A Guide to What You Should Know:

How to Prepare for

Today’s Emerging
Public Health
Trends
The public health landscape is rapidly evolving.
Within the first half of 2018 alone:

» Apple launched Health Records, a feature

that aggregates existing patient-generated
data with information from a user’s electronic
medical record, enabling patients to gain a
more holistic view of their health—all from
their smartphone;

» Amazon acquired PillPack, an online pharmacy

that lets users buy medication in pre-made
doses while also coordinating refills and
renewals;

» Microsoft established a team dedicated to

healthcare innovation; and

» Google published research that highlighted

how its artificial intelligence software could
predict patient outcomes more accurately than
medical professionals.

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“Apple is not about iPods anymore,” says Dr. Neil
Maniar, director of Northeastern University’s Master of
Public Health (MPH) program. “Companies like Amazon,
Apple, and Google have the potential to change the face
of how we view and practice public health.”

But technology is just one of many factors influencing

the field. The United States’ changing demographics
and aging baby boomers are having just as much of
an effect. By 2030, one in every five people will be
66 or older, according to the U.S. Census Bureau,
posing challenges to healthcare providers, public
policy makers, and programs like Medicare and Social
Security.

“We need to rethink our approaches to population

health,” says Alison Gillis, program manager for
Northeastern’s MPH. “What we’ve done previously isn’t
going to work.”

Which is why now is the time to join the public

health field. There’s a need for new leaders who are
passionate about social justice and health equity—

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who see the potential of emerging technologies and
can apply them to break down geographic disparities
and improve patient outcomes.

“I really don’t think there has ever been a more

exciting, more challenging, or more important time
for individuals to enter the public health field,” Maniar
says. “This is the opportunity to save many, many lives
all at once.”

If you’re interested in seizing that opportunity,

the following information is a closer look at trends
impacting the field, skills you need to tackle those
issues, and positions you can pursue that are helping
shape the future of public health.

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How Is the Public Health
Landscape Evolving?

Public health—defined by the Center for Disease

Control and Prevention as “the science of protecting and
improving the health of people and their communities”—
is in constant flux. As the global environment changes,
so do the challenges and opportunities within that
environment.

The public health field encompasses a broad range of

topics, including:

» Promoting healthy lifestyles

» Educating communities about the dangers of
opioid, tobacco, and alcohol use
» Establishing new ways to deliver clean water
» Improving sanitation
» Detecting, preventing, and controlling disease
outbreaks
» Reducing gun violence

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 » Providing underserved populations with access to
fresh produce
» Developing safe housing to reduce the risks that
come from poor ventilation, pest infestation, lead
poisoning, and water leaks

Public health professionals work to improve communities

locally and abroad by implementing educational
programs, drafting public health policies and plans,
conducting research, administering services, and
establishing community partnerships.

It’s important for professionals to understand how the

public health landscape is evolving, however, so that they
can effectively address population needs. Here are five
trends currently impacting public health.

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1 Limited Resources to Address Public Health Needs

Of the nearly $2.6 trillion that the United States

spends annually on healthcare, only about three
percent is allocated to public health, according
to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
What’s more, in 2017, funding for disease
prevention and health promotion programs
declined by approximately $580 million.

“Our public health needs continue to grow,” Maniar

says. “The resources to address those needs are
under constant pressure, however. It’s critical that
we not only frame issues like gun violence and
opioid abuse as core public health priorities, but
also focus on the changing political environment
and its impact on funding levels for public health
programs and services.”

For example, the U.S. gun homicide rate peaked

in 1980 and again in the early 1990s, according
to Pew Research Center. Yet gun violence is a
problem that persists today. Since the Sandy Hook

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Elementary School Shooting in 2012, nearly 1,700
mass shootings have occurred, taking more than
1,900 lives and wounding 7,100 others. Despite
those numbers, the U.S. Department of Education’s
Federal Commission on School Safety has said
it will not focus on the role guns play in school
violence.

“Gun violence has been a public health issue for

many, many years,” Maniar says. “Unfortunately,
we continue to see approaches to resolve this
public health crisis that fail to take into account
some of the most central factors related to gun
violence, and we continue to fight for resources to
better understand the etiology of gun violence.”

Between already limited resources and vastly

varied views on how the country should prioritize
and focus on emerging needs, today’s public health
professionals face a series of complex challenges.

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2 The Adaptation of New Technologies

As companies like Apple, Amazon, Google, and

Microsoft have already shown: Technology can
significantly impact public health. In 2017 alone,
the global wearables market grew 17 percent, with
more than 310 million devices sold. For public
health professionals, that increase translates into
mountains of data they can leverage to help predict
and prevent issues like diabetes and cardiovascular
disease.

Technology has enabled doctors to diagnosis and

treat patients living in remote, rural areas through
videoconferencing software. It’s enabled the
launch of virtual-care clinics and electronic medical
records, and improved individuals’ access to
healthcare professionals through the use of mobile
applications. It’s spawned predictive analytics
that help hospitals prevent diseases and improve
patient care.

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 Despite all of technology’s benefits, pharmaceutical
and medical device companies, as well as the
public sector, are lagging behind other industries in
their digitization efforts, according to McKinsey.

“We have tools available to us now to tackle these

public health issues and break down geographic
disparities,” Maniar says. “Now we need to have a
public health workforce who can see the relevancy
of these technologies and apply them in innovative
and impactful ways.”

3 An Expansive View of Public Health

But what that public health workforce focuses on

could vary in scope and discipline. Over the last
two decades, the definition of “public health” has
evolved far beyond healthcare. Environmental
threats, food security, gun violence, affordable
housing, and economic development policies all fall
under the public health domain.

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 “People are viewing the field of public health as
something that’s expansive,” Maniar says, noting
how work in law, business, or pharmaceuticals
could overlap with public health. “It’s a field that
encompasses many different disciplines.”

4 Shifting Demographics

By 2035, older people are expected to outnumber

children for the first time in U.S. history. As more
baby boomers enter retirement age, the bigger the
strain on existing healthcare systems. It’s estimated
that retiring baby boomers will double Medicaid
and Medicare costs by 2020.

But baby boomers represent only one part of

the shift: By 2050, minorities are projected to be
the majority in the United States. Over the next
30 years, the Hispanic population will nearly
triple, from 46.7 million to 132.8 million, and the
African American and Asian-American populations
will become 15 percent and nine percent of the
population, respectively.

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 As the population evolves, so will public health
needs and resources.

“We need to keep in mind someone’s age and

cultural background,” Gillis says. “We want to
value where people are coming from and have an
effective intervention.”

5 A More Prominent Focus on the Social

Determinants of Health

As demographics shift, it’s important to consider

the role of the social determinants of health,
defined by the World Health Organization (WHO)
as “the conditions in which people are born, grow,
live, work, and age.”

Initiatives like Healthy People 2020, established

by the Office of Disease Prevention and Health
Promotion, are designed to identify ways to create
social and physical environments that enable
everyone to live healthier lives—not just those in
particular states, cities, or income brackets.

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 For example, poor housing conditions cause
indoor pollutants that can lead to cardiovascular
and respiratory diseases, such as asthma, which
affects more than 20 million Americans and is the
most common chronic disease among children
worldwide. In developing countries, substandard
living conditions can be lethal: An estimated
two million people die from indoor air pollution,
according to WHO.

Primary care physicians are starting to focus more

on the social determinants of health, Maniar
says. By making it a part of standard operating
procedure, doctors can better predict diseases and
prevent outcomes from happening later in life.

“By having an MPH, you demonstrate a

commitment to helping people live
healthier lives. The degree positions
graduates to go on and change the world.”
— Alison Gillis, program manager
for Northeastern’s MPH
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What Skills Do You Need to
Successfully Tackle Public
Health Issues?

If you are inspired to tackle these issues and enter the

public health field, there are a set of core competencies,
according to Maniar and Gillis, that will help you succeed.
Those skills include:

Cross-Cultural Communication
As the world becomes more global and communities
increasingly diverse, it’s important for public health
professionals to communicate effectively with a wide
variety of people from different backgrounds and
disciplines.

“Public health is collaborative,” Gillis says. The more

communities, policy makers, and public health advocates
work together, the bigger their impact. By knowing how
to actively listen, empathize, and communicate across
cultures, the easier making and facilitating change will be.

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Ability to Advocate on Behalf of Public Health
While it’s important for public health professionals to
understand the root cause of an issue, it’s no longer
enough—particularly in a polarized political environment
where policy makers regularly disagree on how to
address public health concerns.

“Public health professionals need to have the political

acumen to advocate on behalf of public health to people
who have different opinions and worldviews,” Gillis says.
“They need to be intelligent, convincing, and compelling.”

Which is where having a passion for public health

can help.

A Passion for Public Health

So many of the challenges facing public health can’t be
solved overnight. Successfully implementing programs
and administering services could take years, which is why
it’s critical for public practitioners to stay optimistic, be
resilient, and keep fighting to make change—no matter
how small.

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“So much of the work in public health is trying to tackle
issues and implement programs where you might not
see the result for many years,” Maniar says. “Public
practitioners are not going to have an immediate sense of
gratification. They need to look at issues from a long-term
perspective.”

Know-How to Deconstruct Complex Issues

Because the issues facing public health are often large
and complex, individuals in the field need to know how
to deconstruct problems into smaller, addressable
components.

Maniar uses the opioid crisis as an example: More than

115 people die daily in the United States from an opioid
overdose. Each case and cause is unique, and could be
approached in a variety of different ways. Policy makers
have suggested solutions that range from creating
prevention facilities to establishing a prescription drug
monitoring program (PDMP) that electronically collects
data on substances dispensed statewide.
Each solution addresses the problem in a small, albeit

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meaningful way, and could have a positive impact on
local communities. Getting to those solutions, however,
requires public practitioners to think analytically and
creatively, Maniar says, to effectively deconstruct these
complex issues and address the most modifiable causes.

Desire to Pursue Lifelong Learning

As the public health landscape evolves, the types of
challenges that emerge and the magnitude of those
issues will change as well. It’s important for public
health practitioners to continually update their skills and
knowledge base.

“As our understanding evolves, our ability to successfully

prevent an outcome, like an opioid overdose, gun-related
fatality, or a heart attack, also changes,” Maniar says.
“The field of public health encompasses so much that
you’re always able to learn something new and apply
something new.”

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What Careers Are
Shaping Public Health?

Because the field of public health is so expansive,

individuals working in the field can pursue a variety
of different career paths within healthcare, business,
technology, analytics, public policy, and science.
Some of the most popular positions among public
health professionals include:

Healthcare Administrators

Healthcare administrators oversee the

Estimated
daily operations of a hospital, research Job Growth
lab, physician practice, or other by 2026: 20%
(BLS, 2018)
healthcare facility. They develop
organizational goals, manage the facility’s
budget and finances, and work to ensure patients are
receiving quality, efficient care and that the organization
is compliant with changing laws and regulations.

(Source, Year)

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Epidemiologists

Epidemiologists study the patterns and

Estimated
causes of disease and aim to improve Job Growth
public health outcomes by publishing by 2026: 9%

research, establishing community (BLS, 2018)

education programs, or developing

new health policies. They collect, analyze, and
communicate data to health practitioners, policymakers,
and the public, and work to prevent future outbreaks.

Social and Community Service Managers

These managers supervise social service

Estimated
programs and community outreach Job Growth
organizations, such as substance abuse by 2026: 18%
(BLS, 2018)
clinics, homeless shelters, and mental
health facilities. They often oversee
budgets, write grant and funding proposals, recruit and
train volunteers and staff members, and plan initiatives to
increase awareness and support of their programs.

(Source, Year)

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Dieticians and Nutritionists

Dieticians promote better health by

Estimated
assessing patients’ nutritional needs Job Growth
and counseling clients on healthy eating by 2026: 15%

habits. They create personalized meal (BLS, 2018)

plans for patients, track clients’ progress,

and collaborate with other healthcare professionals to
coordinate and improve patient care. They might also
(Source, year)
establish educational workshops or plan food programs
in hospitals, schools, and long-term care facilities.

Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder,

and Mental Health Counselors

These counselors advise patients who

Estimated
suffer from alcoholism, mental health Job Growth
issues, drug addiction, eating disorders, by 2026: 23%
(BLS, 2018)
or other behavioral problems. They
evaluate patients’ health, recommend
treatment programs, educate family members on how
to support loved ones with addiction or behavioral
disorders, and refer clients to other services, such as job
placement organizations and support groups.

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(Source, Year)
Registered Nurses

Registered nurses (RNs) assess the

Estimated
health of patients, provide patient care, Job Growth
record symptoms and analyze tests, and by 2026: 15%

administer medicines and treatments. (BLS, 2018)

They also offer emotional support and

guidance to patients and their loved ones, as well as
consult with doctors and prepare patients to live at
(Source, year)
home once their treatment is over.

Medical Records and Health

Information Technicians

Health information technicians organize,

Estimated
analyze, and report health information Job Growth
data. They review patient records to by 2026: 13%
(BLS, 2018)
ensure all data is accurate and secure,
track patient outcomes, and code and
categorize data for insurance reimbursement purposes
and to maintain clients’ treatment and medical histories.

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(Source, Year)
Why Pursue a Master of
Public Health?

For those interested in breaking into the field or

advancing their career, a Master of Public Health
can help.

“It has wide applicability across a number of disciplines

and professions,” Gillis says. “It’s a skills-based degree,
and those skills are readily transferable.”

Over the course of Maniar’s 20-year public health career,

he’s created a statewide youth violence prevention
program, established partnerships and strategies to
address disparities in infant mortality, and is now focused
on improving outcomes related to cancer prevention,
screening, intervention, and survivorship.

“The skills and knowledge base that I gained from one

position were easily transferable to another opportunity

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within the field,” Maniar says. “That gives you a powerful
way to think about problems and solutions to those
problems.”

At Northeastern, students immerse themselves in the

field and gain firsthand experience by completing a
200-hour internship with a public health organization.
Through that work, students are able to apply lessons
learned in the classroom and develop effective solutions
for the real world.

“By having an MPH, you demonstrate a commitment to

helping people live healthier lives,” Gillis says. “The degree
positions graduates to go on and change the world.”

An estimated 2.4 million new healthcare

jobs will emerge by 2026.

(BLS, 2017)

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An Insider Perspective
Are you interested in earning your master’s degree?
That decision is one recent Northeastern alumni have
considered themselves. Here’s why they chose to pursue
their Master of Public Health and how it’s advanced
their career:

“ Adrianna Boulin, ’16, research assistant II at Brigham

and Women’s Hospital and founder of JAMAKIN ME
SMART, Incorporated
I don’t like being idle. So the fact that I can change and do
whatever I want to do but still be doing public health is really
attractive to me. My MPH degree is still manifesting itself—it’s
a process and a trajectory. At this point in the journey, I feel
like I’m more of an efficient worker, and I know exactly what I
want to do.

“ Suzanne Garverich, ’17, research project manager at

Northeastern’s Institute on Urban Health Research and Practice

I had been working in public health research for 15 years before

I pursued my MPH. When I came across Northeastern’s program,
I was excited. It was dedicated to reducing health disparities
and inequities in urban settings, and that was exactly what I
had been looking for. Receiving an MPH through Northeastern
has made me a more competent and confident public health
professional. I have the skills necessary to successfully work
and collaborate with community partners to help reduce health
disparities and inequities.

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“ DJ Corey, ’15, clinical field supervisor/shift commander
for Cataldo Ambulance Service and program director for
Northeastern’s EMT course
I chose to pursue my MPH after discovering the importance
of public health during my undergraduate studies in
Northeastern’s health science program. I realized that in order
to effect real change beyond the bedside of an individual
patient, it’s important to understand the bigger picture of
what ‘healthcare’ actually is. In my current role at Cataldo
Ambulance Service, my understanding of public health is
an important part of my ability to recognize system flaws
and inefficiencies and come up with solutions that improve
the service we can provide directly to patients, as well as to
contracted hospitals and other medical facilities.

Employment for healthcare

administrators is projected to grow
20% by 2026—much faster than the
national average.
(BLS, 2018)

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Are You Ready to Shape the
Future of Public Health?
To learn more about the Northeastern experience,
including the Master of Public Health program,
visit northeastern.edu/graduate or connect with
our team to receive personalized advice.

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