What can you do with a tropical medicine degree?

An epidemiologist is someone who studies and analyses the contagion, distribution, and patterns of tropical diseases in a specific group of people. The role aims to find the source of outbreaks, identify how these diseases are spread and create a plan to stop the spread.  

Although most of an epidemiologist's work will look at large groups of people or whole societies, they will also work with individual patients who have symptoms of infection to study how the disease develops within the body. 

It’s important to note that any epidemiologist who works directly with an infected patient will need a full medicine degree (MD) and skills in analysis, written and verbal communication and high levels of numeracy to be able to effectively handle and use the information collected.  

They will also need to be able to effectively multitask as it is likely that they will be studying more than one disease or more than one population at the same time. 

A dermatologist is a medical practitioner who specialises in skin and skin infections. Dermatologists often deal with conditions such as eczema, skin cancer legions and acne.  

A qualification in tropical medicine can lead to a dermatology career which specialises in more uncommon skin concerns such as rashes that are difficult to identify, leprosy, parasitic infections, and mycobacterial infections.  

The role will involve examining and diagnosing patients, prescribing medication or treatment procedures and monitoring the patient’s recovery or managing their symptoms. 

Dermatologists need to be decisive and have good decision-making and diagnostic skills. They need to have good communication skills to talk to patients and their families about diagnoses and treatment plans. They also need to be emotionally intelligent and have empathy towards patients and their situations.  

Many nurses who specialise in tropical infections and disease tend to work for charity organisations, looking after patients in tropical locations who have been diagnosed with illnesses that are more common in the region. Tropical medicine nurses should expect to do the hands-on care work of a regular nurse as well as some laboratory work. 

Tropical medicine nurses should expect to work in middle and lower income countries as part of a humanitarian aid programme. They should have a nursing degree with the tropical medicine training being an additional qualification.  

They should also have personal skills such as strong communication, a strong sense of empathy and the ability to make effective decisions and work in a high-pressure environment. 

Again, pharmacists specialising in tropical medicine will generally work in a tropical location where these diseases are more common. Specialist pharmacists will dispense and manage medications.  

They will generally deal with patients, doctors who prescribe the medications in hospital settings and nurses who administer the medications in medical facilities. They may advise patients about their medications: discussing dosages, risks, and storage.  

They may also aid in research for new and emerging medications and running clinical trials. 

Anyone working as a pharmacist and dealing with medications needs a completed pharmacy degree (MPharm), as standard. A specialist pharmacist needs great attention to detail to be able to dispense medications effectively.  

They need resource management skills to ensure that the medication goes to the right place and the dosages are correct. 

A medical researcher will work within an organisation or university to help develop and test medications and treatments options for tropical diseases and infections. They look at new and emerging as well as pre-existing tropical diseases.  

HIV, malaria and tuberculosis are among some of the most common diseases that are studied by tropical medicine researchers. 

To be a medical researcher, students will need a degree in medicine and medical education to a PhD level or equivalent. They will need to have great attention to detail and be able to work methodically and carry out testing effectively.  

They will also need to be able to communicate their findings effectively and a high level of numeracy to be able to handle data correctly. 

Health consultants work for government ministries, universities, hospitals and INGOs. Similar to the role of epidemiologists, they look at the overall health of the population and consider plans and policies to be put in place on a government level to ensure the health of society as a whole and prevent the spread of tropical disease. 

In order to become a health consultant, you will need a degree in medicine (MD). You will also need a master’s degree or PhD and a qualification in tropical medicine would be incredibly advantageous.  

You will need the ability to successfully analyse data and statistics as well as being able to work as part of a team within a larger government or organisation.