Health Equity Careers.

Health Equity is an essential and dynamic field focused on addressing and reducing health disparities to improve well-being across diverse communities. Pursuing health equity means working to ensure that everyone has a fair and just opportunity to attain their highest level of health by engaging in research, data analysis, advocacy, and community-driven solutions to achieve sustainable change in health systems. This mission involves understanding and addressing social determinants of health, advocating for policy changes, and supporting communities impacted by social, economic, and environmental injustices to implement programs to better health outcomes.

In addition to a career path, Health Equity is also a lens in which one views the world and can be applied in public health work more broadly.

Skills & Competencies Needed for a Career in Health Equity

  • Review job postings to understand the specific skills and competencies needed for the position as they will vary by role. However, candidates interested in health equity roles will benefit from a robust set of skills, including:
  • Structural Analyses: Examining how social, economic, and political structures—such as policies, institutional practices, and historical conditions—shape health outcomes for different populations. This analysis involves identifying how systemic inequities contribute to health disparities and using data to reveal patterns of disadvantage. Practitioners leverage structural analysis to design interventions and advocate for changes that address root causes, rather than just symptoms, of health inequity.
  • Data Analysis and Interpretation: Using quantitative and qualitative data to identify disparities and measure the impact of interventions.
    Cultural Humility: Recognizing and respecting diverse cultural backgrounds and lived experiences and understanding their impact on health behaviors and outcomes.
  • Community Engagement: Building trust and working collaboratively with communities to ensure that programs and policies meet their needs.
    Policy Analysis and Advocacy: Understanding policy structures and advocating for legislative changes to address health inequities.
    Project/Program Management: Leading initiatives and managing resources to implement effective health programs.
  • Effective communication: Conveying complex health information clearly and sensitively, adapting to diverse audiences and cultural contexts which involves actively listening to community needs, explaining data and policy implications accessibly, and engaging stakeholders to foster collaboration and trust.

Common Job Titles for Careers in Health Equity

Graduates interested in health equity can pursue a variety of roles, such as

  • Health Equity Specialist
  • Manager, Community Health Worker Initiatives
  • Policy Analyst
  • Program Manager for Health Equity Initiatives
  • Health Education Coordinator
  • Epidemiologist focused on Social Determinants of Health
  • Public Health Advisor
  • Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)

These roles exist in diverse settings, including government agencies, non-profit organizations, healthcare systems, academic institutions, and international organizations. Review job postings to learn more as titles vary per sector.

Salary Expectations for Positions in Health Equity

  • Salaries in health equity careers can vary significantly based on factors like experience, job title, and organization type as well as geography.
  • Entry-level roles, such as health equity coordinators or community health workers, may start in the range of $45,000 to $60,000 annually.
  • Mid-level positions, such as program managers or policy analysts, generally offer higher salaries, typically ranging from $65,000 to $85,000.
  • For seasoned professionals in senior roles like health equity directors or DEI strategists, salaries can exceed $100,000, reflecting their advanced expertise and leadership responsibilities in the field.

You can view the BUSPH graduate employment data here. Explore the different certificate salary ranges.

Specific Considerations for Applications within the Health Equity Field​

  • Lived experience is viewed just as highly as education level. Therefore in your cover letter and resume, look for places to share the pieces of identity that will add value in your candidacy. For example, “In addition to my technical skills, I bring my lived experience as a Black man in the US…”.
  • Highlight any experience in diverse populations either as a member of that population or as a non-member who was able to work effectively in that setting.