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Working in public health can be world-changing — and it all starts with understanding how everything connects. Protecting and improving the health of people and their communities goes beyond the realm of the scientific and physical. Ideas from virtually every field, from the social sciences to public policy, business, and technology, matter.
It is this cross-disciplinary collaboration that drew Elizabeth Edgerley to the Yale School of Public Health (YSPH) for her postgraduate studies.
Not only was its Master of Public Health Program designed to answer her burning questions, but the school itself also boasted a uniquely inclusive and accessible community. YSPH welcomes all ambitious students, world-class faculty members, and fresh ideas from a range of fields.
At YSPH, Edgerley learned to balance evidence-based decision-making and empathy. “YSPH provided me with the ability to incorporate the values held by the field of public health into everything I do,” she said. “Consulting can lack a human touch, and I try to bring that to the table. Additionally, I learned the hard skills I needed to thrive, such as statistics, coding, and practical scientific knowledge.”
While rigorous, the journey was every bit exciting. Above all else, Edgerley values the relationships she formed at YSPH the most. “Often, graduate programs can be individualistic and competitive, but YSPH fosters a collective energy that encouraged us to work together on our academic and personal journeys,” she explained. “On late nights, when the work seemed insurmountable, there was always someone there to offer support and a new perspective.”
These relationships remained strong long after Edgerley graduated and began her career. Today, she is a Public Health and Disease Surveillance Specialist at Deloitte Consulting LLC’s government and public service sector. Her primary role is to provide strategy, analytics, and public health framing to emerging crises facing the US — with compassion.
Yale School of Public Health is connecting the widest possible range of people, disciplines, and ideas. Source: Yale School of Public Health
She is proud to be one of the 95% of YSPH students who have secured employment in 50 states and 71 countries within six months of graduating. The number is not surprising for a school that understands the importance of individualized career guidance, a strong network of public health professionals, varying recruitment opportunities, an intensive professional skills development program, and ever-willing alumni mentors — over 6,400 graduates have benefited from these and can attest to the impact of such offerings.
Graduate Ify Chikezie found another kind of success with her YSPH education: discovering new methods and disciplines that could be leveraged to change the world. She did just that and more as an MPH student at YSPH.
“My YSPH education was what first introduced me to the nexus of public health and the law,” she said. “Taking courses like Public Health Law with Shelley Geballe and receiving strong mentorship from professors like Chima Ndumele informed my decision to pursue my legal education. The cross-pollination makes our work better. I’d advise current public health students to take advantage of the interdisciplinary nature of graduate studies at Yale.” Chikezie recently graduated from Yale Law School.
Current student Nassim Ashford is equally passionate about serving the greater good — evident through his CV, which lists co-founding the humanitarian organization NoirUnited International as a response to the George Floyd protests and the global movement for racial justice and equality; a congressional internship; and 17 months as a public health advisor to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in his hometown of Atlanta.
He came to YSPH to pursue an MPH, hoping it would maximize his potential in the field of public health and help him further understand how to “apply public health principles to supporting Black and other marginalized communities.” Today, he knows he made the right decision.
“At YSPH, you have the opportunity to take advantage of all of the resources available to support students,” he says. “The program is really flexible and provides various options to choose from in my different areas of public health. Students can also take classes across different schools at Yale to understand how public health principles intersect with other fields.”
At Yale School of Public Health, perspectives and ambitions merge, allowing students to push the edges of public health innovation. Source: Yale School of Public Health
The MPH’s interdisciplinary concentrations cover Global Health, Public Health Modeling, Climate Change and Health, and US Health Justice. The program offers tracks in Maternal Child Health Promotion and Regulatory Affairs as well. Can’t decide? Thanks to YSPH’s emphasis on cross-disciplinary learning, 15 joint degrees are currently offered with other Yale University schools and international partners. Meanwhile, the hybrid format Executive MPH is a better pick for thriving professionals looking to join a distinguished Yale cohort while maintaining their current employment. Those more interested in taking the specialized route could opt to pursue a Master of Science or a PhD with YSPH instead.
All paths lead to equally enriching occupations that just so happen to be lucrative as well. Upon graduating, YSPH students go on to work in a variety of fields such as consulting, research, nonprofits, government, and business. Top salaries per sector range from $89,000 to $115,000 a year.
So, what are you waiting for? Click here to bring your ideas and ambitions to YSPH and you’ll be well on your way to discovering what you can make of them.
When students collaborate at Yale School of Public Health, lives improve. Here’s why you should join them: Follow Yale School of Public Health on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and LinkedIn.
