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The Job
Hunt
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Author: Public Health Hiring Help When a former CDC director DMs you on LinkedIn to read his new book, you grab a copy immediately. Or, at least I did. This fall, Dr. Tom Frieden, CDC director under President Obama, former NYC Health Commissioner, and CEO of Resolve to Safe Lives, added another impressive moniker to the list: author of The Formula for Better Health: How to Save Millions of Lives—Including Your Own. He’s also a fellow Substacker (@tomfrieden)! So, when he reached out to me one Monday to read and review his book, I didn't hesitate. At its core, The Formula for Better Health is built around a deceptively simple framework: See. Believe. Create. See the invisible. Believe the evidence. Create systems, interventions, and solutions. On paper, it feels obvious. In practice, it explains why public health so often struggles to move from knowing to doing. Dr. Frieden’s book is part memoir, part public health history, and part warning shot. For public health professionals, it reads less like a retrospective and more like an affirmation that the frustration, outrage, and fear we feel is not only valid but justified. But, for public health students and for those just starting out, the book holds pearls of wisdom that extend to the job hunt. Insights from Tom Frieden’s illustrative career. Strategies of unsung public health heroes. Successes and failures from putting public health evidence in action. 1. Acknowledge the Cassandra Curse and Learn to Push BackAs Frieden notes, public health’s curse is the same as that of Cassandra from Greek mythology: you are often right, early, and ignored. Unfortunately, the curse doesn’t just impact public health science—it also affects the workforce and its funding. Early-career public health professionals often undersell themselves because so much of our work happens upstream, behind the scenes, or inside systems. If an outbreak didn’t happen, a policy passed quietly, or a program just…worked, it can feel hard to claim credit. But hiring managers can’t assess what they can’t see. This means your resume should not simply list responsibilities—it should surface the invisible labor: ♦ The coordination ♦ The prevention ♦ The systems-building ♦ The risk mitigation Instead of: ♦ “Supported community health program implementation” Try: ♦ “Coordinated cross-sector partners to implement a community health program serving 25,000 residents, maintaining continuity and adherence under shifting resource constraints.” In interviews, practice answering the question “How would you know?”—a question Frieden repeatedly returns to in the book. How did you know something was working? How did you know when to pivot? How did you know when the data were good enough to act? If you can answer that clearly, you’re already ahead. 2. Show You Understand Power, Not Just PurposeOne of the most important lessons in The Formula for Better Health is that public health failure isn’t always political—and it’s rarely accidental. It often stems from misplaced optimism, weak institutions, or an underestimation of power dynamics. In your job search, show that you understand this. Avoid framing your motivation purely in moral terms (“I want to help people”). Instead, show awareness of: ♦ Economic priorities ♦ Competing incentives ♦ Institutional limits ♦ The difference between what should happen and what can happen Employers are looking for people who can defend public health decisions in rooms where not everyone agrees public health matters. Demonstrating that awareness makes you look prepared—not jaded. 3. Build Skills That Translate Evidence Into Action (Not Just Evidence Itself)Frieden’s career—and the stories of unsung public health heroes throughout the book—make one thing clear: discovery alone is not enough. Public health lives or dies in translation. For early-career professionals, this is a signal to prioritize (and highlight in your resume) skills that help move work from knowing to doing : ♦ Program implementation and evaluation ♦ Grant writing and budget justification ♦ Policy analysis and regulatory processes ♦ Stakeholder communication ♦ Incident Command System (ICS) and emergency response structures ♦ Process improvement, checklists, and standard operating procedures These skills may not feel as glamorous as advanced modeling or novel research, but they are what make you employable across administrations, funding cycles, and political climates. 4. Prepare for Interviews Like a Public Health EmergencyFrieden emphasizes organization, structure, and preparedness—especially in moments of crisis. Treat interviews the same way. Go in with: ♦ Clear examples of tradeoffs you’ve navigated ♦ At least one story of an imperfect but meaningful win ♦ A concise explanation of how your work reduced risk, saved time, or conserved resources Practice answering questions using a structure similar to ICS: ♦ Situation ♦ Objective ♦ Constraints ♦ Action taken ♦ Outcome (or lesson learned) This signals that you can function under pressure, communicate clearly, and operate within systems—traits employers value far more than theoretical perfection. “Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good” - Tom Frieden 5. Balance Optimism with VigilanceFrieden’s worldview is hopeful but sober: progress is possible, but it is not inevitable. Hiring managers are wary of two extremes: ♦ Cynicism that leads to disengagement ♦ Naďveté that leads to burnout The sweet spot is grounded optimism. In your applications and interviews: ♦ Acknowledge challenges without overstating them ♦ Emphasize progress without assuming permanence ♦ Speak to resilience, adaptability, and persistence Public health institutions don’t need saviors. They need professionals who will stay, build, defend, and adapt—especially when conditions worsen. 6. Remember the Bigger PictureFinally, one of the most validating messages of Frieden’s book is this: progress is fragile. Public health capacity is built—or eroded—by who stays in the field, who advances, and who is supported early on. Approach your job search not as a personal hurdle, but as part of the broader ecosystem. Choosing roles that build institutional knowledge, operational strength, and continuity is itself an act of prevention. Public health has always required patience, pragmatism, and persistence. Those qualities are exactly what employers should be hiring for now.
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