9/8/2022
“The work of epidemiology is related to unanswered questions, but also to unquestioned answers.”
– Patricia Buffler, University of California epidemiologist speaking at the North American Congress of Epidemiology in Montreal in June 2011
In episodes 127 and 128, Dr. Annette Regan from the University of San Francisco joined the Public Health Insight Podcast to discuss the field of epidemiology and why public health needs more epidemiologists. Dr. Regan is a perinatal and infectious disease epidemiologist who has held positions with the CDC, state health departments, and is now working in academia. In this blog post we will address some of the most common questions about studying and working in epidemiology.
In this blog post, we’ll be covering:
Simply put, epidemiology is the study of the distribution and determinants of health-related states or events in specified populations, and the application of this study to the control of health problems. This can range from infectious diseases, to genetic disease, maternal health, global health, and beyond.
Epidemiology considers a broad range of variables to examine who within a population is getting sick, why they are getting sick, and aims to implement data-driven solutions to reduce the burden of disease within a population.
In recent years, epidemiologists have been gaining more attention than ever due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The growing recognition of the field has left many students wondering how they can identify whether the role would be a good fit for them? One approach that Dr. Regan discusses is shadowing people in positions you are interested in.
Public health professionals tend to be willing to share insights on their positions with students so that you can learn a bit more about their roles. Many public health programs also have placement opportunities for students to have a chance to work alongside some of these positions.
Epidemiology integrates understanding of biological concepts, statistics and data, science communication, as well as social determinants of health. Some epidemiologists have more of a focus on one of these areas than others, but it is important to have an understanding of all of these different concepts.
Dr. Regan highlights that an important quality of an epidemiologist is curiosity and the ability to explore different solutions to a problem. Analytical thinking is another key skill for epidemiologists, as a lot of their work involves analyzing data and can often include programming with statistical software.
Finally, being able to effectively communicate your findings is now more important than ever for epidemiologists, as certain roles may require you to not only communicate your findings to other experts in the field, but also communicate your findings using more understandable terms to a general audience.
As highlighted in the podcast, epidemiologists use data-driven solutions to work within the public health team and better limit the spread of disease, but how is that different from other positions such as data analysts or biostatisticians?
Some of the responsibilities and skills within these roles can overlap and epidemiologists tend to work very closely with individuals in these positions. Epidemiologists tend to be more focused on the data collection and solution implementation, while data analysts or biostatisticians tend to be more strictly focused on the data itself and understanding the high-level statistical concepts behind your analyses.
Absolutely, public health needs more epidemiologists. According to a report by the Big Cities Health Coalition and Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists in the United States, health departments currently need to increase their epidemiological staff by 47% in order to fully meet their needs (Big Cities Health 2022).
The COVID-19 pandemic has put a lot of stress on this aspect of the public health system in particular, with other public health professionals who are not epidemiologists by trade, having to step in to take on some of these responsibilities because the workload was so high. With new emerging infectious diseases, handling the opioid crisis, and health threats due to climate change constantly emerging, the need for epidemiologists is ever-present, even as the spotlight shifts away from COVID-19.
There is not one set educational pathway to becoming an epidemiologist. Most people will get a Master’s degree in epidemiology or public health or some people go on to pursue a PhD in epidemiology and work from there. There are still opportunities to work with data at public health organizations without a graduate degree through a combination of a Bachelor’s degree in public health and relevant experiences in the workforce.
For those who become an epidemiologist after a Master’s degree, there is no one specific undergraduate degree that is required – candidates come from a range of backgrounds such as psychology, biology, health sciences, math, political science, and many more. If you are taking the Master’s route, it is important to thoroughly research each program you are interested in to find the best fit – Are you interested in a research-based or course-based program? Do the required courses for the program interest you? How will the connections you will make within the program help to set you up for your future career? If you can, try and look into the details of each program to find which option will best set you up for your future career.
Dr. Regan shared with the team that USF is launching its first class of their Master’s of Public Health Epidemiology specialization this fall, which is an applied epidemiology program and emphasizes the hands-on applications of epidemiology theories. Finally, it can be very helpful to reach out to current students or faculty in the program you are interested in, so that you can get a better understanding of what the program is like before making your decision.
Listen to both parts of the interview with Dr. Annette Regan below.
Epidemiologists play a critical role in the public health team, and the intersection of skills needed for this position make it a unique role for those interested in both science, math, and social sciences. A career in epidemiology can be fulfilling with the constant ability to learn new things and apply data to creatively solve problems. The need for epidemiologists is rising, and with each future epidemic, the role of epidemiologists will continue to become more apparent within the public health space.
This is perfectly captured by a quote from Dr. Regan during the conversation on the podcast, “Epidemiologists are the eyes and ears of public health. We’re the folks that help let the world know what’s going on, where we’re going and help to provide that direction. It can be an intense field. It’s a really fun and rewarding field. I have never in one day of my life regretted being an Epidemiologist. With the constant supply of health problems, you’ll never be bored as an Epidemiologist.”
Writen by: Natalie Wilson
Big Cities Health. (2022, March 9). Report: Cities need to increase number of epidemiologists by nearly half to combat key health challenges, including covid-19. Big Cities Health Coalition. Retrieved August 8, 2022, from https://www.bigcitieshealth.org/epidemiologist-shortage-puts-pandemic-response-at-risk/
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