What does a Epidemiologist or Biostatistician do?
Epidemiologists study the frequency and distribution of diseases within human populations and environments. In an epidemiological study, the investigators try to determine if any factor is associated with the health effect. Therefore, epidemiologists try to compare groups of people who are alike except for the risk factor under evaluation. Biostatisticians develop and apply statistical methods to scientific research in health-related fields, including medicine, epidemiology, and public health. The role of the biostatistician is an important one, especially when it comes to designing studies and analyzing data from research problems. Biostatisticians help formulate the scientific questions to be answered, determine appropriate sampling techniques, coordinate data collection procedures, and conduct statistical analyses to answer those scientific questions. Biostatisticians also play a very important role in the preparation of research material for publication.