In a ceremony held in Tunis on September 25, 2017, the National Observatory for Emerging and Re-emerging Diseases (ONMNE), on behalf of the Tunisian Ministry of Health (MoH), officially launched the Tunisia Field Epidemiology Training Program (T-FETP).

The ceremony was presided by the Tunisian State Secretary of Health  Dr. Sonia Escheikh on behalf of the Minister of Health, the Executive Director of GHD| EMPHNET Dr. Mohannad Al-Nsour, the General Director of Health Dr. Nebiha Borsali, the General Director of ONMNE Dr. Nissaf Ben Alaya, and the Deputy Director of the Centers’ for Disease Control and Prevention Division of Global Public Health Dr. Bassam Jarrar.

Supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the   Biosecurity Engagement Program (BEP), the T-FETP is a one-year program where residents will enroll in five modules that focus on surveillance of public health, epidemics investigation, priority diseases, complex emergencies and biosecurity issues, and research methodology. Each module will be followed by a field training, and as a requirement of the program, each participant is expected to complete a research project. The first cohort of this program comprises 14 physicians and one veterinarian working in priority regional surveillance units designated by the MoH.

In her opening remarks, Her Excellency the Tunisian State Secretary of Health said, “Tunisia, with its advanced health system, can make this training program a successful and sustainable one. We highly value the importance of the T-FETP as it will strengthen the country’s disease detection, outbreak investigations, preparedness and response to public health threats including all chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear dangers and biosecurity issues.”

“I would like to thank Dr. Al-Nsour, GHD| EMPHNET’s Executive Director, for his continuous support to us, especially in helping establish the T-FETP,” she added.

From his end, Dr. Al-Nsour expressed his appreciation to the Tunisian government for its warm welcome. He reiterated the willingness of GHD| EMPHNET to work with the MoH to make this first intermediate FETP in the Eastern Mediterranean Region an exemplary and model program knowing the quality of the Tunisian health system, the qualifications of its officers, and the commitment expressed by Her excellency the  State Secretary of Health.

Also as part of the ceremony, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between the ONMNE, on behalf of the Tunisian Ministry of Health, and GHD| EMPHNET. Signed by Dr. Al-Nsour on behalf of GHD| EMPHNET, and the General Director of ONMNE on behalf of the Ministry, this agreement serves to enhance areas of cooperation between the two parties.

Following the signing and the opening ceremony, the T-FETP commenced its first workshop. Titled Introduction to Intervention Epidemiology, this workshop will familiarize participants with the basics of public health surveillance, epidemiology and biostatistics, communication, and e-learning methods.

Scheduled to conclude on October 7, 2017, the workshop’s sessions will be facilitated by instructors who participated in the training of trainers (ToT) session conducted September 20-22, 2017.

The outcome of that ToT workshop was the development of a team of instructors responsible for training the Tunisia FETP residents in the didactic component of the program, including the development of case studies. The workshop oriented instructors on the content of the curriculum, modules’ learning objectives, and the mandated teaching method to be adopted by the T-FETP.

During the second day of the training workshop, a delegation from the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), headed by its Director Dr. John Nkengasong, visited the T-FETP. Dr. Nkengasong highlighted the importance of training programs such as the T-FETP and expressed the interest of his organization in working with the T-FETP towards empowering public health in Africa.

Also on the second day, GHD| EMPHNET held a meeting with the Virtual University of Tunis that is currently supporting the T-FETP in areas relevant to mentorship.