Category: Epidemiology Certification Course

M.Sc. Epidemiology is a full-time postgraduate level course for a duration of 2 years. Candidates having completed a bachelor’s degree or an equivalent examination in a science stream with a maximum of 55% of marks from a recognized board will be eligible for M.Sc. Epidemiology course.

In India, the list of Epidemiology institutes we have are:

• ICMR-National Institute of Epidemiology, Chennai, Tamil Nadu
• All India Institute of Hygiene and Public Health, Kolkata, West Bengal : having a dedicated Department of Epidemiology and a Medical Council of India (MCI) recognized MPH course of three years.
• Christian Medical College, Vellore
• Krishna Institute of Medical Studies, Satara
• SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Kanchipuram
• Homi Bhabha National Institute, Mumbai
• Indian Institute of Technology, Gandhinagar
• Tamil Nadu Dr. M.G.R. Medical University, Chennai

A Master of Public Health is a necessary qualification to become an epidemiologist. Some institutes offering the MPH courses in India are:

• Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology in Trivandrum
• ICMR-National Institute of Epidemiology, Chennai
• Public Health Foundation of India, Bengaluru
• National Institute of Health and Family Welfare in New Delhi

Some of the recognized institutes out of India offering courses in Epidemiology are: 

• University College London, UCL’s Institute of Epidemiology and Health Care
• University of Washington, Department of Epidemiology
• University of Delaware, USA
• Georgetown University – Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, Washington, USA
• University of Glasgow, UK
• University of Arizona: MPH-Applied Epidemiology, Master of Science in Epidemiology
• Western Sydney University: Master of Epidemiology
• University of Louisville – School of Public Health and Information Sciences, USA
• Erasmus MC Netherlands Institute for Health Sciences – Erasmus University Rotterdam, Netherlands

Career Prospects

Typical careers for epidemiologists revolve around either conducting research or applying information and conclusions gathered from the research. Epidemiologists that conduct research are usually employed by universities or in conjunction with government organizations, such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health. Epidemiologists who apply knowledge obtained from research usually work with local governments and organizations directly tackling public health issues.

The overall job growth prospects for epidemiologists as a whole is anticipated to grow 5 percent between 2018 and 2028, one of the primary factors in that estimate is the assumption that states and municipalities will continue to keep government spending at a minimum. However, epidemiologists can often find work in related fields.

When deciding on a career in epidemiology, there are questions you can ask yourself to decide which specific epidemiology job is right for you.

Factors to consider include your likes, dislikes, strengths, weaknesses and personality traits.

Based on that the career can be

(1) Epidemiologist in a local healthcare facility

(2) Professor/PhD Epidemiologist

(3) Veterinary Epidemiologist

(4) Pharmaceutical Epidemiologist

(5) Molecular Epidemiologist

(6) Disaster Epidemiologist

(7) Supervisory Epidemiologist

(8) Infection Control Epidemiologist

(9) Applied Epidemiologist etc.,

In order to become a successful epidemiologist, there are important tools, skills and personality traits one should possess. For example, a strong grasp of math theories and statistical concepts is a must, even if one does not actively conduct research and analyze data.

Epidemiologists are well-educated and very skilled individuals who must undergo extensive training in order study diseases and how they affect a given group of people. As a result,, epidemiologists’ average salaries are well above the national average, depending on the position. For example, many epidemiologists have masters or doctorate level degrees as well as years of practical experience.

Epidemiologists can opt to work in various fields like

• academia
• state and local health departments
• international health agencies
• federal government agencies and health programs
• health maintenance organizations
• and numerous other research projects sponsored privately and publicly

Responsibilities of Epidemiologists are:

• Investigations and control of disease outbreaks
• Study of environmental and industrial hazards
• Evaluation of preventive or curative programs or treatments and
• Evaluation of the effectiveness and efficiency of intervention or control strategies.

Academic Research Epidemiologist

• This career area finds epidemiologists employed in academic centers or universities.
• It involves researching the different factors that cause diseases or conditions and in some cases those in the field will go on to become a professor.
• They even direct and plan studies of serious public health issues to learn about ways to treating and preventing health problems.
• They also collect and analyze vital public health information with observations, interviews, blood and other bodily samples, to best determine causes of disease

Infection control Epidemiologist

• They collect and analyzes data related to public health problems within a medical facility, through surveys, interviews, observations, collecting blood and other bodily samples.
• They also deal with enforcement of hygiene issues, and general cleanliness to prevent spread of infection

Clinical Trial Research Epidemiologist

• They usually work for health organizations or drug companies.
• Job description include completing clinical trials of drugs and procedures and monitor side effects and results. The overall goal is obviously to find new treatments and medications for various diseases.
• They mostly work in field laboratories and their focus is on reducing the number of negative health outcomes

Field Epidemiologists

• They work in health departments and are dispatched to various locations around the nation or even the world when an outbreak of disease occurs.
• They will work to identify the disease, determine its cause, and work to stem the spread of the disease accordingly.
• Basically, their focus of the work is to study disease and to change how it spreads.

Salary :

• The average salary for an Epidemiologist in India is ₹6,96,343 p.a Approx
• An entry-level Epidemiologist with less than 1-year experience can expect to earn an average total compensation (includes tips, bonus, and overtime pay) of ₹350,000 p.a Approx based on 5 salaries.
• An early career Epidemiologist with 1-4 years of experience earns an average total compensation of ₹550,000 p.a Approx
• A mid-career Epidemiologist with 5-9 years of experience earns an average total compensation of ₹861,221 p.a Approx.

Unlike experienced epidemiologists, fresh graduates lack the years of experience and a substantial professional network to find employment. Joining epidemiological organizations or learning certification courses can provide valuable opportunities and you can gain additional experience.

Introudction & Benefits of this Epidemiology Course in Terms Of Career Advancement

What is Epidemiology?

Epidemiology is a broad scientific discipline, addressing the occurrence of disease and the distribution of health status in populations. The study of the distribution and determinants of health-related states or events in specified populations, and the application of this study to control of health problems.

Epidemiology is used to determine, describe, and report on the natural course of disease, disability, injury, and death, to aid in the planning and development of health services and programs and to provide administrative and planning data

How This Course Will Help You?

The main objective of the BioTecNika is to inculcate the knowledge on Epidemiology and Public Health in budding researchers and young student community. This includes the training of students to generate and interpret epidemiologic information, to synthesize it with other information, and to apply it to reduction of the disease burden.

By integrating causal concepts at the molecular, cellular, clinical, and social-environmental levels, our Team of experts work to maintain an intellectual environment that facilitates the integration of biological, social, and analytic approaches. This course on Epidemiology attempts to better understand the burden and causes of health problems in human populations, and to make changes that decrease risk and improve health.

Now, lets understabd first – Uses of Epidemiology

It is widely used-

• to study the cause (or etiology) of disease(s), or conditions, disorders, disabilities, etc.
• to determine the primary agent responsible or ascertain causative factors
• to determine the characteristics of the agent or causative factors
• to determine the mode of transmission
• to determine contributing factors and
• to identify and determine geographic patterns

Epidemiologists are scientists who study diseases within populations of people. These public health professionals analyze what causes disease outbreaks in order to treat existing diseases and prevent future outbreaks. Thanks to this, epidemiologists are considered “disease detectives” of the public health world.

Epidemiologists examine how and where disease outbreaks start, how diseases are transmitted among individuals in a population and how to effectively treat those diseases. The information gathered and analyzed by epidemiologists is then used to develop or improve clinical and medical research, as well as improve preventative healthcare. It is safe to say that countless lives have been saved due to the work of epidemiologists.

How To Become An Epidemiologist?

• In order to become an epidemiologist, a master’s degree is the minimum educational requirement.
• The most common master’s degree is in public health with a specialization in epidemiology
• Many epidemiologists have doctorate and/or medical degrees, especially if they plan on teaching at the post-secondary level or overseeing medical research studies.
• On the undergraduate level, most epidemiologists have backgrounds in public health, biology, medicine and statistics.