What Does a Public Health Consultant Really Do?

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If I had a dollar for every time someone asked me what a public health consultant does, I'd be a millionaire by now! It's one of the most frequent questions I get. In this newsletter, I'm here to finally give you the answer. 

Last week, I shared how entrepreneurial principles can transform public health initiatives. Listen to the latest episode of The PublicHealthPreneur™ Podcast Season 2 here.

What Is a Consultant?

A consultant is someone who provides specialized advice and guidance in their area of expertise. Consultants come in all types — business development, marketing, IT, legal, education — the list goes on. As a public health consultant, you're primarily focused on improving public health.

In public health, consultants work with a variety of organizations including healthcare systems, non-profits, foundations, academic institutions, and sometimes even corporate clients. Ultimately, you're helping these organizations find ways to improve public health outcomes in specific populations.

The Public Health Consultant as a Business Owner

Being a public health consultant also means you're a business OWNER. You are the BOSS. You are in CHARGE! This is important because public health consultants don’t always operate as entrepreneurs, when that is in fact what they are.

Even if you are still working full-time, if you have an established “side-hustle” that means you are also self-employed and need a business model that sustains your work. Whether it's through a non-profit, for-profit, social enterprise, or consultancy service, you're building a venture that can make a real impact on public health while ensuring your business stays viable.

Roles and Responsibilities

As a public health consultant, you're driving change in the public health landscape. Here's a glimpse of the many roles and responsibilities you might take on:

• Providing guidance & technical assistance: You offer expert advice to governments, healthcare institutions, academia, and communities to help them tackle public health challenges.
• Improving health outcomes: You help organizations implement strategies, programs, and initiatives that can positively affect the health of the communities they serve.

Public Health Consultant Specialties

Public health is a diverse field, and as a consultant, you can specialize in areas like epidemiology, biostatistics, health education (my background!), policy analysis, program management, or global health. Your expertise helps you tailor your services to the needs of the clients you're working with.

Types of Work You Might Do

The types of projects you'll work on as a public health consultant are vast and varied. Here are a few examples:

• Assessment & Analysis: Conducting needs assessments and evaluating public health programs, policies, and systems.
• Strategic Planning: Helping organizations set objectives and goals while creating actionable plans.
• Program Development: Designing and implementing public health programs or interventions, often creating evidence-based strategies.
• Research & Evaluation: Conducting studies and measuring program effectiveness.
• Community Engagement: Ensuring public health initiatives areTraining & Capacity Building: Equipping public health professionals with the skills and knowledge they need through workshops, seminars, and educational sessions.

Start Where You Are

If you're thinking about becoming a public health consultant, consider this:

▶️ What are you already doing in your 9-to-5?

▶️ Are you developing programs, sitting on committees, or doing strategic planning?

Whatever you're doing in your day job could easily transition into consulting work. It's not as hard as you think when you leverage your existing skills and experience.

What’s Next?

This newsletter just scratches the surface of what public health consulting involves. Tune in to the full episode here. Next week, I’ll share data-driven insights on the public health consulting landscape.

👍🏾 Did you like this newsletter? Check out my book, Public Health Entrepreneurship: Navigating the Intersection of Purpose and Profit. It's packed with tips, strategies, and examples of the diverse types of work public health consultants do.

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