A subfield of epidemiology, social epidemiology studies how social factors impact population health. Learn more about this important public health career inside
Social epidemiology studies the impact that social structures and conditions have on the general public’s health. A subfield of epidemiology, social epidemiology determines the social factors that cause disease, identifies the communities most impacted by them, and devises ways to remedy their spread.
If you’re interested in a research-oriented public health career that directly impacts your community, you might consider a career in social epidemiology.
In this article, you’ll learn more about social epidemiology, its impact, and the jobs you can expect to encounter within the field. At the end, you’ll also explore flexible online courses that can help you get started in the field today.
Social epidemiology is a branch of epidemiology that studies the impact social conditions have on population health outcomes.
Much as the broader field of epidemiology is concerned with tracing the origins of diseases and how to contain or stop their spread, social epidemiology is concerned with understanding the social causes of diseases in order to remedy their impact on at-risk communities. Common risk factors that social epidemiologists study include such social determinants of health outcomes as residential segregation, income inequality, and ethnicity.
While other forms of health research, such as virology, study disease from a purely biological perspective, social epidemiology considers how social inequalities and health interact to produce adverse outcomes.
Social epidemiology increases our understanding of how social factors can impact the health outcomes of both the general public and the communities that comprise it. As a result, the research conducted by social epidemiologists has the potential to guide the development of public policy and help the communities most impacted by the political and economic policy decisions that impact many of our lives. At the same time, social epidemiology is increasingly being used to better understand ways to expand health and medical care services to those communities most at need. By successfully implementing health interventions within at-risk communities, social epidemiology has the potential to provide help at both the community and individual levels.
Social epidemiology encompasses many of the same jobs as the field at large but with a greater emphasis on the social factors contributing to health disparities. As a result, when you’re job hunting for a social epidemiologist position, don’t be surprised to see many of the same titles as you might see when looking at more general epidemiology positions.
Some of the job titles you can expect to encounter when searching for a job within social epidemiology include:
Social epidemiologist
Regional disease intervention specialist
Epidemiology investigator
Communicable disease specialist
A career in epidemiology begins with gaining the required education and training needed to investigate some of the most important medical mysteries of our day. If you’re considering a career in this impactful public health profession, you might consider taking on online, cost-effective specialization through Coursera.
John Hopkins Epidemiology in Public Health Practice Specialization prepares course takers with the core epidemiologic toolset to measure the health of populations, assess interventions, collect and analyze data, and investigate outbreaks and epidemics.
Imperial College London’s Infectious Disease Modelling Specialization, meanwhile, provides clear instruction in the basic theory of infectious disease modeling alongside practical, hands-on experience of coding models in the programming language R.
Editorial Team
Coursera’s editorial team is comprised of highly experienced professional editors, writers, and fact...
This content has been made available for informational purposes only. Learners are advised to conduct additional research to ensure that courses and other credentials pursued meet their personal, professional, and financial goals.
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work.
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. If you do not allow these cookies we will not know when you have visited our site, and will not be able to monitor its performance.
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalization. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.