Public Health – Just One Click Away!

November 14, 2017 | 9:00am

Have you picked up on a theme? Public Health is all around you. It is super easy to experience public health especially since you do every day: buckling your seatbelt, brushing your teeth, not eating expired food, jogging to the bus stop so you aren’t late for school (still counts as exercise) … all public health! As easy as it is to find public health around you, it is just as easy to learn about public health as an academic and career path. Not only are these resources available to you ALL the time but they are also all FREE.

Here is a list of our top resources for getting involved in public health!

This Is Public Health Campaign

The This Is Public Health Campaign (TIPH) uses social media to share examples of public health through #ThisIsPublicHealth. The campaign features community resources and events, federal actions (think ACA and Dreamers Act) and international public health outreach (Hurricane Maria and the Earthquake in Mexico). The goal of the campaign is to spread awareness of the many facets of public health and engage more public health professionals to do the same. The more people talk about public health, the more acceptable the topics are in daily conversation, and the more support there is for the greater good of mankind.

What else does the This Is Public Health Campaign have to offer? Each year they host graduate school fairs for FREE! Hosted at ASPPH member institutions, the fairs have over 25 schools and programs of public health in attendance to share more information about their graduate programs (Masters, Doctoral, and Dual Degrees). If you can’t make it to a fair in person, you can join virtual fairs too! These events give you the chance to chat with admissions representatives from your home or office.

TIPH Ambassadors are graduate public health students who participate in events across the country and on social media. On October 19, 2017, they hosted their first Twitter Chat about Applying to Grad School. Find out what they said, and stay tuned for future Twitter chats, by checking the hashtag #TIPHchat. While you’re there, follow the TIPH campaign on social media to check in with the Ambassador Takeovers and see what a week in the life of a public health student is like!

Association of Schools & Programs of Public Health

Love public health? You are in luck! The Association of Schools & Programs of Public Health (ASPPH) represents over 100 CEPH-accredited schools and programs. This also includes the Undergraduate Network which features undergraduate schools and programs of public health.

No matter what type of degree you are interested in, ASPPH has you covered! You can use the Academic Program Finder and Digital Viewbook to search for the best program for you. You have the option to search by degree, area of study and program type. Best yet, both are FREE! What else is free? The Financing Your Degree database! Through ASPPH, you can learn more about scholarships and other funding opportunities relevant to public health and health education.

Found your destination school or program? Head to SOPHAS to start your application today. SOPHAS is the centralized application service that over 90 schools and programs of public health use. Through this service, you’ll only need to send your materials to one place, and they will be distributed to the schools and programs of your choice.

Public Health Service and Outreach

The best way to understand public health is to be a part of public health! There are plenty of opportunities throughout the year to volunteer and improve the health of your community. A few of our favorite outreach opportunities hosted throughout the year:

These are only a few of the many events held every week focusing on community health improvement. You can search for more opportunities that relate to a health issue that is meaningful to you. Sites like VolunteerMatch and Idealist allow you to find organizations looking for volunteers in the areas you’re interested in. It is never too late to get involved in public health.

Personal & Professional development

While you are in school, there are resources available to students to expand their knowledge of public health outside of the classroom. These opportunities provide students with leadership, skill-based opportunities and other professional development. If you want to be prepared for your career in public health post-graduation, check out our suggestions for the best professional development opportunities:

American Public Health Association (APHA)

APHA offers student membership options for student to get involved with the national chapter. APHA is a great way to network, stay up to date on public health advances, and even present your own work at the Annual Meeting.

Delta Omega

Delta Omega is the Honorary Society of Public Health. Delta Omega offers students additional leadership and outreach opportunities and the chance to present their public health work at the APHA Annual Meeting and ASPPH Annual Meeting.

Student Leadership Institute

Sponsored by ASPPH, the Student Leadership Institute is a one-day leadership training held the day before the APHA Annual Meeting starts. Students are nominated by their respective school or program of public health to participate in the interactive professional development session.

National Board of Public Health Examiners

The National Board of Public Health Examiners organizes the Certified in Public Health (CPH) exam. Students from CEPH-accredited schools and programs of public health are eligible to take the exam. This is a great chance to prove your expertise in public health and boost your resume!

Career Connections

If you have a good idea of what public health is, but are interested in what kinds of jobs are available, you have plenty of options. Public health careers are exploding and becoming relevant in every field (even if they aren’t labeled public health). Take a scroll through Public Health Jobs, Health Careers Connection and Public Health Employment Connection. All three are great resources to search for job titles and descriptions around the world relating to public health. Oh, and they’re also FREE! A great way to figure out what you want to do is to look at careers of interest, find commonalities among the requirements needed for the job and decide what you should study, or what areas you need experience in, to get the type of jobs that interest you.

You can get involved in public health with just the click of a link or the tap of a button to follow a campaign on social media. It is getting easier and easier to recognize that public health is all around. But what is most important is to get involved in your community to help improve the health and wellbeing of others around you. Get involved and share your community outreach with #ThisIsPublicHealth! Start your academic search with the ASPPH Academic Program Finder! Finish your application on SOPHAS! Get CPH certified and commit yourself to public health.

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