Summer 2025
In the Face of Change: How Public Health Experts Are Navigating Career and Funding Uncertainty
Enid Keseko1, Kathryn Bonilla2, Kara P Wiseman3, Jimikaye Courtney4, Lauren Bohlen5, Hannah Arem6 - Evidence-Based Behavioral Medicine SIG
Interviewees:
Ellen Beckjord, PhD, MPH, FSBM; Bryan O. Buckley, DrPH, MPH, MBA, ACC; David E. Conroy, PhD, FACSM, FSBM; Bernard F. Fuemmeler, PhD, MPH, FSBM; Christine M. Hunter, PhD, ABPP; Padideh Lovan, PhD, RD, LDN
The public health workforce is facing a period of uncertainty, shaped by evolving funding landscapes and ongoing administrative shifts. We had the pleasure of interviewing six individuals ranging from early career investigators to experienced leaders on recent shifts in the field and strategies for moving forward in uncertain times. We hope you enjoy this snapshot of their thoughtful, candid reflections.
Can you describe a period of uncertainty in your career and how you navigated it?
Dr. Ellen Beckjord: Almost 11 years ago, I began my transition out of academia and into industry... I leveraged my personal and professional networks…I favored roles that were in large organizations so that if the role I took didn't end up being a good fit, there would be some chance that I could find a different role in the same organization.
Dr. Bryan Buckley: Early on, while working in a state health department, I learned that innovation isn’t always welcomed in rigid systems…That experience sparked my interest in implementation science and helped shape my approach to navigating risk.
Dr. Christine Hunter: In my decision making, it was important to focus on what choices excited me the most and not listen to the voice in my head that focused on what I thought people expected me to do.
What advice would you offer to early-career professionals entering or advancing in public health amid today’s funding and institutional volatility?
Dr. Bryan Buckley: Focus less on job titles and more on the problems you want to solve. The private and startup sectors will be critical spaces for growth as traditional funding sources become more volatile.
Dr. Padideh Lovan: Be both visionary and adaptable... even the most well-prepared, well-reviewed proposals can be derailed by events entirely outside our control... your value is not defined solely by one grant, one institution, or one path.
Dr. Bernard Fuemmeler: Keep working toward the goal that likely brought you into this field in the first place—making the world a healthier place to live… Despite today’s volatility, public health has made extraordinary progress over the past few decades: declining rates of infectious disease, chronic conditions, and cancer. It’s important to celebrate and amplify these successes. What’s needed now is implementation at scale and conducting research to inform policies that support equitable public health outcomes across all populations. These are the challenges for the next generation, and they are exciting ones to embrace.
How are you staying resilient and adaptable in the face of structural or leadership changes within your organization or field?
Dr. Bryan Buckley: I’ve leaned into humor, community, and clarity of purpose to stay resilient. We’re in a public health sandstorm, and rather than waiting it out, I believe we need to equip ourselves to move through it—by finding our coalitions, staying curious, and remaining grounded in service and humility.
Dr. Bernard Fuemmeler: For me, staying resilient and adaptable…comes down to having a clear vision and mission for my work—or, as I like to say, “knowing your why.”
Dr. Ellen Beckjord: I navigate the polarity of devotion and detachment. I allow myself to both dig deep into what I love about my work and to let go of expectations about outcomes that are beyond my control (which is most of them).
How do you identify behavioral trends and emerging needs during uncertain times, and how do you balance urgency with evidence when designing interventions?
Dr. Padideh Lovan: I prioritize listening…this includes monitoring public health data, reviewing emerging literature, and staying connected to community partners and stakeholders who are often the first to sense changes in needs or behaviors. During times of uncertainty, there’s often pressure to act quickly… I believe it must be balanced with thoughtful, evidence-informed decision-making. In designing interventions, I focus on what I call ‘practical precision’ applying the best available evidence while building in flexibility to adapt as new insights emerge..
Dr. Christine Hunter: As we learned with COVID-19, the balance of urgency to act versus what evidence is needed before we act is a tricky one. Times of crisis put a spotlight and clicking time clock on this challenge but I think this balance is always a factor in healthcare and public health. We need to be humble about declaring “what we know” as that often changes over time. We also need to be careful to not be so cautious that we have to know everything before moving forward.
Looking ahead, what are your hopes or concerns for the future of funding and institutional support in public health and academia? What innovations or collaborations do you believe will thrive in this new landscape?
Dr. Ellen Beckjord: There's potential for research and programs/services to thrive in environments where cost savings are as or more important than revenue generation.
Dr. Bernard Fuemmeler: I also expect to see more innovation in data science, digital health, and implementation strategies… with funders beginning to appreciate the importance of not just discovering what works, but figuring out how to make it work in diverse settings.
Dr. David Conroy: I worry that our science gets too incremental at times because innovation is risky and the investigator bears all that risk. We privilege familiar ideas too often to provide security. So I hope our institutions will incentivize risk-taking over a risk-averse research culture.
Affiliations:
- Department of Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior, University of South Carolina
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Virginia School of Medicine
- Department of Exercise and Sport Science, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences, Brown University
- Implementation Science, Healthcare Delivery Research, MedStar Health Research Institute