Who are Public Health Epidemiologists?
Public Health epidemiologists are public health professionals who study the patterns, causes, and disease control in groups of people (1).
What does a Public Health Epidemiologist do?
Epidemiologists conduct data analysis and experimentation to understand how illnesses and injuries arise and spread to create policies supporting better health outcomes. To find our the strategies to stop the spread of infections or diseases and keep them from happening again, epidemiologists identify the populations that are at risk and the variables that contribute to them.
What kind of education degree is required to become an epidemiologist?
Typically, to become an entry-level epidemiologist one of the educational requirements is a Master’s degree in public health (MPH) with a concentration in Epidemiology. Some also have a doctoral degree in epidemiology or may complete their degree in medicine.
Areas of Employment
- Hospitals
- Research Organizations
- Health Departments in Local and State Government
- College, Universities and Professional Schools
Some types of epidemiologists
Public health is a broad field. Most epidemiologists are generally divided into two groups: research and clinical. Research epidemiologists are the ones who research infectious diseases and clinical e[epidemiology is also a subfield of epidemiology. A clinical epidemiologist is also a research professional in the medical field who studies the occurrence and frequency of diseases and major health events in specific populations and advises medical professionals on treatment strategies. So there are different types of epidemiologists. Some common categories are listed below:
- Infectious Disease epidemiologist
- Infection control epidemiologist
- Environmental epidemiologist
- Pharmaceutical epidemiologist
- Genetics epidemiologist
- Molecular epidemiologist
Median Salary
According to the U.S., Department of Labor Statistics, the annual median salary of public health epidemiologists was $81,390 in May 2023 (2).
To learn more about the salary of epidemiologists by state, visit the link: https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/pay-salary/how-much-do-epidemiologists-make
Some Universities where you can Earn an MPH in Epidemiology
- John Hopkins University
- University of North Carolina Chapel Hill,
- Emory University
- Harvard University
- Columbia University
- Boston University
- University of Washington
- University of California Los Angeles
- University of California Berkeley
- George Washington University
- Tulane University
- University of Minnesota
- Yale University
- Brown University
- Colorado School of Public Health
- University of Pittsburgh
- Cornell Univesity
- CUNY School of Public Health
- Drexel University
- New York University
- University of Alabama at Birmingham
- University of Illinois Chicago
- Washington University in St. Louis
- Rutgers School of Public Health
- University of Iowa
- University of Maryland College Park
- University of Texas Houston Health Sciences Center
- Northwestern University
- Ohio State University
- Oregon Health & Science University/ Portland State University
- San Diego State University
- Temple University
- University of California Davis
- University of Massachusetts Amherst
- University of South Florida
- University of Wisconsin Madison
- Indiana University Bloomington
- Texas A&M Health Science Center
- University of Arizona
- University of Florida
- University of Georgia
- University of Pennsylvania
- University of Southern California
- Vanderbilt University
- Georgia State University
- Morehouse School of Medicine
- Tufts Univesity
- University at Buffalo -SUNY
- University of California Irvine
- Dartmouth College
- George Mason University
- Northeastern University
- Pennsylvania State University
- St. Louis University
- University of San Francisco
- California State University-Los Angeles
- Florida International University
- Indiana University
- Loma Linda University
- Michigan State University
- University of Kentucky
- University of Miami
- Case Western Reserve University
- Oregon State University
- Purdue University
- University of Albany-SUNY
- University of Louisville
- University of Maryland–Baltimore
- University of North Carolina
- University of Utah
- Baylor University
- University of Connecticut
- University of Oklahoma Health Science Center
- University of Virginia
- Florida State University
- University of North Texas Health Science Center
- University of Memphis
- University of Nevada Las Vegas
- University of North Carolina- Greensboro
- University of Nevada Reno
- University of New Hampshire
- University of New Mexico
- California State University San Barnadido
- Idaho State University
- University of Montana
- University of North Dakota
- University of South Dakota/ South Dakota University
- University of West Florida
- West Chester University
- Eastern Washington University
- Rutgers University of Public Health
- North Dakota State University
- University of New England
- University of North Florida
- University of Southern Mississippi
- University of Tennessee, Chattanooga
- University of Toledo
- Western Kentucky University
- Southern Connecticut State University
- Utah State University-CEH
Pro tip for international students planning to apply for an MPH in epidemiology in the USA: A lot of universities from above mentioned list have MPH programs with an epidemiology concentration, but it is very important to choose the University where an MPH degree is considered a STEM program. With a STEM degree, you can get an extra year of OPT to practice in the field and gain experience.
Now we know the basic ideas of what epidemiologists are, the skills required to be an epidemiolgist are listed below:
Critical Thinking
Epidemiologists collect data and information and then analyze the data using critical thinking techniques to draw conclusions. Additionally, they use critical thinking to decide on the best course of action based on their epidemiological results, figure out how best to convey those findings to public health officials, and make sure that their conclusions are supported by solid facts (3).
Statistics
To analyze the data, math, and statistics is the basic foundation in the field of public health. Epidemiologists need to have the biostatistical knowledge to analyze the data and should be able to interpret the findings. Some of the statistical software used by epidemiologists at the local, and state health departments, health organizations, and research are: SPSS, SAS, STATA, and R programming. The most common statistical software that students use in the USA in epidemiology is SPSS and stata. Some also take SAS classs. So long story short, as a epidemiologist their key role is to identify relationships between various environmental and risk factors and disease patterns and make predictions.
Communication
Epidemiologists share their research findings and expert viewpoints with healthcare providers, public health officials, and the general public. They are adept at explaining their results or presenting their investigations through written communication. To guarantee that public health decision-makers can make the most informed choices, epidemiologists convey their recommendations clearly and concisely. Epidemiologists employed within governmental health organizations are crucial in ensuring their findings are promptly disseminated to the target audiences. Effective communication abilities are indispensable for epidemiologists to elucidate their findings and implications comprehensibly.
Collaboration
Epidemiologists often work closely with a diverse array of healthcare providers, scientists, and other professionals to uncover trends and advancements across various medical domains. Epidemiological research typically entails regular interactions with an array of experts, such as physicians, nurses, researchers, public health officials, and policymakers.
Summary
Epidemiologists are the backbone of the public health department. Their work was highly recognized when a global pandemic like COVID-19 was spread and people were more aware of the work that epidemiologists do to control the spread of infectious diseases like COVID-19. Not only in the pandemic, epidemiologists have been working continuously over the years to track the trends of disease and study patterns of diseases. identify the population at risk, and conduct public health surveillance. There are a lot of disease outbreaks all over the country that we don’t notice, but whenever there is an outbreak of disease, epidemiologists are the first in the line to investigate the outbreak and have expertise in controlling the spread of disease to protect public health.
References
1. National Institute of Cancer. Definition of epidemiologist – NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms – NCI [Internet]. [cited 2025 Jan 26]. https://www.cancer.gov/publications/dictionaries/cancer-terms/def/epidemiologist (accessed 2025 Jan 26)
2. Epidemiologists : Occupational Outlook Handbook: : U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics [Internet]. [cited 2025 Jan 26]. https://www.bls.gov/ooh/life-physical-and-social-science/epidemiologists.html (accessed 2025 Jan 26)
3. What Does an Epidemiologist Do? (Duties, Salary and Skills) | Indeed.com [Internet]. [cited 2025 Jan 27]. Available from: https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/finding-a-job/what-does-epidemiologist-do
