Navigating the Future of Public Health: Leading with Adaptability and Resilience
Public health faces mounting challenges, from shifting political landscapes to funding uncertainties. For prospective and current MPH students, this raises critical questions about their future in the field. While change can be daunting, it also underscores the growing need for dedicated professionals ready to address pressing issues, from infectious disease outbreaks to health disparities and environmental threats.
This first installment of our blog series addresses concerns about government funding for public health, highlighting the growing importance of public health professionals, the role of adaptability in driving progress, and why the mission of public health will persist despite financial and political challenges.
By Margie Skeer, ScD, MPH, MSW, Professor and Interim Chair of Public Health and Community Medicine
Shifting State of Public Health Funding
Recent changes in government funding for medical and public health research have raised concerns, leaving many wondering about the long-term implications. Over the past several weeks, the scientific community has been contending with the rapid implementation—and in some cases, reversal—of executive orders. Restraining orders, lawsuits, and court injunctions have also impacted the enactment of these executive orders.
While there is, of course, a major concern, we are not sure what the full impact will be at this point, as the resistance has been strong. Advocates, researchers, and practitioners are working tirelessly and creatively to ensure that the communities relying on these services continue to receive the support they need. Patients are also playing a significant role in advocating for the continuation of scientific advances. Now more than ever, public health remains essential—and its role in protecting and improving lives has never been more critical.
Public Health Has Always Moved Forward—Even with Limited Resources
Lately, I have been reflecting on the history of public health and how some of its greatest advances happened with little to no funding. Time and again, public health professionals have stepped up—not because they were asked to, but because they saw a crisis and knew something had to be done.
Even the inception of public health as we know it, a couple hundred years ago happened because John Snow saw a crisis and wanted to do something about it. He wasn’t funded to go figure out why cholera was breaking out. He understood concepts of epidemiology and geospatial mapping, and he used these principles to determine that the outbreak was coming from a water source. Removing a water pump handle in the area of the breakout was the intervention. He wasn’t funded for that. There were limited resources for that, but he's considered a pioneer of epidemiology and public health.
More recently, the Flint water crisis showed us the power of persistence. Dr. Mona Hanna, a pediatrician, heard about alarmingly high lead levels in children and fought against resistance to access the necessary data. She wasn’t funded specifically to do this work, but she knew it was an imperative. She wasn’t doing it as part of her regular job, but she was passionate about it, and she knew something had to be done. She refused to stay silent, and because of her determination, Flint’s water crisis was exposed and started to get the attention it so critically needed.
We saw this same resilience during COVID-19. We were not truly prepared for the scale of the pandemic. There were no set-aside resources for it. But we were able to be resilient, and now we have vaccines against it. We have measures in place that we didn’t before.
The truth is, public health professionals and researchers don’t wait for perfect conditions to act. They recognize problems, innovate, and push forward. If public health is your calling, don’t let today’s challenges discourage you. The field has always thrived on passion, persistence, and the unwavering commitment to making a difference.
Public Health is Critical & Essential, and that Isn’t Changing
Public health is essential to everything we do—the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the food we eat. It encompasses behaviors and policies and gives us insight into how diseases are spread. Over the past 50 years, public health initiatives like vaccines have reduced disease and mortality more than any other intervention.
Yet, health disparities persist. Federal priorities shift, funding fluctuates, and public health is sometimes deprioritized. But the challenges don’t disappear. The next generation of public health leaders will be essential in closing these gaps, ensuring equitable healthcare access, and responding to future crises.
It’s understandable that students may feel uncertain right now—these concerns are valid. But this isn’t the first time public health has faced setbacks, and history shows that priorities evolve. Challenges will continue to arise, and when they do, we will need skilled professionals ready to respond. Having the right expertise, networks, and adaptability will allow public health leaders to step up when the world needs them most.
Looking Beyond Federal Funding
In the public health research world, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has been considered one of the biggest funders when it comes to public health and scientific advancement, and part of that reason is that they have generally had the largest budgets of dollars and provide some of the highest facilities and administration coverage, what is known as indirect costs.
These indirect costs help support research by covering essential expenses such as lab spaces, administrative staff, and equipment. Because of its funding capacity, the NIH has long been considered the gold standard for research funding. However, NIH is not the only federal agency, and even outside of federal agencies, there is an enormous universe of foundations and organizations that provide grant funding.
And so, I would like to emphasize that federal dollars are not the only place to get research and practice funded. It has always been good practice—but is even more imperative now—to diversify research funding portfolios. It’s important to try to get funding from lots of different sources, because the organizations and agencies providing funding have varying priorities that shift over time.
This as an opportunity to really break outside of our mold in many ways. It’s important to be creative, to think outside the box, and not get discouraged. Even if funding from traditional sources may be harder to come by, there are still ways to make progress.
Figure Out Your “Why” and Let It Guide You
Many public health students are drawn to the field because of personal experiences—whether witnessing health-related challenges firsthand or seeing a loved one affected by illness. This personal connection fuels their passion to create change. It comes from a place of wanting to do something to help others, of feeling the need to contribute to something greater than themselves. That was the same for me.
I came into public health after having started out as a clinical social worker in the field of addiction and drug rehabilitation centers. It profoundly impacted me. I was planning on being a clinical social worker, but the desire to prevent addiction and substance use disorder, even in just one person, is what drove me to go into public health.
Even as my role evolved—educator, researcher, department chair—my core mission has never changed. Whether advocating for policy changes at town halls (which I recently did in my town) or mentoring students, my “why” has kept me committed to making communities healthier.
For those considering a career in public health, now is not the time to step back—it’s the time to lean in. The field needs passionate, skilled professionals more than ever, and those who are adaptable, resilient, and mission-driven will be the ones who make a lasting impact.
A Call to Action
Public health is essential—no matter the challenges ahead. History proves that even in uncertain times, progress is possible. Public health professionals innovate, advocate, and act, and that will not change.
For those entering the field, this is your moment. Whether in research, policy, or community work, your expertise is needed. Now more than ever, the world needs public health leaders. Together, we will rise to the challenge.
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