a) Jobs and Roles of Public Health Professionals

Introduction
Public health is defined as the science of protecting and improving a community's health
by way of preventative medicine, health education, sanitation strategies, monitoring of
environmental hazards and the collection and research of disease and injury data to
develop strategies for prevention.
There are many paths for those interested in careers in public health. Epidemiology and
biostatistics for those interested in working with numbers and data, environmental health
for science oriented individuals, health education for those wanting to work in
communities to develop startegies for prevention of disease or disaster, health
administration for the business, finance and management interest, and health policy for
those that are legally inclined and desiring to create public health policy.
Public Health Professional Job Description
The goal of a Public health professional is to prevent public health related problems from
occurring or occurring again by implementing health education programs, improving
access to health care, developing public health policies, controlling infectious disease,
and conducting research that is used to reduce environmental hazards, violence and drug
abuse. s you can see there are many specializations within public health but many times
a public health professional will incorporate all aspects of the field when working on a
project.
!ith the growing elderly population and the threat of pandemic, there is great
opportunity in the public health sector for talented and educated individuals to have
rewarding and secure careers. "ealth sector job opportunities are predicted to grow faster
than the national average and predicted to make up the majority of new jobs through
#$%& according to the bureau of labor statistics.
Public health is concerned with the assessment, monitoring and promotion of the health
of the population. 't deals not only with the prevention of health(related conditions, such
as infectious diseases, but with ways to reduce the effects of e)isting problems, such as
substance abuse
Those working in public health invariably have an *P" +master of public health,, which
is a multi(disciplinary degree in public health practice available from a number of schools
of public health, schools of public affairs and medical schools throughout the world.
-raduates are able to work in areas such as education, policy, community practice,
research and administration
.ualified medical professionals with at least a year/s clinical e)perience often make the
transition to public health.
*anaging and protecting a community/s way of life. 0rom possible health risks is the
responsibility of a Public Health professional. They utilise their knowledge of disease
control, health and safety guidelines and research. They may work at the local,
government or international level.
They e)amine the policies that are currently in place and make recommendations,
implement better strategies or make emergency decisions to handle problems. Persons
who specialise in 1cience, 2hemistry, *athematics, 3iostatistics, Epidemiology,
3usiness and *anagement can work in Public "ealth. These professionals are involved
in some of the breakthroughs in communicable and social diseases.
Public Health Professional Education
Educational re4uirements for public health professionals vary due to the nature of the
field. *ost public health professionals do hold a master's degree in public health.
"owever, many public health professionals come from diverse backgrounds including
teaching, medicine, nursing, researchers, administrators, journalists, lawyers, social
workers and environmentalists. *aster's degree in Publice "ealth or "ealth 2are
dministration are popular degrees for those choosing a career in public health
administration.
Public Health Professional Duties
The public health workforce consists of professionals from many fields with the common
goal of protecting and promoting the health of a population. There are three broad
categories of the public health workforce +P"2, #$$5,6
Consultants/specialists:
2onsultants7specialists are public health staff who are likely to have advanced education
and training in a special content area or a specific set of skills. They provide e)pert
advice and support to front line providers and managers although they may also work
directly with clients. E)amples of consultants7specialists include epidemiologists,
environmental health scientists, evaluators, nurse practitioners and advanced practice
nurses.
Public health epidemiologists study the health status and health indicators of 3ritish
2olumbians by designing, implementing, and conducting epidemiological studies and
surveillance systems. They also work with regional health authorities and health
professionals to interpret data, perform statistical analysis, and evaluate the efficacy of
public health programs and interventions. 1ome public health epidemiologists are
physicians that have advanced education and training in epidemiology.
ront line pro!iders:
0ront line public health providers are public health staff who have post(secondary
education and e)perience in the field of public health. 0ront line providers have sufficient
relevant e)perience to work independently, with minimal supervision. 0ront line
providers carry out the bulk of day(to(day tasks in the public health sector. They work
directly with clients, including individuals, families, groups and communities.
8esponsibilities may include information collection and analysis, fieldwork, program
planning, outreach activities, program and service delivery, and other organizational
tasks. E)amples of front line providers are public health nurses, public
health7environmental health officers, public health dieticians, dental hygienists and health
promoters.
Public health nurses promote and protect the health of populations in diverse settings,
such as community health centres, schools, street clinics, youth centres and nursing
outposts, to meet the health needs of the whole or specific populations. They work with
many partners in communities to implement maternal and child health promotion
programs9 disease and injury prevention programs9 school health programs9 se)ually
transmitted infection prevention programs that include treatment, education and outreach9
immunization clinics9 and communicable disease surveillance and control.
Environmental health officers investigate and influence conditions in the natural and
built7physical environment that affect human health and wellbeing. They deal with the
health impacts of contaminated air, water, land, and food, indoor and outdoor
environments, and address biological, physical, chemical and radiological hazards.
Environmental health officer/s duties include inspections of and investigating complaints
about food establishments, swimming pools, water supplies and sewage disposal systems.
They also administer and enforce environmental health legislation related to these
matters.
Public health dieticians plan, develop, implement, and evaluate nutrition policies,
programs, and services. They consult with select populations for specific health
conditions in order to assess and develop plans for sound food and nutrition practices.
They also work with other public health professionals to advocate for programs and
policy changes as needed.
"anagers/super!isors:
*anagers7supervisors are public health staff who are responsible for major programs or
functions. Typically, they have staff who report to them. 1ometimes senior managers
come from sectors other than public health and therefore rely heavily on
consultants7specialists and other public health professionals for content e)pertise and
advice. 'n other situations, managers with public health e)perience and 4ualifications are
e)pected to bring more content knowledge. E)amples of managers7supervisors include
medical health officers, public health administrators, and population health directors.
*edical health officers are physicians that have public health training through post(
secondary training and7or specialty training in 2ommunity *edicine. They use
population health knowledge and skills to play leading and collaborative roles in the
maintenance and improvement of the health and well(being of their communities. They
are responsible, with the public health team, for monitoring, preventing and controlling
communicable and chronic diseases, investigating disease outbreaks and hazards to
health and coordinating public health responses to health threats. *edical health officers
carry out legislated re4uirements of a number of public health statutes which pertain to
communicable disease prevention and control, environmental health, tobacco harm
prevention, drinking water protection and community care facility licensing.
b) Challenges of Public Health Professionals
Public health challenges are no longer just local, national or regional. They are global.
They are no longer just within the domain of public health specialists. They are among
the key challenges to our societies. They are political and cross(sectoral. They are
intimately linked to environment and development. They are key to national, regional and
global security.
"istorically, disease in other places was seen as an impediment to e)ploration, and a
challenge to winning a war. 2holera and other diseases killed at least three times more
soldiers in the 2rimean !ar than the actual conflict. *alaria, measles, mumps, smallpo)
and typhoid felled more combatants than did bullets in the merican civil war. nd the
Panama 2anal went over(schedule because of :tropical; diseases < then unknown,
untreatable and often fatal.
Today on that front, there are very few unknowns. -lobalization has connected
3ujumbura to 3ombay, and 3angkok to 3oston. 'n an interconnected and inter(dependent
world, bacteria and viruses travel almost as fast as e(mail messages and money flows.
There are no health sanctuaries. =o impregnable walls between the world that is healthy,
well fed, and well off, and another world, which is sick, malnourished and impoverished.
-lobalization has shrunk distances, broken down old barriers, and linked people together.
't has also made problems half way around the world everyone's problem. nd we know
that, like a stone thrown on the waters, a difficult social or economic situation in one
community can ripple and resonate around the world.
Hiv/Aids
Twenty years ago, "'> was a specter, all but invisible on the horizon. 't was considered a
disease, which affected specific minorities < gay men and intravenous drug users. 1cience
was slow to respond. The rare cancer, ?aposi's sarcoma, was a marker, and a sentence to
die a painful, slow and often lonely death.
The world took more notice with the realization that the human immunodeficiency virus
knew no borders. -iven the right vector, it could infect anyone < man, woman, gay,
straight, healthy and haemophiliac. 3y %@@$ in wealthy countries, we were screening
blood donors and teaching our kids how to protect themselves against "'>. 2ondom use
had increased. 'ncidence declined. nd then antiretroviral were made available to those
who could afford them. People in countries with health insurance gained access, giving
tremendous hope for a longer, healthier life. 'n short, "'> diminished < for those in rich
countries < as an urgent public health problem.
Today, more than &# million people are "'> positive. A$ million of them are living in
sub(1aharan frica. They are trying to survive in some of the poorest countries and
conditions < with no access to the most basic health care < much less sophisticated and
e)pensive treatment. *any have died. *any are dying. They are mothers and fathers,
teachers, and nurses and other health professionals, civil servants, miners, and soldiers.
They are leaving a huge social and professional gap < an imminent threat to countries
struggling to develop. They are leaving orphans, penniless grandmothers caring for their
children's children, family members and communities frightened, hurt, stigmatized.
"ealth systems stretched well beyond their often(frail capacities. !e will see the effects
of this unfolding tragedy for decades to come.
*any places in frica we see a downward spiral, making countries increasingly weak.
The important challenge is to address the underlying causes and arrest the descent, before
we are forced to deal with the ultimate conse4uences < famine, unrest and human
suffering. 2onse4uences that will touch everyone < the loss of so much human potential
will indeed resonate around the world.
An unsafe world
3ut to better understand the even wider picture, we must go back to the slow creep of
disease. !ho is affectedB nd whyB These diseases we can protect ourselves against <
malaria, T3, "'>, measles, diarrheal diseases, respiratory infections < are impacting
people in the poorest countries where economies don't grow, where social unrest,
unemployment and the threat of civil conflict force the stagnation of health and education
systems.
' am not talking about small numbers. 3etween %@@$ and #$$$, the human development
inde) declined in nearly A$ countries. !ell over a billion people < more than one fifth of
the world's population are unable to meet their daily minimum needs. lmost one third of
all children are undernourished. 'n many countries, which have seen economic growth,
increasing ine4uality means that the poorest part of the population has seen little or none
of the benefits from this growth. The average frican household consumes #$ per cent
less today than it did #C years agoD
world where a billion people are deprived, insecure and vulnerable is an unsafe world.
The separation between domestic and international health problems is losing its
usefulness as people and goods travel across continents. *ore than two million people
cross international borders every single day, about a tenth of humanity each year. nd of
these, more than a million people travel from developing to industrialized countries each
week.
Investing in health
s the %5 leading economists and health e)perts who formed my 2ommission on
*acroeconomics and "ealth have argued, disease holds back development and weakens
societies. *alaria alone ta)ed frica's combined -EP by about F%$$ billion compared to
what it could have been if that disease had been tackled A$ years ago, when effective
control measures first became available.
The 2ommission has presented a definitive argument for the need to invest in health as
part of a basic development strategy. 't shows, 4uite simply, how investments in health
are an important pre(re4uisite for economic development. 'n fact, competition in a global
market place will not provide enough incentives for poor countries to move out of
poverty. The idea that little help should be given to any country apart from supporting
free(market reforms and democracy, is now fortunately being seriously challenged.
International co-operation
!e see the change disease brings to our world. nd we see that foresight, investment and
cooperation can make the difference. "'> has been with us for three decades, and the
impact on societies and economies is too well known. 3y contrast, the global effort to
contain 181 with determination and speed limited the impact to thousands, not
hundreds of thousands, of cases.
!e also face threats from the environment, and what humans can do to manipulate it. !e
have already had one anthra) scare. Each of us in this room has probably considered the
threat of bioterrorism. 181 jumped from nature to humans < a rare occurrence re4uiring
perfect conditions.
This means more public health specialists, who can tell us where a disease came from,
and where it is going. 3ut, we can only find disease when we have the tools to look for it.
Eisease surveillance and response systems are critical, with strong national, regional and
global linkages in reporting. nd, governments need to invest more in infection control.
t the !orld "ealth ssembly in *ay #$$A, member states adopted a resolution, which
would see revised and strengthened 'nternational "ealth 8egulations. The key is a system
where infectious diseases are found, reported, and stopped. Eepending on the threat, this
will re4uire continued international cooperation < a system where all recognize that any
disease, no matter if it is affecting rich or poor, will touch us all at some point.
The challenge of unhealthy life-styles
-lobalization also carries with it rapidly changing lifestyles. 'n our preparation for !orld
"ealth 8eport #$$#, we focused on :8educing risks, promoting healthy life;. 1urprising
to many, not only underweight, but also overweight was to be found among the twenty
most important risk factors globally.
Gntil recently, blood pressure, cholesterol, tobacco, alcohol and obesity, and the diseases
linked to them, had been thought to be concerns just for industrialized countries. The
report showed how they are becoming more prevalent in developing nations, creating a
double burden, on top of infectious diseases.
The !"H strategy recommends a prevention(oriented approach and the need for
countries to develop coherent multisectoral national strategies with a long(term,
sustainable perspective, to make the healthy choices the preferred alternatives at both the
individual and community level. 't recommends the control of food marketing to children
and of health claims to packaging, improved nutrition labeling and health education.
't provides ideas on ways to make more healthful choices easier at school, work and
home. !orking with industry, with food retailers, consumers groups is the right way to
go, and to choose a broad approach. 'nspiring active lifestyles, sports, walking and less
sugar, fatty and salty foods must be key areas of focus. !e have already seen programs
regarding marketing and promotion of junk food to children. There is a broad agreement
and scientific evidence behind such recommendations. G1 study showed that children
younger than eight could not tell the difference between advertising and reality.
Conclusions
!ith the great costs both in human suffering and economically to our societies, ' have no
doubt that the 4uestions of diet, lifestyles and marketing will remain with us. People and
parliamentarians are now fully alerted. 'nitiatives will be taken in a number of countries.
References:
2enters for Eisease 2ontrol. chievements in public health, %@$$(%@@@6 control of
infectious diseases. **!8 *orb *ortal !kly 8ep. %@@@9&56I#%(@.

0lahault , Tulchinsky T". Preface6 0rom science to public health6 the"elicobacter
pylori case. Public "ealth 8eviews #$%$9A#6J(@.

1now K. 1now on 2holera6 8eprint of Two Papers. =ew Lork6 2ommonwealth 0und,
%@AI.

2enters for Eisease 2ontrol. chievements in public health, %@$$(%@@@ impact of
vaccines universally recommended for children < Gnited 1tates, %@$$(%@@5. **!8
*orb *ortal !kly 8ep. %@@@9&56#&A(5.

2ockburn . The evolution and eradication of infectious diseases. !estport +2T,6
-reenwood Press6 %@I&. +reprint %@5A,.

0auci 1. Emerging and re(emerging infectious diseases6 the perpetual challenge. #$$C.
8obert ". Ebert *emorial Mecture. =ew Lork6 *ilbank *emorial 0und and the
ssociation of merican *edical 2olleges +*2,6 #$$I. vailable from G8M6
http677www.milbank.org7reports7$I$%fauci7$I$%fauci. html +ccessed #& Kuly, #$%&,.

1assetti 2*, 8ubin EK. The open book of infectious diseases. =ature *edicine.
#$$J9#A6#J@(5$.

The -lobal 0und To 0ight ids, Tuberculosis and *alaria. The global fund #$%$6
innovation and impact. -eneva6 -lobal 0und9 #$%$. vailable from G8M6
http677www.theglobalfund.org7documents7replenishment7#$%$7-lobal
0undN#$%$N'nnovationNandN'mpactNen.pdf +ccessed #& Kuly, #$%&,.