Epidemiologists examine patterns of disease among people to determine how best to deliver public health services and combat biological threats. They perform descriptive studies to identify characteristics and patterns of a disease or health issue to prevent negative outcomes.

One of the many benefits of becoming an epidemiologist is that it offers variety. Different types of epidemiologists work in various research settings and have diverse responsibilities, such as:

Epidemiology is an exciting field within public health. If you’re considering this career, explore the different fields and types of epidemiologists. 

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Sometimes called hospital epidemiologists, these types of epidemiologists create and implement policies that control disease and limit the spread of infection within healthcare settings.

Job duties and responsibilities of infection control epidemiologists include:

Some types of epidemiologists specialize in pharmaceutical research and development. They work for pharmaceutical firms and government agencies to study how a drug or group of drugs affects a population over time. They review how conditions spread, who they affect, and what treatments have a measurable impact.

These researchers typically work in a lab setting and interact with drug profiles and tissue samples. They create crucial reports about drug safety and efficacy that are used by public health and regulatory agencies, private insurers, and healthcare providers.

Although not required, some may choose to complete a doctorate in pharmacy for this field in addition to a master’s degree in public health.

Medical epidemiologists monitor disease outbreaks, study clinical pathology, and research potential cures for chronic and acute illness. They may also create public health programs to prevent disease.

This type of role requires a knowledge of clinical medicine. Medical epidemiologists can earn a medical degree to practice medicine, such as a Doctor of Medicine (MD). This is different from other types of epidemiologists, as an MD is usually not required. In fact, some choose to become epidemiologists because they have an interest in medicine but choose not to practice. Many medical epidemiologists, however, have practice experience.

Within this specialty, these types of epidemiologists can become a medical generalist or specialize even further within an area of medicine. For example, some medical epidemiologists are viral epidemiologists. They study the conditions that could lead to a viral epidemic and plan intervention strategies for populations at risk.

An infectious disease epidemiologist works to understand the effects of diseases on a population. This can include studying new diseases like COVID-19 or researching established diseases like HIV, AIDS, or influenza. 

Innovation in this field involves the use of big data and cutting-edge mathematical models to track disease and solve public health problems at the population level. 

An infectious disease epidemiologist may study in the field in addition to the lab. They may go where an outbreak first occurred to determine its cause and prevent further adverse outcomes. 

Individuals who work in field epidemiology intervene on the ground level in communities with severe, acute public health crises. Typically, these are unexpected and significant issues that require public health specialists to travel to the site and provide a time-sensitive response. For this reason, the nature of their work may differ from other types of epidemiology. They rely on descriptive studies to formulate hypotheses before conducting quantitative research.

Disaster response is another important area of work for field epidemiologists. They visit the source of global outbreaks and help local public health officials administer effective disease prevention strategies.

Field epidemiologists might work for government organizations like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or global organizations like the World Health Organization. 

This field of study combines molecular biology with epidemiology. Molecular epidemiologists study the complex interplay between cells, proteins, and genes to find the root causes of diseases and seek strategies to prevent their transmission.

This type of research uses molecules and genes to identify risk factors that cause and spread disease. For example, do genes impact people’s susceptibility to obesity and comorbid conditions like Type 2 diabetes or heart disease? What does exposure to air pollution combined with biomarkers tell us about the origin and causation of cancer?

Molecular biologists typically work in pharmaceuticals, biotech, academia, or the government.

These specialized types of epidemiologists study patterns of disease spread in animal species. Veterinary epidemiologists use field principles and best practices to analyze and implement disease control measures among animal populations. 

Similar to medical epidemiologists, veterinary epidemiologists are specialized veterinarians. They have a doctor of veterinary medicine degree in addition to a master’s in public health or a related field. Many individuals also pursue postgraduate fellowships and education in this field.

Veterinary epidemiologists may work for private industry, scientific research, or for state or federal government agencies, such as the Food and Drug Administration. Often, they work to ensure a safe food supply for humans by limiting illness among farm livestock.

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) salary data for epidemiologists indicates the median annual salary was $81,390 in May 2023. However, factors such as location, education, industry, and work setting will affect salary.

The largest employers of epidemiologists as of 2023, according to the BLS, were in:

The following sections outline the median pay for different work settings based on the BLS salary data for epidemiologists.

Any type of epidemiologist can work in scientific research, but veterinary, molecular, and pharmaceutical epidemiologists will often work in this field. This is because scientific research is common in the biotechnology, pharmaceutical, and chemistry fields.

The median salary for an epidemiologist in scientific research was $115,660 in 2023, according to the BLS. This is the highest median salary by industry for epidemiologists.

Medical and infection control epidemiologists are most likely to work in a healthcare setting. The BLS reports that epidemiologists who work in a state, local or private hospital earned a median salary of $98,430 per year in 2023.

Many epidemiologists work in academia. They may do academic research in a university or professional school. Some may have their PhD and teach epidemiology at a university. 

Employees who work in colleges or universities earned a median annual salary of $84,380 in 2023. BLS data indicates that the median salary for health specialties postsecondary teachers was $105,650 in May 2023. The median annual salary for epidemiologists working in state, local, and private colleges, universities, and professional schools was $82,430 in May 2023.

State or local government is a common work setting in this field. Many types of epidemiologists, such as infectious disease, molecular, and field epidemiologists, can work for government employers. According to the BLS, the median annual salary in 2023 for epidemiologists in local government was $73,870 compared to $74,650 for state government.

The BLS does not have salary data for epidemiologists in the federal government. Keep in mind that medical scientists typically need to have a doctoral degree for most entry level jobs, while epidemiologists do not.

To learn more, see our resources on epidemiology degrees and steps to become an epidemiologist.

Information last updated in August 2024