Epidemiologist

Epidemiologists study the patterns, causes and effects of diseases in groups of people

As an epidemiologist, you'll play a vital role in protecting public health by studying how diseases spread, what causes them and how they can be controlled or prevented. Rather than focusing on individual patients, epidemiologists look at patterns of illness across entire communities and populations.

You'll often work with data collected through fieldwork, surveys or population samples that include both healthy and affected individuals. By analysing this information, you'll generate insights that inform public health policies, shape disease prevention strategies and support global responses to epidemics.

Your activities will vary depending on your employer and whether your role is field-based or research-focused. In research roles, for example, you may not collect data yourself but will use statistical tools and models to study disease patterns and understand their underlying causes.

Some epidemiologists work in clinical settings, where they focus on disease development in individual patients. These roles are typically filled by clinical scientists working in infection sciences or by specialist or consultant epidemiologists.

Responsibilities

Tasks vary depending on the focus of your work, for example, whether you are focused on fieldwork or research. However, you'll typically need to:

• develop and implement methods and systems for acquiring, compiling, synthesising, extracting and reporting information
• design statistical analysis plans, then perform and guide analysis
• provide critical analysis and thinking, advice and recommendations on issues based on accepted scientific understanding of infectious and emerging diseases in a global context
• work with specialist statistical computer software when analysing data and use statistics and model-building to find out how diseases occur
• provide statistical insight in the interpretation and discussion of study results
• contribute to study reports, either by writing the report or managing others
• communicate analysis results through presentations and publications
• use qualitative and quantitative methods when conducting research, planning and programming information for use in developing health policy
• network with cross-sector specialists and global colleagues to identify where their expertise and experience can benefit or enhance your approach
• collaborate with government agencies and other global health partners to assist in the development of positions and recommendations on key policy issues
• support international health diplomacy strategies and activities, such as the planning, coordination and hosting of international conferences and workshops related to diseases
• assist in the formulation of progress reports and related documents to assess programme progress
• maintain focus and delivery against commercial objectives, especially if working in the private sector.

Salary

• Entry-level roles in the NHS or working for the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) or Office for Health Improvement and Disparity, for example, include information analyst or information officer. Typical starting salaries are between £29,970 and £36,483 (Band 5 of the NHS Agenda for Change - pay rates).
• With experience, salaries can rise to between £37,338 and £44,962 (Band 6). Advanced and senior posts are in the region of £46,148 to £52,809 (Bands 7 to 8a).
• Salaries for epidemiology specialists working at consultant level in the NHS can range from around £99,532 to £139,000.
• Salaries for epidemiologists working in research posts in universities usually follow a nationally agreed pay spine. For details, see the University and College Union (UCU) - Salary scales.

Salaries in the private sector vary depending on the size and type of employer.

Salaries can vary widely depending on the sector you work in, your location, type of employer, experience and qualifications.

Additional benefits vary depending on your employer but may include a pension, profit share bonus, private medical insurance, critical illness cover and discounted gym membership.

Income figures are intended as a guide only.

Working hours

Working hours in a research setting are typically 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday, although you may need to be flexible. Evening or weekend work may be a feature of work in a clinical setting.

Some opportunities exist for part-time, flexible or hybrid work.

What to expect

• The working week is varied, and you'll need to be able to switch tasks easily. You'll tend to work independently on specific projects and then report your research outcomes to the wider team.
• In the UK, work is generally office-based. You may need to travel to attend or present at international conferences.
• Fieldwork in epidemic locations requires periods of overseas living, sometimes in unpleasant and infectious settings.
• Self-employment is rare but freelance work can be an option if you work as an independent consultant in the field.
• Career breaks are possible, but you'll need to keep up to date with developments in the field.

Qualifications

You'll usually need a postgraduate degree, either a Masters or PhD, in epidemiology or a related subject such as public health, statistical science (e.g. medical statistics) or biological science.

Postgraduate course providers look for graduates with a good degree, normally a 2:1 or above, in a quantitative science. Relevant subjects include:

• biological sciences
• mathematics
• medicine
• statistics
• healthcare sciences
• biomedical sciences
• microbiology
• molecular biology
• nursing
• physiology.

A PhD is usually a minimum requirement for a career in academic research and is useful for career progression in other areas of work. Search postgraduate courses in epidemiology.

If you don't have a relevant MSc, you could work as an information analyst or officer, developing your skills and knowledge in data and statistics management, and then take further study to progress into an epidemiologist role. It's also possible to move into epidemiology after working in public health or public protection.

If you have a degree in life sciences (e.g. biomedical sciences, biology, microbiology or biochemistry) and want to work in a clinical setting, you can qualify as a clinical scientist (infection sciences) through the NHS Scientist Training Programme (STP) (England and Wales). Separate schemes are available for Scotland and Northern Ireland.

You can also train to become a public health consultant or specialist. For more information, see the Faculty of Public Health.

Skills

You'll need to have:

• the ability to analyse, summarise and interpret complex epidemiological data, including large-scale datasets such as electronic health records
• excellent oral and written communication skills for communicating ideas, methods and results clearly to both specialist and non-specialist audiences
• strong IT skills, including proficiency in using statistical software packages (e.g., Stata, SAS and SPSS), database management and programming languages such as R
• accuracy, attention to detail and a methodical approach to work
• the ability to work independently and take responsibility for your own work and time, while also being able to adapt to evolving public health challenges
• teamworking skills and the ability to work collaboratively within project teams that may include clinicians, data scientists and policymakers
• creative problem-solving skills to identify and address unexpected issues in areas such as study design, data collection or analysis
• excellent organisation and multi-tasking abilities to manage a range of varied tasks and changing deadlines, especially during public health emergencies
• the flexibility to deal with unpredictable situations, conflicting information and to respond to changing deadlines
• experience in creating and delivering presentations to groups of internal and external stakeholders
• high levels of numeracy and a solid understanding of statistical concepts relevant to epidemiological research
• a commitment to continuous learning, including a willingness to explore and adopt new software tools or techniques for different projects.

Work experience

It's important to get relevant work experience to increase your understanding of public health challenges and build a network of contacts. Practical experience will strengthen your applications for both postgraduate programmes and entry-level positions.

Some companies provide work placements or internships, or you could take a year out during your degree to get practical experience. You'll typically need a 2:1 degree in a relevant scientific discipline (or a predicted 2:1) and an understanding of statistical techniques, as well as strong self-motivation and a willingness to learn to get an internship.

You could apply for a position as a research assistant, helping with clinical trials or recruiting study participants, for example. Data analyst roles, particularly involving health data, can also be useful as they focus on interpreting large datasets to identify trends.

Opportunities may be available with:

• academic institutions
• pharmaceutical companies
• biotechnology firms
• global healthcare agencies
• hospitals
• medical technology companies
• medical research organisations
• public health organisations.

You could also contact relevant companies and organisations to ask if you can shadow an epidemiologist to get an insight into what the work involves. There may also be voluntary opportunities, for example with the NHS, to get involved with public health work.

Find out more about the different kinds of work experience and internships that are available.

Employers

Epidemiologists work for national, international, public and private organisations involved in the study of patterns of health and disease in populations, including the NHS and government agencies.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), an executive agency sponsored by the Department of Health and Social Care, employs a large number of epidemiologists. Jobs are usually advertised on NHS Jobs or the Civil Service recruitment website. Similar positions are available at:

• Public Health Agency for Northern Ireland
• Public Health Scotland
• Public Health Wales

Epidemiologists also work for other government bodies, such as the Office for Health Improvement & Disparities and Health and Safety Executive (HSE), and for local authorities.

Universities and research institutions employ lecturers within the field of public health and epidemiology, as well as researchers working on specific projects.

The private sector, especially global pharmaceutical companies companies and global healthcare agencies, also employs epidemiologists with strong commercial awareness.

Employers offering the possibility of hands-on field work include international charities targeting disease outbreaks overseas. These include:

• Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)
• United Nations (UN)
• World Health Organization (WHO)

Hospitals employ clinical scientists, specialising in infection science.

Look for job vacancies at:

• Civil Service job search
• Jobs.ac.uk - for jobs in academic and research institutions.
• Nature Careers
• New Scientist Jobs
• NHS Jobs and NHSScotland Jobs

Specialist recruitment agencies also advertise vacancies.

Professional development

Continuing professional development (CPD) is essential for keeping up to date with changes and developments in the profession.

Relevant training, courses and workshops are available through professional bodies such as the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) ²¹²Ô»åÌýRoyal Statistical Society (RSS). Professional bodies also offer membership, which provides a range of benefits, including useful networking opportunities with peers and keeping up to date with the latest developments. You can choose the level to suit your experience and qualifications.

You may wish to study part time for a PhD in epidemiology if you don't already have one.

Once you've got experience working in public health, health protection or applied epidemiology, you may want to apply for the UKHSA Field Epidemiology Training Programme (FETP). This two-year training programme is aimed at those wanting a role that involves field investigation and epidemiology and allows you to further develop your specialist skills. You'll typically need a Masters degree or equivalent experience in a relevant field, along with demonstrable experience in public health or epidemiology.

Epidemiologists are expected to attend and present at national and international conferences and events, as well as publish research in peer-reviewed journals. Membership of the International Epidemiological Association (IEA) is useful for networking with others engaged in research into epidemiology. Within the private sector, you might also undertake financial and commercial training.

If you've qualified as a clinical scientist working in infection science, you'll need to undertake CPD to remain registered with the HCPC. With experience, you may be able to train to become a consultant clinical scientist via the NHS Higher Specialist Scientific Training (HSST) programme.

For information on registering as a public health specialist or becoming a consultant in public health, see the UKPHR and Faculty of Public Health websites.

Career prospects

There is a structured career path within national and local government and the NHS, for example. Once qualified, you can progress through the grades by gaining experience and completing further study and research.

Once you've gained the right combination of skills, qualifications and experience, you can progress to a higher level role such as lead epidemiologist or field epidemiologist.

As your career develops, whether in the public or private sector, you're likely to take on a more supervisory role with responsibility for your work and the work of others.

Registration with professional bodies and many years of experience can lead to consultant epidemiologist roles. Consultant epidemiologists should be registered with the GMC Specialist Register or the UKPHR Public Health Register, depending on their qualifications and experience.

There are also opportunities to develop a career in academic research. If you've trained as a doctor, you may choose to specialise in clinical academic medicine, splitting your time between practising as a doctor and carrying out research into epidemiology.