When you are considering careers in epidemiology, there are plenty of different things you look at. These include average earnings per year, job growth rates, work environment and any other factor that can help you make the right choice. There are numerous careers in epidemiology that can give you the best salary, great work environment and favorable job prospects. Here is a list of the top five careers you could pursue in this field.
Academic Researcher
This career involves conducting research on different factors that contribute to diseases and conditions. The job usually leads to groundbreaking discoveries that can make a huge impact in the field of medicine and influence policies related to public health. Specialists in this field plan and direct studies on serious public health issues to identify and learn new ways to prevent and manage health problems. Academic research epidemiologists usually work in academic centers and research organizations. Those who are experienced and have advanced academic credentials usually go on to become professors in universities. The average annual salary is $88,437, according to PayScale.
Epidemiology Investigator
An epidemiology investigation career involves doing assessments in populations that struggle with cases of chronic diseases and specific trends of infections. Specialists in this field conduct research, gather samples and study demographic trends to find out how likely the local population will be affected by infections and chronic diseases. They also look at the environmental factors that might predispose people to infections and other conditions. Once they conduct their research and analyze their findings, they develop prevention and treatment plans. Epidemiology investigators work with the local communities and public health facilities. Their work involves a lot of traveling collecting samples and interviewing locals. They earn a median wage of $90,000.
Field Epidemiologist
These epidemiologists are famous for what they do. They are the ones who are dispatched to places around the world or country when a disease outbreak occurs. They work to identify the disease, determine the cause of the outbreak and develop ways to prevent it from spreading. Their main focus is to study diseases and come up with effective ways to prevent them from spreading and affecting many people. Field epidemiologists work in many areas, including environmental health, oral health, chronic diseases and infectious diseases. They earn an average salary of $63,150 per year.
Supervisory Epidemiologist
Supervisory epidemiologists perform executive and supervisory roles. They control a large team of epidemiologists and manage research efforts. Their main aim is to ensure better services in public health through effective research. Supervisory epidemiologists mainly work in office settings. Sometimes they may travel to the field to monitor research. They earn an average salary of $110,000 per year.
Pharmaceutical Epidemiologist
Those who work as pharmaceutical epidemiologists study how certain pharmaceutical products affect a particular population. These include the effects of the pharmaceutical products on the physical, psychological and mental well-being of the population as well as the effects on the social trends and habits of the people living there. Pharmaceutical epidemiologists spend much of their time in the laboratory analyzing how chemicals react with tissue samples. They make as much as $105,000 per year.
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Being an epidemiologist gives you the chance to make a positive impact on public health. You also get to explore new opportunities and benefit from a decent salary. The list highlighted above is just a sample of the many careers in epidemiology.