Field Epidemiologists have been at the forefront of public health emergency response efforts, equipped with the competencies they gained as part of their training. Recently, they have contributed to COVID-19 management through participating in contact tracing, case investigations, community engagement, data collection, and analysis. The efforts they had made contributed to raising more awareness of the critical role they play in elevating public health practice in their respective countries. In light of this increased visibility, the Training Programs in Epidemiology and Public Health Interventions Network (TEPHINET)  commenced the first World Field Epidemiology Day (WFED) on September 7, 2021. The WFED is a global movement that recognizes and raises awareness of the vital role of field epidemiologists and advocates for increased investment in field epidemiology training, research, and professionals.

In recognition of the second WFED, EMPHNET held a webinar titled “The Role of Field Epidemiologists in Advancing Public Health Practice” on Tuesday, Oct 18, 2022. The 90-minute session offered a space to highlight the importance of field epidemiologists in improving public health practice and raising awareness regarding the impact of field epidemiology on people’s health. The session also highlighted the expected changes and anticipated roles of FETP in the coming years based on the achievements and changing environment. In addition, the webinar shed light on the methods and tools for improving the FETP visibility. 

The session was led by three speakers, namely: EMPHNET’s Workforce Capacity Team Leader, Dr. Haitham Bashier; Yemen FETP Technical Advisor, Dr. Abdulwahed Al Serouri; and EMPHNET’s Knowledge Exchange and Networking Team Leader, Ms. Dana Shalabi. It was facilitated by the General Director of the National Observatory of New and Emerging Diseases, FETP Director – Tunisia, Prof. Nissaf Bouafif Ben Alaya.

Prof. Ben Alaya started the webinar by welcoming the speakers, introducing the topic, and stating the objectives of the webinar. She also introduced the speakers by giving a brief introduction about their professional backgrounds.

Dr. Bashier started his presentation with a brief background about the important role that FETP residents and graduates play, stating that the value added by this program extends to cover a wide spectrum of public health functions and services across the health system in the region. He also said that FETP residents and graduates in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR) had been engaged in various field activities, including surveillance, data management, training public health professionals, and investigating and responding to outbreaks, specifically during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dr. Bashier shared the milestones reached by FETPs in the EMR, such as establishing new and supporting existing programs, enhancing training experience, and maximizing the training outcomes. He further focused on the future expectations and directions for FETPs in terms of strategy, content, modality, scope as well as structure. He then ended his presentation by highlighting the enabling factors and preconditions for achieving these expectations.

From his end, Dr. Al Serouri presented “lessons and experience from Yemen FETP,” starting with a talk about the country’s background and the effects of the Yemeni Civil War on public health. He then introduced Yemen FETP, which was launched in 2011, to implement epidemiologic studies, and detect and respond to public health problems. He also mentioned the roles of Yemen FETP in advancing public health practice, focusing on its role in developing Epi workforce, leading the response in crisis situations, supporting decision-making, and raising awareness toward public health issues. He subsequently elaborated on the challenges faced by Yemen FETP.

The last presenter for the session, Ms. Dana Shalabi underlined the definition of visibility and the importance of increasing visibility for FETPs and public health professionals. She then stressed the efforts made by EMPHNET to increase visibility for the EMR FETPs, including establishing the Knowledge Exchange and Networking unit, which has a mission to create spaces and opportunities for the exchange of experience. Finally, she highlighted different visibility initiatives led by EMPHNET, including the Electronic Library (EEL), Bi-Annual Conferences and Symposiums, FETP newsletters, the FETP Ambassador Program, and EMPHNET WEBi Series.

Following these presentations, Prof. Ben Alaya facilitated the Q&A session where participants engaged in the discussion. She then concluded the session by thanking the speakers and the attendees for their participation.

A total of 213 participants attended the webinar, deeming it another success in the EMPHNET WEBi Series.