An epidemiologist is someone who investigates the causes of disease and other public health problems to prevent them from spreading or from happening again. They report their findings to public policy officials and to the general public.
Epidemiologists analyze their findings to determine how best to respond to a public health problem or a graver health-related emergency. Epidemiologists must be precise and accurate in moving from observation and interview to conclusions. They work with both qualitative methods (observations and interviews) and quantitative methods (surveys and analysis of biological data) in their work.
Epidemiologists typically do the following:
Epidemiologists collect and analyze data to investigate health issues. For example, an epidemiologist might collect and analyze demographic data to determine who is at the highest risk for a particular disease. Research epidemiologists typically work for universities. Applied epidemiologists work with governments, addressing health crises directly. The most common problem both types of epidemiologists work on is infectious diseases, but they examine other public health issues, as well. Epidemiologists who work in private industry commonly work for health insurance companies or pharmaceutical companies. Those in non-profit companies often do public advocacy work.
Typically, epidemiologists study one or more of the following public health areas:
Epidemiologists spend most of their time studying data and reports in a safe lab or office setting. They have minimal risk when they work in laboratories or in the field, because they take extensive precautions before interacting with samples or patients.
Epidemiologists work for federal, state, and local governments, health departments, pharmaceutical companies, laboratories, hospitals, universities, or in life science research and development. Some do fieldwork to conduct interviews and collect samples for analyses.
A person working as an Epidemiologist in Kenya typically earns around KSH247,000 per month. Salaries range from KSH121,000 (lowest) to KSH385,000 (highest).
Many jobs for these workers are in state and local governments, where they are needed to help respond to emergencies and to provide public health services. However, because epidemiological and public health programs are largely dependent on public funding, budgetary conditions may directly impact employment growth.
Demand for epidemiologists in hospitals is expected to increase as more hospitals join programs such as the National Healthcare Safety Network and realize the benefits of strengthened infection control programs.
Epidemiologists need at least a master’s degree from an accredited post-secondary institution. Most have a master’s degree in public health, with an emphasis in epidemiology or a related field. Advanced epidemiologists—including those in colleges and universities—have a Ph.D. in their chosen field. Coursework in epidemiology includes public health, biology, and biostatistics.
In medical school, students spend most of the first two years in laboratories and classrooms, taking courses such as anatomy, biochemistry, physiology, pharmacology, psychology, microbiology, pathology, medical ethics, and laws governing medicine. They also learn to take medical histories, examine patients, and diagnose illnesses.
