Reflecting on a year of growth and looking ahead to 2024

Navigating the ever-evolving landscape of public health, Sujani reflects on the past year's growth and anticipates the exciting new horizons that await in 2024. This episode is a celebration of the milestones achieved and a teaser of the novel ventures on the horizon for PH SPOT. It's a narrative that intertwines personal growth with professional development, underlining the importance of taking a step back when needed and returning stronger. The community is invited to join in this celebration and look forward to the new opportunities that 2024 promises in the world of public health.Key messages from this episode:

  • The year 2023 was a period of significant growth for PH SPOT, one marked by the phspot.org platform reaching over 43,000 global users in 2023. Among the most sought-after pages on the website were the Public Health Career Club, a downloadable comparison of Canadian MPH programs, and a popular blog post comparing MPH and MSC degrees.
  • Sujani also candidly shares the pressures that come with managing a growing platform while balancing the demands of motherhood and a full-time job. 
  • She extends her gratitude to the dedicated team members, Lis, Stephanie and Janice, who have been instrumental in keeping PH SPOT thriving, emphasizing the collective effort behind the platform's success.
  • Looking ahead, PH SPOT aims to continue its trajectory of growth with ambitious goals, including increasing the reach of its weekly public health newsletter to over 10,000 subscribers. The podcast, which has published 47 episodes in 2023 and boasts over 22,000 downloads, will take a more intentional approach to programming, seeking to cover a diverse range of topics and stories that resonate with the public health community.
  • The LinkedIn network has also seen remarkable expansion, quadrupling in size to over 10,000 members. This surge in engagement is a testament to the power of community and the shared passion for public health that brings individuals together from around the world.
  • The Public Health Career Club, which celebrated its first anniversary, has been a cornerstone of PH SPOT's offerings. With 190 active members participating in weekly virtual talks, training events, and in-person meetups, the club fosters a supportive environment where public health professionals can grow and thrive. Guest mentors and speakers contribute their expertise, further enriching the experience for club members. 
    • Support the showJoin The Public Health Career Club: the #1 hangout spot and community dedicated to building and growing your dream public health career.

    Om Podcasten

    Sujani Sivanantharajah from PHSPOT.org sits down with public health heroes of our time to share career stories, inspiration, and guidance for building public health careers. From time to time, she also has conversations with friends of public health - individuals who are not public health professionals, but their advice and guidance are equally important. The emotions, energy, and passion that comes from these stories act as a reminder that this space we’ve created for the public health community is a space that you can lean on as you navigate your career. We believe that to build a successful career in public health does not mean that it has to live up to a certain level of standard set out by somebody else...or that we need to burn ourselves out in the process. We believe that you can craft a career perfect for you, and your unique life. The message we hope to get across through these conversations is that building a career is not only about climbing up the ranks, but about crafting a life that you want, around your unique needs, and one that gives importance to your mental health, wellbeing, and building relationships and friendships: you can only do good in the world if you take care of yourself. Through PH SPOTlight, you will connect with peers you have never met before, and build relationships in a deep and meaningful way. What you will hear the most, from every single person is also passion. Passion to do good. Passion to advance human health and the human race. And a passion to share back with the public health community.