BLOG

Understanding epidemiology careers possibilities can provide both context and motivation for students studying epidemiology.

Ending up in a career where students are happiest is the goal. However, it is not always clear how to achieve this goal.

For students, the process should begin with a self-assessment. Before you can choose the career that is best for you, consider your values, interests, skills, and aptitudes, along with your personality type. Then, get some basic information about each of the potential occupations you are considering.

Government-produced labor market information is readily available for information on earnings and job outlook. It is also important to conduct informational interviews with people who work in the occupations in which you are interested.

After having done your research, choose the occupation that you think lines up well with your values, interests, motivations, etc. The chosen career should also be healthy and stimulating, which science has shown helps reduce stress and absenteeism, and improves motivation and productivity. We tend to be motivated by intellectually stimulating environments because they keep us engaged.

Realize that it is OK to change your career along the way, most people do but an honest assessment of yourself and complete information can minimize misdirection. Nobody wants to invest considerable time and money training for a career only to find that it is not the best fit.

Now, let’s see if Epidemiology might be a good career choice for your students.

Epidemiologists

Epidemiologists are scientists who study disease and injury within populations of people. These public health professionals identify the causes of injury and disease to prevent and control future problems.

During the outbreak of SARS-CoV-2, epidemiologists throughout the world tracked the spread of the disease, provided important information about its level of contagion, high risk populations, rates of mutation, and lethality. These findings provided a foundation for public health response. The effective work of epidemiologist here and in other settings requires:

• A healthy dose of curiosity.
• An understanding of disease processes.
• Good quantitative skills.
• Understanding of statistical principles.
• An ability to communicate using both oral and written media.
• Critical thinking skills.
• Attention to detail.
• Math and statistical skills.
• Computer skills.
• Most will need a master’s degree (MS, MPH).
• Some will need a doctoral degree (PhD, DrPH).

To enter graduate programs in epidemiology, applicants generally require a bachelor’s degree in areas such as biology, public policy and social services, health sciences, or social science. Programs in epidemiology include coursework in biology, public health, physical sciences, math, and statistics. Some epidemiologists also receive degrees in medicine, and often focus on clinical work.

What Epidemiologists Do

Epidemiologists are public health workers who investigate the frequency, pattern, and causes of disease and injury. Some of what epidemiologists typically do are as follows:

• Manage surveillance programs.
• Investigate the origins of various diseases.
• Collect and analyze data to investigate health issues.
• Design and implement research studies.
• Evaluate public health policies and interventions.
• Write grant proposals to fund research.
• Communicate health findings to a variety of audiences.

In addition, epidemiologists typically specialize in one or more areas of public health, such as:

• Chronic diseases.
  • Cancer epidemiology
  • Cardiovascular disease epidemiology
  • Diabetes epidemiology
  • Obesity epidemiology
  • Renal disease epidemiology
• Environmental health.
  • Respiratory epidemiology
• Field investigation.
  • Field epidemiology
• Gerontology.
  • Epidemiology of aging
• Genetic and molecular science.
  • Genetic epidemiology
  • Molecular epidemiology
  • Biomarker epidemiology
• Infectious diseases and hospital care.
  • Epidemiology of zoonoses
  • Infectious disease epidemiology
  • Clinical epidemiology
  • Primary care epidemiology
• Injury.
  • Injury epidemiology
• Maternal and child health.
  • Reproductive epidemiology
• Mental health.
  • Psychiatric epidemiology
  • Neurological disease epidemiology
• Nutrition.
  • Nutritional epidemiology
• Oral health.
  • Oral health epidemiology
• Pharmacology.
  • Pharmaceutical epidemiology
• Public health preparedness and emergency response.
  • Disaster epidemiology
• Social health.
  • Conflict epidemiology
  • Economic epidemiology
  • Life course epidemiology
  • Social epidemiology
• Veterinary medicine.
  • Veterinary epidemiology.

• Public health monitoring.
  • Spatial epidemiology
  • Surveillance epidemiology (clinical surveillance)
  • Tele-epidemiology

Where Epidemiologists Work

Work environments vary because of the diverse nature of epidemiologic specializations. Yet epidemiologists typically work in offices and laboratories to study data and prepare reports. They also work in clinical settings or the field, supporting emergency actions. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2022, epidemiologists held about 10,000 jobs. Employment opportunities are projected to grow 27% from 2022 to 2032, much faster than the average estimated for all occupations. The amounts to about 800 openings for epidemiologists per year, on average, over the decade.

Employers of epidemiologists were as follows:

• State government, excluding education and hospitals - 36%
• Local government, excluding education and hospitals - 21%
• Hospitals; state, local, and private - 12%
• Colleges, universities, and professional schools; state, local, and private - 9%
• Scientific research and development services - 7%

According to U.S. News and World Report 2024, epidemiology ranks third in best science jobs.

Pay

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics also reported that in 2022, the median annual wage for epidemiologists was $78,520. The lowest 10% earned less than $51,170 and the highest 10% earned more than $123,430. Median annual wages according to industry were as follows:

• Scientific research and development services - $103,650
• Hospitals; state, local, and private - $95,240
• Colleges, universities, and professional schools; state, local, and private - $80,180
• Local government, excluding education and hospitals - $70,910
• State government, excluding education and hospitals - $69,510

Full-time employment typically involves a standard work schedule. Sometimes epidemiologists work irregular hours to complete fieldwork or meet other demands during public health emergencies.

Choosing A Specific Area of Epidemiology

As shown, there are many areas in which epidemiology can be applied. In choosing the field of work that is best for you, ask yourself what you like. For example, if you like teaching and working with community members then you might want to be an epidemiologist in a local healthcare facility. If you like teaching and research, then you might want to be an epidemiology professor. If you like working with animals and in the field, you might want to be a veterinary epidemiologist. If you like medical and pharmaceutical research, then you might want to be a pharmaceutical epidemiologist. If you like doing medical research and enjoy molecular biology, you might want to be a molecular epidemiologist. If you like working in the field and being involved in saving lives during a disaster, you might want to be a disaster epidemiologist. If you like working in the field and with diseases and disease outbreaks, then you might be an infection control epidemiologist. Therefore, consider your likes when choosing a career among the many specialty areas of epidemiology.

Introduction to Epidemiology, Ninth Edition

Introduction to Epidemiology, Ninth Edition is a comprehensive, reader-friendly introduction to this exciting field. Designed for students with minimal training in the biomedical sciences and statistics, this full-color text emphasizes the application of the basic principles of epidemiology according to person, place, and time factors in order to solve current, often unexpected, and serious public health problems.

Request Your Digital Review Copy

Ray M. Merrill, Ph.D., M.P.H. has been actively involved in epidemiology and biostatistics since his professional career began in 1995. As a Cancer Prevention Fellow at the National Cancer Institute, he worked with leading researchers in the area of cancer epidemiology. In 1998 he joined the faculty in the Department of Health Science at Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, where he continued his research in epidemiology. Since 1999 he has also held an adjunct faculty position in the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine at the University of Utah. In 2001, he spent a sabbatical working in the Unit of Epidemiology for Cancer Prevention at the International Agency for Research on Cancer Administration, Lyon, France. He has won various awards for his research in cancer epidemiology.