Strengthening Applied Epidemiology and Sustainable International Public Health Capacity through the Field Epidemiology Training Programs

Description

CDC’s global health mission is to protect and improve health globally through science, policy, partnership, and evidence-based public health action. Development of a well-trained public health workforce is essential to strengthening health systems worldwide and achieving global public health objectives. Contagious diseases and other health threats can spread rapidly across international borders. Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) kill more than 36 million people each year. Every country needs a team of highly trained epidemiologists to detect and rapidly respond to outbreaks and other public health threats. Dangerous gaps in capacities for data collection and analysis, public health surveillance, and disease detection and the subsequent response still exist and are crucial to protection against the spread of infectious diseases. Disease threats that occur anywhere can very quickly spread across borders and become a global health threat.The Center for Global Health (CGH), Division of Global Health Protection (DGHP), Field Epidemiology Training Program (FETP) Branch assists Ministries of Health throughout the world to improve the health of their country’s population by helping to strengthen their public health systems; by building public health capacity and capability in disease surveillance, outbreak response, and surveillance information evaluation and by developing training programs in applied epidemiology using a hands-on learning through service approach to training.FETPs are designed to contribute in four ways to strengthening public health systems. First, they increase the number and quality of field epidemiologists in the public health workforce. Second, they develop worldwide capacity for timely detection, investigation of, and response to public health emergencies. Third, they improve capacity to collect public health data through improved disease surveillance systems and use the collected data effectively. Fourth, they promote the use of evidence-based recommendations in public health decision-making and policies which addresses typical gaps of many low- and medium-resourced countries.FETPs are competency-based training and service programs in applied epidemiology and public health that help to build public health systems capacity in the countries where they are implemented. Residents who are enrolled in any of the three levels of FETPs take courses involving epidemiology, communications, economics, and management. In the field, they conduct epidemiologic investigations and field surveys, evaluate surveillance systems, perform disease control and prevention measures, report their findings to decision-makers and policy-makers, and train other health workers. The residents of FETPs actively work together to undertake the most serious and acute public health problems in their countries. Global and Regional Networks of field epidemiology training programs serve to extend CDC’s ability to support the residents in training and the Ministries of Health to share information across large geographic areas that share common health goals. The Global Network and Regional Networks also help establish and maintain relationships between current FETPs, enable FETPs to be aware of what their peers are doing, promote learning from the experiences of other FETPs, and increase the circle of influence for evidence-based decision-making in public health.CDC is seeking collaborating organizations to continue strengthening international public health capacity and capability by training field epidemiologists through the FETP platform. Support is centered on strengthening applied epidemiology and maintaining sustainable public health capacity through collaboration, program design, program development, program implementation, communication, and information sharing.

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