Epidemiology for public health practice.
Review your classmates' posts. Review examination of whether this job interests them and then explain your reasons for either being interested in this type of position or not.
Nutritional Epidemiologist A nutritional epidemiologist can work in a variety of environments including research centers, nutrition facilities, hospitals or food manufacturers. During their daily work, a nutritional epidemiologist may collaborate with registered dieticians and nutritionists; physicians, pharmacists, or medical laboratory workers; food scientists, researchers, other public health professionals, and the public ("Nutrition Epidemiology Scientist", 2013).
I live near Pennington Biomedical Research Center whose nutritional epidemiologists conduct several important studies to improve diet, health and weight management in populations. Their work is fascinating and impactful. For example, the Delta Obesity Prevention Research Unit (OPRU) was engaged in a multi-year effort to improve nutrition in the impoverished and disadvantaged Lower Delta region of Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi.
Epidemiologists on this project collected and analyzed food consumption data for children in rural Arkansas during summer camps for a three-year period spanning 2007 - 2010. They created interventions to address deficiencies that included nutrition education and delivery of balanced meals to the children.
Changes in body composition and health measures of the children in the program were tracked. Work elements included program design, population identification, data collection, data analysis, intervention creation and implementation, creation and delivery of nutrition education content, sharing of findings and communication with the community ("Nutritional Epidemiology Laboratory," n.d.).
In retrospect, I realized that I have worked indirectly with the nutritional epidemiology department of Pennington Biomedical Research Center in one of their projects to address diabetes in African American men. I assisted the recruitment of African-American men in the faith community who were overweight, non-diabetic, but had diabetes in their family tree.
The study looked at how diet and exercise could decrease their risk for diabetes. While I admire and have strong interest in the work of nutritional epidemiologists, I do not see this as a potential career path for me. I'm not interested in the investigation, research or postgraduate study aspects connected with this profession. I also do not desire to be employed by a company, agency, or organization and most entry-level nutritional epidemiologists work for such entities. Training/education is my gift and has been my profession for the past 20 years.
I am self-employed and firm in my plan to continue with my Christian wellness organization and expand our work in the area of health education. From this class I see how my future work may cross paths with nutritional epidemiologists. I can foresee leveraging the output from their work, subject knowledge/expertise in health intervention education and program design.
References Friis, R. H. and Sellers, T. A. (2014). Epidemiology for Public Health Practice. Burlington, MA: Jones and Bartlett Learning. Nutritional Epidemiology Laboratory.
Understanding Nutritional Epidemiology and Its Role in Policy. Advanced in Nutrition.
Introduction to Epidemiology Text:Friis, R. H. and Sellers, T. A. (2014).