Epidemiologist

Investigate and describe the determinants and distribution of disease, disability, or health outcomes. May develop the means for prevention and control.

O*NET reports this occupation under titles such as: Chronic Disease Epidemiologist; Communicable Diseases Specialist; Environmental Epidemiologist; Epidemiologist; Epidemiology Investigator; Infection Control Practitioner (ICP); Nurse Epidemiologist; Public Health Epidemiologist; Research Epidemiologist; State Epidemiologist

Tasks

• Communicate research findings on various types of diseases to health practitioners, policy makers, and the public.
• Oversee public health programs, including statistical analysis, health care planning, surveillance systems, and public health improvement.
• Investigate diseases or parasites to determine cause and risk factors, progress, life cycle, or mode of transmission.
• Educate healthcare workers, patients, and the public about infectious and communicable diseases, including disease transmission and prevention.
• Monitor and report incidents of infectious diseases to local and state health agencies.
• Plan and direct studies to investigate human or animal disease, preventive methods, and treatments for disease.
• Provide expertise in the design, management and evaluation of study protocols and health status questionnaires, sample selection, and analysis.
• Write articles for publication in professional journals.
• Identify and analyze public health issues related to foodborne parasitic diseases and their impact on public policies, scientific studies, or surveys.
• Write grant applications to fund epidemiologic research.
• Plan, administer and evaluate health safety standards and programs to improve public health, conferring with health department, industry personnel, physicians, and others.
• Conduct research to develop methodologies, instrumentation, and procedures for medical application, analyzing data and presenting findings.
• Consult with and advise physicians, educators, researchers, government health officials and others regarding medical applications of sciences, such as physics, biology, and chemistry.
• Supervise professional, technical, and clerical personnel.

Knowledge

• Mathematics
• Biology
• Medicine and Dentistry
• English Language
• Computers and Electronics
• Communications and Media
• Education and Training
• Sociology and Anthropology
• Administration and Management

Skills

• Reading Comprehension
• Critical Thinking
• Active Listening
• Writing
• Speaking
• Science
• Active Learning
• Mathematics
• Monitoring
• Learning Strategies

Abilities

• Oral Comprehension
• Written Comprehension
• Inductive Reasoning
• Oral Expression
• Written Expression
• Problem Sensitivity
• Deductive Reasoning
• Fluency of Ideas
• Category Flexibility
• Speech Clarity
• Originality
• Information Ordering
• Near Vision
• Speech Recognition
• Mathematical Reasoning
• Flexibility of Closure
• Number Facility
• Selective Attention
• Speed of Closure
• Perceptual Speed
• Visualization