The European Programme for Intervention Epidemiology Training (EPIET) Fellowship provides training and practical experience in intervention
epidemiology
Epidemiology is the study and analysis of the distribution (who, when, and where), patterns and determinants of health and disease conditions in a defined population.
It is a cornerstone of public health, and shapes policy decisions and evidenc ...
at the national centres for
surveillance
Surveillance is the monitoring of behavior, many activities, or information for the purpose of information gathering, influencing, managing or directing. This can include observation from a distance by means of electronic equipment, such as c ...
and control of
communicable diseases in the
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...
.
The fellowship is aimed at EU medical practitioners, public-health nurses, microbiologists, veterinarians and other
health professional
A health professional, healthcare professional, or healthcare worker (sometimes abbreviated HCW) is a provider of health care treatment and advice based on formal training and experience. The field includes those who work as a nurse, physician (suc ...
s with previous experience in
public health
Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". Analyzing the det ...
and a keen interest in epidemiology.
Aims
The aims of the programme are:
* To strengthen the surveillance of
infectious diseases
An infection is the invasion of tissues by pathogens, their multiplication, and the reaction of host tissues to the infectious agent and the toxins they produce. An infectious disease, also known as a transmissible disease or communicable dise ...
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.
Structure
The EPIET Fellowship lasts two years. Ten percent of this time is taken up by formal training courses and the remainder by a placement at a training site in a European country. The fellowship starts with a three-week introductory course in infectious disease
epidemiology
Epidemiology is the study and analysis of the distribution (who, when, and where), patterns and determinants of health and disease conditions in a defined population.
It is a cornerstone of public health, and shapes policy decisions and evidenc ...
. This course provides basic knowledge of intervention epidemiology, including outbreak investigation,
surveillance and applied research.
Following the introductory course, fellows spend 23 months at a training site in an
EU member state,
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...
,
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
, the
WHO
Who or WHO may refer to:
* Who (pronoun), an interrogative or relative pronoun
* Who?, one of the Five Ws in journalism
* World Health Organization
Arts and entertainment Fictional characters
* Who, a creature in the Dr. Seuss book '' Horton He ...
or at the
European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) is an agency of the European Union (EU) whose mission is to strengthen Europe's defences against infectious diseases. It covers a wide spectrum of activities, such as: surveillance, e ...
(ECDC). During the training period, fellows will:
*analyse, design, or implement a surveillance system
*assist in the development of international surveillance networks
*perform
outbreak
In epidemiology, an outbreak is a sudden increase in occurrences of a disease when cases are in excess of normal expectancy for the location or season. It may affect a small and localized group or impact upon thousands of people across an entire ...
investigations
*develop a research project on a relevant
public health
Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". Analyzing the det ...
issue
*develop knowledge of laboratory techniques
*assist in the analysis of
public health
Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". Analyzing the det ...
decisions
*teach epidemiology
*present the results of their work at the annual scientific conference ESCAIDE
In addition to the introductory course, 4-5 one-week modules are organised throughout the fellowship. The modules focus on one or several specific public health topics, such as: computer tools in
outbreak
In epidemiology, an outbreak is a sudden increase in occurrences of a disease when cases are in excess of normal expectancy for the location or season. It may affect a small and localized group or impact upon thousands of people across an entire ...
investigations; multivariable regression;
time series
In mathematics, a time series is a series of data points indexed (or listed or graphed) in time order. Most commonly, a time series is a sequence taken at successive equally spaced points in time. Thus it is a sequence of discrete-time data. Exa ...
analysis;
vaccinology
A vaccine is a biological Dosage form, preparation that provides active acquired immunity to a particular infectious disease, infectious or cancer, malignant disease. The safety and effectiveness of vaccines has been widely studied and verifie ...
; laboratory methods for epidemiologists.
Funding
The Fellowship is funded by the
European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) is an agency of the European Union (EU) whose mission is to strengthen Europe's defences against infectious diseases. It covers a wide spectrum of activities, such as: surveillance, e ...
(ECDC) and the
EU member states
The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...
. The ECDC took over the coordination of the programme on November 1, 2007, as the
European Commission
The European Commission (EC) is the executive of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with 27 members of the Commission (informally known as "Commissioners") headed by a President. It includes an administrative body o ...
funded project components ended in 2007.
See also
*
Eurosurveillance
''Eurosurveillance'' (''Euro surveillance : bulletin Européen sur les maladies transmissibles'', "European communicable disease bulletin") is an open-access medical journal covering epidemiology, surveillance, prevention and control of communic ...
References
External links
EPIET
{{Public health
Epidemiology
Health and the European Union
Schools of public health