Public health professionals promote population health and wellbeing in service areas such as food safety, disease control, prevention programs, health promotion and environmental health.

QUT's public health programs are designed for professionals interested in a career in public health, mid-career professionals seeking advancement and clinicians looking to broaden their range of expertise.

Students obtain core skills in epidemiology and biostatistics and an understanding of contemporary and challenging population health issues. You may choose to complete specialist study in emergency and disaster management; epidemiology and research methods; health promotion; health services management; health, safety and environment; or select units from more than one study area.

Health promotion is focused on developing policy, programs and strategies that will foster and encourage healthy, equitable and sustainable environments and communities. To achieve this, a health promotion practitioner is required to work with a diverse range of individuals, community groups and representatives. In addition to developing population and community programs, interventions can also be implemented in specific settings such as schools, workplaces, and hospitals.

Currently, a key focus is the development of effective programs that address a number of national and state health priority areas including physical activity, alcohol, tobacco and other drugs, mental health promotion, injury prevention and skin cancer prevention. An integral component to being an effective health promotion practitioner is to be involved in the facilitation and development of effective partnerships with government and non-government agencies to collaboratively address health issues and work towards positive health outcomes.

Some of the tasks a health promotion practitioner may perform include:

• planning, implementing and evaluating health promotion programs
• informing and working collaboratively with other health professionals on population health issues
• designing, developing and implementing public information campaigns using radio, television, newspapers, pamphlets, posters and websites.

With experience, health promotion practitioners can progress into supervisory and managerial positions.

Graduates may find employment in the public sector in local, state and federal government health departments or local community agencies such as community health, and primary health care. Organisations like the National Heart Foundation, Diabetes Australia, and The Cancer Council provide employment opportunities.

Health promotion and public health positions are also available in a variety of professional workplaces including the police force, local councils and in private industry (e.g. medical insurance companies, corporate health companies, and health promotion consultants).

For those interested in social welfare, graduates have been employed by government departments and international health aid organisations such as World Health Organisation and the Australian Agency for International Development and Community Aid Abroad. Universities, professional associations and international agencies (e.g. World Vision, Greenpeace, United Nations) also require the skills of public health specialists.

Course articulation

The Graduate Diploma in Public Health fully articulates into the Master of Public Health.

Possible careers

• Community Health Officer
• Health Promotion Officer
• Policy Officer
• Project Manager
• Public Health Officer