Columbus: A vibrant city full of opportunity

Earning your degree from The Ohio State University College of Public Health not only means learning about today’s pressing public health challenges in the state’s capital city, it often means getting out in the community and helping to put solutions into place.

Columbus is a community of diverse people and opportunities. It is the 14th largest city in the United States and is a part of an 11-county region full of big ideas that embraces collaboration to drive community and economic success. This region is home to 2.2 million people who live in a mix of urban, suburban and rural settings, with many avenues to launch a public health career.

Committed to environmental and public health

Columbus is a smart city. It won federal and private grants to transform mobility and includes public health initiatives to increase access to prenatal care and improve access to healthy foods and child care. The city was also selected to be a part of American Cities Climate Challenge to accelerate its climate action plan. The effort to become carbon neutral by 2050 is grounded in equity and includes efforts to address energy, transportation, waste and water.

Public health advocacy

Columbus is where public health ideas and policies become law. The Ohio Statehouse is only 2.5 miles from Ohio State’s Columbus campus, creating opportunities to help influence health policy. Thought leaders in the college and across the city are committed to making positive change and creating equitable access to health for all Ohioans. To top it off, Ohio State’s Center for Health Outcomes and Policy Evaluation Studies has served as a trusted partner to policy makers, researchers and the community to understand how to improve health care and population health for nearly 30 years.

A health care hub

The city is a great place to learn and live, with boundless opportunities to address public health issues that connect with your own interests. Columbus is a business hub, home to some of the world’s most recognizable health brands alongside a thriving biomedical and health care industry. There are three major health systems, dozens of health-related nonprofits and state, city and county health departments in the region on a quest to improve and protect public health.

City of innovation

Ohio State is a global leader in cancer, mental health and reproductive health research and discovery. Public Health researchers play a huge part in this success, tracking the history of disease and developing effective prevention and control programs. But innovation is not just happening at Ohio State. It happens across Columbus. Organizations such as Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Battelle and Abbott are joining the university to discover health innovations that benefit the world.

Rich and diverse experiences

What makes Columbus great, and why so many people call it home, is the easy access to an array of experiences in the arts, at vibrant cultural festivals, professional sports and in nature. There is so much to do in the region that experiencing Columbus is limited only by your imagination.