Dominican Republic National Epidemiology Program

Program overview

Since 2002, the Dominican Republic Field Epidemiology Training Program has successfully developed training courses in field epidemiology, with 108 graduates at the Intermediate level and 493 at the Frontline level. In 2017, the National Program of Field Epidemiology (Programa Nacional de Epidemiología de Campo) agreed to restructure and implement a new version of the Frontline level. This began with technical and financial support from the CDC, United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and TEPHINET. From May 2017 to December 2019, 100 percent of all Frontline trainees from all eight cohorts completed the requirements for their certification. 

In the context of COVID-19 in 2020, two Frontline cohorts were formed, and 65 percent of trainees from these cohorts completed the requirements for their certification. Using the same curriculum, they undertook the theoretical component in a virtual format, due to COVID-19 restrictions, and conducted the face-to-face practice in their workplaces. Both courses are supported academically by the Health Sciences faculty at University of Santo Domingo. 

Achievements

Each year, the Ministry of Public Health’s Directorate of Epidemiology acknowledges health centers that have demonstrated excellence in epidemiologic surveillance. The Dominican Republic FETP graduates were recognized as having superior performance in increasing their notification and response time to disease outbreaks and important public health events.