Workforce Gap

Public health funding mechanisms tend to focus on disease or emergency related activities as we saw with the COVID-19 pandemic. These mechanisms have made it difficult to strengthen the public health workforce. Without staff to do the work, disease focused programs can’t flourish. The Public Health Infrastructure Grant (PHIG) hopes to change that – with one strategy being inspiring young public health professionals.

Since 2021, it is estimated that the public health field is short approximately 80,000 workers. In December 2022, PHIG awarded 107 health departments funding to recruit, train, and retain public health professionals to address this gap to gradually improve infrastructure. Each health department has the flexibility to determine how to best allocate funding over a five-year period to meet the critical needs of their community. The Public Health Camp was one funded initiative that focused on early public health development.

Inspiring Young Public Health Professionals in King County

In a vibrant community center in Seattle, excitement filled the air as young people from across the Seattle metro area gathered for the 2024 Public Health Camp. CDC’s investments through PHIG made this week-long event, hosted by the King County Health Department, possible. The camp was more than just a series of workshops. It celebrated the critical role public health plays in our society and inspired the next generation of public health professionals to strengthen the public health workforce for the future.

The Public Health Camp highlighted the importance of a robust public health workforce, and why every community needs dedicated professionals to tackle the challenges of today and prepare for future health threats. CDC’s critical investments through PHIG are helping health departments focus on building and sustaining this workforce, ensuring that they have the resources they need to function effectively and respond to public health needs in their communities.

The event also focused on inspiring young minds to consider careers in public health. Through engaging presentations and personal stories, campers learned about the diverse opportunities within the field. They heard from organizations who shared their mission for making a difference, whether through research, policy-making, or direct community partnership. The message was clear: A public health career is not only rewarding but essential for the health and safety of communities across the country.

During the camp, students participated in interactive exhibits and hands-on activities related to disease surveillance, emergency preparedness, overall health education, and more. These activities demonstrated how public health professionals protect and improve community well-being. Students also saw the real-world impact of public health initiatives during a video tour. This tour featured stories from public health workers who responded to emergencies, advocated for healthier policies, or conducted vital research.

More Early Career Outreach

Health departments across the country are seeking opportunities to grow the next generation of public health professionals in their communities.

The Marion County Public Health Department (MCPHD) — a division of the Health and Hospital Corporation of Marion County, Indiana — was able to initiate its first paid internship program for both undergraduate and graduate students thanks to PHIG funding. The program began in the spring semester of 2024, in partnership with Indiana University’s Fairbanks School of Public Health, when two students started as interns with the health department’s Epidemiology and Water Quality departments. MCPHD’s internship program expanded to include five additional paid PHIG-funded interns that summer. Those students came from academic centers across Indiana, California, and Wisconsin. They worked in the Maternal and Child Health, Water Quality, Epidemiology, and Public Relations departments.

Earlier this summer, MCPHD hired a Professional Development Trainer and Internship Coordinator to work alongside its Workforce Director and its Talent Acquisition Specialist in HR. PHIG funded these three positions. One of their goals is to build pipelines that will help direct their interns to full-time employment opportunities with the corporation. “Like much of the country, Indiana is seeing a shortage in its public health workforce,” said Ebony Funches, Workforce Director at MCPHD. “By offering paid internships through PHIG, we are better able to incentivize a diverse range of young people to explore public health during their education. If they have a good experience with us, maybe they will consider pursuing a career in this field.”

The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) partnered with Missouri State University to create Pathways, a statewide public health internship program made possible by funding from the PHIG. Each internship is 320 hours long, and students receive a stipend of $6,400. This opportunity is not limited to one branch of study, any healthcare-related field, from nursing to healthcare administration, can qualify and the work takes place in either a public health agency or within DHSS.

Pathway’s goal is to provide students with practical experience in a new career field, while also allowing students to gain on-the-job experiences that a classroom may not provide. The long-term strategy for Pathways is to increase the number of skilled applicants for full-time public health jobs. Since the launch of the internship program in Spring of 2024, 49 students have been matched to DHSS and to local public health departments across the state serving both rural and urban communities. As the program continues so does the interest amongst students and host sites.

The Connecticut Department of Public Health (CTDPH) has several early career development programs. This includes the establishment of a new Associate Degree in Public Health program in partnership with the CT STATE Community College System. This program will allow students to select from two distinct tracks of study, Environmental Public Health or Community Public Health. It includes approximately $4.2 million in PHIG funding over four years to support faculty, scholarships, wrap-around financial support for students, experiential learning opportunities, and post-graduation employment assistance.

Each of these initiatives demonstrates important investments in the public health workforce across the country. Each activity helped provide young professionals real-world on the job training, mentoring, and skill building to make sure that the next generation of public health professionals is prepared to address current and future health issues. With the initiation of early career programs and the dedication of public health professionals, the next generation will be equipped to navigate and contribute to this vital field.