ABOUT TEPHINET
OUR VISION
All people are protected by a field epidemiology workforce capable of detecting and responding to health threats.
OUR MISSION
To develop, connect, and mobilize a global field epidemiology workforce to strengthen public health systems and advance health security.
OUR HISTORY
FETPs are Established to Advance Global Health Security
Beginning in the 1980s, in response to the need to develop their public health capabilities and infrastructure, several countries have developed field-based training programs in applied epidemiology and public health with financial and technical support from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other funders and partners. The primary goal of these training programs has been to develop field-trained epidemiologists competent in the practical application of epidemiologic methods to a wide range of public health problems in their respective areas.
Various models exist for these field-based training programs, including the Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) of the CDC, the three-tier Field Epidemiology Training Program (FETP) model, Public Health Schools without Walls, and the European Programme for Intervention Epidemiology Training. Regardless of the model used, all field epidemiology training programs provide “training through service.” Each program is adapted to meet the health needs of the country or region in which it functions.
TEPHINET Formed to Strengthen FETPs through Knowledge and Resource Sharing
In the 1990s, several directors of these programs recognized the benefit of working together and began an initiative to organize themselves into a global network to share experiences and resources. With support from the World Health Organization, the CDC, and the Fondation Merieux, this network was formalized in 1997 as the Training Programs in Epidemiology and Public Health Interventions Network, TEPHINET.
TEPHINET was incorporated in 1999 in the U.S. state of Georgia as a nonprofit organization to strengthen international public health capacity by supporting and networking field-based training programs that enhance competencies in applied epidemiology and public health practice.
TEPHINET Secretariat has been a program of The Task Force for Global Health since 2008.
LEARN MORE
Visit the Official TEPHINET website to learn more.