An Epidemiologist is a healthcare professional who is responsible for planning and directing various studies and collecting and analyzing data to determine the underlying causes and patterns of diseases and injury in patients. Ultimately, the goal of these studies are to find new ways to prevent and treat injury or illness, so these professional with careers in public health can be thought of essentially as “healthcare detectives.” Other careers in public health include that of an Occupational Health and Safety Specialist and an Occupational Health and Safety Technician.
Additionally, these Public Health Scientists will communicate their findings to other staff members, health practitioners, policymakers or the general public. Other responsibilities of these professionals can include managing for planning public health programs, conducting interviews or surveys and keeping records.
“The formal definition of an Epidemiologist is a professional who investigates and studies the distribution and determinants of health and disease conditions among populations,” Leah Burn, MPH, an Epidemiologist practicing in New Jersey, explained. “The career is rewarding because you get to make an impact and improve health on a broad, global scale.”
She explained that as an Epidemiologist, she deals with messy data and unwieldy analyses, while connecting and collaborating with people all over the world. Burn added that this career involves a lot of hard work, but that employment as an Epidemiologist is also fun.
“I would recommend the field to anyone who enjoys the sciences and is seeking to make a meaningful contribution to society,” Burn said.”
Daily Healthcare Career Info! Follow Us.
Stay connected to the latest Healthcare Career Advice easily through Facebook.
Education & Training
To become an Epidemiologist, learners must obtain a Master’s Degree from an accredited college or university. Most choose to pursue this degree in public health with an emphasis in epidemiology, however there are other related degree program options. During these programs, learners will receive instruction on biological and physical sciences, statistics, public health and mathematics. An internship or practicum, usually lasting one semester in length, may also be required to graduate.
“I completed a Bachelor’s Degree in biology with minors in Arabic and public health at the University of Rochester. I then went on to complete a Master’s Degree program in global epidemiology at the Emory University Rollins School of Public Health,” Burn explained. “I’ve also obtained graduate certificates in infectious disease epidemiology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.”
Burn noted that, since she’s always enjoyed science, she didn’t find the training to be particularly difficult and she plans to go on and complete her Doctoral Degree Epidemiology.
“I suppose the main challenge in epidemiology is identifying and securing funding for training and practice,” Burn said. “The Bachelor’s Degree took four years and the Master’s Degree took two years. The Doctoral Degree typically takes an additional three to five years.”
Advancement
One way to advance as an Epidemiologist is to specialize in a particular area of public health, such as mental health, environmental health, injury, substance abuse, infectious diseases, maternal and child health, chronic diseases, oral health, public health preparedness, occupational health for emergency response. Medical Scientists can also be promoted to managerial or supervisory roles within their respective workplaces, or choose to pursue their Ph.D. to advance as well.
“I think a Master’s Degree is essential and additional training opportunities should be encouraged,” Burn advised. “I learned advanced infectious disease modeling and advanced bio-statistics during my time at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Yet, I think you advance the most in epidemiology by actually practicing it in the field.”
Burn added that she believes she learned the most about this career in healthcare when she was based overseas and had the opportunity to design and implement her own research and projects, as well as to train and advise others on their projects. She also believes that attending conferences and presenting work in international settings is important to share scientific findings and network and build connections globally.
Experience & Skills
“You have to be determined, persistent, adaptable and resilient in this career,” Burn stressed. “Often times, particularly in the field, the data will be messy and even data extraction can pose a problem. Diplomacy is also very important, especially when working in the international setting.”
Burn continued that the ability to assemble an effective and dynamic team often leads to being a successful Epidemiologist globally, and that the most effective leaders do not work alone.
Epidemiologists should possess strong math and statistical skills, enabling them to design, conduct and assess both studies and surveys. These skills will also help Epidemiologists to record the resulting information within large databases and statistical computer software.
Additionally, these professionals must have critical thinking skills, which help them to most efficiently and accurately analyze study results, as well as how to respond to a potential public health-related emergency. In these instances and others, Epidemiologists should further possess effective communication skills. This is because they must be able to communicate health problems and risks with others, discuss plan or treatment options with other healthcare professionals, such as Family Physicians, Registered Nurses and Surgeons, and potentially provide instruction.
Personality
Epidemiologists should be extremely detail-oriented professionals, because they must be able to accurately record all study and survey results without error. They should also be observant and able to work independently and draw intelligent conclusions. Furthermore, they should possess a desire to genuinely help improve health incomes of both individuals and the general public.
In doing so, they should be open to engaging in outreach opportunities and educating others about healthcare best practices and risks. They should possess a curiosity about healthcare and constantly seek to learn more about the field to improve their ability to make informed decisions.
“In this career, loving math and science is important since you’ll be dealing with both on a regular basis, but you should also be able to engage with people and communicate complex epidemiological issues to both the scientific community and the general public,” Burn said. “I think being outgoing and adventurous is also important because you aren’t always behind your computer analyzing data, you need to interact with people regularly and infectious disease outbreaks can take you to some far off places.”
