Three-weeks course in communicable disease intervention epidemiology

General Information
Course Objectives
Programme
Course Fee
Travel and per diem
Accommodation
Application
Participating Institutes

General Information

The European Programme for Intervention Epidemiology Training (EPIET) provides tuition and practical experience in applied epidemiology at national centres of epidemiology, public health, environmental health or surveillance and control of communicable diseases. EPIET aims to create a European-wide network of professionals trained in applied epidemiological methods of surveillance, public health action and control of infectious diseases. The European Commission, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and individual member states fund the programme. As part of the programme, EPIET runs a three-week intensive course in intervention epidemiology.

Course Objectives

The course provides a comprehensive introduction to intervention epidemiology methods. It is practically oriented and aims to encourage and equip participants for future field investigations in European countries. It is open to public health professionals, physicians, veterinarians, microbiologists, biostatisticians and environmental health specialists.

Programme

The course teaches intervention epidemiology using case studies and interactive teaching methods. Topics include:

• The development and presentation of a study protocol (defining the study question, designing the methodology, drawing the questionnaire and presenting the protocol to the rest of the group and to the facilitators),
• The basis for developing and evaluating surveillance systems and presentation of some European surveillance systems,
• Information on methods of outbreak investigation, supported by exercises and case studies based on real investigations,
• Instruction in analytical epidemiological skills for data analysis: risk, association, impact, stratification, bias, confounding, effect modification, matching and multi-variable analysis,

Throughout the course there is a strong emphasis on written and oral communication skills.

Course Fee

The course will be free of charge in 2008. The cost for the following will be covered by ECDC for each participant:

• All training material handed out during the course
• Accommodation incl. breakfast, lunches, coffee breaks and dinners at the Lazareto on week days (from Sunday September 28 evening including Welcome dinner to Saturday October 18, 2008, morning including breakfast)
• Note that lunches and dinners will not be provided at the Lazareto during the weekends of 4th & 5th and 11th & 12th October 2008.
• Note that dinners will not be provided on Wednesdays during the course.

Travel and per diem

The participants need to arrange and pay for their travel them selves and communicate the full flight details to the programme office three weeks before start of the course, i.e. September 5, 2008. The participant will need to cover all extra costs, except for the items mentioned above in the “course fee” paragraph.

Accommodation

The EPIET Programme office will arrange accommodation in the Lazareto, where the course will be held, according to the communicated flight details. Please note that it is not possible to arrive to Lazareto before Sunday 28th September and it is not possible to remain after Saturday 18th October Accommodation and other arrangements outside the course dates (Sept 28 – Oct 18) dates must be made and paid by the participants themselves.

Note: You are requested to arrive at 18:30 at the latest at Menorca airport in Mahon to be able to reach the Lazareto on time for the Welcome Ceremony.

Application

Candidates interested in applying for the course should send a motivation letter and Europass CV to the EPIET Programme Office at epiet.office@ecdc.europa.eu. Write your family name in the subject line of the email.There are up to 10 seats available, depending on the number of EPIET fellows that will be selected this year. A letter from your employer or senior colleague, supporting your application, would be helpful. Preference will be given to professionals working in national and regional public health institutes of EU member states.

The deadline for application is June 15th 2008, 24:00 CET.

The EPIET selection committee will provide a final list of accepted participants around the end of June.

Please contact us at epiet.office@ecdc.europa.eu if you have any additional questions.

Participating Institutes

In collaboration with