epidemiology

American  

[ep-i-dee-mee-ol-uh-jee, -dem-ee-] / ˌɛp ɪˌdi miˈɒl ə dʒi, -ˌdɛm i- /

noun

1. the study, assessment, and analysis of public health concerns in a given population; the tracking of patterns and effects of diseases, environmental toxins, natural disasters, violence, terrorist attacks, etc..

   Without the profiles gleaned through epidemiology, our health agencies would be at a terrible loss when something like COVID-19 emerges.

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epidemiology British  

/ ˌɛpɪˌdiːmɪəˈlɒdʒɪkəl, ˌɛpɪˌdiːmɪˈɒlədʒɪ /

noun

1. the branch of medical science concerned with the occurrence, transmission, and control of epidemic diseases

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epidemiology Scientific  

/ ĕp′ĭ-dē′mē-ŏl′ə-jē /

1. The scientific study of the causes, distribution, and control of disease in populations.

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Other Word Forms

• epidemiological adjective
• epidemiologically adverb
• epidemiologist noun

Etymology

Origin of epidemiology

First recorded in 1870–75; epidemi(c) + -o- + -logy

Example Sentences

“Whether or not we officially lose elimination status is an academic exercise at this point,” said Mathew Kiang, an assistant professor of epidemiology and population health at Stanford University.

From Los Angeles Times

Recommendations must evolve as epidemiology, technology and safety signals change.

From MarketWatch

"Our results provide solid evidence to parents, educators, and policymakers that in-person school plays a crucial role in kids' well-being," said senior author Rita Hamad, professor of social epidemiology and public policy.

From Science Daily

“It is absolutely definitive. There is no link between autism and vaccines. Zero. None,” said Dr. Yvonne Maldonado, a professor of pediatrics, epidemiology and population health at Stanford Medicine.

From The Wall Street Journal

“We need long-term studies following young people to fully understand the effects of psychiatric medications on the developing brain,” said Dr. Mark Olfson, professor of psychiatry and epidemiology at Columbia University Irving Medical Center.

From The Wall Street Journal