Asma Awan (Dental) and Manoj Sharma (Social and Behavioral Health, Internal Medicine) published a policy perspective article with the title, “Federal Policy and the Emerging U.S. Public Health Workforce: Implications for Students and Early-Career Professionals” in the journal Advances in Medicine, Psychology, and Public Health. This policy perspective examines how the mechanisms of  federal funding, loan-repayment programs, and geographic incentives shape career pathways, sustainable strategies, and professional identity. This type of chronic underfunding can create a cyclical "policy trap" that weakens public-sector recruitment and retention, while debt-relief programs may improve the financial feasibility of governmental public health careers. Awan is a Ph.D. student.