International Diabetes Epidemiology Group Training Symposium

Project Objective

Diabetes mellitus has emerged as a global public health threat in most regions of the world, putting large portions of adult populations for diverse forms of morbidity. Effective public health responses to the global diabetes problem will depend upon strong surveillance and epidemiology programs to guide the selection of populations and interventions for preventive intervention and monitor public health successes. Despite the magnitude of the problem and the emerging, successful models of surveillance and prevention, there is a limited workforce trained in epidemiology and surveillance for diabetes and related chronic conditions.

The International Diabetes Epidemiology Group Training (IDEG) Workshop is a state-of-art, specialized training course in the design and execution of epidemiology covering topics related to three core areas:

• Population epidemiology and surveillance
• Etiologic epidemiology
• Clinical epidemiology and health services research

The seminar brings together international experts as faculty and younger and less experienced researchers from low-, middle-, and high-income countries in an atmosphere of learning through a mixture of lectures, interactive small group sessions, problem solving scenarios, and group work. This creates a focal point for a network of researchers and professionals and an effective training ground for the public health workforce.

The goal of this project is to support the logistical execution of the International Diabetes Epidemiology Group (IDEG) Training Workshop in Seoul, Korea by:

• Supporting the announcement of the workshop, the submission of applications by candidates, and the selection of workshop participants

• Providing travel grants, including air travel, room and board for 20 trainees

• Assembling and distributing course materials that include program, agenda, faculty and participant profiles, background readings, course materials, and flash-drives for participants