Healthcare and Life Sciences Career Community
The simplest way to define life sciences is the study of living organisms and life processes. Health science encompasses a variety of sub-disciplines, all of which relate to the application of science to health. Because humans have always needed to deal with illness, it could be said that health science has existed for as long as humans have. The field includes the study, research and practice of medicine, nutrition and other health-related issues and the effect they may have on both humans and animals.
A health science major studies health and disease in the human body. Students in this major are prepared to work in a variety of health-related careers and settings and to pursue graduate-level education. Health science majors typically value quality of health care, health promotion and disease prevention, so many dedicate their careers to improving the lives of their patients and the community.
For those with a passion for scientific research and the natural world, a career in life science can be an excellent option. Life sciences apply to a wide range of industries, from environmental and animal science to human health and medicine. Learning about the life sciences and some careers in this field can help you plan your career path and decide what job is right for you. In this article, we define what life science is and offer 11 career options in the life sciences with job descriptions and salary information to help you plan your career.
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed every aspect of life for most Americans, including their careers. One field seeing exponential job growth is health science. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), six of the 10 fastest-growing occupations are related to healthcare. Many of these occupations do not involve direct patient care.
The Occupational Outlook Handbook (OOH) is an online career guidance resource that provides information on hundreds of occupations in the United States.
This nontechnical course explores a variety of ways to apply data science to medicine and public health. Data scientist Barton Poulson discusses the ways that dramatically increased quantities of data—from genetic testing, genealogy, brain scans, and other sources—are changing the theory and practice of healthcare.
Learn how to evaluate the various dashboards that are available to researchers, including the COVID-19 dashboard from John Hopkins University and the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) dashboard, in this course with data scientist and professor Jennifer Shin. Learn how to view and interpret dashboard metrics and visualizations and use them effectively in your own data science projects.
In this course from Knowable, Peter C. Brown, author of Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning, draws on the latest research from the fields of cognitive science and psychology to make you a more powerful, productive learner. Explore five science-backed techniques to learn faster and retain more (active retrieval, spaced retrieval, interleaving, reflection, and trials), learn to break the bad mental habits you might have picked up in school, and prime your mind to reach its full potential.
The AI (Artificial Intelligence) Show is a licensed partnership with Microsoft Learn that provides a platform to showcase the progress taking place in the field of AI at Microsoft. In this course, Seth Juarez, Principal Program Manager in the Azure Artificial Intelligence Product Group, is accompanied by Harmke Alkemade and Andreas Kopp. Harmke and Andreas discuss their development of a GitHub repository containing examples of leveraging Azure Machine Learning for Medical Imaging use-cases. The course includes a detailed overview of the repository and practical demonstrations on how data scientists and medical professionals can leverage the content.
NSF funds many research opportunities for undergraduate students through its REU Sites program. An REU Site consists of ten or so undergraduates who work in the host institution's research programs. Each student is associated with a specific research project, where he/she works closely with the faculty and other researchers
The Internship Challenge enhances the talent pipeline for the Massachusetts life sciences industry by creating hundreds of new internship opportunities each year for college students and recent graduates interested in life sciences careers.
MassBio’s mission is to advance Massachusetts’ leadership in the life sciences to grow the industry, add value to the healthcare system, and improve patient lives.
BioSpace is the digital hub for life science news and jobs.
CDC scientists work 24/7 to protect the world from public health threats.
The Public Health Associate Program (PHAP) is a competitive, two-year, paid training program with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Associates are assigned to state, tribal, local, and territorial public health agencies and nongovernmental organizations and work with other professionals across various public health settings.
Join the world’s largest biomedical research agency in one of NIH’s many programs for students and recent graduates. Our internship and entry-level positions provide unique Pathways into scientific and administrative careers.
The American Nurses Association (ANA) is the premier organization representing the interests of the nation's 3.6 million registered nurses. ANA advances the nursing profession by fostering high standards of nursing practice, promoting a safe and ethical work environment, bolstering the health and wellness of nurses, and advocating on health care issues that affect nurses and the public.
iHireTherapy is a niche job board dedicated solely to the Therapy industry; they bring Therapy jobs and Therapy job seekers together to make successful employment possible.
In addition to joining the Connect UMass Career Community for Healthcare and Life Sciences, there are many other ways you can meet and collaborate with people in these industries.
UMass Registered Student Organizations of Interest
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Life Science Café
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Pre-Vet and Animal Science
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Minority Association of Premed
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Food Science Club
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Science Outreach Club
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Association of Women in Science
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Polymer Science Club
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Life Science Research Council
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Chemistry Club
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Geoscience Club
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Omega Psi Phi
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Kinesiology Club
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Public Health Club
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Genetics Club
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Pre-Med Society
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Campus Emergency Response
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American Medical Student Association
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Global Medicine Brigade
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Black Women in Medicine
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Future Health Professionals
Professional Associations