How to Become an Epidemiologist?

Epidemiologists are people who work in the field of epidemiology. Epidemiology concerns the study and research of patterns in health & illnesses. This field also covers the study of related factors in terms of the population. Often termed as a public health research science, epidemiology forms a part of the process of identifying risk factors in diseases, along with working for the best treatments towards preventive medicine. It was earlier known as the study of epidemics.

As a part of the outbreak investigation aspect, they perform the following tasks:

Studying designr
Data collectionr
Statistical analysisr
Documentation of resultsr
Submission for publicationr
Roles and Responsibilities

Working as an epidemiologist, you will be required to study all aspects of a disease. These include studying the causes, effects, risk issues and further. Later they work towards controlling the diseases.

Education and Training

A bachelor's degree in a biological science is required towards being an epidemiologist. A master's degree in public health (concentration being epidemiology) is required to work as an epidemiologist.

A master’s degree in epidemiology can be in the form of

Master of Public Health
Master of Sciencer
There is also a scope of going for a PhD in this field. This way, not only the job opportunities open up, but you can move towards active research in private and government sectors. Some of the best schools in this field include Emory University, Johns Hopkins University, Columbia University (City of New York) etc.

Training involves the study of biological sciences. Like many other science based fields, there are certifications and courses which epidemiologists could utilize. The Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology is one such association which is actively involved in these training sectors.

Employment and Career Profiles

Hospitals, research labs, public health sectors mostly hire the services of an epidemiologist. Many epidemiologists move towards the teaching field as well.

As they work on research, many epidemiologists become authors in their field of study - health & disease aspects affecting the general populace.

Lastly, it is recommended that an epidemiologist working in the infection control field (epidemiology industry) gets a certification from the Certification Board of Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. (CBIC).