Most of us didn't end up exactly where we thought we would when we first stepped into public health. And if you've ever felt quietly guilty about that — like you've somehow veered off the path you were supposed to be on — this episode is for you.

Sujani gets personal in this one. She shares how she went from planning to be a dentist to stumbling into public health through an elective course and a John Donne poem that stopped her in her tracks. She talks about landing her dream job — and then building PH SPOT on the side because she couldn't ignore a problem she kept seeing. And she reflects on what it's meant to become a mother twice over, go on leave, and ask hard questions about what the next chapter of her career actually looks like.

The through line? None of it was the plan. And all of it was exactly right.

This episode is part of PH SPOT's 2026 theme — The Future-Ready Public Health Professional — and kicks off our Q1 focus on adaptability, transferable skills, and navigating a career that doesn't always go in a straight line.

In this episode:

• Why Sujani's original plan had nothing to do with public health
• The moment a John Donne poem changed everything
• How PH SPOT was born from a mentoring problem
• Why non-linear careers aren't a detour — they ARE the path
• Three things every public health professional needs to remember when they feel off-track
• A 5-minute reflection exercise to help you see how far you've actually come

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The public health workforce is evolving faster than ever — and careers in this field no longer follow a straight line. In this episode, we're sharing a special replay of our Q1 PH SPOT+ member panel, where three public health professionals joined moderator Meghan Haffey for a candid, wide-ranging conversation about what it really means to adapt to the future of work.

This panel is part of PH SPOT's 2026 programming theme — The Future-Ready Public Health Professional — and kicks off our Q1 focus on workforce trends, transferable skills, and navigating a field that's changing in real time.

The conversation covers what excites these professionals most about the future of public health, the biggest shifts they're seeing in the workforce right now, how they've personally navigated adaptability in their own careers, and what early and mid-career professionals should start doing differently today to future-proof their careers.

Meet the panelists:

• Meghan Haffey, DrPH, MPH — Moderator, PH SPOT Mentor, Associate for Scientific and Medical Research at Knowesis Inc.
• Marybec Griffin, PhD, MPH — Assistant Professor & MPH Program Director, Fairfield University
• Nour Sharara, MPH — Strategy & Partnerships, Field Intelligence Inc.
• Keshini Saggar, BDS, MBA, MPH — Communications & Project Lead, Harvard Medical School; Head of Marketing & Community Relations, Nucona Research

In this episode:

• Why public health is becoming more interdisciplinary — and what that means for your career
• How transferable skills open doors you never expected
• What adaptability actually looks like in practice (beyond the buzzword)
• The role of curiosity, relationship-building, and showing up online in building a future-ready career
• Areas of public health that are ripe for innovation and change

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Sujani is back at the mic after almost a year away — and in this episode, she's keeping it real. She shares what the past year actually looked like: a new role, a second baby, solo parenting stretches, sleep deprivation, and the hard decision to pause the podcast rather than do it poorly. She also reflects on why rest is not the same as giving up — and why she thinks you need to hear that too.

Then, Sujani looks ahead. She introduces PH SPOT's 2026 theme — the Future-Ready Public Health Professional — and walks through the four quarterly themes shaping this year's content and programming: adapting to the future of work, becoming a digital public health professional, building a portfolio career, and sustaining long-term impact.

Whether you've been here since the beginning or this is your very first episode, this is a great place to start.

In this episode:

• Why Sujani stepped away — and what made her ready to come back
• A shoutout to the PH SPOT team who kept things going
• A listener story that reminded the team why this work matters
• PH SPOT's 2026 theme: The Future-Ready Public Health Professional
• A breakdown of the four quarterly themes and what's planned
• How to join PH SPOT Plus (formerly the Public Health Career Club)

🔗 Subscribe to the newsletter: phspot.org/signup🔗 Join PH SPOT Plus: phspot.org/club