TIPH Global Grant Spotlight | New Podcast: Public Health Insiders

A new podcast from the Monash School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine aims to demystify public health career pathways through interviews with people working in a range of roles across the field. Season 1 has just launched, and features interviews with people working in research, academia, policy, organisational leadership, health promotion, and communications.

Public Health Insiders was jointly funded by the Global Network for Academic Public Health and our School, under the This is Public Health (TIPH) Grant Scheme 2023-2024.

The final showcase in our region was moderated by CAPHIA’s Executive Director, Holly Donaldson who said “one of the strengths and attractions of public health is its breadth – there are so many ways we can improve health outcomes at scale. However, when it comes to carving a career there are almost​ too many choices. The Insiders Podcast curates the stories of diverse practitioners to inspire the next generation of public health leaders. The supporting materials provides practical advice and tips so students and early career professionals know where to look, what to look for and tips for landing a public health role.”

Lecturer Bethany Howard and communications expert Kirsten Marks are the creative force behind the new podcast, also serving as co-hosts.

Bethany’s own meandering career path from research to education has fuelled her interest in helping young people better understand what public health is, and in understanding how career pathways are connected to study choices. After an extensive project mapping public health graduate career trajectories through LinkedIn, she led the TIPH grant application to create a suite of resources that would help make visible the rich choice of career options available.

“The variety of roles available in this field is both a blessing and a curse. The incredible diversity means that pretty much every health-related interest can be catered to, but it also makes it hard to clearly and concisely explain all the options. As one of our Season 1 guests points out, it can be daunting to commit to a career path that doesn’t have a discrete title at the end, like doctor, or nurse, or physiotherapist.”

Kirsten who is communications lead at the Monash School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, sees similar things in her own role. “I’m often struck by how frequently the term ‘public health’ gets bandied around, but how little clarity there is around what it really means. At our student recruitment nights for instance, lots of prospective students will come and tell us they want to work in public health, and in the next breath will ask about our laboratory facilities.”

“I saw this podcast as a great chance to demystify the field by letting those working in it tell their own stories. It’s fascinating to hear them, especially as so many of the narratives involve searching for something they enjoyed, and almost stumbling into public health.”

The first 4 episodes of Season 1 are now available. You can access the show notes and episodes here.

In addition to the podcast, the grant has also funded the creation of a suite of digital resources reflecting a broad range of public health roles. They will be made available throughout July, 2024.

With thanks to Season 1 guests Micaela Drieberg, Dr Lauren Pearson, Divya Krishnan, Mitchell Bowden and Lauren Richardson, and to show editor Jaz Harrop.

The producers also gratefully acknowledge the funding bodies for making the work possible.