Epidemiology is the study and control of disease or injury patterns in human populations. When food poisoning or an influenza outbreak attacks a community, epidemiologists or “disease detectives”, are asked to investigate the cause of disease and control its spread. Epidemiologists work at all stages of the outbreak with other public health practitioners to identify and stop the outbreak. The word epidemiology comes from the Greek words epi, meaning "on or upon," demos, meaning "people," and logos, meaning "the study of." Epidemiologist does fieldwork to determine what causes disease or injury, what the risks are associated with health outcomes, what populations are at risk, and how to prevent further incidences of a disease, behavior, or transmission. They consider the demographic and social trends of populations in relation to a disease and injury. Epidemiologists are often credited with the initial discovery and containment of outbreaks, such as avian flu or mad cow disease.
Top Colleges
Highlights
Course Level |
Post Graduate |
---|---|
Duration |
2 years |
Exam Type |
Semester type |
Top recruiting areas |
Private clinics, Research labs, Government hospitals, Health departments, Medical colleges, and universities, Research Institutes |
Course Fee |
INR 3,000 to 2,50,000 per annum in average |
Courses & Eligibility
Course |
Duration |
Eligibility |
Entrance |
---|---|---|---|
Post Graduate | 2 years | Candidate should have an MBBS Degree with a minimum of 1 year of internship certificate. | NEET-PG, AIPGM |
Top Recruiters
- PARAXEL International Private Limited
- ICON Clinical Research
- IMED Global
- Association of Science Society
- Vantage Immigration Private Limited
Admission Process
Admission in Epidemiology is done on the basis of your performance in entrance exams like NEET PG, AIIMS PG, etc. Some institution conduct their own entrance test and some institutions select on the merit basis and performance in your MBBS academic. After you have your MBBS degree from a recognized institution and a good score in the entrance test, the college then conducts a personal interview after which the students will be selected to pursue this course.
Syllabus
Semester I
- Basic Principles of Epidemiology
- Epidemiologic Methods (both descriptive and analytical)
- Different types of epidemiological studies (descriptive, observational, and interventional studies)
Semester II
- Biostatistics in public health
- Biostatistics in research
Semester III
- Infectious disease Epidemiology
- Chronic Disease Epidemiology
- Epidemiology of policy
- Public health program
- Health services
Semester IV
- Monitoring and evaluation of 4 services or programs
- Writing and reviewing scientific papers
- Study design: writing scientific papers
Skills Required
The candidates should possess the following few skills:
- Strong clinical skill to treat a hematological disorder
- The ability to analyze and interpret laboratory data for proper diagnoses.
- The ability to further train students and junior doctors.
- They should possess certain qualities like patience, politeness, ability to build a harmonious relationship with their patients, strong ethics, service mentality, self-motivation, understanding, etc.
Top Entrances
- All India Institute of Medical Sciences Entrance Exam
- Armed Forces Medical College Entrance Exam
- Chhatrapati Shahuji Maharaj Medical University Entrance Exam
- IGNOU Entrance Exam in Clinical Hematology
- NTR University of Health Sciences Entrance Exam
- National Eligibility cum Entrance Test for Postgraduate
- (All India Post Graduate Medical Entrance Examination
- Sree Chitra Thirunal Institute of Medical Sciences and Technology Entrance Exam
Career & Job Prospects
Job Profile |
Job Description |
Average Salary Per Annum |
---|---|---|
Epidemiologist | Epidemiologists are responsible for implementation and develop the methods and systems for extracting, compiling, reporting, acquiring, and synthesizing information. They work with specialist statistical computer software when analyzing data. They design statistical analysis plans, guide analysis, and perform the plans. | 7 - 8 lakhs |
Nutrition specialist | Nutrition Specialists are responsible for securing the sale of goods and services. They also Work with marketing a product, estimate the demand for the item, and identify potential customers. They can also oversee the development and planning of advertising and marketing strategies. | 2 - 3 lakhs |
Public health specialist | Public health specialists are responsible for managing and supporting teams, providing public health expertise and advice to organizations or commissioning services, and managing public health budgets. | 2 - 3 lakhs |
Research administrator | Research administrators are responsible for performing experiments under their supervision. Some research assistants might work for novel writers and other professions that might need someone to track down information. They listen to the users of the research product, they find out what new features they want and gathering and analyzing their feedback and usage data. | 3 - 4 lakhs |
FAQs
Q: What do epidemiologists study?
A: Epidemiology is the study of diseases in populations of humans or other animals, specifically how, when and where they occur. Epidemiologists attempt to determine what factors are associated with diseases (risk factors), and what factors may protect people or animals against disease (protective factors).
Q: Why is epidemiology important?
A: Protecting People. Saving Money Through Prevention. Epidemiology is the study of the origin and causes of diseases in a community. The investigation would identify the cause of the outbreak and lead to interventions to prevent further cases of the disease.