Salary and Outlook

According to the US Department of Labor, there are 7,800 people employed as epidemiologists in the United States. The median annual salary is $74,600. Entry level employees earn approximately $49,140 per year and senior employees earn approximately $126,040 per year.

Estimates do not include other potential benefits such as health insurance, overtime pay, or retirement benefits that may be offered by employers.

Job Duties

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

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