Field epidemiologists globally are on the frontlines of the coronavirus pandemic, responding with vital public health procedures, like contact tracing, sampling, and risk communication, to help prevent and stop the spread of COVID-19. However, it has taken years of concerted efforts by health leaders around the world to ensure that countries have the capacity to train and produce field epidemiologists through qualified field epidemiology training programs (FETPs) so that they can provide these vital public health interventions. These efforts have been strengthened by The Task Force for Global Health’s Training Programs in Epidemiology and Public Health Interventions Network (TEPHINET), the global network of FETPs.
Not only are FETPs essential to training the global workforce needed for disease surveillance and outbreak response, but these programs also foster public health expertise around the world by supporting field epidemiologists’ career development through close mentorship and training in other related skills, including leadership and scientific communication.
Recently, TEPHINET caught up with some FETP trainees and alumni. Watch to see how their programs have benefited their careers and lives.
Also See
Building Epidemiological Capacity to Slow the Spread of a Pandemic
“Who Ya Gonna Call?”: Database and Social Media Platform Makes “Disease Detectives” Reachable
Field Epidemiology Training Roadmap
Related
