What can you do with a degree in public health? Just about anything, shared a panel of public health professionals in a recent “Careers in Public Health” Gator Career Chat hosted by the UF Career Connections Center.
“You can be doing a thousand different things, all with the same goal of trying to improve the lives and health of everyone,” said panelist Jared Craig, M.P.H.
Public health spans expertise in many different disciplines, including epidemiology, health policy, biostatistics, environmental health, global health and social and behavioral sciences. Its reach extends from designing disease prevention programs and analyzing data to shaping health policy and improving access to care. Public health allows professionals to find their niche while working toward a common goal: protecting and promoting the health of populations locally and globally.
Members of the panel, who are UF College of Public Health and Health Professions alumni, faculty and staff, discussed their own career journeys, examples of day-to-day responsibilities, lessons learned and advice for students.
Panelists included:
- Sarah Catalanotto, (M.P.H. ’09) executive director, Suwannee River Area Health Education Center
- Jared Craig, (B.P.H. ’24, M.P.H. ’25) government analyst, Florida Agency for Healthcare Administration
- Brittney Dixon-Daniel, (Ph.D. in public health ’20) M.P.H., director, UF PHHP Bachelor of Public Health program
- Acadia Jacob, (M.P.H. ’20) advocacy director, Florida Voices for Health
- Lisa McNeil, M.P.H., applied practice experience and outreach coordinator, UF PHHP Master of Public Health program
- Jeff Satine, (M.P.H. ’19) manager of public quality metrics, UF Health
- Moderator: Brendan Daigle, senior manager for Career Pathways, Healthcare, and Health Sciences, UF Career Connections Center
Panelists shared these tips for students interested in exploring public health careers:
1. Be open to unexpected career paths
Many panelists found themselves in roles they never originally imagined — whether shifting from teaching to public health, moving from direct services to policy or discovering a passion for data analytics. Their takeaway: Stay flexible and embrace opportunities that may lead you in new directions.
“You can definitely find public health in anything,” Dixon-Daniel said. “When students ask, ‘Well, what can I do with my degree?’ Anything! You just have to figure out what that anything could be.”
2. Build experience early and often
Internships, volunteer roles and part-time jobs provide hands-on skills and connections that can lead directly to employment. Even tasks that seem small, such as organizing data, preparing infographics or shadowing professionals, help you understand the real-world scope of public health.
“When you are searching for volunteer opportunities or internships, just recognize that whatever you may be asked to help with or do that may seem mundane, may seem not like it’s applicable, you should just trust the experience,” Catalanotto said. “Even if it is, ‘Hey, I need you to review this data for me and make some graphs.’ Researching ideas, helping come up with innovative campaign messaging, all of that is part of public health.”
3. Develop versatile skillsets
Skills like data storytelling, project management, coalition-building and policy analysis can make you adaptable across settings, such as health departments, nonprofits, hospitals or community organizations.
Whether it’s in the classroom or an internship, be willing to step forward and offer to take on more responsibility, Satine said.
“I love it when my staff come up to me and say, ‘Hey, what do you think if I take this on?’ Doing this allows you to further expand your knowledge and sharpen your skillset,” he said. “You just never know where that is going to be useful in the future. Never stop learning.”
4. Seek out mentors and networks
Talking with instructors, supervisors and peers can open doors and help you learn how to frame your experiences. Mentors also provide guidance on tailoring your career story to different jobs, especially since public health roles often include multiple disciplines.
“We all build strength when we connect with each other and find ways to plug in, based on our time, energy and capacity,” Jacob said.
5. Stay resilient and committed to impact
Public health is shaped by shifting policies, needs and limited resources. The panelists stressed patience, persistence and remembering that health challenges, such as mental health, infectious disease and health care access, will always need solutions.
“What excites me most about public health is that we are now seeing it across multiple disciplines,” McNeil said. “When I talk with my students about different career options, I tell them you can pretty much plug public health into anything.”