February / 2009 (1)

Decatur, Georgia, February 26, 2009

Dear Colleagues:

First, I would like to send my very best wishes to all of you for the New Year 2009.

For TEPHINET, this year is a period of change for our organization. We plan to improve the technical aspects and continue to support the many activities of the network including the support of regional network development.

The objective purpose of this letter is to introduce myself as the new Director of TEPHINET and to introduce the office team of TEPHINET which includes Renee Subramanian, Associate Director for TEPHINET, and Rosa Ayala Torres, full time Administrative Assistant.

At the same time I would like to recognize the significant contributions of Jim Andersen while he held the position of Executive Director of TEPHINET. Jim will continue to provide his services as the Senior Management Consultant to help with the transition. I would also like to recognize the contributions of Renee and the Board members, especially Roberto Flores.

As you know, TEPHINET is now a part of the Task force for Global Health (Task Force). Becoming a program of the Task Force guarantees the core administrative and management support needed to further the mission of TEPHINET. At the same time this has allowed us to concentrate our efforts on the technical activities of the organization, support the programs, and develop new lines of communication between the programs, FETP trainees, graduates, and the communities.

Our TEPHINET team will work to support in every way possible the network and all of its members.

I believe that OPTIMISM, security and faith are core values of the network, and I am convinced that these core values form the basis for overcoming many of the challenges ahead.

I mentioned at the Malaysia conference that our vision for TEPHINET is to be:

  1. Recognized as the definitive accrediting body for FETPs to serve as a recognized
    authority in matters of program standards for both training and service.
  2. Identified as the leader in providing technical assistance in the field of operational research in applied epidemiology.
  3. Known as the advocate for member FETPs – to be the collective voice of FETPs
  4. The promotor of the expansion of FETP programs and to increase the number of graduates to fill the need
    1. A leader in information exchange as it relates to:
      1. Operating the definitive library concerning surveillance and outbreak investigation, training material, investigation and experience
      2. Organizing successful scientific conferences on a routine basis
      3. Developing and distributing training materials which are based on the most effective ways to impart knowledge and skills to the programs.
  5. Recognized as a first responder in international situations related to outbreaks of new, emerging or reemerging diseases.
  6. A model membership organization in both quality of member services and level of
    assistance provided.

Also our activities will seek:

1 To implement, through member FETP Programs the new WHO International Health Regulations. 2 To serve as a broker for both material and human resources – provide opportunities for FETPs, (programs, trainers or related persons). 3 To facilitate and promote interchange between FETPs – including development of regional and subregional networks. 4 To facilitate and promote the use of Continuous Quality Improvement a program of self evaluation and self improvement. 5 To develop and promote a highly professional internal and external communication process for sharing the activities and results of the organization. 6 To promote the active participation of member programs in the operation of their organization by giving them an opportunity to serve on the board and committees.

We cannot do all of this alone; we need the help, support, advice and guidance of an active membership, a committed and knowledgeable board, and technical guidance from the CDC, the European CDC, WHO and other partners. At the same time it is very important to strengthen the financial support from interested donors, and administrative and management support from the Task Force.

That is why in the upcoming year, we have established the priority of continuing with the development of the network in its widest sense (countries, actions, cooperation among members). We have to look for points of agreement that go beyond our own particular interests and generate ways of collaborating which incorporate our differences and contribute to the growth of TEPHINET. We can be a unique voice for global health once our interests, programs and actions are harmonized.

Above all, once we speak sincerely about our goals from an open and transparent exchanges of information, we can better characterize our program’s aims, purposes and interests.

Our challenge is to strengthen each of our programs. If we can bring the vitality and organized drive which we work in the field, and communicate among ourselves in a collaborative way, we can develop initiatives that benefit the whole network.

As the new Director this is what inspires me in my work, and it is what, I trust, will motivate all of us to work together to develop as a whole team.

I would like to thank you all for your confidence, but especially, I call on you to continue improving your programs and the global network of field epidemiologists.

Prof. Dionisio Herrera Jose Herrera Guibert, MD, MAE, FmE, PhD                             

Director, TEPHINET

A program of the Taskforce for Global Health, Inc.

The TEPHINET Board of Directors met in Atlanta, Georgia in 2008, to discuss a merger of TEPHINET with the Task Force for Child Survival and Development, Inc. a large and prestigious notforprofit corporation based in Atlanta, Georgia that has changed it’s name to the Task Force for Global Health.

The Task Force’s business model is that an umbrella organization in that various programs, tightly related to its mission, are supported under a single, taxexempt, legal entity. Also the Task Force provides support services including: Facilities, Human Resources, Accounting and Financial, Information Technology, Corporate and Risk Management and Other Centralized services.

This allows for a great degree of autonomy for TEPHINET, while promoting efficient, costeffective management based on economies of scale. TEPHINET will pay our fair share of the overhead costs to administer our programs and projects at the Task Force.

The decision to merge resulted from the below facts:

  1. The Secretariat of TEPHINET was successful in attracting new funding, however it was far from sufficient to sustain normal operations.
  2. The size of the Secretariat (could not adequately provide necessary services to the membership).
  3. A merger with a larger and more prestigious organization is the best way to insure the viability and long term survival of TEPHINET.

TEPHINET will continue to maintain its individual identity as TEPHINET. The vision, mission and goals of both organizations are essentially the same, and the merger is. (A mutual benefit)

Current and future funds raised by TEPHINET are for TEPHINET uses, and TEPHINET maintains the exclusive right to meet the funding requirements of all TEPHINET donors.

The technical and programmatic aspects of TEPHINET’s activities will now be the primary consideration for the TEPHINET advisory Board.

  • International Night is planned for the evening of Wednesday, April 16th,; The activities is cosponsoring by The Division of Global Public Health Capacity Development (DGPHCD), Coordinating Office for Global Health (COGH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Training Programs in Epidemiology and Public Health Interventions Network (TEPHINET) at the 57th Annual Epidemic Intelligence Service Conference.
    • Regional conferences of TEPHINET
      1. o America: Guatemala. NovemberDecember 2009
      2. o Asia. Korea, November 2009
      3. o Europe: Stockholm. November 2009
      4. o Mediterranean. TBA
      5. o Africa: TBA
  • Renewal of the Advisory Board Membership. March – April 2009
  • Selection of the Chairman of the advisory Board: April 2009
  • Update the Database of TEPHINET .: March 2009
  • Admission Process for New programs. March 2009
  • Meeting of the Board. April 2009
  • Meeting of Director: June – July 2009