Putting Your Population Health Degree to Work

Lehigh's College of Health is preparing today’s population health workforce for the future — and there has never been a greater demand for data scientists and leaders in the field with the education and expertise to understand complex public and population health issues. 

The world is facing more public health crises than ever, and the healthcare industry is undergoing significant changes due to the Affordable Care Act (ACA). However, students of population health are well-positioned to take advantage of the tailwinds that are making the social determinants of health a priority for organizations across the healthcare spectrum.

The healthcare industry wants to know what factors influence health outcomes. Population health students know how to find out.

Legislative changes that began with the ACA set the stage for significant change within the healthcare industry. The federal government began establishing service benchmarks and prioritizing value over volume. As a result, the industry began coalescing around health outcomes — and a degree in population health provides the practical knowledge and experience needed to make a lasting impact. 

Population health is the study of health outcomes across geographic and demographic populations. It’s a convergent science that brings together a range of academic disciplines — from epidemiology and economics to political science, the humanities, anthropology, engineering, environmental sciences and more — to examine the countless factors that contribute to health and well-being. Population health looks at the ways in which the public, private, and non-profit sectors influence our health outcomes.

Healthcare organizations around the world have already begun to reorient their missions around the social determinants of health. It’s a forward-looking move that highlights a fundamental fact: zip codes are better predictors of health than genetic codes. Population health students are uniquely well-suited to deliver data-driven insights into why and identify the interventions that make for healthier communities.

Study population health. Make an impact. Change the world.

A degree in population health empowers students with the education and expertise needed to excel in a range of careers in the private sector, nonprofit organizations, or local, state, federal and international governments. In fact, many of the world’s most recognizable companies, like Google, Microsoft and IBM Watson rely on population health graduates to help solve critical problems.

A course of study in population health offers more than just a promising career trajectory. It provides an opportunity to make a difference. Persistent public health issues have created a serious demand for professionals trained in population health science who can deliver the ideas, innovations and interventions needed to address everything from the recent rise of the novel coronavirus to ongoing obesity, guns, drug challenges and more.

With a strong focus on social justice and innovation, pursuing a population health degree from Lehigh's College of Health is your chance to change the world. Find out how we’re leading the population health revolution.