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Career Profile
Epidemiologist
What They Do
Just the Facts
Investigates and describes the determinants and distribution of disease, disability, Insider Info
and other health outcomes and develop the means for prevention and control.
Dig into the details and check out what
people in this job have to say about their
This career is part of the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
work.
cluster Science and Mathematics pathway.
Insider Info
You would often handle loads up to 10 lbs., sometimes up to 20 lbs. You might do a lot of walking or standing, or you
might sit but use your arms and legs to control machines, equipment or tools.
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Environmental Epidemiologist -- Studies the environmental exposures that contribute to or protect against injuries,
illnesses, developmental conditions, disabilities, and deaths; and identification of public health and health care actions to
manage the risks associated with harmful expo
Epidemiology Investigator -- Performs field investigations of endemic or epidemic situations of infectious or chronic
diseases and other health conditions and related environmental public health problems in order to make determinations
regarding causes, spread and prevention of disea
Histopathologist -- Studies human or animal tissue to provide data to delineate cause and progress of disease that impairs
body function.
Malariologist -- Specializes in the study, treatment, or prevention of malaria.
Pharmacoepidemiologist -- Studies of the use and effects of drugs in large groups of people.
Veterinary Epidemiologist -- Studies factors influencing existence and spread of diseases among humans and animals,
particularly those diseases transmissible from animals to humans.
Your Interests:
Work Values:
Work values are aspects of work that are satisfying to you. The following work
supervision.
Try the Work Values Sorter.
Recognition It's very important to you that your work satisfies your need for
Aptitudes:
Aptitudes reflect a person's ability to acquire skills and knowledge.
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Transferable Skills
Here's a list of skills used in this career that are also
used in other careers.
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Workplace Skills
Workplace skills are practiced activities that help people become successful in all kinds of careers. Here's a list of the workplace
skills that are used in this career.
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Coordination
Instructing
Management of personnel resources
Persuasion
Service orientation
Social perceptiveness
Systems analysis
Systems evaluation
Time management
What To Learn
High School
What high school courses should you take if you're interested in this career?
Get your answers from the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics cluster Science and Mathematics pathway.
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Epidemiology
Medical Scientist
Environmental Health
Education Level
Education training and experience are required at different levels for success in different occupations.
Master's degree
The minimum educational requirement for epidemiology is a master's degree from a school of public health. Some jobs require a
PhD or medical degree, depending on the work performed. Epidemiologists who work in hospitals and healthcare centers often
must have a medical degree with specific training in infectious diseases. Epidemiologists who perform laboratory tests often
require the knowledge and expertise of a licensed physician in order to administer drugs to patients in clinical trials.
Epidemiologists who are not physicians frequently work closely with one.
Insider Info
Education
dot
Epidemiologists have a few options for education. They require at least a master's degree. This can be a master of
public health (MPH), or a master of science in epidemiology. Others may also earn a PhD or a medical degree (MD).
Undergraduate training is not available in epidemiology. Undergraduate students should focus on the content area that they plan
to study when they do their graduate studies.
"For instance, a person interested in mental health would do well to take an undergraduate degree in psychology. A person
interested in 'curing cancer' may want to do their undergraduate work in molecular biology. And, as a final example, a person
with an interest in health policy would do well to have taken undergraduate courses in economics and policy," says Colin L.
Soskolne. He is an epidemiologist and professor.
Students who are planning to pursue epidemiology should have a strong background in science and math. The educational
pathway you choose may depend on what kind of job you want in the field.
"I must admit that most students who graduate with MPH [master of public health] find a job in epidemiology. Those with PhDs
usually go on to academia," says Helene Carabin. She is an epidemiologist, a veterinarian and a professor at the University of
Oklahoma.
"Choosing to pursue master's or doctoral level education is ultimately a very personal decision," says Soskolne. "Epidemiologists
are in demand with either a master's or a doctoral degree. Usually, the doctoral-trained epidemiologist will be engaged in more
responsible work, leading research teams and chairing departments, and so on."
Extra Requirements
For additional information, visit these websites:
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http://www.cbic.org
California Earnings
Average Annual Wage
$82,520
National Earnings
Average Annual Wage $73,040
Average Hourly Wage $35.11
Average Annual Range $42,560 to $111,080
Note: variations in salaries reflect differences in size of firm, location, level of education and professional credentials.
Where do these numbers come from?
Region
San Francisco-San MateoRedwood City MD
Annual
Openings
(growth)
Projected
Employment
Growth Rate
100
40%
Annual Openings
(replacement)
1
Annual
Openings
5
View Map
stable
The employment change from 2012 to 2022 is estimated to be +10.2%.
(The National average for all occupations is +10.8%)
Job
very small number
Openings
Less than 1000 average annual openings are expected for this occupation between 2012 and 2022.
epidemiologists because the analyses that epidemiologists do are important to preventive healthcare, as well as to
emergency responses. Epidemiologists generally should have favorable opportunities. Many states report
shortagesofqualifiedworkersforappliedepidemiologypositions.
Large concentrations of this occupation are found in these industries
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Industries
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Connections
Associations
Infectious Diseases Society of America
1300 Wilson Blvd, Ste 300
Arlington, VA 22209
http://www.idsociety.org
Society for Healthcare Epidemilogy of America
1300 Wilson Blvd, Ste 300
Arlington, VA 22209
http://www.shea-online.org
Society for Epidemiologic Research
PO Box 990
Clearfield, UT 84089
http://www.epiresearch.org
Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology
1275 K St NW, Suite 1000
Washington, DC 20005-4006
http://www.apic.org
Internet Sites
Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology
http://www.apic.org
Infectious Diseases Society of America
http://www.idsociety.org
Society for Epidemiologic Research
http://www.epiresearch.org
Society for Healthcare Epidemilogy of America
http://www.shea-online.org
Myfuture.com
http://www.myfuture.com
Interviews
Insider Info
"When I discovered epidemiology I thought I had died and gone to heaven," says Linda Cowan. She is an epidemiologist and a
professor at the University of Oklahoma.
She loves to solve mysteries, collect evidence and study biology. She does all these things as an epidemiologist. When she first
started her career over 30 years ago, she dreamed of making an important discovery about what causes disease. She has
realized just how difficult it is to make such a breakthrough.
"Prevention is always the goal, so any steps in that direction is a reward," she says.
These days she is rewarded by preparing students for the field and moving the research forward. She says the field is very
exciting because it offers many opportunities for international work and travel. She has done a lot of work in Africa.
Cowan and her colleague Helene Carabin have a pilot study in Burkina Faso, a landlocked country in western Africa. It is one of
the poorest countries in the world. They are studying epilepsy and a parasitic disease called neurocysticercosis that can cause
epilepsy.
Due to issues involving poverty, hygiene, food preparation and sanitation, the human brain may become infected with the larval
worm of this parasitic disease. This can cause seizures and epilepsy.
"People with epilepsy are marginalized, cannot marry and are thought to be contagious. So when one has a fit, they are left alone
and people run away," says Carabin. She is also an epidemiologist and a professor at the University of Oklahoma.
Carabin and Cowan visited an isolated village west of the capital city Ouagadougou. They met with a nurse and found that no
one with epilepsy was being treated.
The local team of researchers interviewed people and sent those with epilepsy to a CT scanner to get images of their brains. The
researchers were looking for people with worm larvae in their brains. They found that 50 percent of people with epilepsy in that
part of the world indeed have the larvae in their brains.
"But the most inspiring result was that, when I went back to the village last January to thank the villagers for their participation,
we were told by the nurse that he was now treating 30 people for epilepsy! The chief of the village also mentioned during the
meeting (which took place at the village center under a mango tree) that people with epilepsy should go to the nurse and get
treated because the 'modern' treatment (in contrast to treatment provided by traditional healers) does work.
"So it seems that simply talking about the issue improved the health of at least 30 people in that village. These are the sorts of
experiences that make us happy. We hope to continue this research by testing an intervention to reduce the infection with the
worm and ultimately prevent several cases of epilepsy in that region," says Carabin.
The logic behind designing a study is Carabin's favorite part of the job. Like Cowan, she also likes to solve mysteries.
"You have a disease (or infection) that will happen in some people and not in others. Why? I am a veterinarian by training and
decided to become an epidemiologist because I hated treating animals without knowing what had caused the disease. Prevention
is so much more rewarding, in my view, anyway. And in order to prevent, you need to know the causes."
Getting funding for research is the greatest challenge for epidemiologists, says Carabin.
Cowan agrees that a lot of good project ideas go unfunded. The studies are expensive. For example, a lot of workers are
required to follow 1,000 research subjects for years, and collect and analyze their medical data, which can be costly.
Colin L. Soskolne specializes in environmental epidemiology. He graduated in applied mathematics and computer science. Then
he worked as a biostatistician for seven years. Next he earned his PhD in epidemiology.
"I like the fact that my research can influence public policy at the highest levels. This impact makes what I do seem all the more
important for keeping communities healthy," he says.
As with most health researchers, Soskolne's workday is typically longer than eight hours. He is usually in his office whittling down
a long list of responsibilities. The list includes writing papers on completed research, sending research reports to agencies, filling
in grant applications for new research that he would like to see undertaken, preparing lectures and helping students.
"All in all, the days are exciting and challenging. I like to work long hours because the work of the epidemiologist is so
important," says Soskolne.
He says anyone with an analytical mind who is determined to work in public health could be an epidemiologist.
"Physical and also personality peculiarities will define the scope of the job best suited to the individual. For instance, not all
epidemiologists are good (or needed) in public speaking. Some people are best placed to work behind the scenes. Others do
well being in the trenches. Both are needed," says Soskolne.
He explains that some epidemiologists specialize in infectious diseases. This type of disease is caused by bugs of some sort.
Other epidemiologists focus on diseases that take a longer time to develop. This specialization might focus on exposure to
pollution, or diseases caused by lifestyle choices such as smoking.
"The challenge often is to disentangle genetic from environmental causes of disease. Whether one works, for instance, in
universities doing research and teaching, or in public health units responding to disease emergencies and health inspection
monitoring services, the aim is always to prevent disease or injuries from occurring," says Soskolne.
He says the maxim of epidemiologists is "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."
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