A day in the life of an epidemiologist

• Dr. Catherine Dickson, Public Health Agency of Canada

How often do diseases occur in different groups of people and why? What can we do to improve health? As medical detectives, epidemiologists are trained to uncover health problems, investigate the causes and consequences of disease, find ways to prevent illness and promote health, and evaluate interventions for public health, clinical practice, health services and policy. Catherine Dickson, public health physician and Field Epidemiologist at the Public Health Agency of Canada, will describe a typical day on the job, and give you a sense of what you can expect in an epidemiology career.

This session is part of the Exploring Careers in Public Health Webinar Series, and co-hosted with the Public Health Physicians of Canada. 

Biographies

Catherine Dickson, Field Epidemiologist, Public Health Agency of Canada

Catherine Dickson is a public health physician and Field Epidemiologist in the Public Health Agency of Canada’s Canadian Field Epidemiology Program. She is placed at Saskatoon Health Region’s Public Health Observatory. Catherine graduated from McGill Medical School and completed residency at the University of Ottawa. She holds MSc degrees in Epidemiology and Human Kinetics.

Thomas Piggott, MD

Thomas is completing medical specialty training in Public Health and Preventive Medicine, with Family Medicine, at McMaster University and his MSc in Public Health Economics at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. He serves on the board of directors of the Public Health Physicians of Canada and the World Federation of Public Health Associations and is founder and chair of Global Health Sim.