This is where pubic health starts to get really interesting. Applied public health considers a multitude of aspects of social and political circumstances and tries to identify the impact on population health and opportunities to improve health.

Issues include things like the effect of gender, equity and human rights on health. There are parts of the world where your access to healthcare might depend on your gender, for example, and parts of the world where your human right to be free from torture is not upheld. Living in a "fragile state" where you don't have political or social security can have implications for your physical and mental health. Fairness in society and the need to address extreme poverty is a health issue. Future opportunities and threats that come from new innovation like artificial intelligence must be thought through. Preparing for the impact of climate change on health systems must be undertaken. And of course, preparing for the next pandemic is part of "applied public health".

I hope you enjoy this course and I'm excited about being part of your learning experience. Whatever clinical discipline that you might find yourself, these issues are likely to affect some of the people that you serve. Each of us have a duty to advocate for those that are less fortunate or victims of unfairness; we can only do this if we understand the issues themselves and the underlying social structure that have translated into the circumstances that we see in front of us.

As you do this course, try to think of ways that the subject matter applies to your area of interest. Are there population groups or issues that you can impact? Public health isn't a discipline that is just for public health doctors or MPH graduates. It is a discipline that overlaps with every other clinical discipline and area of healthcare.