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Public health officer skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

Quoted experts

Patrick Lane,

Dr. Daniel Rodriguez Ph.D.

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical public health officer skills. We ranked the top skills for public health officers based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 22.8% of public health officer resumes contained environmental health as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a public health officer needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 public health officer skills for your resume and career

1. Environmental Health

Environmental health is the branch of public health that refers to aspects of human health, including quality of life, determined by physical, chemical, biological, social, and psychosocial factors in the environment and the interconnection between human beings and their environment by which human health and the balanced and uncontaminated environment is sustained or degraded. Environmental health emphasizes the natural and built environment for the benefit of human health.

Here's how public health officers use environmental health:

Facilitated and delivered presentations to distribute environmental health information to the general public.
Conducted numerous environmental health surveys and safety briefings centered on military training activities on Joint Base Lackland and Camp Bullis.

2. Disease Surveillance

Here's how public health officers use disease surveillance:

Experience in disease surveillance, outbreaks and reporting.
Designed a Chagas disease surveillance and treatment program as a public health intervention for underserved areas in South Texas.

3. Public Health Issues

Here's how public health officers use public health issues:

Developed, Implemented, and Evaluated programs for agencies within Cortland County on a variety of public health issues.
Educate students about public health issues including violence, community mapping, and personal relationships.

4. Public Health Programs

Here's how public health officers use public health programs:

Collaborate with and disseminate information to state and local representatives to promote public health programs.
Prepare protocols, procedures and policies to communicate technical information regarding public health programs.

5. Health Services

Here's how public health officers use health services:

Worked as an active duty 0-3 officer for US Public Health Services.
Involved in hospital committee for resource management and marketing health services.

6. Immunization

Here's how public health officers use immunization:

Coordinated and implemented a multidisciplinary (Doctor, Lawyer, Commander) education program on the Anthrax Immunization program.
Managed busy immunization clinics overseeing the administration of thousands of immunizations per day.

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7. Child Health

Here's how public health officers use child health:

Facilitate malaria and maternal child health research activities in central province and disseminate report.

8. Infection Control

Infection control describes the principles and practices used in hospitals and other healthcare facilities to control and minimize the spread of infections with the aim of lowering rates of infection. Infection control refers to the process of detecting and controlling pathogens in order to reduce their spread.

Here's how public health officers use infection control:

Served on the MHA Infection Control Advisory Committee to develop and track measures for surgical infection prevention.
Developed fact sheets for specific diseases of public health concern and policies for hospital infection control.

9. Public Health

Here's how public health officers use public health:

Prepare regulations and operating instructions and present training to support military public health.
Conducted medical evaluations and provided treatment for diseases of public health importance.

10. Public Health Education

Here's how public health officers use public health education:

Developed/coordinated and implemented public health awareness campaigns geared towards public health education.
Developed and coordinated over 25 public health education programs.

11. Infectious Disease

Infectious disease refers to an illness or disorder caused by a small organism. These organisms may be bacteria, fungi, parasites, or viruses and can cause a variety of symptoms in the exposed person. Some of these organisms can jump from one person to another, which spreads the infectious disease between individuals.

Here's how public health officers use infectious disease:

Presented preventive medicine training to 10 Liberian military medics, providing an introduction to methods for reducing infectious disease incidence.
Served rep for clinics and State of Washington in advanced major campaign for immunizations and infectious disease, community relations.

12. Tuberculosis

Here's how public health officers use tuberculosis:

Assisted in respiratory fit-testing program, strongly contributing to prevention of tuberculosis and other airborne diseases.
Schedule follow-up and initial appointment for positive Tuberculosis patients and answer any questions they have for appointment and medication.

13. TB

Here's how public health officers use tb:

Coordinated and assisted with expanded contact investigations to assess TB transmission.
Conducted Molecular Epidemiology cluster investigations around two or more TB cases.

14. STD

Here's how public health officers use std:

Coordinated STD disease testing/treatment with Non-Governmental Organizations and Mozambican providers.

15. Community Health Education

Here's how public health officers use community health education:

Assessed individual and community health education needs based on demographic statistical data.
Assessed patient and community health education needs.

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What skills help Public Health Officers find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What skills stand out on public health officer resumes?

Patrick Lane

Vice President, Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education

Everyone says they're a good communicator and that they can analyze complex problems, but really being able to do this (and show evidence of it) sets applicants apart. This can be in the form of written reports, briefs, blogs, papers, etc., but being able to show that you can think about complex things and render them into easily communicable "bites" is a terrific skill.

What soft skills should all public health officers possess?

Dr. Daniel Rodriguez Ph.D.

Professor of Public Health, La Salle University

Empathy. Public Health specialists need to communicate with community members in ways that show they deeply understand what people are experiencing, particularly when working with marginalized community members. In addition, and in relation to empathy, having good communication skills is very important. This includes public speaking skills and the ability to write well.

What hard/technical skills are most important for public health officers?

Dr. Daniel Rodriguez Ph.D.

Professor of Public Health, La Salle University

The ability to conduct basic statistical analysis is essential. Also, if possible, being fluent in various statistical analysis software platforms, including the ability to write syntax, will open many doors. Researchers in public health analyze data from massive public data sets using different software platforms, most of which require individuals to code using syntax. Thus, students should take every possible opportunity to learn the syntax necessary to conduct data analysis. Finally, students need good academic writing skills, including how to summarize the results of a vast number of studies clearly and concisely, and at the more advanced levels, grant writing.

What public health officer skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Dr. Mark Hardy

Associate Professor and Head of the Division of Foot & Ankle Surgery and Biomechanics, Kent State University

My suggestion to someone considering taking a gap year - do so only if you need the extra time to confirm or define what you want to do or become. And, take after high school, not after obtaining your undergraduate degree.

What type of skills will young public health officers need?

Dr. Colin Chesley

Associate Vice President, Daytona State College

I used to say that healthcare was fairly inoculated from economic downturns, but the pandemic proved very different. With the suspension of elective procedures, and even some routine visits, many healthcare providers, within the entire industry, took drastic measures to reduce labor costs. Some measures included reduced pay (up to 50% reductions) for providers, furloughs for clinical staff, and layoffs of administrative personnel.

Healthcare jobs are still expected to grow over the next decade, and in fact, make-up 6 of the ten fastest-growing occupations projected by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (https://www.bls.gov/news.release/ecopro.nr0.htm), even after the pandemic. I believe that finding jobs in the immediate post-pandemic world will be challenging, but I do not expect it to last. What the pandemic has taught us, however, is that no positions are completely immune from the economic downturn, and administrative jobs certainly were some of the first to be impacted.

What technical skills for a public health officer stand out to employers?

Marlene Tappe Ph.D.

Professor and Chair, Minnesota State University, Mankato

Although interpersonal personal communication skills as well as written communication skills are essential for graduates, the pandemic brings to the forefront an emphasis on graduates' capacity use a variety of technology, including social media, to communicate health-related messages, provide technical assistance to individuals or groups, and conduct education sessions and trainings through video conferencing. Additionally, all young P.S. I encourage all students to join their state chapters of the American Public Health Association and/or Society for Public Health Education.

Do you want to know more?

List of public health officer skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for a public health officer resume and required skills for a public health officer to have include:

Environmental Health
Disease Surveillance
Public Health Issues
Public Health Programs
Health Services
Immunization
Child Health
Infection Control
Public Health
Public Health Education
Infectious Disease

Tuberculosis
TB
STD
Community Health Education
CDC
Data Collection
FDA
Disease Trends
Health Risks
Statistical Methods
Data Analysis

Press Releases
Hearing Conservation
USAF
Federal Agencies
Hazardous Waste
Hypertension
Ministry
DOD
School Health

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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