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. 2023 Feb;28(6):2200517.
doi: 10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2023.28.6.2200517.

Core competencies in applied infectious disease epidemiology: a framework for countries in Europe

Amelie Plymoth  1 , Mary B Codd  2   3 , Julia Barry  2 , Adrian Boncan  1 , Arnold Bosman  4 , Karl F Conyard  2 , Katarzyna Czabanowska  3   5 , Nadav Davidovitch  3   6 , Rodrigo Filipe  1 , Lorena Gonzalez  1 , Lore Leighton  3 , John Middleton  3   7   8 , Michael Ndirangu  1 , Robert Otok  3 , John Reid  8 , Ralf Reintjes  9   10 , Darren Shickle  11 , Shiraz Syed  2 , Patrick Wall  2 , Jeanine Pommier  1
Affiliations

Core competencies in applied infectious disease epidemiology: a framework for countries in Europe

Amelie Plymoth et al. Euro Surveill. 2023 Feb.

Abstract

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.

Keywords: ASPHER, European Union, ECDC, workforce; control; core competencies; epidemiology; framework; infectious diseases; prevention; public health; public health expert; self-assessment.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest: None declared.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Applied infectious disease epidemiology competency framework: organisation by subject area, domain and cross-referencing of domains, European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, 2021
Figure 2
Figure 2
Applied infectious disease epidemiology competency framework self-assessment tool: self-assessed proficiency levels, European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, 2021
Figure 3
Figure 3
Applied infectious disease epidemiology competency framework self-assessment tool: results of a self-assessment for subject area A, essential methods for applied infectious disease epidemiology, European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, 2021
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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