Public Health is a discipline focusing on the improvement of global health. Public Health specialists use the latest research, education and public policies to make sure we all stay healthy and safe from epidemics, food or water poisoning, or other health risks. The great achievements of the Public Health sector are not only limited to the control and reduction of infectious diseases. Public Health also ensures safer workplaces, healthier mothers and babies, and access to healthier foods. Additionally, Public Health is about educating people on preventing health risks.
Public Health also prepares professionals who can teach vulnerable communities and the general public how to better take care of themselves. It promotes better living habits like exercising, proper nutrition, and regular medical visits. Public Health specialists may also initiate programmes that promote healthy habits and practices within families, so that people know how to identify a health emergency and how to react to it.
During Public Health degrees students learn to research public health issues, create and support health policies, and undertake educational activities to promote healthy living. Students also discover how to evaluate the overall health of communities, taking into consideration medical, social, and economic factors that impact wellbeing. So, Public Health can be as much about politics and lobbying as it is about ensuring all levels of society have access to proper medical care, or even researching and implementing new cures for unexpected health hazards.
After graduating with a degree in Public Health, you can generally follow one of these careers: health informatics specialist, health care administrator, epidemiologist, public health manager, and others.
Read more