6 Public Health Informatics Careers

The technological innovations of the 21st century have changed the way organizations do business. Cloud-based servers allow companies to store, track and share seemingly limitless amounts of consumer data seamlessly. Advanced algorithmic and often artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted software provides analysts with the tools they need to identify trends in consumer behavior and pinpoint problem areas in their own operations.

These technologies offer organizations more than an economic advantage or a competitive edge. In the public health sector, for example, they help administrators and front-line professionals anticipate future health crises, address ongoing ones and ensure every community gets the holistic health support they need. This application of technology to community wellness is called public health informatics.

Individuals looking to break into this groundbreaking field must often gain expertise in a wide range of areas — from public health administration to data science and clinical research practices. By earning a Master of Public Health (MPH), individuals can learn the complex skills and knowledge needed to pursue any of a number of public health informatics careers.

What Is Public Health Informatics?

Public health informatics refers to the processes involved in collecting, organizing and analyzing data related to public health issues. Most often, public health informatics professionals are responsible for maintaining the systems that make these processes possible.

Experienced public health informatics professionals typically take on administrative roles overseeing data management operations and using their expertise to guide policy and design public health initiatives.

As a field, public health informatics has a few main goals:

Improving public health
Making health care more accessible and equitable
Empowering the public to make informed decisions about their own health
Preventing chronic illnesses and the spreading of communicable diseases by measuring community health metrics
Supporting the public health workforce by providing data to policymakers and front-line professionals

Public health informatics is not solely focused on the medical side of health. To properly engage and serve the public, public health informatics professionals must also use their skills to investigate the many social, environmental, economic and cultural factors that influence public health. This means that public health informatics is as focused on mental and behavioral health as it is on physical health.

How Does Informatics Benefit Public Health?

The main benefit of informatics to public health is that it puts data of all kinds at the fingertips of both front-line public health professionals and policymakers. That data can then be used to serve both the public and the public health workforce itself.

Informatics can support and improve public health by helping:

Administrators to more evenly balance their staff’s workloads and staffing ratios
Agencies to share data and insights about emerging health issues in a more timely manner
Nurses and other health care staff to record patient data more accurately
The public to learn about the true impact of specific programs such as immunization and nutrition programs
Clinical researchers to identify the root causes of widespread health issues
Policymakers to make informed, evidence-based decisions
Communities as a whole to advocate for their specific health needs based on publicly available data

Together, these benefits do one important thing for public health overall — they make the work of public health and health care organizations more transparent, equitable and efficient. Public health informatics professionals play a critical role in meeting this goal by helping public agencies utilize the many new technologies currently shaping the field.

6 Public Health Informatics Careers for MPH Grads

Public health informaticians typically work for government health organizations. This includes federal organizations such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as well as city, county and state health agencies. With a Master of Public Health, professionals looking to enter this field can pursue any of a number of technical, analytical or administrative health informatics careers.

1. Public Health Informatics Specialist

Public health informatics specialists oversee the collection and management of all forms of public health data, such as mortality rates and the prevalence of specific diseases among different populations. This is often a technical role that requires knowledge of data management and information technology (IT) networks.

Common duties for a public health informatics specialist include:

Setting up and maintaining the software and hardware needed to record data
Developing security protocols that adhere to all regulations regarding electronic health records (EHRs)
Researching new health data collection and storage technologies and advising leaders about them
Helping leaders implement new technologies and training health care workers to use them

In many cases, experienced public health informatics specialists fill the role of public health informatics analyst as well, though sometimes these are separate roles. This means that, in addition to collecting information, they also identify meaningful trends and help policymakers make actionable, informed decisions.

In the public sector, health informatics analysts collect and draw meaning from information from a range of areas including:

Data acquisition, storage and workflow
Insurance costs and claims
Health care workforce demands and capabilities
Disparities in health care access among vulnerable populations
New medical research and literature
Emerging health trends and issues that may require more research or attention

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) predicts that the number of jobs for health information technologists will increase by 16 percent between 2023 and 2033 — four times the average 4 percent growth rate projected for all occupations.

Health information technologists had a median annual salary of $62,990 as of May 2023, according to the BLS. Those in the highest 10 percent of earners made over $107,650.

2. Clinical Informatics Specialist

Like public health informatics specialists, clinical informatics specialists oversee the collection, storage and utilization of health data. However, clinical specialists focus specifically on data provided by or about patients in health care settings. This data can include test results, X-rays, diagnoses and quality-of-care metrics such as infection rates and length of stays in a hospital.

The duties of a clinical informatics specialist are similar to those of a public health informatics specialist. However, clinical informatics specialists work more closely with hospital administrators and front-line health care providers such as nurses and doctors to:

Evaluate the effectiveness of treatments, medications and medical equipment across multiple populations
Identify gaps in patient care
Make data collection and access as convenient as possible for front-line providers
Inform budgets and staffing quotas
Foster the ethical sharing of information among different organizations to meet community-wide medical needs

While clinical informatics specialists often work for health care facilities in the private sector, in the public sector, they typically work in state-run hospitals, mental health clinics and other health care facilities. The insights they provide are vital to understanding the public’s health needs, finding ways to support medical professionals and streamlining daily operations in health care facilities.

Clinical informatics specialists had a median annual salary of about $84,500 as of October 2024, according to the compensation website Payscale.

3. Epidemiologist

Epidemiology is the study of how diseases spread and affect specific populations. This can include communicable diseases such as AIDS, mental health issues and chronic illnesses brought on by environmental factors. Epidemiologists, the professionals who carry out this research, often specialize in addressing a specific type of issue.

Epidemiologists often work for public health departments, federal agencies and universities. To paint a full picture of any public health issue and help officials come up with solutions, these professionals must:

Collect clinical data
Research social, economic and environmental issues that may contribute to widespread health problems
Present their findings to government agencies, community stakeholders, the public and health care organizations of all kinds
Collaborate with public health educators and medical professionals of all kinds on targeted health promotion campaigns
Supervise teams of researchers

While epidemiologists must be well versed in clinical research, biology and other hard science topics, the social and behavioral sciences are just as important to figuring out and addressing the root causes of any public health crisis.

The BLS projects that employment of epidemiologists will grow by 19 percent between 2023 and 2033, indicating that this is one of the fastest growing occupations in public health. As of May 2023, the median annual salary for epidemiologists was $81,390, with the highest-paid 10 percent of professionals making over $132,230, according to the BLS.

4. Public Health Educator

Public health departments, privately run health care systems and community-based clinics all rely on public health educators to keep their communities informed about important health issues. In addition to teaching classes about healthy behaviors and disease prevention, public health educators may take on a number of other duties as well — many of which rely on health data analysis and research skills. These duties include:

Connecting people to community health resources
Evaluating the effectiveness of public health campaigns
Researching emerging community-wide health issues
Overseeing multimedia health education campaigns
Training community health workers and medical professionals on new techniques and topics to discuss with patients
Advocating for health care policies that benefit their communities, especially vulnerable populations

Educators who work in the public sector are also often responsible for fostering relationships with other related agencies and organizations. For example, to promote healthy eating habits among children, a local government health agency might partner with local schools on a nutrition-based campaign. Together, public health educators and school administrators can plan presentations and come up with ways to fund nutritious lunch programs.

According to the BLS, health education specialists in the public and private sectors had a median annual salary of $62,860, with the top 10 percent of earners making over $107,290, as of May 2023. The BLS expects employment of these professionals to increase by 7 percent between 2023 and 2033.

5. Health Policy Analyst

Health policy and program analysts help local, state and federal agencies create, assess and implement public health programs. Instead of collecting data themselves, these professionals often work closely with epidemiologists, health scientists and other experts and turn their insights into actions and policies.

As administrators, health policy analysts are involved in every aspect of program implementation. Their responsibilities include:

Assessing what resources a program needs to be successful
Prioritizing issues and the programs designed to address them
Making informed policy recommendations to budgetary committees and legislative bodies
Synthesizing public health research into reports that can be shared with organization leaders, other agencies, health care professionals and the general public
Eliciting support for and driving program promotion campaigns

While those in this position aren’t all health informatics professionals, the role typically requires a deep understanding of how multiple forms of health data can be brought together and utilized. Similarly, health policy analysts must often translate complex clinical data for audiences that may not be familiar with the technical terms and procedures used in research. As such, this position may require some prior experience in public health and public health informatics.

As of September 2024, Payscale reports that health policy analysts had a median annual salary of about $67,800. The BLS classifies policy analysts as political scientists, an occupation with a projected job growth rate of 3 percent between 2023 and 2033.

6. Public Health Adviser

Most often employed by federal agencies such as the CDC, public health advisers help local, county and state health agencies combat and research public health issues. While many health informatics careers keep professionals firmly rooted in one location, public health advisers often travel to different areas that need help.

This unique position typically requires health informatics professionals to:

Help local professionals research emerging issues
Track the progression of vector-borne diseases and monitor the threats they pose to regional and national health
Secure state and federal funding for partnering agencies
Train local health professionals about health crises
Help administrators run and implement immunization programs, public education campaigns and other services
Make policy recommendations to local health authorities
Foster relationships among public health agencies at all levels as well as with nonprofit and private-sector partners

In addition to a degree in public health, public health advisers must typically have some work experience in other related roles. Depending on what agency they work for, they may also need to complete a government-sponsored training program so they can tailor their skills to serving diverse populations and areas.

The median annual salary for public health advisers was around $64,100 as of October 2023, according to Payscale.

Key Public Health Informatics Skills

While each public health informatics career path comes with its own unique set of duties, most professionals in this field share a similar core set of skills. These range from technical data management and health research skills to the soft skills needed to effectively implement insights about public health issues. Public health informatics professionals need skills in the following areas.

Data Management

One of the most fundamental public health informatics skills is data management skills. For example, while expansive programming knowledge may not be required for most roles, informatics specialists often need to know SQL, Python and other programming languages used to organize and access databases. Professionals typically must also be familiar with software used to automate data collection and classification.

Statistical Analysis

Public health professionals often draw their insights from diverse resources such as electronic health records, historical databases and academic journals. These resources often contain large amounts of data, so professionals must be skilled at employing statistical models to identify meaningful trends. Statistical analysis is also vital to making projections about potential public health emergencies.

Epidemiology

Even though epidemiology is its own specialty, it’s central to the wider field of public health. Being well versed in how diseases are transmitted allows public health informatics professionals to help clinical specialists identify trends, educators provide relevant information and policymakers design programs that reach at-risk populations in effective, meaningful ways.

Ethical Research Practice

The data that health informatics professionals manage is typically protected by federal privacy regulations and ethical guidelines. Before drawing conclusions or sharing information, public health officials must ensure their research serves communities in equitable ways, circumvents bias and protects the confidentiality of the individuals whose information was collected. This is especially important for professionals who may run and design clinical trials.

Communication

Public health informatics professionals of all kinds help their organizations integrate complex data management systems into their daily operations. However, doing so often requires them to train health care employees in data management best practices, share resources with other organizations and explain the significance of their insights in a clear, concise manner.

Get the Tool Kit You Need to Break Into a Public Health Informatics Career

By helping their organizations maintain and utilize vast amounts of data, public health informatics professionals stand to keep their communities and all communities across the nation healthier. Through Augusta University Online’s Master of Public Health program, you can learn the skills you need to do just that.

While all students in this program take classes on epidemiology and other public health essentials, students who choose the Health Informatics concentration learn about health care informatics systems, health data management and ethical research. The program’s interdisciplinary curriculum is designed to prepare students to pursue any of a diverse range of public health informatics careers and leverage data for the greater good.

Learn more about Augusta University Online’s MPH program and the Certificate in Public Health program for working professionals and their admission requirements today.

Sources:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Health Policy Analyst
Indeed, “How to Become a Clinical Informatics Specialist (With FAQs)”
Indeed, “How to Become a Public Health Advisor in 4 Steps”
National Institutes of Health, “Guiding Principles for Ethical Research”
O-Net OnLine, Health Informatics Specialists
Payscale, Average Clinical Informatics Specialist Salary
Payscale, Average Health Policy Analyst Salary
Payscale, Average Public Health Advisor Salary
Public Health Informatics Institute, Defining Public Health Informatics
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Clinical Laboratory Technologists and Technicians
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Epidemiologists
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Health Education Specialists
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Health Information Technologists and Medical Registrars
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Political Scientists

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