For Brittaney Jenkins, BS, CHES®, CPST, public health is more than a profession—it’s a calling rooted in philanthropy, community, prevention, and trust.
“I’ve always been a people person,” Jenkins shares. “I like to say I never meet a stranger. I love serving my community, and that’s really the reason behind everything I do every day in my business.” That commitment has shaped her journey from early hospital work to founding Jenkins Public Health Consulting®, where she focuses on designing and implementing programs, building strategic partnerships, and building trust with communities that turn viewers into doers.
A Shift from Treatment to Prevention
Brittaney’s career path began with a plan to become a pediatric surgeon, inspired by early job shadow experiences in hospitals and her family’s deep tradition of community service. But working in clinical environments during college exposed her to a sobering reality—many patients were being treated for preventable conditions.
She recalls one pivotal encounter: “I walked into a room, and a patient was about to have both legs amputated due to diabetes. I’d never seen anything that severe before. It shook me. I realized in that moment that I wanted to focus on preventing these cases from happening in the first place.”
That realization eventually led her to change her degree path to public health, despite skepticism from some who questioned the field’s career and financial potential. Later, Brittaney found herself reflecting on how health education could make an even greater difference in how communities accessed resources to improve their quality of life and decided to sit for the CHES® exam in 2018. Doing so elevated her knowledge and expertise around core elements in the effective design, implementation, and capacity needs of health initiatives.
Throughout her career, she built a diverse resume—environmental health specialist, community health screener, chronic disease health educator, and director at Vanderbilt Medical Center, where she created and implemented statewide and nationwide injury prevention programs and media campaigns. She also honed her skills in marketing, communications, and grant writing and management, overseeing more than $12 million in funding to date.
Building Trust Through Jenkins Public Health
The idea for starting her own firm came from recognizing a persistent challenge: lack of trust and participation in community health programs. “I saw firsthand that people weren’t participating because there was a disconnect between health organizations and the communities they were trying to reach,” she explains. “I started my company to bridge that gap. I was focused on building trust so people can take advantage of many free, life-changing resources available to them.”
Initially, Brittaney launched her business part-time, honing her grant writing skills. Over time, she expanded into program design, implementation, evaluation, and marketing strategies to help organizations increase participation and secure consistent funding.
Five Steps to Success
Brittaney describes her Five-Step Community Impact Framework as the heartbeat of her work. For her, it’s not about checking boxes or creating another program on paper. It’s about building or enhancing programs and initiatives people trust—and that improve quality of life long after participation.
“It begins with equipping staff and stakeholders,” she explains. “If they aren’t equipped to truly connect with empathy and see where bias creeps in, nothing else will stick.” The second step is tracking performance in ways that matter—not just reporting numbers, but gathering the right data at the right time to show whether lives are improving and to attract funding.
Building capacity follows, and Brittaney emphasizes looking beyond traditional partners. “Nonprofits can’t do it alone. We need multi-sector partners, including businesses at the table too, because they’re part of the community fabric.” Marketing effectively is equally essential, ensuring health-literate messages reach the right people in a way they can act on. “It’s not about posting more, but simply inspiring people to move from viewer to doer,” she says.
The final step is community outreach, which Brittaney calls the backbone of her company. She notes the difference between outreach and engagement: outreach raises awareness, while engagement sparks interest, trust, and participation. “When our clients’ health campaigns give people a light bulb moment, they feel seen and show up. That’s when programs move from being available to being impactful.”
A Standout Success: Diabetes Self-Management
One of Brittaney’s proudest accomplishments came from an unexpected partnership with a local pharmacy. Historically, she was hesitant to work with pharmaceutical companies due to the widespread mistrust many communities feel toward them, including herself. But this pharmacy, rooted in the community it served, had a different mission. “They weren’t just focused on prescriptions—they wanted to invest in prevention and truly help people live healthier lives,” Brittaney explains.
Through this partnership, she helped them secure their first and major grant, which became the foundation for implementing the Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support (DSMES) by the American Diabetes Association (ADA) and the Association of Diabetes Care & Education Specialists (ADCES). While DSMES is a proven, plug-and-play model, Brittaney knew that simply delivering the program wouldn’t be enough. “Sometimes you see poor outcomes even with established programs,” she says. “We wanted to make sure this wasn’t just another box we checked. We wanted it to improve health literacy and reduce medical complications for the people we were serving.”
The results were powerful. Participants not only reduced A1C levels and lost weight but also avoided unnecessary hospital visits and admissions. “We exceeded program goals because we personalized the approach and met people where they were,” Brittaney says. “That’s what excites me the most—we didn’t just run a program, we designed it in a way that actually reached the right people and improved their lives.”
For Brittaney, the project exemplifies the core mission of her company: to bridge the gap between health resources and the communities that need them most. “That’s the kind of impact I want all of our clients’ initiatives to have: real, sustainable outcomes that strengthen trust and improve health.”
Becoming CHES®—and Helping Others Get There
Brittaney became a CHES® in 2018, although it wasn’t without a hurdle. She missed passing on her first attempt by just three points. “I was devastated, honestly, and my husband highlighted a strong skill of failing forward. So, I decided to sit again the next cycle and passed with flying colors,” she recalls.
Her experience inspired her to help others succeed. She developed the CHES® Impact Program, offering personalized one-on-one coaching that includes study strategies, applied case studies, and mindset work. “It’s more than just studying. It’s preparing mentally, learning how to talk about your certification, and leveraging it for salary negotiations and career advancement,” she says.
She has even helped participants negotiate a $20,000 raise and $5,000 sign-on bonus after participating in the 8-week accelerator, the Public Health Mentor Program. “It’s proof that there’s opportunity for great pay in public health and healthcare, and you just have to know how to position yourself,” Brittaney adds.
Advice for the Next Generation
With millions of healthcare and public health job openings projected, Brittaney wants new and experienced professionals to know there’s plenty of room at the table for a high-paying and fulfilling job. “Mindset and action are the biggest things keeping people from success,” she says. “It doesn’t matter how many degrees you have or how much experience is on your resume. If you can show your value to hiring teams and connect authentically with communities, you can make a huge impact.”