You may wonder what this fancy term “Epidemiologists' mean and it might seem like a profession you would never enter simply because it is unheard of. Epidemiologists are the researchers that collect and analyse data to investigate medical issues. For instance, when Covid first broke out, epidemiologists were the ones who investigated the trends of the new virus. They determined who was at the highest risk of catching the virus and analyzed the similarity between Covid and other viruses to conduct effective treatments. So they are like the secret agents of the medical field who work to help patients without any recognition. They are as important as front line workers such as doctors and nurses as they are the ones that aid with the process of creating the vaccines and treatment to administer to the patients.
Epidemiologists work in offices and laboratories thus dividing into two groups. There are research epidemiologists who work in an office, examining reports and data. While the labs are for specialized scientists who are qualified to work in labs.
Epidemiologists undertake a range of daily tasks focused on understanding and managing public health challenges:
Conducting research
Data collection and analysis
Planning and executing clinical studies
Supervising clinical trials
Managing public health initiatives like programs within the community
Communicating findings to policymakers
How do I become an epidemiologist? Like all medical degrees, it requires hard work and patience.
You must have attended university and graduated with a bachelor's degree. The degree could be in science, biostatistics, health science or anything related. Degrees in this field take 4 years minimum to complete.
Obtain a master’s degree from a recognized university. It is most common to get on in epidemiology or public health with a prominence in epidemiology. These programs take an average of 2 - 3 years to graduate.
Earn a doctoral degree if you want to work in higher level research projects. Usually, a PhD in epidemiology is common. A PhD offers a much stronger concentration about a field so it can take about 4 - 8 years to earn a doctoral degree.
In the end, getting educated about different professions within the medical field is a great way to find what suits you. If your childhood dream has been to study something in medicine and you prefer to conduct research. An epidemiologist may be right up your alley. However, after you read this article, if you want to steer clear of this path, that is also okay. This means that it has expanded your knowledge of your future career.
Written by: Niranjana Suresh Preethy
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