Goal: The Kentucky Public Health Exploration Program (KY-PHEP) provides education to high school students, parents and educators about the numerous career opportunities available within the public health field. In collaboration with local, state and national agencies, KY-PHEP provides public health career presentations, workshops and hands-on activities at conferences, camps and other events.
What is public health? According to the American Public Health Association, public health promotes and protects the health of people and the communities where they live, learn, work and play.
What Makes Public Health Unique?
Public health tries to prevent people from becoming sick or injured and promotes wellness by encouraging healthy behaviors such as tobacco cessation, promoting physical activity and proper nutrition.
The Ten Essential Public Health Services 
The Ten Essential Public Health Services provide a framework for public health to protect and promote the health of all people in all communities. To achieve equity, the Essential Public Health Services actively promotes policies, systems, and overall community conditions that enable optimal health for all and seek to remove systemic and structural barriers resulting in health inequities (CDC, 2020).
To learn more about different career focuses within public health, view the following Public Health 101 Factsheets.
Biostatistics 
Epidemiology 
Emergency Preparedness and Response 
Environmental Health
Global Health 
Maternal and Child Health