If you were a research manager in public health today you might be at the helm of studies surrounding the Zika Virus and other new viruses emerging in the United States. It is through the work of researchers that the effects of the illness and others like it, are ameliorated and kept from pandemic status, not only in the country of origin, but in every country to which the disease spreads. As a public health research professional, you could affect the lives of people worldwide.
What is a Public Health Research Manager?
As in any project, someone must coordinate the efforts of workmen and give the project direction. That “someone” is a manager with skills in human and material resource management as well as medical knowledge. In public health, those projects range from studying the spread of diseases in an attempt to determine their cause and to learn how to contain or eradicate them to projects that attempt to predict the effect of population sprawl on an environment. Research managers in public health are employed by governmental and private agencies, international organizations, and corporations such as pharmaceutical companies, although 80 percent work in governmental agencies.
What Kinds of Research Managers are There?
It can be argued that most areas of public health are based in research. The World Health Organization lists 15 areas of concern in public and in environmental health. Some of these are: indoor and outdoor pollution; climate change; water purity and, surprisingly, the social environment. This last entry is a new area of endeavor for public health organizations that focuses on things like safety issues for populations. Addressing these concerns in different ways, some research managers in public health work in Biostatistics, analyzing data and applying it to health care issues. According to Public Health Online, epidemiology is another area where research managers are employed. Looking again at the Zika virus, researchers determined that the disease was contracted and spread through mosquito bites. The project then turned to a study of how best to control the disease and the insects that carry it. This is an effort of many people that involves budgeting for the projects, coordination of teams and communicating findings. All of these are managerial duties in research. Other public health divisions are Environmental Health Sciences, Health Services Administration and Behavioral Sciences. Concerns in any of these areas will spur research projects.
What Education is Needed to Become a Research Manager in Public Health?
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, public health research managers can obtain an entry-level position with a bachelor’s degree but, in general, you will need an advanced degree such as a Master’s in Public Health or a related field. You should have strong math and statistical skills for data interpretation and you should have a fundamental understanding of medical issues. Along with these skills, your college courses will contain business and human resource classes, classes in research methodology and in technology. You will be expected to perform some sort of practicum or internship as well.
Related Resource: Environmental Health Careers
The median salary for community service managers, under which these managers fall, is $67,730. The projected job outlook is about 22 percent, which is faster than average. Perhaps, though, the best compensation for a research manager in public health is the satisfaction of knowing that you are in a career that has the potential of affecting the health of people community, country or even world-wide.