysis and testing as she migrates data into modern claims processing systems.

“Consulting is expansive,” Fox said. “I’m seeing real businesses run and the impacts of regulations on them, how they structure things and the financial side of it. I’m also getting a taste of law and really great exposure to healthcare.”