2023 in Review
Written by the FEiA Team
Introduction
It’s been another big year for the Field Epidemiology in Action (FEiA) team and the programs we support! While we’ve continued to work in our mainstays of Papua New Guinea (PNG) and Solomon Islands, 2023 saw us venture a little further afield, to Vanuatu and Timor-Leste. We delivered training workshops – both to trainees, and to their primary trainers – updated curriculum, developed resources, monitored and evaluated, and shared learnings across our communities through conferences. We’re proud of what we achieved in 2023 and are excited for what’s in store in 2024!
Keep reading for an update on our core programs and activities as contributed by the relevant team members. We are very thankful to DFAT’s Centre for Health Security, who not only funded our work, but provided strategic advice and guidance along the way.
Papua New Guinea Programs
One Health Frontline FETPNG
Contributed by Trinidad Velasco Ortuzar & Laura Macfarlane-Berry (One Health Frontline FETPNG)
The One Health Frontline Field Epidemiology Training Program of Papua New Guinea (f-FETPNG) aims to build capacity in the frontline workforce, including strengthening community engagement and cross-sectoral collaboration. This year f-FETPNG graduated 61 new disease detectives across four cohorts in West New Britain, West Sepik and Morobe provinces and the National Capital District. Coming from human, animal, plant and environmental health sectors, graduates have created highly active informal One Health networks, leading to cross-sectoral responses and an increase in alerts reported to Rapid Response Teams (RRTs) in their respective provinces. The program has 21 trainers and mentors, four of them being f-FETPNG graduates. A Train-the-Trainer (ToT) workshop in March trained 18 faculty members, enhancing their capacity to adapt training sessions, thereby boosting confidence and skills in delivering effective training. f-FETNG was also invited to present to regional partners at the APCOVE – Networking and Future Directions workshop in Thailand (April 2023) and at the Regional One Health Workshop in Apia, Samoa (August).
Intermediate FETPNG
Contributed by Callum Thirkell (Intermediate FETPNG)
Cohort 8 of the Intermediate Field Epidemiology Training Program of Papua New Guinea (iFETPNG) graduated in June – the first intermediate Cohort since the COVID-19 pandemic saw the 2020 training cancelled. Due to administrative challenges a new iFETPNG cohort did not begin in 2023. While we farewelled our beloved FETP convenor, Bernnie Smaghi in May, we hope to have a new convenor on board for the beginning of 2024. Currently, we are busy refining curriculum and working with the team in PNG to finalise recruitment of our new fellows – just in time to begin Cohort 9 training in February 2024!
Advanced FETPNG
Contributed by James Flint (FEiA Program Coordinator)
With the Advanced Field Epidemiology Training Program of Papua New Guinea (aFETPNG) done and dusted, 2023 focused on evaluating the impact of the program. A highlight of 2023 was heading into the field to visit aFETPNG alumni in their workplaces and interview them about their accomplishments since graduating from the advanced program. With data collection almost complete, evaluation findings should be ready in the first quarter of 2024. The advanced program has been conducted once in PNG, interrupted by a pandemic. There is lots of interest in running another advanced course in a few years’ time once more intermediate fellows have graduated.
Rapid Response Training
Contributed by Celeste Marsh (FEiA RRT Program)
2023 was a busy year for the Rapid Response Team (RRT) Training Programme in PNG. The PNG RRT team continued to roll out Phases 1 and 2 of the five-phase training model, completing initiation training (Phase 1) in all 22 Provinces and bringing the number of provinces to undertake after-training reviews (Phase 2) to 20. This year has focused on the development of the curriculum for Phase 3 – a five-day technical training delivered through a scenario lens. In May, subject matter experts working within the National Department of Health and the Port Moresby General Hospital were called in to co-deliver the five-day Phase 3 pilot to the National Capital District RRT. Also in 2023, the RRT trainers joined the FETPNG faculty during a ToT workshop on adult teaching and learning principles. The program monitoring and evaluation framework also progressed with the development of a theory of change model. In addition, the process and tools for operational research exploring the barriers and enablers to RRT function have been planned and designed, with the research set to be undertaken in the first half of 2024.
Solomon Islands FETP
Contributed by Megge Miller (Sols FETP Program Lead)
It was a great year for Sols FETP, with six fellows graduating from Cohort 2 in August. Congratulations to Anna, Eric, Joseph, Joycelyn, Rachel and Thomas! Their final presentations covered a range of topics, from strengthening surveillance or infection control to improving antenatal care or laboratory processes in their workplaces. We also welcomed Aaron, Henao, Barbara and Duddley from Cohort 1 as junior Sols FETP faculty. They regularly delivered training and mentoring to Cohort 2 fellows. Some graduates from Sols FETP were also part of the team running mass gathering surveillance during the Pacific Games. We sadly said goodbye to the Sols FETP Coordinator, Ms Karen Kalea. We thank Karen for her dedication and commitment to Sols FETP.
Vanuatu & Timor-Leste FETP
Contributed by Megge Miller (Sols FETP Program Lead) and Rachel Mather (FEiA Program Manager)
After years of conversations, 2023 was the year we finally welcomed Vanuatu and Timor-Leste into our FETP family. After the cancellation of a 2023 cohort of iFETPNG, training was conducted for two Timor-Leste fellows, Drs Ari and Neri, in their capital, Dili, followed shortly by a training in Vanuatu capital, Port Vila, for ni-Vanuatu fellows Aleesha and Leiwia. The small cohort came together in September for their Workshop 2 training in Newcastle, Australia. Currently, the fellows are implementing their public health interventions, which focus on targeting dengue control in Dili, reducing contamination at a hospital laboratory in Timor-Leste, improving antenatal screening for hepatitis B in Efate and improving surveillance and response for acute fever and rash in Efate. The final training workshop will happen in early 2024 and we can’t wait to hear about the outcomes of their interventions!
In the meantime, we also worked with the surveillance team from the Vanuatu Ministry of Health to further their ambition to establish their own National FETP. After a first attempt in March was waylaid by two tropical cyclones hitting Vanuatu in a matter of days, we facilitated a Theory of Change workshop with key stakeholders from across the National and Provincial health system in June. The Vanuatu FETP Theory of Change articulated their vision for the change that the FETP will contribute to, as well as the specific pathways that the program needs to follow to achieve the change. We look forward to continued collaborations with Vanuatu!
FEiA Resources
Contributed by Megge Miller (Sols FETP Program Lead)
Complementing the training programs we support, FEiA has developed technical resources for fellows and graduates. While the resources have been specifically designed for field epidemiologists in the Pacific, they can be used by field epidemiologists anywhere in the world. FEiA released two new eLearning courses in 2023. One course goes through the steps involved in an outbreak investigation, and the other course covers the components of public health surveillance. In June, FEiA released the Reference Guide for Field Epidemiologists which contains definitions and worked examples of key epidemiological terms and concepts. Templates for linelists and reports (outbreak and surveillance) were also developed. Towards the end of the year, FEiA released three case studies which use fictional scenarios to dive deep into field epidemiology core competencies. The case studies released so far cover outbreak investigations, public health surveillance and key epidemiology concepts. A further two case studies on operational research and public health interventions will be released in 2024. All of these resources are intended to be reference guides or aid refresher training, and are freely available on our website.
Gender Equality, Disability and Social Inclusion (GEDSI)
Contributed by Rachel Mather (FEiA Program Manager)
FEiA’s continued to expand and consider its approach gender equity, disability and social inclusion (GEDSI). To celebrate International Women’s Day we shared a series of blogs from our friends and partners across the region. We facilitated two more Interactive Learning Sessions (ILS) exploring gender intersections with FETPs – the first at the SAFETYNET Scientific Conference and the second through a collaboration with TEPHINET at the TEPHINET Regional Scientific Conferences of the Americas. At the SAFETYNET Conference, we also shared the findings of our 2022 TEPHINET ILS through a plenary presentation. We reflected on this year’s World Field Epidemiology Day theme Increasing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Field Epidemiology, while exploring relationships with civil society organisations (CSOs) and organisations of people with disabilities (OPDs) in the countries we work in. We can’t wait to explore more of what disability and social inclusion look like in the programs we support, while continuing to grow our gender work in 2024.
Conferences
Contributed by James Flint (FEiA Program Coordinator)
At the regional SAFETYNET conference in Canberra, FEiA led an ILS on evaluating the impact of an FETP. While FEiA has led similar workshops in the past, this was the first time we joined forces with the United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to run a joint workshop. With considerable interest in evaluating FETPs across the global community, it was a packed session! FEiA will continue to develop its impact evaluation framework to support FETPs in evaluating their programs. Next year an expert panel will engage in a Delphi study to prioritise evaluation indicators.
Unfortunately, visa issues prevented several participants from PNG from presenting their research at the SAFETYNET conference in Canberra, despite having abstracts accepted. One aFETPNG graduate did make it - Stanley Masi. He presented an outbreak investigation he led. His presentation had a marked impression on the audience, who were notably impressed at the incredibly challenging context with which outbreaks are investigated in PNG, and the lengths Stanley went to during his investigation. It was quite an experience for Stanley to present in front of peers from all over the world, and a wonderful opportunity to highlight the work being done by FETP fellows in PNG.
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