Careers


The College offers career services for undergraduate and graduate students through our Office of Public Health Practice and Partnerships 

Our Public Health Ambassadors, Bill Franks, Matt Stefanak, Bob Howard and Ken Slenkovich are available to meet with students on an appointment basis to provide career counseling.  Bill and Matt are retired local health commissioners with decades of experience and numerous professional contacts in Ohio and nationally.  Bob is a former hospital executive who was responsible for strategic planning and other organization-wide indicatives at Akron Children's Hospital.  They are dedicated to helping students prepare themselves for a career in public health and health care offering:

  • Resume review and guidance
  • Job interview advice
  • Referrals for internships, practicums, job shadowing, and job openings

Please schedule an appointment with one of our Public Health Ambassadors and get to know them here!

The Ambassadors offer virtual career sessions each semester. To see the list of upcoming sessions, visit our Events webpage


Archived Career Session Videos

Spring 2023 Sessions

Careers in Public Health Policy Research and Evaluation

February 1, 2023

John Corlett, President and CEO of the Center for Community Solutions in Cleveland discusses his Center's work and opportunities for students interested in careers in public health policy research and evaluation. 


Careers in Mental Health and Addiction Services

February 15, 2023

John Garrity, PhD, Executive Director of the Mental Health & Recovery Board of Portage County, discusses his career and career opportunities in community mental health and addiction services. 


Healthcare Services Practice and Research - a Career Pathway

March 1, 2023

College of Public Health Professor Jonathan VanGeest discusses his career path in healthcare services research and practice.

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Internship Opportunities in Columbus and Washington DC

March 15, 2023

Wendy Patton, Director of the Kent State University Columbus Program in State Issues and Kate Jurak from the Kent State Department of Political Science discuss internship opportunities in Columbus and Washington DC.

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Careers in Maternal and Child Health

March 22, 2023

College of Public Health MPH alumna Dayvon Lytle, Home Visiting Program Consultant in the Bureau of Maternal and Infant Vitality at the Ohio Department of Health, discusses the experience of working in maternal and child health programs at the state health department.

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The Role of Law in Public Health Practice

April 5, 2023

Kent State College of Public Health Professor Thomas Brewer discusses his career path and opportunities to acquire additional education and training in public health laws and regulations.

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Career Paths in Public Health Preparedness and Response

April 12, 2023

Tamara McBride, Chief of the Bureau of Health Preparedness at the Ohio Department of Health, discusses her career in public health emergency preparedness and career options in this field for public health graduates.

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Fall 2022 Sessions

Public Health Careers in the Military

September 14, 2022

College of Public Health alumna Victoria Bylsma discusses public health career opportunities with the Air Force.

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Career Opportunities at the Cleveland Clinic

October 12, 2022

Client Recruiter Kate Wisniewski discusses career opportunities with the Cleveland Clinic.

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Careers in Hospital Administration

October 19, 2022

William Benoit, Chief Operating Officer, University Hospitals South Market, and College of Public Health Advisory Committee member discusses his career path to leadership in a health system.

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Careers in Addiction Services

October 26, 2022

Chris Richardson, Chief Operating Officer of CHC Addiction Services in Akron and College of Public Health Advisory Committee member discusses his work and career opportunities for public health students and graduates in addiction services.

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Peace Corps Service and Careers in Global Health

November 9, 2022

Returned Peace Corps volunteer and former Peace Corps Country Director in Mongolia and Thailand Gene Nixon discusses volunteer and employment opportunities with the Peace Corps.

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Internship Opportunities in Columbus and Washington, DC

November 30, 2022

Wendy Patton, Director of the Kent State University Columbus Program in State Issues and Kate Jurak from the Kent State Department of Political Science discuss internship opportunities in Columbus and Washington DC. 

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Careers in State and Local Health Departments

December 7, 2022

Wally Burden, Senior Local Liaison at the Ohio Department of Health, discusses his career in state and local health departments and offer advice to students interested in governmental public health careers. 

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Fall 2021 Sessions

Internship and Job Opportunities in Community Health Centers

October 6, 2021

Carrie Farquhar, Director of Workforce Development, Ohio Association of Community Health Centers, discusses internship and employment opportunities in community health centers.

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Environmental Health Careers

November 3, 2021

Gene Phillips, Chief, Bureau of Environmental Health & Radiation Protection, Ohio Department of Health, discusses careers in environmental health at the state health department and credentialing requirements for Registered Environmental Health Specialists.

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Internship and Job Opportunities in Local Health and Human Services Agencies

November 17, 2021

Mark Frisone, Executive Director of Family and Community Services discusses employment opportunities in human services programs.

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Ohio Public Health Workforce Needs

December 1, 2021

Bobbi Krabill, Deputy Director of the Ohio Department of Health and  College of Public Health Advisory Committee member discusses Ohio’s public health workforce needs.

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Spring 2021 Sessions

Careers in Social and Behavioral Health Research and Teaching

February 24, 2021 

Dr. Sheryl Chatfield, Associate Professor in the College of Public Health, discusses her interests in qualitative and health behavioral research and her career choices that brought her into academic public health. 

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Career Opportunities in the Health Insurance Industry and Integrated Health Systems

March 10, 2021

Lisa Vojtush and Bryan Woit from Canton-based Aultcare discusses career opportunities in the health insurance industry and introduce two College of Public Health alumni who currently work for Aultcare. 

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Reproductive Health Services Internship and Career Opportunities

March 24, 2021

Iris Harvey and Kayle Klesser discuss their work in promoting access to reproductive health services at Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio. Ms. Klesser is a College of Public Health alumna.

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Working in Urban Health and Human Services

April 7, 2021

Dr. Steven Paciorek, College of Public Health alumnus, discusses his work overseeing health and human services for the City of Brecksville.

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Working in the Public Health Policy Development Field

April 28, 2021

Robert Hakes, Director of Government Relations for the Fitzgibbon Group, discusses his work in health policy development with this Columbus consulting firm.  Mr. Hakes is a College of Public Health MPH alumnus. 

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Careers in Public Health

What kinds of careers Public Health are available in today’s job market?

The public health field has a wide range of career opportunities for students who want to make a difference in the lives of others. Professionals in various public health careers are responsible for improving the health and well-being of communities and individuals. Kent State Public Health students who are passionate about these issues can pursue a variety of different career paths that are both professionally and financially rewarding.

Learn more about the following careers in Public Health by clicking on the links below:

Globally there is a shortage of nearly 4.3 million health workers, and this is expected to increase by an additional 20 percent in the next two decades.¹ Because of this, there will be an increase in demand for graduates to fill these public health jobs.

According to the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health:

More than 250,000 additional public health workers will be needed by 2020 to avert a public health crisis … Over the next 12 years, schools would have to train three times the current number of public health students to meet projected needs.²

This trend is also true for Ohio. The United Health Foundation projects that by the year 2020 the public health workforce shortages for the state of Ohio will be in excess of 10,000 workers.

Public Health Careers: Salary Expectations

According to recent salary surveys, yearly compensation ranges from $31,500 to $161,400 for the following types of careers in Public Health:

  • Health services administrator
  • Environmental health specialist
  • Epidemiologist
  • Biostatistician
  • Internal health specialist
  • Health educator
  • Occupational health & safety specialist
  • Laboratory Technologist
  • Food safety specialist

Our faculty and staff are committed to preparing Kent State Public Health students to meet the requirements for these and other public health careers. Our curriculum combines academic and theoretical training with practical, hands-on experiences in real worksite settings.

How do I determine which public health program is best for me? 

Schedule an advising appointment

To set up an appointment with our Academic Advising staff, call 330-672-6500 or e-mail us at publichealth@kent.edu


1World Health Organization. The World Health Report 2006: working together for health. World Health Organization; Geneva: 2006 (accessed November 17, 2009).

2Association of Schools of Public Health. Confronting the Public Health Workforce Crisis (accessed November 17, 2009).