Field Epidemiology
NIH is the nation’s medical research agency, supporting scientific studies that improve health and save lives. One of our goals is to train field epidemiologists who can apply epidemiologic methods to a variety of public health challenges. We collaborate with the Ministry of Health and Human Services (MOH&HS) to plan, implement, and evaluate the Field Epidemiology Training Programme (FETP). We also work with several partners who share our vision and mission, such as AFENET, Africa CDC, Academic Institutions, and the US CDC.
Our strategic objectives for field epidemiology are:
- Strengthening FETPs to increase enrollment and quality of training
- Facilitating accreditation of FETPs
- Supporting countries to initiate and implement FETPs to address the human resource gap in field epidemiology. For countries that cannot run their own programs, we facilitate regional FETPs.
- Reviewing FETP curricula to address skills gaps in public health practice (e.g., the inclusion of new diseases, events, technological advancements, GIS)
- Facilitating the development of case studies as learning aids for FETPs
- Providing support to MOH/NIH PHEOC surveillance units in outbreak investigation and response
