At the National Institute of Communicable Diseases in Johannesburg, South Africa, the Training Programs in Epidemiology and Public Health Interventions Network (TEPHINET) held its 2018 Program Directors Meeting between July 16 – 18, 2018. The TEPHINET Program Directors meetings gather leadership of field epidemiology (and laboratory) training programs (FE[L]TPs) that are members of TEPHINET, regional FE(L)TP networks, as well as partners of the network. The meetings discuss the progress achieved within the programs and the TEPHINET’s role in supporting them.

Participants from the Eastern Mediterranean Region included the FETPs of Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Tunisia, and Yemen. Attendees on behalf of each program were Dr. Mohamed Elghazaly from FETP Egypt; Dr. Ibrahim Iblan Director of FETP Jordan, Dr. Sami Al Mudaraa, Director of FETP Saudi Arabia;  Dr. Elmuez Eltayeb, Program Supervisor of Sudan FETP; Dr. Nissaf bin Alyiaa, Director of FETP Tunisia; and Dr. Mohamed Al Amad, Yemen FETP Director Assistant. EMPHNET participated in this meeting, represented by its Chairman of the Board of Directors Dr. Bashir Normal and its Executive Director Dr. Mohannad Al-Nsour.

In plenary sessions and group discussions, participants explored ways to improve the TEPHINET scientific conferences through developing an enhanced abstract submission and evaluation process. They also discussed means to enhance the coordination and mobilization of FE(L)TP alumni through platforms such as TEPHIConnect, EpiShares, and the African Corps of Disease Detectives (ACoDD).

During discussions on programs’ quality improvement, participants stressed the value of the TEPHINET accreditation process for maintaining and enhancing the quality of the FE(L)TPs, especially highlighting the role of TEPHINET and other partners in assisting programs meeting the accreditation standards.

Moreover, participants discussed the learning needs of the programs and TEPHINET in general where they explored progress made to date and next steps on the creation and implementation of a TEPHINET continuous learning strategy. They also discussed issues relevant to this strategy’s sustainability.

A session was dedicated to informing participants about the June 2018 Bellagio Meeting. At that meeting, FETP partners from across the globe met to develop the first draft of the roadmap to guide the partners to streamline their roles and responsibilities and hence result in effective use of available resources for the development of strong and sustainable field epidemiology capacities worldwide.

From the Eastern Mediterranean Region, the achievements of the programs were discussed. These achievements included the starting of the Afghanistan FETP and the Public Health Empowerment Programs – Basic Field Epidemiology (PHEP – BFE) in Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Sudan, and Yemen. Future plans for improving the programs were also discussed, including the production of more scientific publications and supporting regional alumni through platforms such as EpiShares. Challenges facing the programs were also discussed, with a particular emphasis on the situation in the region, the need for financial resources, and career opportunities for graduates.

On the sidelines of the meeting, the TEPHINET Advisory Board Meeting was held. Dr. Bashir Normal, the EMPHNET Chairman of the Board of Directors attended this meeting.