Since the establishment of the Health and Risk Communication M.A. program in 1998 Michigan State’s program has had a strong showing of alumni serving in the field. Our HRCMA 2021-22 annual report states 91.6% placement rate for our graduates.
Alumni have found employment in a variety of organizations across the country and world, including jobs in prestigious organizations such as the CDC, at the NIH, in various federal, state, or local health authorities, and in health systems and health-related companies all over the globe. Common job titles include manager, coordinator, communication associate/specialist, and program/project director.
You can explore diverse career paths such as:
| Health Communication Specialist | Health Campaign Manager | Medical Sales Representative |
| Health Educator/Public Health Educator | Digital Health Communication Strategist | Risk Communication Manager |
| Public Health Specialist/Consultant | Crisis Communication Consultant | Healthcare Marketing Manager |
| Health Policy Analyst | Health Journalist | Medical Writer |
| Corporate Wellness Coordinator | Social and Behavior Change Communicator | Health Intervention Designer |
| Health Promotion Entrepreneur | Health Campaign - Agency Owner | Digital Health Intervention Creator |
Examples of career positions include:
- Media Specialist Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity Center of Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA
- Senior Grant Consultant Indiana University-Purdue
- Program Manager American Cancer Society East Lansing, MI
- State-Wide Workforce Development Coordinator Michigan Public Health Lansing, MI
- Domestic Violence Legal Advocate YWCA Seattle, WA
- Consultant & Qualitative Research Associate, The Work Food Bank, Cambodia, Vietnam
- Director of Safety Initiatives, Michigan Health & Hospital Association, Okemos, MI
- Senior Program Manager, National Association of Chronic Disease Directors (NACDD), Lansing, MI
- Research Associate at Health Management Associates, Chicago, IL
- Executive Director, Clinical Integration, Sparrow Health System, East Lansing, MI
- Postdoctoral Researcher, Johns Hopkins School of Nursing
- Director, Community Health Solutions, Emergent BioSolutions, Lansing, MI
- Healthcare Software Project Manager, Marketing/Sales, HNC Virtual Solutions, Detroit, MI
- Health Communication Specialist, Health Resources & Services Administration, (HRSAgov), Washington, DC
- Director of Marketing Strategy, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY
- State Health Researcher, Mathematica, Denver, CO
- Case Manager, REfugee Services, St. Vincent Catholic Charities, Lansing, MI
- Senior Behaviorist, MicronMass Communications, Washington, DC
- Specialist, Ingham County Health Department, Health Plan Management Services, Lansing, MI
- Wellness & Prevention Coordinator with Agency on Aging & Community Action Programs, Lafayette, IN
- Researcher Health Scientist, Center for Healthcare Organization, U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs, Bedford, MA
- Account Manager, American Red Cross, Greater Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN
- Health Educator, Division of Environmental Health, State of Michigan, Detroit, MI
- Product Specialist, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH
- Senior Client Success Partner-Healthcare and Life Sciences, Sterling, Grand Rapids, MI
- Communications Specialist, Bioversity International Rome, Italy
- Health Education Coordinator for Peace Corp, Peru
- Project Coordinator, Northrop Grumman Corporation, Atlanta, GA
- Public Health Analyst, Emergint Technologies/CACI International
- Infection Preventionist, Sparrow Health Systems, Lansing, MI
- Research Communications Analyst, RTI International, Detroit, MI
- Director of Communications at MSU Center for Regional Food Systems, East Lansing, MI
- Health Educator, Jackson County Health Department, Jackson, MI
- Senior Program Coordinator, National Kidney Foundation of Michigan, Detroit, MI
- Manager, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Detroit MI
- Marketing Team, Health Solutions Division, Fluke Corporation, Everett, WA
- Communications Specialist at Evive, Chicago, IL
- Research Specialist, Community Mental Health, Lansing, MI
- Diabetes Partners in Action Coalition/Michigan Dept. of Health & Human Services, Lansing, MI
- Coalition Coordinator at CDC Foundation, Atlanta, GA
- Community Health Promotion Specialist, Barry-Eaton District Health, Charlotte, MI
- Director of Communication at MSU Center for Regional Food Systems, East Lansing, MI
- Manager, Patient Safety & Quality at Michigan Health & Hospital Association, Lansing, MI
- Marketing Strategy and Analyst, Sapient Consulting Public Sector, Washington DC
- Senior Program Coordinator, National Kidney Foundation of Michigan, Detroit, MI
- Government Affairs Manager, Nurse-Family Partnership, Lansing, MI
- Senior Health Care Analyst at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, Grand Rapids, MI
- Marketing Communication Manager at University of Michigan Health Systems, Ann Arbor, MI
- Health Communications Fellow, National Cancer Institute, Washington, DC
- Global Health and International Development Digital Communications Specialist, Washington, DC
- Health Science Policy Analyst, National Institutes of Health, Office of Science Policy, Bethesda, MD
- Health Analyst, Emergent Technologies, Atlanta, GA
- Researcher, Health Policy Research Division, Korea Institute for Health & Social Affairs, Seoul Korea
- Communications Specialist, Biodiversity International, Rome, Italy
- Health Education Coordinator for Peace Corp in Peru
- Assistant Administrator to the Environmental Public Health Director, Michigan Dept of Health & Services, Lansing, MI
- Research Assistant, Behavioral & Field Research Core, Karmanos Cancer Institute, Detroit, MI
- Assistant Project Officer Nutrition, UNICEF INDONESIA
- Communications Team Leader (Remote) Health Alliance Plan, Denver, CO
- Public Relations Specialist at Health Alliance Plan (HAP), non-profit health plan and a subsidiary of the Henry Ford Health System, Detroit, MI.
- Communications Coordinator, Office of the Surgeon General, Michigan Dept of Community Health.
- Researcher, Center for Healthy Communities at Michigan Public Health Institute, Okemos, MI
- Public Health Consultant, Ohio State Department of Health, Columbus, OH
- Community Coordinator for Blood Drives, American Red Cross, Minneapolis, MN
- Medical Cases Manager at CARES, Kalamazoo, MI
- Communication Coordinator, Scripps Research Translational Institute, San Diego, CA
- Research Analyst, Altarum, Ann Arbor, MI
- Senior Project Coordinator, Klein Buendel Inc, Lakewood, CO
- Director, Populations Health at Sparrow Health Systems, Lansing, MI
- State-wide Workforce Development Coordinator, Michigan Public Health Institute, Lansing, MI
- Associate, Center for Disease Control & Prevention, Wilmington, NC
- Public Health Consultant, Michigan Dept. of Health & Human Services, Lansing, MI
- Research Analyst, Colorado Health Institute, Denver, CO
- Epidemiologist/Coordinator, Michigan Dept. of Health & Shuman Services, Lansing, MI