Epidemiologist Careers
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The average value of the Master degree needed to become a Epidemiologists is $1,509,888.00.
Points of Interest
The field of Epidemiology is part of preventive medicine and public health. An epidemiologist is a medical scientist who studies the health of general populations in order to discover what aspects lead to disease. The field of Epidemiology is considered the primary science behind all areas of public health practices. The research carried out by epidemiologists permits other health care professionals the opportunity to give advice on disease prevention.
Epidemiologists carry out studies that are closely monitored in order to determine which factors cause disease and affect health. Duties performed by Epidemiologists include outbreak investigations to establish initial epidemic sources and the examination of lifestyle issues and their correlation to chronic diseases such as cancer, diabetes and heart disease.
An Epidemiologist’s area of interest is often broken down between categories that include women’s health, reproductive health, chronic disease, infectious disease, injury prevention and social epidemiology. Most universities do not have an undergraduate program for epidemiology; therefore, those who seek careers in the field of epidemiology typically study medicine or some other health field prior to their studies as a graduate, such as public health or pharmacy.
Epidemiology Principles
Epidemiology is based on two basic principles, according to the American Public Health Association. The first of these principles signify that disease does not happen at random. An Epidemiologist looks at patterns of health and disease in order to comprehend what causes illness.
The second principle of epidemiology signifies through a series of organized studies, how the cause of disease can be determined. During these studies, the epidemiologist can control a variety of factors in order to ascertain the known factor affecting the population’s health.
Nature of Work
Most epidemiologists focus on a certain area of expertise. These areas may include cancer, nutrition, birth defects, genetic diseases, reproductive areas, hospital infections, and cardiovascular studies.
The role of a research epidemiologist is to conduct studies to determine how control and wipe out infectious diseases. Often, the focus is on basic research in order to determine the start of a particular disease. They types of diseases they may study include cholera, influenza, or tuberculosis, in which they often focus on the epidemics. They work in a variety of setting such as schools of public health, universities, development and research services firms, and medical schools.
Clinical epidemiologists work primarily as specialist in hospitals in which they provide ways to control the spreading of infection and inform the medical staff of infectious outbreaks. Clinical epidemiologists also have a hand in developing a hospital’s guidelines and standards for the control and treatment of infectious diseases.
Training Other Qualifications and Advancement
Training for a career in epidemiology includes a prominence in biological sciences, and a master’s program in public health with a focus in epidemiology.
Interested candidates usually pursue a bachelor’s degree in a biological science. The next step is followed by a graduate program in epidemiology that includes behavioral studies, coursework in biostatistics, immunology, health services research, and more. Epidemiologists can achieve career advancements with continuous education in certification programs and epidemiology courses that are offered through the Association for Professionals in Epidemiology and Infection Control
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Most positions within the field of epidemiology require a minimum requirement of a master’s degree. Depending on the particular university or college program, graduating epidemiology students can earn a Master of Science or a Masters of Public Health. This is typically research based and provides students with an excelled understanding of epidemiologic procedures in biological and analysis experimentation. Students primarily discover the skills needed to conduct and design studies of prevention, distribution, and control of disease in society. Through experimental and didactic experimental learning formats, curriculums in epidemiology typically include courses in biostatistics, biomedical ethics, research methods, and disease prevention.
Learning can become customized through elective courses in epidemiological departments, such as cancer epidemiology, genetic epidemiology, infectious disease epidemiology, and neuroepidemiology. Most programs typically require a final thesis. Upon graduation, graduates are prepared for positions as research administrators, government health agency personnel, researchers, clinical investigators, and educators with universities.
A PhD in epidemiology prepares graduates to take on research positions in government, academia, clinical settings, or industry. With course work which is customized to an individual’s interests, students in doctorial programs can tailor their focus to a specialty area such as cardiovascular diseases, areas of nutritional epidemiology, molecular epidemiology, or areas of cancer epidemiology. Graduate students are required to completed research independently and report the findings in a doctoral dissertation.
Job Experience
With the research experience acquired during the years of academic study graduate students, go through, they get sufficient requirements to fulfill the experience requirements for most entry-level epidemiologist positions with jobs as research assistants in various organizations or with small health agencies. The more advances epidemiologist positions such as a level II epidemiologist typically requires two or more years experience. In the upper management level positions, up to ten years of operational experience in the industry is needed.
Certificates and Licenses
A voluntary certification for all professionals within the epidemiology and infection control industry is offered by the Certification Board of Infection Control and Epidemiology. This certification permits epidemiologist to exhibit a vast amount of knowledge with the field and contributes in increasing an individual’s skilled credibility with colleagues and employers. There is a recertification process required every five years.
Employment
As an epidemiologist you may acquire positions in agencies such as the National Institutes of Health, other state health departments, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There are other opportunities, which exist in private industry, hospitals, and academic institutions. Some examples include:
- Cancer epidemiologist
- Hospital epidemiologist
- Health data analyst
- Epidemiology program advisor
- Chronic disease epidemiologist
- Occupational epidemiologist
- Public health epidemiologist
- Public health officer
- Bureau chief for health service
- Commissioner of health
- Communicable disease epidemiologist
- Genetic epidemiologist
- Social epidemiologist
- City research scientist
Molecular and Hospital Epidemiology
The focus here is on biochemistry and molecular biology of infectious agents. In addition to gaining a comprehension of pathology, epidemiology, molecular and immunology biology, you can also gain managerial skill needed in laboratory supervision settings as well as developing and planning public health programs. A degree in this area would mean you would qualify for work in senior laboratory services or as an infection control officer in public health, academia, and research institutions. Some jobs in these areas include:
- Infectious disease epidemiologist
- AID/HIV epidemiologist
- An infection control officer
- Laboratory manager
- Director of mosquito control
- Surveillance and infection officer
- Bacteriologist
- Parasitologist
- Virologist
- Microbiologist
International Health
This field encompasses health services and health conditions outside the United States, with a major emphasis on developing countries. It covers a wide range of disciplines and provides training for both the social science and physical aspects as they relate to the health of the subject. A graduate in this area is equipped for employment in national, international, nongovernmental and governmental agencies involved in health service or health research methods in developing countries. Some of these job titles include:
- Health officer for the U.S. agency for international development
- Research scientist for the centers of disease control and prevention
- A director of operations of planned parenthood federation
- Director of ministry health
- Chief of provincial health services
- Senior planning ad development officer
- Program development officer
- Evaluation consultant
- Performance improvement advisor
- A training medical advisor
- A vaccine study field manager
Job Outlook and Projections
The employment of medical scientist is predicted to growth quicker than typical occupations through the 2014. Despite this projected growth, there will be considerable competition between research positions for those who hold doctoral degrees. There has been recent budget increases at the National Institutes of health that have resulted in large increases in development expenditures and Federal basic research, with an amount of grants awarded to researchers growing in dollar amount and number. There is expected to be a significant decrease in the amount of expenditures until 2014, which will result in a competitive environment for renewing and winning research grants. In addition, if the number of advance degrees continue to grow, there will even be a more significant amount of competition. Between the periods of the mid 1980s and 1990s, medical scientist enjoyed a rapid amount of gains in employment. There has since been an increase in staffing requirements in new biotechnology companies. These increases of staffing requirements in the amount of new pharmaceutical or biotechnology firms have dampened job growth somewhat. However, fundamental research done in recent years has resulted in increased knowledge such as the identification and isolation of new genes. There will be an increased need for medical scientist to take this knowledge to the next level, comprehending how some genes work operate within a complete organism, so that therapies on the subject of genes can be cultivated to treat diseases. Firms not entirely engaged in biotechnology such as pharmaceutical and other firms, are also expected to expand their use of biotechnology techniques, resulting in an increased employment opportunity for medical scientists.
Expansions in research related health issues such as cancer, AIDS, Alzheimer’s disease in addition to treating increased threats in antibiotic resistance, should also result in employment opportunities. Moreover, circumstances such as increases in the frequency of international travel and overcrowding will give rise to the spreading of diseases and create new ones. Epidemiologists will continue to be needed because they add to the development of medicines and treatments, which serve to improve human health.
As hospitals continue to increase their infection control programs, there will also be increases in the quantity and quality of their staff. In addition to job increases, there will be more openings as a result of workers leaving the labor force or transferring to other occupations.
Earnings and Wages
- The PayScale Survey website gives the average starting salary of an epidemiologist between $ 34,000 to $50,000 in 2000 with projected increases from $ 41,000 to $ 61,000 with an added five years experience.
- According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor, the average salary for epidemiologist in 2008 was $ 64,500 annually, which comes out to about $ 31.00 and hour.
- In 2008 80% of epidemiologist were earning between $ 40,500 to $ 93,000, which is according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor. The median 50% were earning between $ 49,500 to $ 77,000.
- According to the SalaryList website, epidemiologist salaries range from $30,000 to $ 154,000 with the average being $ 67,000.
There are potential for higher paying opportunities within the field of epidemiology such as with pharmaceutical companies. A listing by the Centers for Disease Control offers a salary in the area of $ 84,000. The lowest paying opportunities within the career field of epidemiology are typically found in state and county public health departments.
Epidemiologist Related Occupations
- Medical scientists
- Health educators
- Biological scientist
- Surgeons
- Physicians
Additional Information Sources
Related Jobs
People with the educational background, skills, and desire to become a Epidemiologists might be well suited to work in one of the following fields as well:
