During the November 2022 TEPHINET Advisory Board meeting TEPHINET officially welcomed two new members to our network: The Gambia Field Epidemiology Training Program and The Mediterranean and Black Sea Programme in Intervention Epidemiology Training (MediPIET). The addition of these programs brings the total number of TEPHINET member programs to 77. 

The Gambian Field Epidemiology Training Program (GamFETP-F) began in 2016 as a collaboration between the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S. CDC) and the Gambian Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (MOHSW). Before the launch of GamFETP there were no District Surveillance Officers (DSOs), thereby preventing a consistent flow of surveillance information from health facilities and communities to the regional surveillance offices within the country. Consequently, as part of the implementation of FETP-Frontline, the African Field Epidemiology Network (AFENET) advised the MOHSW to designate some Public Health Officers in the country as DSOs. The GamFETP has provided an opportunity for these officers to be trained in Frontline epidemiology, giving them a basic understanding and competence in surveillance and the epidemiologic process.

The Mediterranean and Black Sea Programme in Intervention Epidemiology Training (MediPIET) is a regional training programme consisting of 21 partner countries that aims to enhance health security in the Mediterranean and Black Sea region by supporting capacity building for prevention and control of natural or man-made threats to health. The program was set up in 2013 at the initiative of the European Commission with the aim to reinforce capacities across the whole region. MediPIET has been implemented across three phases, with the fourth phase led by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) under the EU Initiative on Health Security. Since its inception in 2013, MediPIET has created and maintained a strong network of institutions and experts from its partner countries. To the date, 13 sites have been appraised and can host FETP fellows, 32 fellows have graduated, and an additional 32 fellows are currently in training.

For information about becoming a TEPHINET member program, please contact secretariat@tephinet.org.