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| EPIET | |
|---|---|
| Name | EPIET |
| Type | Fellowship programme |
| Established | 1995 |
| Headquarters | Leuven, Belgium |
| Region served | European Union |
| Parent organization | European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control |
EPIET The European Programme for Intervention Epidemiology Training (EPIET) is a postgraduate fellowship initiative focused on field epidemiology across the European Union, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, and associated public health bodies. Founded to strengthen epidemiological capacity, it combines applied placements with academic instruction to prepare fellows for outbreak investigation, surveillance design, and public health response. The programme links national public health institutes, international agencies, and academic centres to develop a network of trained epidemiologists active across World Health Organization regions, European Commission directorates, and national ministries.
EPIET was launched in 1995 amid growing attention to communicable disease threats following episodes such as the 1993 cholera outbreak in South America and the emergence of HIV/AIDS into mainstream public health policy. Early collaborations involved the European Commission, the European Public Health Association, and national institutes such as the Robert Koch Institute, the Institut Pasteur, and the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM). Over ensuing decades the programme adapted to crises including the 2003 SARS outbreak, the 2009 H1N1 pandemic, the 2014–2016 West African Ebola epidemic, and the COVID-19 pandemic, expanding linkages with agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Bank. Governance and funding models evolved through interactions with the European Parliament, the Council of the European Union, and public health research funders like the European Research Council.
The programme has been administered through partnerships among the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, national public health institutes including the Public Health Agency of Sweden, the Health Protection Agency (England), and academic partners such as the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and Karolinska Institutet. Strategic oversight has involved advisory committees composed of representatives from the European Commission Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety, the World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe, and national ministries of health. Governance mechanisms emphasize accountability to donor bodies including the European Investment Bank and policy alignment with directives such as the International Health Regulations (2005). Training sites and host placements are coordinated through memoranda with institutions like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Institut Pasteur network.
The curriculum blends practical field placements with modules delivered by faculty from centres such as the University of Oxford, the Heraeus Center for Public Health and specialist units at the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. Core topics include outbreak investigation, surveillance methodology, biostatistics, and risk communication, drawing on case studies from events like the Bovine spongiform encephalopathy crisis and the SARS epidemic. Pedagogical approaches incorporate exercises developed with the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, simulation drills used by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and workshops delivered in collaboration with the European Public Health Association. Certification pathways connect with academic partners including Universitat de Barcelona and the University of Antwerp for credit recognition.
Candidates are sourced from national public health agencies, universities such as Université libre de Bruxelles and professional networks like the European Epidemiology Federation. Selection involves competitive processes with panels that have included experts from the Robert Koch Institute, the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, and the Italian National Institute of Health. Criteria emphasize prior experience with surveillance or laboratory work and competencies in field investigation, with final appointments coordinated between host institutions and funders including the European Commission and philanthropic partners such as the Wellcome Trust.
Fellows have served as frontline investigators in outbreaks, contributed to surveillance projects for notifiable diseases overseen by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, and advised national responses coordinated by ministries including the Ministry of Health (France) and the Federal Ministry of Health (Germany). Activities include designing surveillance systems used by the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction and conducting cluster investigations similar to inquiries by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Alumni have published in journals affiliated with the European Public Health Alliance and worked on policy briefs for the European Commission Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety.
EPIET has formal and informal collaborations with institutions such as the World Health Organization, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Institut Pasteur, Robert Koch Institute, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, University of Copenhagen, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), and regional networks like the European Surveillance System. Partnerships also extend to humanitarian organizations including Médecins Sans Frontières and funding partnerships with entities like the Wellcome Trust and the European Research Council.
Alumni have assumed leadership roles at institutions such as the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, the Robert Koch Institute, the Public Health England successor agencies, and national ministries including the Ministry of Health (Spain) and the Federal Public Service Health (Belgium). Graduates have contributed to major investigations including responses to Ebola virus disease, Zika virus epidemic, and the COVID-19 pandemic, and have influenced policy instruments developed by the European Commission and the World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe. The network of alumni underpins capacity building at universities such as King's College London and research units at the Institut Pasteur and has been cited in evaluations by bodies including the European Court of Auditors.
Category:Public health training programs