Mediterranean and Black Sea Programme for Intervention Epidemiology Training (MediPIET)

Program overview

MediPIET is a regional training programme aimed to enhance health security in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea region by supporting capacity building for prevention and control of natural or man-made threats to health posed by communicable diseases through the implementation of a regional long-term advanced Field Epidemiology Training Programme (FETP), Training of Trainers activities, annual scientific events, support of knowledge transfer to and among partner countries, and support to networks of national representatives of MediPIET partner countries, training sites, fellows, supervisors and alumni.

The programme 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.

Achievements

Since its inception in 2013, MediPIET has created and maintained a strong network of institutions and experts from the partner countries. It has established a comprehensive training infrastructure and demonstrated early impact on surveillance systems and workforce capacity. To the date, 13 sites have been appraised and can host FETP fellows, 32 fellows graduated in the first three cohorts and additional 32 fellows are currently in training (Cohort 4 and 5).

In addition, around 350 experts have been trained in training-of-trainers activities and over 90 projects have been carried out within the scope of the training programme. Around 50 outbreaks have been investigated, 50 surveillance system projects conducted (including 11 new systems developed and implemented) and over 40 epidemiological studies have been carried out. Fellows have also undertaken around 50 international assignments/deployments.