September 11, 2003
A: FROM MENTOR SUZANNE TYAS IN KY
Public Health is an exciting field which has received more media
attention recently because of infectious diseases such as SARS (severe
acute respiratory syndrome) and issues such as bioterrorism. There is a
corresponding increase in demand for public health professionals. You
are correct that there is a wide range of career opportunities within
Public Health. Typically, US Schools of Public Health include five areas
of concentration: epidemiology, biostatistics, behavioral
sciences/health education, health services administration, and
environmental health sciences. For a good discussion of what Public
Health is and its educational requirements and career opportunities, see
the webpage for the Association of Schools of Public Health at
http://www.asph.org/.