On World Field Epidemiology Day (WFED) 2026, EMPHNET joins the global field epidemiology community in recognizing the people and systems working behind the scenes to protect communities every day.

Established by TEPHINET in 2021, WFED presents an opportunity not only to recognize the contributions of field epidemiologists, but also to reaffirm the importance of continued investment in the people, programs, research, partnerships, and systems that make effective field epidemiology possible.

This year’s theme, “Protecting Communities from Behind the Scenes: The Power of Field Epidemiology,” highlights an essential reality of public health, the reality that some of the most important work happens long before an emergency reaches the public eye.

Field epidemiologists monitor surveillance systems, investigate potential threats, analyze data, generate evidence, work alongside communities, and support preparedness and response. While this work becomes more visible during emergencies, its value begins much earlier, as it enables health systems to detect risks, understand threats, inform decisions, and act before those threats escalate. Their impact was clearly demonstrated during the COVID-19 pandemic, when field epidemiologists served as frontline responders in their respective countries.

For more than 15 years, EMPHNET has worked alongside ministries of health and partners across the Eastern Mediterranean Region and beyond to establish, strengthen, and expand Field Epidemiology Training Programs (FETPs). Through a learning-by-doing approach, FETPs equip public health professionals with the epidemiological competencies they need while enabling them to apply those skills directly to the priorities of their health systems.

As public health priorities evolve, so too must the field epidemiology workforce. Climate and environmental health threats, antimicrobial resistance, mental health challenges, humanitarian emergencies, and other emerging risks all require expanding the skills and expertise of the health workforce, in order for them to protect communities.

In response to this pressing need, EMPHNET has supported the evolution of field epidemiology training through specialized and adapted approaches in areas including One Health, mental health, climate and environmental epidemiology, respiratory diseases, immunization, and polio surveillance. This work is complemented by mentorship, research, program evaluation, cross-country exchange, peer learning, and regional knowledge sharing.

Such efforts reflect a broader understanding of workforce development, as strong field epidemiology requires an ecosystem, not only a training program. Sustaining an effective workforce means creating opportunities for professionals to continue learning, exchange experience, build networks, contribute to evidence, and support one another across countries and programs. It also means strengthening national ownership, quality, and sustainability so that the capacity built through FETPs can endure.

“Investing in field epidemiology has always meant investing in people: developing their skills, creating opportunities to lead, and building systems that allow their expertise to endure. As public health challenges evolve, FETPs must evolve with them. Perhaps the greatest measure of progress is seeing yesterday’s residents become today’s mentors and leaders, preparing the next generation to protect their communities.” — Dr. Mohannad Al-Nsour, Executive Director, EMPHNET

On this WFED, EMPHNET celebrates the residents, graduates, mentors, program directors, and public health professionals whose contributions strengthen public health across the region and beyond. Their work can be seen in the surveillance systems that detect threats, the investigations that identify risks, the evidence that informs decisions, and the preparedness efforts that strengthen response.

As part of WFED 2026, EMPHNET has also launched #FETPsExplained, a social media campaign bringing greater visibility to this work and the people behind it. Through explainers, field examples, and stories from residents, graduates, mentors, and FETP leaders, the campaign highlights how field epidemiologists are trained, what they do, how their work strengthens public health systems, and how FETPs continue to evolve.

Protecting communities begins long before an outbreak makes the headlines. It begins with people who know where to look, systems that enable them to act, and partnerships that turn knowledge into action.

This World Field Epidemiology Day, EMPHNET shines a light on those working behind the scenes and reaffirms its commitment to strengthening the people, programs, partnerships, and systems that enable them to protect communities.