A science that was once never spoken about, to a science that became the most important.
For the first time, ever, the world population became very familiar (albeit very quickly) with epidemiologic terms once COVID-19 was introduced. We heard words like "contact tracing" and "asymptomatic" and even words like "antibodies" and "herd immunity". For a lot of people, these words weren't often used and we, as a society, had to present these definitions on a daily basis to keep people informed. It begs the question, what is epidemiology and how were they able to keep track of those who were more (or less) susceptible to the virus?
Without getting into the statistics of it all (because that is what the science requires), it is a branch of medical science that "deals with the study of distributions, causes, prevention, and the control of acute and chronic diseases in populations. Disease is not randomly distributed. Instead, it occurs more often among people and groups with certain shared characteristics" (Rollins School of Public Health). In other words, epidemiologists are disease detectives who look to find out why a particular group, for example, is predisposed to a disease over another group.
They first identify the source of the disease by utilizing surveys and collecting lab specimens of those in the community to study (if necessary). This step is usually specific to outbreaks. Epidemiologists can study many different conditions including but not limited to arthritis, cardiovascular disease, type II diabetes, and so on. After, they would then monitor and track the disease using various pieces of data whether from reports, symptoms, health outcomes, records, etc.
By doing so, these disease detectives are able to provide the evidence necessary in order to help implement preventive measures to stop said illness or disease from occurring in the first place. At the very least, they can find ways to control it for those who already suffer.
This fascinating profession is one of the many branches that fall under what we know as "Public Health". Public Health is its own major and college at many universities across the United States and varying countries. What people may not know, is the versatility of the major and chosen field of study. While some epidemiologists do acquire a Ph.D. in their field, most opt for a master's degree as that is typically the minimum requirement to become one.
References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.). About covid-19 epidemiology. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/science/about-
epidemiology/index.html
Upham, B., Upham, B., Rauf, D., Landau, M. D., & Brannum, J. (2020, June 22). Glossary of common coronavirus words. EverydayHealth.com. https://www.everydayhealth.com/coronavirus/coronavirus-glossary-key-terms-about-the-pandemic-explained/
What is epidemiology?. Rollins School of Public Health. (n.d.). https://sph.emory.edu/departments/epi/overview/what-is-epidemiology/index.html#:~:text=The%20field%20of%20epidemiology%20deals,and%20chronic%20diseases%20in%20populations.