Early biostatisticians and epidemiologists were responsible for conducting the first data collection efforts centered on improving public health. For example, in 1854, London anesthesiologist John Snow performed groundbreaking studies centered on cholera to combat a local outbreak of the disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This work, which garnered him the title “the father of epidemiology,” helped save the lives of many Londoners and provided the basis for future treatments and clinical processes related to the illness.
Several key organizations had a hand in growing the field as well, most notably the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The NIH was founded in 1887 as part of the now-defunct Marine Hospital Service, which preceded the Commissioned Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service. Over the following decades, scientists and researchers at the NIH pioneered treatments for numerous conditions, including arthritis, cancer, and mental illnesses. Approximately 153 NIH employees and grant recipients have earned Nobel Prizes for their work. The NIH has since been joined by many other research institutions, including the World Health Organization (WHO).
Public health researchers survey and analyze data to gain a better understanding of the factors that influence a population’s health. These can include elements such as access to health care, and conditions like obesity or nicotine use.
For example, at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, public health researchers monitored the nature of the outbreak to understand which factors increased patients’ risk of severe illness or death. The CDC later found that older adults, and adults diagnosed with cancer, diabetes, heart conditions, and chronic lung disease, were among those most vulnerable.