Core competencies in applied infectious disease epidemiology: a framework for countries in Europe
Authors
Plymoth, AmelieCodd, Mary
Barry, Julia
Boncan, Adrian
Bosman, Arnold
Conyard, Karl F.
Czabanowska, Katarzyna
Davidovitch, Nadav
Filipe, Rodrigo
Gonzalez, Lorena
Leighton, Lore
Middleton, John
Ndirangu, Michael
Otok, Robert
Reid, John
Reintjes, Ralf
Shickle, Darren
Syed, Shiraz
Wall, Patrick
Pommier, Jeanine
Affiliation
European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, Stockholm; University College Dublin; The Association of Schools of Public Health in the European Region, Brussels; Transmissible BV, Utrecht; Maastricht University; Ben Gurion University of the Negev; University of Wolverhampton; University of Chester; Hamburg University of Applied Sciences; Tampere University; University of LeedsPublication Date
2023-02-01
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
In 2009, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) developed a competency framework to support European Union countries and the European Commission in ensuring a competent public health workforce for Europe. The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic emphasised the importance of harmonised public health strategies and competencies across international boundaries, specifically for infectious diseases. This perspective presents the process to update the competency framework for applied infectious disease epidemiology, highlighting ECDC's efforts to support countries with using the framework. ECDC commissioned the Association of Schools of Public Health in the European Region (ASPHER) to update the framework through publication and dissemination of a technical report and a self-assessment tool linked to training resources. A mixed methods approach to gather input from experts in relevant specialities included qualitative interviews with 42 experts, workshops with ECDC Technical Advisory Group and an online survey of 212 public health professionals across Europe and beyond. Modifications resulted in 157 core competencies in 23 domains, each mapping to one of six subject areas of importance in applied infectious disease epidemiology. The framework serves as a basis to update the curriculum of the ECDC Fellowship programme with two alternative paths: intervention epidemiology or public health microbiology.Citation
Plymoth, A., Codd, M. B., Barry, J., Boncan, A., Bosman, A., Conyard, K. F., Czabanowska, K., Davidovitch, N., Filipe, R., Gonzalez, L., Leighton, L., Middleton, J., Ndirangu, M., Otok, R., Reid, J., Reintjes, R., Shickle, D., Syed, S., Wall, P., & Pommier, J. (2023). Core competencies in applied infectious disease epidemiology: a framework for countries in Europe. Euro surveillance, 28(6), 2200517. https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2023.28.6.2200517Journal
EurosurveillanceType
ArticleISSN
1560-7917ae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2023.28.6.2200517