What field is epidemiology? Epidemiology is
a field where trained epidemiologists study patterns of frequency and the causes and effects of diseases in human populations
. Epidemiology provides the scientific footings for evidence-based medicine and allows placement of strategies for improvement in public health.
What should I major in to become an epidemiologist?
To enter graduate programs in epidemiology, applicants typically need a bachelor’s degree in a field such as
biology, public policy and social services, or social science
. Epidemiology programs include coursework in public health, biological and physical sciences, and math and statistics.
Is an epidemiologist a scientist?
Epidemiologists are scientists who study diseases within populations of people
. In essence, these public health professionals analyze what causes disease outbreaks in order to treat existing diseases and prevent future outbreaks.
What are the 3 types of epidemiology?
The three major epidemiologic techniques are
descriptive, analytic, and experimental
. Although all three can be used in investigating the occurrence of disease, the method used most is descriptive epidemiology.
Traditional epidemiology is concerned with discovering basic truths on the frequencies of diseases and their aetiology;
clinical epidemiology represents a special field that translates clinical practice into quantitative science
; public health epidemiology is the basis of knowledge, prevention and treatment of diseases …
Epidemiologists conduct two main types of analytic studies:
experimental and observational
. Experimental studies use a randomized selection process. A process based on chance is used to assign study subjects to different exposure groups.
- public health.
- toxicology.
- statistics.
- microbiology.
- epidemiology.
- biomedical science.
- mathematics.
Often called “Disease Detectives”, epidemiologists
search for the cause of disease, identify people who are at risk, determine how to control or stop the spread or prevent it from happening again
. Physicians, veterinarians, scientists, and other health professionals often train to be “Disease Detectives”.
Epidemiologic field investigations are
often done in response to acute public health problems
. When outbreaks of disease occur, there usually is an urgent need to identify the source and/or cause of the problem as a basis for control.
Public health practice involves professionals from all STEM disciplines
, including statisticians, biologists, epidemiologists, informaticians, data scientists, microbiologists, and economists, as well as the liberal arts and the humanities.
Social epidemiology draws on methodologies and theoretical frameworks from many disciplines, and
research overlaps with several social science fields
, most notably economics, medical anthropology, medical sociology, health psychology and medical geography, as well as many domains of epidemiology.
Sociology, within epidemiology, is one of the main instruments to be used to know the phenomenon of health and disease
(Figure 1). Figure 1: Sociology in epidemiology.
Classical epidemiology is generally focused on the distribution and determinants of disease (population level), while clinical epidemiology is the application of the principles and methods of epidemiology to conduct, appraise, or apply clinical research for the purpose of improving prevention, diagnosis, prognosis, and …
Clinical epidemiology is the study of the patterns, causes, and effects of health and disease in patient populations and the relationships between exposures or treatments and health outcomes.
There are, of course, many differences between epidemiology and clinical medicine. One defining differences is the primary unit of concern.
The primary unit of concern in epidemiology is the group, while the primary unit of concern in clinical medicine is the individual
.
For example,
comparing incidences of lung cancer in smokers and non-smokers showed a correlation between smoking and lung cancer
. Epidemiologists also monitor trends over time. These longitudinal studies can identify emerging health issues and assess the effectiveness of control measures, such as vaccination.
There is not a tremendous job growth expected
.
From 2019 to 2029, the job growth for the field of epidemiology is expected to grow only 5%. That is not a considerable amount. This projected growth looks even smaller when you compare it to a career such as a nurse practitioner, which is expected to grow 28% by 2028.
- Doctorate Degree Holders. $80,560.
- Emergency Management Director. $76,250.
- Environmental Scientists. $73,230.
- Epidemiologist. $74,560.
- Health and Safety Engineer. $94,240.
- Medical and Health Services Managers. $104,280.
- Public Health Attorney. $126,930.
- Social and Community Service Manager.
- Analyze data and find conclusions.
- Create a plan of action for potential health crises.
- Create reports detailing potential threats.
- Give presentations to policy makers.
- Communicate with policy makers on public health.
- Manage multiple projects at once.
