Descriptive epidemiology is used to gather information and form theories about the origin of an illness. Individuals in this field frequently work with their governments to help prevent the spread of disease. In addition, pharmaceutical companies and educational facilities also use these professionals for drug development and research projects.
The most pressing need for descriptive epidemiology is often found within local and federal health organizations. These professionals regularly find employment with regional health departments tracking small-scale outbreaks of communicable diseases and pinpointing their sources. In this position, an epidemiologist might review information of several patients with food-borne sicknesses to determine what eateries the individuals had in common. Steps could then be taken to eliminate the chance of more illnesses.
On a national level, descriptive epidemiologists work for agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in the U.S. and the Executive Agency for Health and Consumers (EAHC) in Europe. Much like the professionals working at local levels, these epidemiologists study outbreaks. Their information generally does not stem from a single patient, however, but rather from hospital reports and health departments throughout the country. As such, the job of this individual is to find patterns of disease that may pose major threats to the general population.
As in most fields, experts in descriptive epidemiology may choose to pass their knowledge along by becoming full- or part-time professors. Medical colleges, in particular, seek these individuals out. In addition to teaching and mentoring, these epidemiologists may be responsible for developing specialized public health curriculums. In many instances, professors of epidemiology also supervise ongoing research projects.
Researchers in the field of descriptive epidemiology are in high demand in both the private and public sectors. Pharmaceutical companies, for example, may employ these professionals as consultants during vaccine development. Universities and medical schools may also employ epidemiologists for research into specific diseases. These studies may be federally or privately funded.
Practitioners of descriptive epidemiology are well lettered, and positions that require less than a doctorate degree are exceedingly rare. Many epidemiologists are physicians (MD) or scientists who have acquired advanced degrees in areas such as environmental health, biostatistics, or epidemiology. Specialized degrees such as master of public health (M.P.H.) and doctor of public health (Dr.PH.) are also common in the field. In some cases, a doctor of veterinary medicine (DVM) may even work with human health agencies in the study of a zoonosis, such as swine flu.