Public health is about improving and maintaining the health of populations. It is because of public health, you can eat out in a restaurant without getting sick, visit far flung places safely, have clean running water and good sanitation and live beyond childhood because of vaccination programmes that have removed threats of deadly diseases. Many people mistakeningly think that public health work is health promotion. It is part of the job but not all of it.

Public Health work is done by three groups of people. There are the academics who do research on health like epidemiology and clincial trials. Then you have the public health specialists, such as public health doctors, public health managers and intelligence teams who survey population health, manage communicable diseases, improve quality of health services and develop strategies and action plans for improving the health of populations. Finally, there are people who do a bit of public health as part of their job. Whether it be a health visitor giving advice on breastfeeding or immunisation or a GP promoting cancer screening programmes. Or it could be you helping your family and community to live longer and have a better quality of life.

I wear two hats of public health - academic and specialist. Through this website I hope to shed a little light on what we do.

Health Capital

This section is effectively my health promotion blog. It's all about improving health and well-being plus you get to read about emerging health issues. There's also a link to my other blog "Musings on Public Health", which details what it's like to be me in the public health world.

Hot Desk

If you are interested in what public health doctors do, then take a look at HOT DESK. This section is particularly aimed at specialty registrars in public health and covers work placements and tips for passing the dreaded MFPH exams! Public Health Dashboard looks at the different types of information and skills you would need in public health, such as useful datasets, communication tips and role descriptions, like emergancy planning

Toolkit

Find out more about the methods used in public health work and research.

On Flare

This is the home of the popular dramatisation of the exciting work Health Protection teams get up to in the UK. Catch up with the fictitious Castel Health Protection Unit as they battle outbreaks of communicable diseases and tackle chemical incidents.

Social Medicine

Before becoming a public health doctor, I was a medical sociologist with a specialism of sexual health. Click onto this page to find out about how sociology links in with public health and with sexual health.

Ask Dr Cath

Got a burning question about public health? Then ask Dr Cath!

 

I would like to thank Dr Moneim Elhassan for contributing cartoons to this website.