EPIET - European Programme for Intervention Epidemiology Training





	Steering Committee Slide show External Evaluation Links	About EPIET Mission Aim Objectives Fellowships Supervision Management Selection process Mission Out mission is to: Develop a European Network of Intervention Epidemiologists Develop a Response Capacity Inside and Beyond the European Union To Strengthen Communicable Disease Surveillance and Control in the European Union Aim The European Programme for Intervention Epidemiology Training (EPIET) provides training and practical experience in intervention epidemiology at the national centres for surveillance and control of communicable diseases in the European Union (EU). The programme is aimed at EU medical practitioners, public-health nurses, microbiologists, veterinarians and other health professionals with previous experience in Public Health and a keen interest in epidemiology. The programme is actively funded on a project basis by the European Commission and the EU member states and it is hosted at the Swedish Institute for Infectious Disease Control (SMI), in Stockholm, Sweden. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control is gradually taking over the coordination of the programme as the European Commission funded project components end in 2006 and 2007. TOP OF PAGE Objectives To strengthen the surveillance of infectious diseases in EU member states and at Community level To develop response capacity at national and Community level to meet communicable disease threats through rapid and effective field investigation and control To develop a European network of public health epidemiologists using standard methods, and sharing common objectives To contribute to the development of the Community network for the surveillance and control of communicable diseases. TOP OF PAGE Fellowships Fellowships last two years. Ten percent of this time is taken up by formal training courses and the remainder by placement at a training site in a European country different from the fellow's country of origin. The fellowship starts with a three-week introductory course in infectious disease epidemiology. This course provides basic knowledge of intervention epidemiology, and design and evaluation of surveillance systems. It is also open to participants who are not enrolled in the two-year training programme, but who are on an appropriate career track. Following the introductory course, fellows spend 23 months at a training site in a EU member state, Norway, Switzerland, WHO or at the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. During their attachment, fellows will provide service functions as required, but will also: analyse, design, or implement a surveillance system assist in the development of international surveillance networks perform outbreak investigations develop a research project on a relevant public health issue gain acquaintance with laboratory techniques assist in public health decision analysis present the results of their work to scientific meetings. In addition to the introductory course, 4-5 one-week modules are organised throughout the fellowship. Depending upon availability of places, modules are also open to external participants. The modules focus on one or several specific public health topics, such as: Communication and management Monitoring and surveillance for public health action Biostatistics Research and evaluation Geographic Information System Rapid assessment methods in emergencies. During their field placements EPIET fellows meet twice at the annual Scientific Seminar where they have the opportunity to share their experience of the fellowship, present the results of their work, and to evaluate their progress towards achieving the programme objectives. EPIET alumni and host institute personnel are invited to attend the seminars. For prospective candidates, attendance at these seminars gives a good insight into the breadth of the programme activities. TOP OF PAGE Supervision Day-to-day supervision is provided by the supervisor at the training site. Pedagogical support is also provided at a distance by the EPIET training programme coordinators. All training sites are closely monitored and appraised to ensure that the training meets the needs of the inpidual fellows as well as the broader educational objectives of the programme. In 1999, the programme itself underwent an external evaluation. TOP OF PAGE Management EPIET is co-ordinated by a Steering Committee which meets annually. It consists of representatives from the participating institutions, with a maximum of one representative per country and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. The Steering Committee defines the criteria to be used for the implementation of the programme such as learning objectives, course curricula, criteria for candidate selection, field assignments, criteria for trainers and supervisor selection, evaluation schemes and codes of conduct. An Executive Board deals with matters needing an interim decision. Daily administration is centralised at the EPIET Programme Office. TOP OF PAGE Selection process First selection round: EPIET/ECDC administration reviews CVs and supporting letters of all candidates for basic eligibility according to the advert. Candidates from non-EU countries and eligible on other criteria are kept in the event of a member state funding that could support them. Eligible candidates application documents are sent to the sending countries who should interview at least three candidates from their country, rank and grade the top two and send back to the EPIET/ECDC selection committee as expert input/opinion. The candidates and host sites will be informed from the beginning of any ineligibilities in terms of placement (e.g. if a candidate cannot be funded by EU money). Second round: The EPIET/ECDC selection committee will review and rank the CVs of all candidates assessed as suitable and ranked first or second by the sending countries. The EPIET/ECDC Selection committee will select a ranked list of those to be called for third round face-to-face interviews. If the committee wants to invite a candidate not ranked by their sending country, the EPIET/ECDC selection committee will confer with the sending country expert. Invited candidates are asked to send in a list of their three preferred host institutes. The available host institute will receive the application documents of the candidates interested in their site as preparation for the second face-to-face. Host institiutes will also be informed that this is the list of possible candidates, ie. that everyone on the list may not go on to the second face-to-face. Third round “Face-to-face”: First Face-to-face: The EPIET/ECDC selection committee will interview and rank all candidates on the short-list from the second round in a first face-to-face round and present a list of candidates that go on to the second face-to-face and interview with potential host institutes Second face-to-face: Interviews with host sites representatives, followed by ranking of institutes by candidates and ranking of candidates by institutes. Matching round: Final matching of host institutes and candidates TOP OF PAGE
This website -www.epiet.org- is hosted and updated by ECDC, Sweden.