Noncommunicable Disease Capacity: Strengthening Field Epidemiology Training Program

e-Learning Courses for FETP

Date published
Author(s)
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Office of Global Noncommunicable Diseases (NCD)

Summary

Since 2018, the Office of Global Noncommunicable Diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has supported Field Epidemiology Training Programs (FETPs) in China, Ethiopia, India, and Thailand to enhance workforce capacity in noncommunicable disease (NCD) epidemiology, surveillance, evaluation, scientific communication, and related public health activities.  Funding from Bloomberg Philanthropies and Resolve to Save Lives (RTSL) through a grant to the  CDC Foundation and the CDC Division of Global Health Protection support this work.

In collaboration with FETP partners and aligned with FETP competencies, the Program Implementation and Capacity Building (PICB) team with the Office of Global Noncommunicable Diseases leads and facilitates the development, adaptation, and delivery of NCD-technical resources.

The PICB team has modernized the NCD training curricula, creating standardized, online self-study courses designed for trainees. Additionally, they have developed complementary technical resources such as case studies for NCD mentors.

Online format: Aligned with core FETP standards and competencies, the courses offer learners flexibility and convenience, allowing trainees to learn at their own pace and schedule, progressing through different topics or segments while building confidence and ownership of their learning.

The online access encourages active learning models, such as a flipped classroom approach, combining online self-study courses with facilitator-led hands-on exercises and case studies. Shortening the classroom time for learning the background concepts allows more time for application during the workshops.

Access: Online courses are mobile-responsive and available in downloadable versions for offline access at no cost.

Trainees:  FETP Noncommunicable Disease Epidemiology, Surveillance, and Data Analysis Self-Study Online Courses

The CDC Office of Global Noncommunicable Diseases, in collaboration with the CDC Foundation, Wisewire, and partners, has developed several online epidemiology courses to build trainees’ skills in collecting, analyzing, and disseminating data to meet required FETP competencies. 

  • NCDs: Descriptive Epidemiology Data Analysis
  • NCDs: Evaluating Surveillance Systems
  • NCDs: Writing an Epidemiological Research Protocol
  • NCDs: Evaluating Public Health Programs
  • NCDs: A Cohort Study- Advanced Data Analysis
  • NCDs: Data Analysis Consideration for a Case-Control Study

For a detailed course description, please download the course informational flyer.

These courses are available upon request via globalncds@cdc.gov to FETPs interested in building trainees’ NCD skills.  

Trainees:  FETP Scientific Communication Course Series 

Communicating scientific information clearly and concisely is a required competency of the Field Epidemiology Training Program trainees. Collaborating with TEPHINET, the CDC has developed a package of self-study online scientific communication courses guiding learners in creating a poster presentation, an oral presentation, conducting a literature search, and writing a scientific manuscript. These interactive courses help trainees learn and apply principles of effective communication to highlight the main findings for informing diverse audiences. These self-paced courses support FETP residents in meeting their training requirements.

For a detailed course description, please download the course informational flyer.

Trainees:  Optional Leadership & Management Short Lecture Series

At the request of FETP partner countries, CDC and CDC Foundation collaborated to develop optional leadership and management (L&M) lectures that can be incorporated into FETP training, as appropriate, to equip FETP trainees with skills needed to communicate and manage their projects effectively. The content of L&M lectures is from open-sourced material focusing on application.

The modules include recorded lectures with PowerPoint slides and hands-on exercises to view and complete at the learners’ convenience for self-study.

For a detailed course description, please download the course informational flyer.

The contents are available upon request via globalncds@cdc.gov

Faculty: FETP Noncommunicable Case Studies

The CDC Office of Global Noncommunicable Diseases, in collaboration with the CDC Foundation, TEPHINET, and partners, has developed teaching tools such as case studies for faculty. They are ideal for flipped classroom models, reinforcing the principles and skills already covered in online courses, lectures, or background reading. The case studies include guides for facilitators and participants.

A. FETP NCD Case Studies: High Blood Pressure Screening Diagnosis, Treatment, and Control.

The following case studies focus on high blood pressure, the leading risk factor for >10 million worldwide deaths annually. They are available upon request via globalncds@cdc.gov

  1. Hypertension Screening and Treatment: Getting Started.

  2. Missed Opportunities for Hypertension Control.

  3. Effectiveness of a Clinic-based Intervention Designed to Reduce Undiagnosed Hypertension.

  4. Evaluation of Hypertension Screening and Treatment Efforts: Information for Improvement.

For a detailed course description, please download the course informational flyer.

B. FETP NCD Case Studies: Examining Stroke During COVID-19 Investigation 

The CDC Office of Global Noncommunicable Diseases, in collaboration with the TEPHINET and global partners, developed the following case studies in response to the growing need to examine stroke during the COVID-19 investigation.

For a detailed course description, please download the course informational flyer.

These case studies are available in English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Arabic and can be downloaded directly from the TEPHINET site Field Epidemiology Training Program (FETP): Noncommunicable Disease COVID-19 Toolkit.

Intermediate Level: Investigating a Post-Pandemic Ischemic Stroke Surge at Capitol City Hospital—Collecting, Reviewing, Interpreting, and Summarizing Data on Stroke and Associated CVD Risk Factors

Part A – Investigating Stroke Cases

Part B – Investigating Risk Factors

Advanced Level: An Epidemiological Study to Examine Stroke Hospitalizations During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Planning and Conducting Analysis

Part A – Study Design

Part B – Performing Analyses

This toolkit also includes the following complementary documents:

  • A promotional brochure about NCDs in multiple languages
  • A 5-minute promotional video about NCDs
  • List of COVID-19 and NCD related field project topics, questions, and areas for investigation with examples
  • Literature Synthesis Report
Languages
English
Spanish
Resource type
Learning Resource Package
Topics
Leadership and management
Epidemiology training
Non-communicable diseases
Scientific writing
Region
Americas
Country or Area
United States of America