Even before the pandemic hit, the general public health field was experiencing explosive growth, and the variety of public health degrees awarded was skyrocketing greater than 300% from 1992 to 2016. Interest in medical careers has surged even further following the emergence of COVID-19 on the worldwide stage, with some master’s in public health (MPH) programs seeing the most important year-over-year increase in applications of their history. That interest hasn’t waned much.
“Students are still very interested in all different areas of public health,” says Toy Draine, director of profession services at George Washington University’s Milken Institute School of Public Health. “The program continues to grow and our student population continues to grow.”
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For those inquisitive about working in public health, listed below are the ten highest paying jobs in the sphere.
10. Director of Public Health
Highest paying corporations: Nonpartisan Policy Center, Amazon, City of Detroit
Description: Public health directors work for governments on the state or local level to administer public health organizations and programs. This role creates and manages programs to enhance the general well-being of a population. Public health directors address health challenges at the executive level by consulting other public health professionals, developing budgets, and reviewing data. They also hold hearings on public health issues, create emergency plans, and report back to public health boards.
Salary: $93,124, in line with glass door.
Top paying places: Boston, Mass. ($121,742), Columbia, SC ($100,783), Minneapolis, Minnesota ($100,076), in line with zipper.
9. Public Health Advisor
Highest paying corporations: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, NYC Health + Hospitals, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
Description: Public health consultants provide guidance and advice to government officials regarding community health. They work with medical and government personnel to develop policies to handle health problems. This role is usually filled by federal agencies similar to the Centers for Disease Control and serves as a liaison between private medical personnel and the federal government.
Salary: 94,165 US dollars, in line with ZipRecruiter.
Top paying locations: Berkeley, CA ($114,003), New York, NY ($109,618), Renton, Washington ($109,289), in line with ZipRecruiter.
8. Environmental, Health and Safety Officer
Companies with the very best salaries: Trane Technologies, Dunson and Associates, National Composites
Description: Environmental, health and safety officers be certain that organizations comply with environmental laws and promote secure working practices. They monitor business operations to discover potential hazards and create procedures and policies to guard employees. This role can apply to a single organization or to multiple organizations.
Salary: $100,120, in line with As a matter of fact
Top paying places: Marlborough, NH ($119,585), Springfield, Missouri ($109,758), Chicago, Ill. ($106,263), in line with As a matter of fact.
7. Scientist
Best paying corporations: NVIDIA, Citizen, Meta
Description: In the sphere of public health, researchers typically concentrate on a specific aspect of addressing widespread health problems. Through experiments and research, they will address chronic diseases, poor nutrition, antibiotic resistance and maternal mortality.
“They design and conduct experiments, collect and analyze data, and publish results to advance knowledge and improve public health practice,” says Draine.
Salary: Reportedly $101,547 As a matter of fact.
Places with the very best wages: Menlo Park, California ($168,417), Berkeley, California ($123,453), San Diego, California ($121,238), in line with As a matter of fact.
6. Medical and Health Services Manager
Highest paying corporations: AlliedMedix Resources, Advanced Medical and Professional Solutions, Institute of Physical Therapy and Sports Medicine
Description: Medical and health services managers work behind the scenes to make sure nursing homes, hospitals and other group health facilities operate easily. They plan, direct and coordinate the activities of those institutions and infrequently provide the liaison between administration, doctors and medical health insurance representatives. This role requires detail-oriented individuals with good analytical, communication, technical and problem-solving skills.
Salary: Reportedly $110,680 BLS.
Top paying places: Trenton, NJ ($193,730), San Francisco, California ($186,560), New York, NY ($179,330), in line with BLS.
5. Public Health Advisor
Highest paying corporations: Triage Consulting Group, PwC and Floyd Lee Locums
Description: Public health consultants work with businesses, communities, healthcare facilities, and government agencies to enhance the general health of a population. By providing information to those groups, public health advisors can have a direct impact on the general public’s health through improved policies and programs. This role also includes conducting research and presenting results to government agencies.
Public health consultants “have expertise in analyzing health data, developing public health strategies, evaluating public health programs, and assisting in the development of policies aimed at improving specific health challenges.” says Draine.
Salary: Reportedly $112,000 glass door.
Top paying places: Berkeley, California ($92,733), Bailey’s Crossroads, Virginia ($88,179), Daly City, California ($87,761), in line with ZipRecruiter.
4. Senior Health Director
Highest paying corporations: Bristol Myers Squibb, Amgen, Alexion Pharmaceuticals
Description: Chief health directors oversee the delivery of health services to communities on behalf of non-governmental organizations and nonprofit organizations. They make decisions about a corporation’s budget and operations and oversee its day-to-day activities. They also manage program development, marketing, human resources and fundraising.
“They are responsible for developing strategies and overseeing operations,” says Draine. “In this role, you manage your organization’s budget and are the driving force behind it [implement] public health programs and policies to improve population health.”
Salary: 121,754 US dollars, in line with glass door.
Top paying places: San Buenaventura, California ($169,832), Berkeley, California ($117,542), New York, NY ($113,721), in line with ZipRecruiter.
3. Biostatistician
Companies with the very best salaries: MWIDM Inc., Smith Hanley Associates LLC, Parexel
Description: Biostatisticians research public health topics using mathematics and statistics. Through their high-level scientific research and evaluation of knowledge and data from clinical research studies, biostatisticians could make data-driven decisions in regards to the implementation of public health policy. In the context of public health, they determine how best to make use of resources to treat populations.
Salary: Reportedly $125,350 As a matter of fact.
Top paying places: Raleigh, NC ($159,790), Chicago, Ill. ($157,600), Redwood City, Calif. ($153,118), in line with As a matter of fact.
2. Natural science manager
Highest paying corporations: Genentech, Chevron, Novartis
Description: Science managers are administrators who oversee teams of researchers, scientists, and technicians. By developing research strategies, science managers lead these teams to attain a corporation’s goals. This role also communicates between researchers and management, determines staffing needs, monitors project resources, and evaluates the operations of a corporation’s teams.
“A public health science manager does research and development,” says Draine. “In addition, they manage data collection and analysis with the goal of ensuring that scientific projects are consistent with their organization’s public health goals.”
Salary: $157,740, in line with the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Top paying places: Boston, Mass. ($222,080), New York, NY ($199,990), Washington, DC ($166,780), in line with BLS.
1. Medical Director
Highest paying corporations: VitalCore Health Strategies, Premise Health, Takeda Pharmaceuticals
Description: Medical directors manage the day-to-day operations of a medical center or hospital. They direct and monitor care in a facility and take preventive measures to limit disease transmission. This leadership role provides a vision for quality improvement, organizes staff training, evaluates the standard of healthcare services, and customarily promotes the health and well-being of patients and staff.
“A medical director in public health is typically a senior physician,” says Draine. “This role coordinates clinical aspects of public health programs, directs health strategies and ensures compliance with health regulations.”
Salary: $199,661, in line with As a matter of fact.
Highest paying places: Mishawaka, Indiana ($246,546), New Orleans, La. ($233,428), Bridgewater, NJ ($219,879), in line with As a matter of fact.
Taking that away
With the US Bureau of Labor Statistics With 1.8 million healthcare job openings projected every year by 2032, public health stays an in-demand field perfect for individuals who need to make a difference.
For those inquisitive about learning more about public health, Draine recommends visiting the web sites of health organizations similar to the World Health Organization, the Centers for Disease Control, the National Institutes of Health and the Pan American Health Organization.
“It always feels like we’re building a public health army to go out there and help prevent disease and chronic illness and try to influence policy,” Draine says. “If someone is interested in that, public health is a good place to do it.”
