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Biostatisticians use mathematical and statistical formulas to assess factors affecting health and reach conclusions about disease or health risks. They can work in various settings, including private laboratories, hospitals, and public health agencies, and can design studies to assess risks and analyze proposed solutions. The field is growing, especially in the private sector, and can compensate well, with median salaries in the US just under $70,000 USD.
News watchers may be familiar with health reports that offer specific health numbers or percentages. We can know things like the fact that 80% of lung cancer cases are attributed to smoking due to the work of people called biostatisticians. These are highly educated workers who assess factors that affect health and apply mathematical and statistical formulas to information to reach conclusions about disease or health risks. Alternatively, they can assess the treatment for the condition and how it’s working based on the numbers.
The average biostatistician has attended college and earned at least a bachelor’s degree in biostatistics or epidemiology. Most of these professionals hold higher degrees, masters or doctoral degrees. They can work in a variety of settings including private laboratories, colleges, hospitals, insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies and public health agencies.
There are several things a biostatistician can do and they can vary slightly depending on the job location. They can design studies to assess risks, decide which elements to consider, review all the data collected, and then report the results to various employers or agencies. Sometimes biostatisticians are like detectives and asked to uncover risk elements or potential contributing factors to medical problems. They need to decide which factors might be clinically relevant to consider. Then, from a mathematical point of view, they evaluate each potential risk element to determine what is creating a problem.
Sometimes biostatisticians are looking at creating a problem but analyzing proposed solutions to it. The work done by pharmaceutical companies during clinical trials can be collected and reported by a biostatistician. Alternatively, single disease studies can focus on all available forms of treatment to determine which are most effective.
A biostatistician can also evaluate data that is already available to determine things. They could look for patterns in the data to suggest possible outcomes. For example, when flu season arrives, biostatisticians can analyze the rate of spread to determine the likelihood of mass contagion or whether a vaccine is particularly effective in that particular year. Alternatively, they could look at risk factors for cardiovascular disease and determine which are more likely. This information can then be used to help shape public health education policy or, at the very least, to help doctors educate their patients about what things pose the greatest health risk.
There are so many different things a biostatistician could explore, and the field seems to be growing especially in private sector employment. Currently, there is more work in the private sector, with companies such as health insurance, development and pharmaceutical companies, than in the public sector. The field can also compensate quite well, especially for those with higher level degrees. Median salaries in the US were just under $70,000 USD in the late 2000s, and that is set to grow.
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