Five tips to get a public health genetics job
- connect with faculty, classmates, and past graduates on LinkedIn to see what job titles they've held
- Do informational interviews with people whose jobs you are interested in
- Describe relevant experience from work/internship/coursework and how it applies to the job you are applying for in your cover letter (not everyone knows what classes an MPH student takes!)
- Follow people on social media to learn about genetics job opportunities befor the jobs are even posted
- Consider "recent graduate" government opportunities, which are a great way to get a foot into the door and the experience can be used for future contracting/consulting roles
Types of roles available
Project Manager
What do they do?
- lead the development, implementation and evaluation of a project
- manage multiple stakeholder groups to enhance decision-making
Clinical Researcher
What do they do?
- evaluate, perform analysis, and help review guidelines and protocols for research on medical advancements
- coordinate clinical trials
Health Policy
What do they do?
- serve on government advisory committees, panels, and boards that provide recommendations on health policies
- advocate for shared goals, such as increased research funding, access to resources, and more
Continuing Education
Many students go into PhD programs after completing the MPH program.
Different options for choosing a PhD program
- PhD in Public Health/DrPH - several different concentrations such as health policy, health administration, epidemiology, biostatistics, social and behavioral sciences, etc.
- PhD in Human Genetics
- PhD in social science (psychology, sociology, etc.)