Fall 2011

Director's Message

Dear Colleagues:
This edition of TEPHINEWS coincides with a very exciting and busy season for TEPHINET. We had a successful Program Director’s meeting this past September in Lyon and now regional conferences are well underway until mid-December.
After productive discussions during the Program Director’s and Advisory Board meetings, the general conclusion was to continue with the implementation of the accreditation process of the programs. It was agreed that accreditation contributes to the quality of the programs and increases the recognition of the FETPs as key partners both nationally and regionally as well as across the globe. The pilot phase of accreditation will start in 2012 with a few countries. After a complete review of those results, we will move forward with the regular accreditation process. Discussions will continue during regional conferences and these meetings will serve as an opportunity to gather feedback on the accreditation document and on defining a timeline and work plan.
In addition to our successful advancements in the accreditation process, I am also pleased to share that we have had significant improvements in our communication efforts.  Once receiving only 300 visits per year in 2004, our website now has more than 1200 online members and about 80,000 visits per year.  With more educational tools and functionality, our website has become an interactive social platform for programs and projects of the TEPHINET network.
Through the accreditation process, the TEPHINET programs will be challenged to contribute and achieve the recognition and prestige of activities in epidemiology. Having a skilled and qualified workforce capable of responding to the challenges of public health; whether it be the implementation of international health regulations or ensuring collaboration with other organizations in the international community; striving for more qualified human resources or standardizing and increasing efficiency of the programs, FE(L)TPs play a significant role in the foundation of public health. We encourage you to utilize the TEPHINET website to foster relationships with other programs and share experiences on how to overcome many of the above mentioned challenges.
TEPHINET is dedicated to strengthening global public health capacity though the support of field epidemiology and we thank you for being part of our network and family.

Dionisio Herrera, MD, PhD
TEPHINET Director
 

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