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What can you do with a degree in Global Health Equity?

Global health equity professionals move fluidly between global and local contexts. The same skills translate across both, including data analysis, community engagement, policy development, and program implementation.
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"Our Global Health Equity program is designed to cultivate: professionals who approach global health with humility, curiosity, and a deep respect for community knowledge."

-Connie Shumba, PhD, program director of the master’s program and an associate professor in the Institute for Health and Humanity

Careers in Global Health

Multiple Job Opportunities 

Global Health Equity Graduates pursue roles across sectors including healthcare systems, nonprofits, government agencies, research institutions, philanthropic foundations, and private industry.

Common job titles include:

  • Global Health Program Manager
  • Public Health Analyst
  • Health Equity Specialist
  • Epidemiologist
  • Community Health Director
  • Policy Analyst (Health or Social Policy)
  • Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Specialist
  • Global Health Consultant
  • Clinical Research Coordinator
  • Health Systems Strengthening Specialist

Global Health Organizations

There are many governmental, nonprofit, private foundations, and nongovernmental organizations that are doing important global health work and may be options for student to find employment after completing a MS Global Health Equity degree. Below are some notable global organizations. The Consortium of Universities for Global Health website also lists various global health related job, fellowship, and internship opportunities.

“I work as a research program manager for the Center for Health Disparities Research. The Global Health Equity program helped prepare me for this through hands-on experience and coursework in health disparities, qualitative research, and general skill building in the public and global health sector.”

-Abigail Rudd, MS ‘22

Global Health Equity is a rapidly growing field

These roles reflect where the field is evolving and where demand is growing:
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Climate and Health Specialist
Focuses on how climate change impacts population health and health equity.
Global Digital Health Strategist
Designs and implements technology-driven health solutions in low-resource settings.
Global Mental Health Specialist
Expands access to mental health care across diverse populations.
Health Equity Data Analyst
Uses data to identify disparities and inform interventions.
Humanitarian Response Coordinator
Works in crisis settings to deliver emergency health services.
Implementation Scientist
Bridges the gap between research and real-world practice.
NGO or Nonprofit Leader
Leads mission-driven organizations addressing health disparities globally or locally.
Supply Chain and Access Specialist
Ensures equitable access to medications, vaccines, and medical supplies.

Global Health Equity: Career Trajectory, Expected Salary, and Advancement

Global health equity careers offer multiple pathways for advancement:

Early career (0-2 years): Program coordination, research support, data analysis: $55,000 – $75,000
Mid-career (3-7 years): Program management, policy leadership, technical specialization $70,000 – $95,000
Senior leadership (8+ years): Director roles, global strategy, consulting: $90,000 – $140,000+
Executive leadership: $140,000 – $270,000+

Professionals often move between sectors over time, gaining experience in nonprofit, government, academic, and private settings.

Key factors that influence salary:

  • Salaries in global health equity vary by role, sector, and level of experience. Roles in government and nonprofit settings tend to be lower-paying than private sector or consulting positions, but offer strong mission alignment and growth opportunities.
  • Sector (government vs. NGO vs. private industry)
  • Geographic location (domestic vs. international assignments)
  • Technical skills (data analysis, evaluation, digital health)
  • Advanced or dual degrees (MD, MPH, MBA, etc.)

Job Outlook

The outlook for global health and health equity careers is strong and growing, driven by increasing demand for expertise in population health, data, and health systems.
Employment for epidemiologists is projected to grow 16% from 2024–2034, much faster than average

Growth is fueled by:

  • Emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases
  • Climate-related health challenges
  • Expansion of global health initiatives and funding
  • Increased focus on health equity and social determinants of health
  • Digital health

Global careers in Global Health

Global careers focus on cross-border health challenges, international systems, and multinational collaboration. Professionals often work with global organizations, governments, and NGOs to address issues like infectious diseases, climate-related health risks, and health system strengthening.

Local careers in Global Health

You can apply global health principles within communities here in your city, state, or country. These roles address health disparities, social determinants of health, and access to care at the local or national level. The work is grounded in community partnerships and culturally responsive solutions

MCW Partnership Opportunity: Great Lakes Native American Research Center for Health

The GLNARCH is housed in the Great Lakes Inter-Tribal Council (GLITC) central office on the Lac du Flambeau reservation in north central WI. GLNARCH serves the tri-state Bemidji Area of Michigan (MI), Minnesota (MN) and Wisconsin (WI) and partners with the associated 34 Tribes, four urban Indian areas and three Bemidji Indian Health Service  Units as well as longstanding regional academic partners. The current application aims to expand on an existing partnership with the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) and regional Tribal Groups to provide a research and training environment that enhances the participation of AI/AN people in biomedical science, as well as the quality of AI/AN-related health research.

Learn more

Meet the Global Health Equity graduates working in our Froedtert & MCW Hospital system

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Fayrouz Abu-Hamdan, MD

Medical College of Wisconsin

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Taylor Jaraczewski, MD, MS (RURAL)

Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine

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Courtney Roofe, MS

Research Grants Coordinator, Center for Healthy Communities and Research

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Mary Elizabeth Schroeder, MD

Associate Professor

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Roshan Thapa

Graduate Student

Stories from MCW's Global Health Equity Program

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Inspiring Global Outreach

“Through MCW’s program, students get the opportunity to learn to tailor a health project in a setting unlike their own... Along the way, they learn cultural competence, humility and how to engage. They see for themselves how people in other cultures can achieve much with very few resources and learn flexibility and resourcefulness. That is why we have designed an experiential learning program that is hands on and project based.”

MCW student S. Ryan Jacobus is working to make meaningful global health connections and become a future global health leader.
Read more about Jacobus' amazing internship project in Rwanda

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MCW Experience Prepares Alum to Tackle Global Health Disparities

Jordan De La Hunt, MS ’25, was in Kenya, paired with the African Centre for Community Investment in Health, learning about tropical diseases and observing nutritional outreach. She says it was eye-opening to see how difficult it was to obtain healthcare for residents of Chemolingot and the surrounding villages.

“Going to meet the children had a huge impact on me,” De La Hunt says. “We were really able to see a difference in their growth.”

Read Jordan's story

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