Deciding on a Field of Study | School of Public Health

Are you trying to determine where you fit within public health? The following tables arrange some of the questions you may ask yourself as you think about a path in public health. They are grouped by what issues interest you, what tasks interest you, and what skills interest you. These suggestions are neither exhaustive nor absolute.

What Issues Do You Want to Study?

Issues	School of Public Health Department
Access to health care for underserved populations Social determinants of health Rural health care Child, adolescent, and family health Global health Health behaviors such as alcohol/tobacco/drug use, physical activity, nutrition, eating disorders, and obesity LGBT health and wellness Health disparities and health equity Healthy aging Emergency preparedness Computational modeling, systems theory Chronic disease prevention Community-based participatory research Evaluation of public health promotion and health education programs	Behavioral & Community Health Sciences
Computational modeling, systems theory Occupational health issues Preparedness for disasters, bioterrorism, or disease outbreaks	Biostatistics
Air pollution, water pollution, exposure to hazardous materials Interaction between genes, behaviors, and the environment Global health Preparedness for disasters, bioterrorism, or disease outbreaks Chronic diseases Enhancing disease prevention and health promotion Occupational health issues Food safety Environmental health risk assessment	Environmental & Occupational Health
Air and water pollution, exposure to hazardous materials Infectious and chronic disease surveillance and control Successful aging and longevity Child, adolescent, and family health / childhood autism Global health Women’s health Health-related behaviors such as alcohol/tobacco/drug use, nutrition, eating disorders, and obesity Physical activity and lifestyle interventions Cardiovascular health and diabetes Psychiatric disorders Design and conduct of clinical trials Impact of genetics in aging, cancer, and reproduction Neuroepidemiology / therapies in central nervous system disorders Cancer prevention Prevention and treatment of injury Intersection of public health and medicine (joint MD/PhD)	Epidemiology
Prescription drug use among Medicare D and VA patients Women’s health and Medicaid policy Health care reform and the Affordable Care Act Outcomes of investment of information technology in underdeveloped economies Physician adoption of antipsychotic drugs Quality management and measurement in long-term care settings Applying policy analysis and econometrics to evaluate health policies Variation in medical adherence in coronary care Social network analysis applied to public health law Global health and comparative health systems Decision science applied to clinical decision making	Health Policy & Management
Interaction between genes, behaviors, and the environment Global health Healthy aging Health behaviors such as alcohol/tobacco/drug use, physical activity, nutrition, eating disorders, and obesity Helping people understand and cope with genetic conditions Computational modeling, systems theory Chronic diseases Enhancing disease prevention and health promotion programs Intersection of public health and medicine (joint MD/PhD)	Human Genetics
Access to health care for underserved populations; social and class disparities in health Rural health care Global health Health behaviors such as alcohol/tobacco/drug use, physical activity, nutrition, eating disorders, and obesity Preparedness for disasters, bioterrorism, or disease outbreaks Outbreaks of infectious diseases Food safety	Infectious Diseases & Microbiology

What Tasks Interest You?

Tasks	School of Public Health Departments
Political action (local/state/federal governments, lobbying)	Behavioral & Community Health Sciences Environmental and Occupational Health Health Policy & Management
Evaluate health promotion and disease prevention programs	Behavioral & Community Health Sciences Health Policy & Management
Leadership in community groups (non-profit agencies or health departments)	Behavioral & Community Health Sciences Environmental and Occupational Health Human Genetics Infectious Diseases & Microbiology
Develop health promotion and disease prevention programs	Behavioral & Community Health Sciences Environmental and Occupational Health Epidemiology Human Genetics Infectious Diseases & Microbiology
Apply quantitative skills or programming to an area of public health	Biostatistics Environmental and Occupational Health Epidemiology Health Policy & Management Human Genetics

What Skills Do You Want to Acquire?

Skills	School of Public Health Departments
Cost-benefit and cost effectiveness analyses	Health Policy & Management
Geographic Information Systems	Biostatistics Behavioral & Community Health Sciences Environmental and Occupational Health Epidemiology
Management of clinical trials	Biostatistics Epidemiology
Management of laboratories	Infectious Diseases & Microbiology