This is What Public Health Sounds Like: A Season 4 Recap
Real voices from the field during a season shaped by resilience, grief, and grit
Welcome!
Welcome to all our new readers now joining us through Substack! A lot of subscribers have joined us recently, so today’s post is an update on who we are and what we do here.
I’m Katie, your host here at The Public Health Workforce is Not OK. I’m an epidemiologist and public heath informatics specialist who cares deeply about the public health workforce. I created this newsletter as a place to connect honestly about the challenges facing public health professionals today, to imagine a stronger, more supported future, and to feel less alone. Read more about me and the newsletter here.
In today’s newsletter, I am reviewing and summarising previous episodes from Season 4, in order to understand how we got here.
Photo of Dr Katie D Schenk, courtesy of Secta.AI - use my referral link here. I might look like this if I tried.
Recap
Today I’m recapping where we are in Season 4 of The Public Health Workforce is Not OK.
To make things easier to navigate, I’ve listed and linked the previous episodes below. Each entry can be read on its own or as part of the series - take a look and see what resonates with you. I’ll do my best to come back here periodically and update this list as new episodes are released.
The Public Health Workforce is Not OK is a newsletter for and about the people working in public health.
In Seasons 1-3 (published from 2022–2024, first in the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice and now recapped here on Substack), I shared my perspectives on what it’s really like to work in this field. (Please note that posts more than a year old are now behind a paywall. Paid subscribers have full access - but if cost is a barrier, please contact me directly.)
Now, in Season 4, I’m lifting up the voices of colleagues across the public health workforce. These powerful stories help us to understand what we’ve experienced, what we’ve lost, and what we’re still fighting for. At this time of instability and uncertainty, there’s so much we can learn from one another.
I believe in amplifying the authentic voices of public health.
I believe in the power of storytelling.
I believe in speaking out to advocate for our field, and supporting each other along the way.
Got big feelings about what’s happening in public health right now?
Want to say something about the RIFs, the RTO, the EOs — or just the general BS?
I speak acronym and you can unload on me. Get in touch.
I’m always looking for new contributors to this newsletter, and I will help you to express yourself and walk you through the writing process. If you are one of the people who powers public health (or if you are trying to be) then we welcome your perspective here.
Season 4 (November 2024 - present)
4:1 ARE WE THE RESISTANCE NOW? (November 8, 2024) In which I tried to make sense of what I was feeling immediately following the results of the US election
4:2 THIS ISN’T EFFICIENCY, IT’S ERASURE: Inside the Grief, Fear, and Fury at the CDC (April 3, 2025) A restacked post from the Substack of
offering remarkable insight into what was happening on the ground in the wake of the RIFs at CDC4:3 THIS IS NOT NORMAL (April 8, 2025) In which I react to the RIFs in the US Department of Health and Human Services and offer some advice to federal employees past and present
Then we began 2 new series to lift the voices of public health professionals:
Love Letters to Public Health
In this series, we invite public health professionals to express their gratitude, grief, frustration, and hope through open letters to the field that has shaped their lives and careers. These letters hold space for complexity: where pride and exhaustion, admiration and disappointment, often exist side by side. Through these reflections, we honor the emotional depth of working in public health and the fierce commitment that continues to bind us to this work, even in the face of profound challenges.
💌Love Letters #1: A Love Letter to Public Health by Serena McCovery (4:4, April 15, 2025)
💌Love Letters #2: To the Ones who Work Unseen and Unsung by Dr. Melody Goodman (4:5, April 22, 2025)
💌Love Letters #3: Public Health, a Lighthouse in the Dark by Candice Sauers (4:6, April 28, 2025)
💌Love Letters #4: Public Health, It's Complicated by Jason Tiller (4:12, June 9, 2025)
Voices from the Field: Meeting This Moment in Public Health
In this series, we invite public health professionals to share what it’s really like to do this work right now. Shaped by careers that span crises, shifts, and systems, their reflections offer hard-earned lessons, grounded insight, and a powerful reminder that lived experience is one of our most vital public health tools.
📢Voices #1: How to Help a Laid Off Federal Worker by Brooke Leggin (4:7, May 5, 2025)
📢Voices #2: Between telling the story and being the story by Ashley Strawbridge (4:8, May 12, 2025)
📢Voices #3: From Employee of the Month to Reduction in Force by Theresa Armstead (4:9, May 19, 2025)
📢Voices #4: In the Meantime: Unemployment in Global Health by Seth Greenberg (4:10, May 27, 2025)
📢Voices #5: Commuter Without a Colleague: The Absurdity of the Return to Office Mandate by Jennifer Lee (4:11, June 2, 2025)
📢Voices #6: Telling It Like It Is: You Can’t Build Trust Without Communication by Ellen (Langhans) Mills (4:13, June 16, 2025)
Season 4 is still unfolding, and I remain committed to amplifying the voices of the public health workforce. If you have a story to share or a perspective to add, please reach out - I’d love to hear from you.
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