Solve health mysteries to help keep Australia healthy
Every time you see your doctor, you likely list a bunch of symptoms such as tummy aches, headaches or a new rash. Your doctor will note down all of your symptoms, treatments and history, adding them to a database. If you don’t opt out, this creates your own personal electronic health record, which Medicare maintains. Over 23 million Australians have a digital health record, and this collection is about more than just information storage – it helps unlock hidden patterns across the health sector.
Teams of health data scientists can collect and analyse huge amounts of data such as age, gender, weight and any history of disease. This data can make health systems more efficient, and it helps doctors make better decisions when it comes to your health.
Epidemiologists are disease specialists who use this data to collect statistics on health trends across Australia, such as increases in hospital admissions or decreases in vaccinations. By looking for recurring patterns, trends and statistics, epidemiologists can determine changes in sickness at a popu lation level. They’ll detect the early warning signs, and in doing so can help to prevent what could otherwise become a ‘health apocalypse’ by using data-driven insights.
If you’re keen to solve health mysteries with data, but want to focus on individuals, bioinformatics might be for you! As a bioinformatician, you could spot patterns in molecular and genetic data, like DNA or protein sequences. Combine those skills with computer science, algorithms and stats, and you might even be on your way to providing personalised healthcare, like cancer treatments tailored to specific gene mutations.
And guess what? Australia is investing billions into Medicare to make it even stronger. More money means more doctors, epidemiologists, bioinformaticians and data scientists!
New genomics for Australia
Genomics is the study of all of our genes, and it’s a fast-growing field. It’s so important that Australia has committed to establishing a national genomics body, Genomics Australia, as well as $30 million of funding for its first four years of operation. This initiative focuses on genomic research to prevent disease and provide personalised treatments for patients.
Start your career here
Maths and Data + Health + Study
- Bachelor of Data Science, QUT
- Bachelor of Health Sciences / Bachelor of Mathematical and Computer Sciences, The University of Adelaide
- Master of Science (Bioinformatics), The University of Melbourne
- Graduate Certificate in Bioinformatics, The University of Queensland
Maths and Data + Health + Jobs
- Biostatistician $77K–$118K
- Epidemiologist $67K–$116K
- Data scientist $69K–$137K
- Bioinformatician $50K–$98K
*Salaries sourced from payscale.com
A version of this article also appears in our latest issue of Careers with STEM: Maths and Data 2025.
