Public health is using transdisciplinary problem solving to improve health outcomes for everyone: from individuals to communities to whole ecosystems.
Public health was the perfect intersection between my social justice interests and my passion for STEM (specifically medicine and human health), and offered the opportunity to target grave health equity issues on a population-health level.
The most rewarding experience was when a cherished professor/mentor brought me in as a consultant for an independent global health consulting project within her organization, after recognizing my passion for gender equity & global public health during our classes together!
I wish someone would have told me to not feel pressured to identify with one specific topic area in public health. This is a unique field because of its transdisciplinary nature, and you owe it to yourself to explore every aspect of it that you find interesting!
The biggest challenge that public health should be focusing on is viewing all public health challenges through the lens of health equity and social determinants of health. Also, we need more robust international cooperation and stable funding to tackle global public health issues, especially in LMICs.