Multimethod Analysis of Potential Disease Intervention Career Pathways at US Undergraduate Institutions

Disease intervention specialists (DISs) provide critical support within the public health workforce. The newly launched Certificate in Disease Intervention (CDI) program is designed to validate their skills. We assessed interest in and feasibility of establishing pathways into DIS certification for undergraduate students in the United States.

To qualitatively assess perspectives on undergraduate DIS pathways, we conducted a series of 11 voluntary, semistructured listening sessions with educators who work with undergraduate students who are completing public health training. Interviews took place virtually from January through March 2025. We used data from the 2021 and 2024 Public Health Workforce Interests and Needs Survey (PH WINS) to assess educational backgrounds of DISs.

Capacity for and interest in establishing DIS pathways varied among participating institutions. Among the 2577 DISs from the PH WINS sample, a weighted estimate of 76.7% of DISs reported having at least a bachelor's degree. Approximately half (n = 1372) of the sampled DISs reported having any type of additional certification(s).

Listening session findings suggest some readiness to integrate DIS pathways within some undergraduate educational settings and the need for future implementation support. The educational background of the current DIS workforce suggests that undergraduate pathways into this career may be appropriate and that certification(s) in disease intervention-specific skills are somewhat common but currently lack a DIS-specific pathway. US undergraduate institutions may be equipped to integrate such pathways into their programs but will require support to increase awareness of the DIS field and feasibility of implementation.