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

"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

Cohen, who was not involved in this study, is deputy director and associate professor of medicine and epidemiology in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

From Science Daily

“Right now we should really be trying to up vaccination rates,” Mathew Kiang, an assistant professor of epidemiology and population health, told The Times in April.

From Los Angeles Times