Individuals who hold the CHES® and MCHES® certifications have the versatility and skill sets to practice in many different career settings, across the country and even overseas. Job settings were identified in the 2020 Health Education Specialist Practice Analysis (HESPA II) include the following: Community/non-profit, Health Care/Hospitals, Government, School Health, Academia/Universities, and Business/Worksite.
Community Health Education Specialists may perform the following job roles/duties:
- Communicate clearly in written and verbal forms
- Establish and maintain effective working relationships
- Write clear and effective reports, correspondence, and educational materials
- Develop, implement and coordinate community education or outreach programs and activities
- Interpret federal, state, local laws and regulations and applicable data relating to specific health issues (e.g. tobacco, injury prevention)
- Conduct effective public presentations for professional and community groups
- Design brochures, advertisements and newsletters
- Evaluate effectiveness of programs
Meet Jessica Peck
(MS, CHES®: Community Nutrition Educator)
Jessica Peck is a Community Nutrition Educator for Alliance for positive Health in Albany, New York. Her job duties involve the Seven Areas of Responsibility of Health Education Specialists.
Jessica’s position includes:
- Health Education program planning and delivery
- Curriculum design
- Teaching nutrition groups
- Attending professional development trainings
- Advocacy and community outreach
- Grant writing
Jessica was certified as a Health Education Specialist (CHES®) in 2010.
Meet Shontelle Dixon
(MPH, CHES®: Education Program Manager)
Shontelle Dixon is an Education Program Manager for the Association of Reproductive Health Professionals (ARHP). Previously, she worked for the Tulsa Health Department as a Teen Pregnancy Prevention Specialist.
Shontelle’s position includes such job duties as:
- Coordinate and plan various health educational programs; community outreach
- Connect and collaborate with other health professionals
- Develop curricula, learning objectives, pre-and-post test questions
- Plan deliverables for educational programs
Shontelle was certified as a Health Education Specialist (CHES®) in 2012.
Meet Laura Colbert
(MPH, MCHES®: Director of Outreach and Partnerships)
Laura Colbert currently functions as the Executive Director for Georgians for a Healthy Future in Atlanta, a non-profit organization serving as a voice for all health care consumers in the state of Georgia. The organization focuses on community outreach, coalition building, and public policy advocacy. Laura’s previous role as a Director of Outreach and Partnerships has included:
- Oversee strategic coalitions, facilitating public education, and forming organizational partnerships
- Develop materials for public outreach and education
- Provide public education in the form of presentations, webinars, teach-ins, and other opportunities for outreach
- Compose reports, coalition documents, grant applications, and other texts
- Contribute to communications, consumer assistance, and health insurance navigator work
Laura was first certified as a Health Education Specialist (CHES®) in 2010, and then sat for the MCHES® examination in 2016. She achieved the highest score on the MCHES® exam for the October 2016 cycle.