President

AileenKitching

Vice-PresidentRicardoMexia

Treasurer

KatherinaZakikhany

TreasurerJavieraRebolledo

Secretary

LisiAichinger

SecretaryMariaKeramarou

EANNewsNewsletteroftheEPIETAlumniNetwork

Editorial

Bye summer, Welcome autumn!

DearEANFriends,

Summer 2016 is about to end *sadly*. We arewelcoming the new season by bringing to youanotherhotissuefullonEANnews!

We have included an update on the EPIET –EUPHEMtrainingprogramme. It isapersonalpiecebyKostasDanisandAileenKitching.

Arnord Bosman has kindly written a piece for EANgivingafarewellafter15yearswithEPIET!

We have also included an update on the EANminimodule which took place in Brussels this summer,themed“RefugeeandMigranthealth”.

EAN also wanted to congratulate one of itsmembers for becoming the next director ofNigerianDCD(checkoutwhoheis!).Wearesoproudofhim!

Enjoytheread!

Yours,

TheEANBoard

Board

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www.epietalumni.net

Summer2016

Should two become one? Does the ECDC OneFellowship Programme approach herald the end ofEPIET?

KostasDanis(1),AileenKitching(2)

1. EPIETcoordinatorbasedinPublicHealthFrance2. EPIETAlumniNetwork(EAN)President

First,somehistory!In1995,thefirstIntroductoryCoursewasheld,markingthestartofthefirstcohortoffellowsin the now 21 year old European Programme forIntervention Epidemiology Training (EPIET). EPIET hasgrownconsiderablysince then,andwas integrated intothecoreactivitiesofECDCin2006.Then,in2008,almost14 years after the first EPIET cohort, EUPHEM wasinitiatedbyECDC,basedonthesuccessfulEPIETmodel.ThisnewprogrammeadoptedalltheEPIETcomponentsthatwereconsidered relevant,butalsodevelopednewelements specific to the public health microbiologydiscipline.

As a result, despite many commonalities, the twoprogrammes have several differences, including: i)different core competencies, ii) different learningobjectives and scientific guides, iii) different ScientificCoordinators (epidemiologists forEPIET,microbiologistsforEUPHEM),and iv)differententrycriteria for fellows(generallyrelativelyjuniorpublichealthprofessionalsforEPIET compared to more senior microbiologists withPhDsforEUPHEM).Whilesomedifferencesarehistoricalas the programmes have different longevity, manydifferences are justified by the discipline-specificcomponents of the programmes and the differingrequirements ofMember States in building capacity infieldepidemiologyandpublichealthmicrobiology.

In April 2016, the ECDC Senior Management Teamproduced a paper (link) proposing the integration ofEPIET and EUPHEM into ‘One Single FellowshipProgramme’, with the same discipline-specific learningobjectiveswithin epidemiology&microbiology strands,commoncircular

Disclaimer: the article represents the opinions of theauthorsandmaynotnecessarilyreflecttheviewsoftheEPIET Scientific Coordination Team or the EPIET AlumniNetwork

*One Fellowship Programme* processes, one Programme scientific guide/manual, oneTraining Site Forum, and one selection process withdiscipline specific criteria. This proposal was brought forinformation/discussion initially at the EPIET and EUPHEMTraining Site Fora on 21-22 April 2016, when concernsabout theproposaland/or the lackof transparency in thedecision-making process were raised by various TrainingSite Representatives and the EAN (EPIET & EUPHEMrepresentatives); and subsequently to the National FocalPointsforTraining&theAdvisoryForuminMaymeetings,whenconcernsabouttheproposalwerealsoraised.

The new ECDC Public Health Strategy has already startedbeing implemented,with a rebranding of the programmeandaligningof all processesongoing, and the first cohortofthenewProgrammeexpectedtostartin2017.TheECDCEPIET webpage now advertises the “ECDC FellowshipTraining Programme [which] includes two distinctcurricular pathways: one for Intervention EpidemiologyTraining (EPIET) and one for Public Health MicrobiologyTraining (EUPHEM)” [link]. However, despite the rapidprogression of this approach, neither the rationale forthese dramatic changes nor details of this merging areclear.

Advocates of the ‘One Programme’ approach argue thefollowingrationaleforimplementation:

1. Inter-disciplinary work is key to disease preventionand control, and, as epidemiology is increasinglybasedonmoleculardata,closeco-operationbetweenepidemiology and microbiology is increasinglynecessary in surveillance & outbreaks. However,enhanced cooperation is already in place in theinstitutes, and through EPIET and EUPHEM, althoughthe programmes remain distinct. Co-operation withdifferentdisciplinesalonecannotjustifythemergingofprogrammesthatteachtwodistinctdisciplines.Unless,thedecisionmakersconsiderthatwiththeevolutionofmolecular techniques, there will be no need for fieldepidemiologists or for public healthmicrobiologists inthenearfutureandthereforethosedisciplinesneedtobemerged?Isthisarealisticprojectionofthefuture?

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3. Long standing co-operation with the EPIETAssociatedProgrammes(EAPs)-includingtheGerman, UK and Austrian FETPs - may beaffected. Those programmes have the samecurricular processes as EPIET, but notEUPHEM.ThemergingofEPIETandEUPHEMwill lead to changes that are not compatiblewith the current EAP-agreed processes. EAPshavenotbeeninvolvedinthedecisionmakingofthisnewstrategy.

4. Risk of over harmonization using

oversimplifiedapproaches.Bothprogrammesusedthebestpracticesadaptedtothemovertheyears. In thenameofmerging, it is likelythat the fellowships will be forced toharmonize artificially in components that arenotrelevanttotheirdistinctdisciplines,whichmayprovedetrimentalforbothfellowships.

The decision making process (and theaccountability of that process) for this newstrategy isnotclear.Theprogrammesareownednot only by ECDC, but also by the EuropeanMember States, and there are many otherstakeholders (including EAN, Training Site Fora,EPIET Associated Programmes, Scientific Co-ordination team) that contribute substantially tothe fellowships. Decision-makers should respectthe differences of the two different disciplines,consider the risks of this merging, and provideevidencethatwouldconvincestakeholdersaboutthebenefits.Theyshouldstateaclearvision inatransparent way following in-depth discussion,and full and formal consultation and agreementwith all those stakeholders before making anyfinal decisions that have serious implication forbothEPIETandEUPHEMfellowships.

*One Fellowship Programme*

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2. Single fellowship programme with discipline-specificpaths(andcompetencybased)couldincludeadditionaldisciplines in future.However, epidemiologists do notneedtoworkcloselyonlywithmicrobiologists(andviceversa), but professionals of many other differentdisciplinessuchasbiostatisticians,environmentalhealthofficers, hospital hygienists, veterinarians etc. Do fieldepidemiologists (or public health microbiologists) alsoneed to merge with all those? If new disciplines areincluded,willthiscomewithnew/additionalresources?A clear vision for the coming years needs to be statedandagreedwithallthestakeholders.

3. The need for the harmonization of the administrativeprocesses between the two fellowships. However,since EUPHEM was initiated in 2008, most of thoseprocesses have admittedly already been harmonized.Doesthestreamliningofadministrativeprocessesreallyrequirethemergingoftwofellowships?

We question if the implications and risks of this merginghave been properly analysed, and suggest that some ofthoseincludethefollowing:

1. All multi-disciplinary core competencies of bothfellowshipswillbeharmonized.CoreCompetenciesforfield epidemiologists (in 2007) and public healthmicrobiologists (in 2011) were previously determined.The curricula of both programmes are based on thosecompetencies. New artificially merged competenciesmayleadtobigandunnecessarychangesinthetrainingobjectives of each fellowship. Unless, the strategyimplies that thecompetenciesofa fieldepidemiologistarethesameasthoseofapublichealthmicrobiologist?Wouldthisbeavalidandrealisticassumption?

2. Newbrandname.Todate,EPIEThasbeenusedastheumbrella name for both programmes, EPIET andEUPHEM. With the proposedmerge, the EPIET brandname is likely to be lost. This name has reflected asuccessful and relevant public health trainingprogrammeforthepast21years,highlyvaluedbybothEuropean public health institutes, internationalorganisationsandNGOs,andprovidedjobopportunitiestoalumni.Whychangesuchasuccessfulname?

“Thereisnothingwronginchange,ifitisintherightdirection.Toimproveistochange,sotobeperfectistohavechangedoften”-Churchill,23June1925(citedinLangworth,Churchill:InHisOwnWords)

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*Time to hand over: 15 years with EPIET…*

byArnoldBosman,PublicHealthConsultant,Transmissible™

When I asked Marc Sprenger, back in spring 1998, onwhattraining Icouldbestspendtheprizemoneyofthe‘best thesis 1997 award’, his replywas swift and short:‘EPIETIntroductoryCourse’.WhenItravelledtoVeyrier-du-Lacthatautumnbytrainandjoinedthefourthcourseasanexternal,self-fundedparticipant,Iwasyetunawarehowthiswouldinfluencemycareerpath.

EPIETSpiritThose three weeks of exposure to this group ofenthusiasticepidemiologistsinfectedmechronicallywiththe EPIET Spirit. The group that I found myself in washaving clear fun and joy in unleashing an insatiableappetite for discovering new knowledge and skills,having an open, critical, constructive attitude duringprofessional debates and demonstrating generosity insharing information and data. Politics were kept atdistance;professionalethoswasonstage.Andwhilethevariance in background of all 36 EU participants wasgreat, solidarity ruled.Noonewasallowedto ‘dropoutof theboat’ during the rideandpeople that visiblyhadlarge amounts of experience and knowledge showedmodesty,dedicationandenthusiasmsharingknowledgeandexperiencewithothers.

Itprobablysaysa lotaboutwhereIcamefrom,butthiswassoverydifferentfromprevioustrainingexperiences.AndIlovedit.Stilldo!

After returning to Rotterdam Port Health Authority, itwas inevitable tomakea changeandmoveback to theNationalInstituteforPublicHealthtofurtherworkinanddiscover national & international interventionepidemiology.

AttachedtotrainingandratesofchangeReturningtoEPIETwasonlytobeexpected,andmeetingCohort 7 as facilitator was the beginning of myattachment to public health training. And that sort ofwork never disappointed. The EPIET spirit is a strongforceandsourceofenergy.Thatenergywasalsoneededtodealwithaneverchangingcontext.

Europe is in continuous flux for improvement and aprogramme like EPIET is an exponent of that. Theenlargement of the EU in 2004 was a major gamechanger,increasingthevarianceintermsofpublichealthknowledge and experience. A year later ECDC startedoperationsandyetanotheryearlater,IwasinStockholmfacilitating the transition of EPIET ‘from project toprogramme’. And back then I thought that theadministrative troubles of the programme would bebehind us, and other challenges would replace them.Boy,wasIwrong!

In ECDC we have learned that having an EUadministration does not guarantee to administer an EUprogrammesmoothly.However, thatdidnot stopus tocontinueto‘explorenewfrontiersandnewcivilisations’.In2008westartedEUPHEMandwithhelp fromtheEUnetwork of public health microbiologists, added adedicated microbiology curriculum to the fellowship,while ensuring that epidemiologist and microbiologistswould still train in one and the same cohort. It is stillconfusing to some people to understand that fellowswhotraininthesamecohort,notnecessarilyfollowthesame content curriculum. The spirit of interdisciplinarytraining has yet to evolve and spread. The EPIET andEUPHEMfellowsfeelnobarriers,thoughtheyareawaretheybelongtodifferentdisciplines.LikeBonowrote‘weare one, but we are not the same’. It seems that theolder generations have more trouble seeing that. Thattooisacharacteristicofchange.

EPIEThaschangedalot,andsomepartofthespirittoo.Itprobablycomeswithbeinginstitutionalised;youlosesomeofthe‘revolutionaryspirit’.YetthecoreofwhatIexpressedaboveisstillverymuchthere,andnowwiderspread.Lookingback,itisgreattoseehowwelltheEPIETspiritdealtwiththat.However,atthetime,whenyouareinthemiddleofchangeandturmoil,thisisnotalwayseasytosee.

*Time to hand over: 15 years with EPIET…*

FutureoffellowshipThe futureof the fellowship is inmyopinion to furtherengage in interdisciplinary training. The challenge is toprotect the professional disciplinary competencyboundaries. This means that curricula still need to berecognisable, distinct and discipline specific. It is theprogrammatic elements that need to ensure theinteractionbetweenprofessionalsindifferentdisciplinesto interact.Because in ‘real life’weareall expected toworktogether.Thereisnolargepublichealthprobleminthis world that can be successfully be addressed byepidemiologists alone. Even though some seem tobelieveso.Yetbeliefsarenotthesameasfacts.

The network will need to follow closely, and criticallywhathappenswithintheprogramme.Asalways.Yetasalways,thisneedstobedonewithanopen,constructiveattitude. Preferably with a touch of humour. In otherwords:withtheEPIETspirit.Destructivecomments,suchas bashing the relevance of microbiology in thefellowship, isnotonlycompletelyoppositetotheEPIETspirit. It does not convince, without evidence of theargument.Andifthereisevidence,whynotbringininaconstructive,positiveway?

Another important part of the future of EPIET in myopinion,istofindthebestwaytobenefitfromtherapidteachinginnovations,inparticularE-learning.ECDCisatthe forefront with this, despite themodest size of theteam,thevisionandthetechnologyisstrong.

BothareasofchangewillagainaffectEPIETprofoundly,in terms of format. Yet content (interventionepidemiology) and spirit should remain protected. Andthisiswherethenetworkhasacrucialroletoplay.Keeppolitics at a distance and keep professional ethos onstage.Notalwayseasywhenyouareputinapositionofgovernance,Iknow.

Mydecisiontoleavewasfasterthanoriginallyplanned,due to personal and family circumstances. Yet after 15years of being embedded in EPIET, ECDC and publichealth training, it was high time to hand over to new,freshvisionsandenergyanyway.TheteamatECDChassome of the best people I know to contribute to this.And the network is just a treasure chest of strongcompetenceandconstructivespirit.

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EnjoywhatyoudoandgrowIf the above sounds remotely like an advice, then Iapologise.BazLuhrmannwascompletelyrightwhenhewrotethat‘adviceisaformofnostalgia,dispensingitisawayof fishing in thepast fromthedisposal,wiping itoff,paintingovertheuglypartsandrecyclingitformorethanitisworth.’

I just hope that all of those involved in EPIET andEUPHEM will keep enjoying what they do, keep theambition to learn and grow, also when teaching, anddaretokeepmovingforwardtogether.

Andusesunscreen.

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writtenby

IroEvlampidouandJavieraRebolledo

In 2015, more than 1 million refugees and migrantsreached Europe through theMediterranean Sea andTurkey.ThevastmajorityenteredGreeceandmovednorthwards through the Balkans to reach Hungary,Austria, Germany and the Scandinavian countries.Ninety-one per cent of the arrivals come from theworld’s top 10 refugee producing countries. Thejourney these people undertake is perilous and putstheminincreasedriskofdiseases.Chronicandmentalhealth diseases are also prevalent and needappropriateaccesstohealthcareandfollowup.

InlightofthisunprecedentednumberofrefugeesandmigrantsonEuropeanground,EANorganizeda2-dayworkshoponRefugeeandMigrantHealthon18&19June2016.Theworkshop tookplaceat the ScientificInstitute of Public Health (WIV-ISP), in Brussels,Belgiumand the venuewasoffered for freebyWIV-ISP. During 2 days, 13 invited speakers presentedaspects of refugee and migrant health issues to 28participants (19 EAN members, EPIET/EUPHEMfellows, 4 fromWIV-ISP and 7 external participants)fromaroundEurope.Thedaysconsistedofinterestinglectures and lively discussions, a plenary discussion,coffees,lunchesandagreatcoursedinner.

Theworkshopaimedtoprovidetoparticipants:

•Anoverviewof the socio-demographicandhealthprofileofrefugees/migrantsenteringEurope

• An understanding of refugee/migrant relatedphysicalandmentalhealthissues

• An insight on EU migrant health policies andrecommendations and EU citizen’s perceptions onrefugees

*EAN mini-module: Refugee and Migrant Health workshop*

• An overview of surveillance systems and healthscreeningprogramsinEUcountries

•An understanding of cultural issues related tomigranthealth

Participationandcontent

The morning of Day 1 started with Ricardo Mexia (EANBoardmember)welcomingall attendantsand introducingus to the topic of refugee and migrant health. IroEvlampidou (MSF, Belgium) and Malika Bouhenia(Epicentre, France) presented the socio-demographicprofile and medical and mental health problems ofrefugees and migrants in Greece, Serbia and Calais inFrance.DavidKitching(AudienceNet,UK)talkedabouttheEU citizens’ perceptions on refugees and the variety ofviewsheldamongtheEuropeancountries.

Thedaycontinuedmorefocusedoninfectiousandvaccinepreventable diseases in refugees and migrants (IroEvlampidou).EricWeerts(HandicapInternational,Belgium)spoke about the chronic diseases and violent injuriesencounteredinsuchpopulationsintheirprojectsandtheirrehabilitationneeds.Afterlunchwegavespecialattentiontothementalhealthneedsofrefugeesandmigrants(StellaEvangelidou, Universitad Autonoma de Barcelona, Spain).Isabel de la Mata (European Commission, Belgium) andSofia Ribeiro (WHORepresentation to the EU, Belgium)presentedEUandWHOactivities in relation to refugeeandmigranthealth.MarieDauvrin(InstituteofHealthandSociety, Université Catholique de Louvain, Belgium)highlightedthedifficultiesrefugeesandmigrantsarefacing

*EAN mini-module: Refugee and Migrant Health workshop*

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in accessing health care and Soorej JosePuthoopparambil (International Maternal and ChildHealth (IMCH), Uppsala University, Sweden)underlined the physical andmental health problemsofimmigrantsandrefugeesindetentionfacilities.

ThedayendedwithaSkypesessionfromAdilQureshi(UniversityHospitalValld'Hebron,Spain)aboutcross-cultural understanding of health needs and culturalmediationinhealthsettings.

Day 2 was more focused on the epidemiology andassessments of refugee health status and needs(Malika Bouhenia, Epicentre) and a lecture on thehumanitarian information and surveillance systemsfor refugee andmigrant health (Karin Taus, AustrianAgency for Health and Food Safety (AGES), Austria).Additionally,10participantspresentedaspectsofthehealth checks/screenings (Germany: Dagmar Ziehm,TheGovernmentalInstituteofPublicHealthofLowerSaxony;Belgium:Amber Litzroth& JavieraRebolledo(Scientific institute of Public Health, Belgium), andsurveillancesystemsforrefugeesandmigrantsintheircountries of work (Greece: Yorgos Theocharopoulos,Institut de Veille Sanitaire, France; Portugal: RicardoMexia, Instituto Nacional de Saúde dr. Ricardo Jorge(iNSA), Portugal; Poland: Janusz Janiec, NationalinstituteofPublicHealth,Poland;Austria:KarinTaus,Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety(AGES),Austria; Germany: Durdica Marosevic,Bayerisches landesamt für Gesundheit undLebensmittelsicherheit, Germany; Norway: BernardoHerrador, Norwegian institute of Public Health,Norway). Finally, Ana Leonor Zamora Sarabia sharedwith us her experience from a refugee camp inNorthernGreece.

At the end of workshop in Day 2, there was a free-style plenary discussion about the challenges andprospects in the monitoring, prevention and

management of refugee/migrant health in EU in 2016.Therewerelivelyandinterestingdiscussionswhichleadto a decision by the members of the workshop toproduce a position statement about refugee/migranthealthinEurope.

Post-workshop

Overall, 96% of participants who responded to anevaluation survey (n=28, response rate 68%) said theywere either “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with theworkshop.Themajorityofresponders(over89%),ratedthe logisticsorganizationof theworkshopas “good”or“very good” and all respondent rated the overallscientific programme and the lectures as “good” and“verygood”.

Forthoseofyouwhocouldn’tmakeit,presentationsinpdfformatarecurrentlyavailableforactivemembersontheEANwebsiteandpresentations invideo formatwillbealsosoonavailableonthe‘membersarea’oftheEANwebsite. We will send the information to the networkwhen the video presentation will be uploaded on thewebsite.

The Board would like to thank the Belgian Institute ofPublic Health for hosting the workshop and providinghelp for the logistic and practical things (printing,booklet, coffee breaks, etc.). The Board would like tothank as well Iro Evlampidou (cohort 2012), foraccepting to co-organise with Javiera Rebolledo thissuccessfulworkshop, providing her valuable knowledgeonthetopicandinvestinghertimeinit.

Aside from the fruitful exchanges and inspiringdiscussions, the workshop was another great

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*EAN mini-module: Refugee and Migrant Health workshop*

opportunitytogetEANmemberstogether, tomingleand strengthen our network. This emphasises thatmini-modules are not only a great opportunity todeepenourepi-knowledgebutalsotostrengthenournetwork.

We asked participants and speakers to tell us theirviewsontheworkshop.Hereiswhattheysaid:

Participants’Testimonies:

“The workshop was a timely and relevant initiative.Thepresentationsanddiscussionduringthetwodayshighlighted (once again) the importance ofunderstandingthatwetalkabouthumanbeingswhenweareusing the ‘cold’ termmigrationandmigrants.Weknowthatpersonswhoare inneedofprotectionhave the right to health and the governments theobligation to ensure the fulfillment of theirrights.What the workshop helped us to understandwasthe role that epidemiologist and public healthprofessionals can play to balance the bureaucracywithin national and international bodies.” IvonneCamaroni,EPIETcohort4

Speakers’Testimonies:

“EAN’s Refugees and migrants health workshop was a well-organized, topical event. Almost all of the presentations were based on practical, rather than theoretical, experiences of the speakers. The best part of the event was the discussion/Q & A sessions where the participants could discuss almost any issue of relevance, practical or theoretical, and get answers and suggestions from colleagues with extensive experience from the field. I would definitely recommend the event to anyone who is interested to know what is happening on the ground and how to tackle those challenges.” Soorej Jose Puthoopparambil,International Maternal and Child Health (IMCH),UppsalaUniversity,Sweden“The EPIET Workshop on “Refugee and MigrantHealth” has been an enriching experience forme

bothasaparticipantandaspeakeroftheevent.Itsuccessfully combined a public health and apatients’ needs-centered approach thanks to themulti-disciplinary panel of speakers and the opendiscussionsgenerated.Theexcellentorganizationoftheworkshop facilitatedanadequateenvironmentwhere participants and speakers had the greatopportunitytoexposedilemmasandquestionsandfurther, address them by proposing multi-levelrecommendationsforaction.Asafacilitatorofthesession “Mental Health Needs of Migrants andRefugees” I was pleased to observe the immenseinterest of epidemiologists andotherpublic healthspecialists on the protection ofmental health andpsychosocial well-being of the target population,amidst their multiple needs, with a view toimplementefficientmentalhealthandpsychosocialneeds assessments that are culturally competent.”Stella Evangelidou, Transcultural Mental Health &Psychosocial Specialist Autonomous University ofBarcelona - Department of Psychiatry; Barcelona,Spain

The success of this workshop strengthens ourcommitment to continue organising relevantworkshops/mini-modules for our network. Wethereforeencourageyou,asEANmembers, tocontactusifyouhaveideasforfuturemini-modules,ifyoucanprovide your expertise to organise similarworkshops/mini-modulesinyourownareaofexpertiseor if you (or your institution) can potentially host amini-module. So, if you are motivated just drop us aline at eanboard@gmail.com. We look forward tohearingfromyou!

*News from the Board*

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*upcoming EAN Travel Grants for ESCAIDE 2016*

Aseveryyear,EANwilladministertwocompetitivetravelgrantstoallowepidemiologistsandpublichealthmicrobiologists fromacross theworld toattendESCAIDE.Thesegrantswillallowourcolleagues from lowand middle income countries, who might otherwise be unable to attend ESCAIDE to participate in theconferenceandmakeavaluableinternationalcontribution.

Please,helpuswithspreadingthewordamongyournetwork!!

LetyourcolleaguesfromaroundtheworldknowandencouragethemtoapplyfortheEANtravelgrant.

Thisyear,EANwillsupportagaintwotravelgrantsforESCAIDEtofacilitatetheattendanceofprofessionalsfromlow-incomecountrieswithacceptedabstractsattheESCAIDE.Eachgrantisonlyavailabletoapplicantswhoarenotabletoobtainsponsorshipfromelsewhere.SincetheTravelGrantfundsforESCAIDE2015werefullyused,withnofundingleftover,theEANBoardismakingeffortstoensureasufficientamountofgrantsfor ESCAIDE 2016. To ensure funding, every year we fundraise among our network, cohorts, etc. to getexternalfundingtosupportthetravelgrants.Lastyearmorethan700eurowasraisedbycohort16.So,ifyouwouldliketofollowintheirfootstepsandyouareinterestedinvolunteeringtofundraise(amongyourcohortorbycontactingpossibleinstitutional/companysponsors)oryouwouldliketomakeaTravelGrantDonation,pleasedo sousing thebankdetails below, and clearly reference thepayment as “TravelGrantDonation”soourtreasurersareawarewhatthefundsareintendedfor;orcontactthetreasurersbysendinganemailateanboard@gmail.com.

Wearelookingforvolunteerstohelpwiththischallengingbutrewardingandhopefullyfruitfultask!

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ActivEpi Web: free online Epi textbook

ActivEpi Web, an electronic textbook forteachingepidemiology,availablefreeon-line

ATLANTA ….ActivEpi Web, a multimedia electronictextbookthatprovidesaninteractiveresourcetolearnthefundamentalsofepidemiology, isnowavailableon-lineatnocost.

David Kleinbaum, Ph.D., professor of epidemiology atRollins School of Public Health at Emory University,originally developed ActivEpi in 2001 as a CD Rom.Because many computers no longer have CD capability,KleinbaumconvertedittoaWebformat.

“I consider this text an important educational gift toanyone, anywhere in the world and hope it has a majorimpact on education in the health, medical andmathematical/statistical fields,” said Kleinbaum who haswritten seven epidemiology textbooks andwon numerousteaching awards during his 40-year career. “I hope itprovides a clear understanding of how epidemiology linksthe health and medical sciences with mathematics andstatistics.”

ActivEpi includes 15 lessons with narrated instructionalexpositionsthatusevideoandanimation;interactivestudyquestionsandquizzes;andhomeworkexercises.

Topics covered include study designs, measures offrequency and effect, potential impact, overview ofvalidity,selectioninformationandconfoundingbias,effectmodification,analysisof2x2 tables,options for controlofvariables, stratifiedanalysis,matchingand introduction tologisticregression.

HealthprofessionalsandstudentsintheUnitedStatesandabroad have used ActivEpi for standard lecture courses,

online courses and individualized learning. A CDRomversionhasbeentranslatedintoSpanishforthePanAmericanHealthOrganization.

ActivEpi Web can be accessed athttp://activepi.herokuapp.com.Theauthor’swebsiteatwww.activepi.com provides further details aboutActivEpi Web and includes free Power Pointinstructionalmaterials

EUROACCOUNT(€20p.a.)

Bank:HSBCUKAddress:18LondonStreet,Norwich,NR21LG,UKAccountholder:EpietAlumniNetworkAccountNumber:71822755Sortcode:40-05-15IBAN:GB11MIDL40051571822755BIC/Swift:MIDLGB22

GBPACCOUNT(£18p.a.)

Bank:HSBCUKAddress:18LondonStreet,Norwich,NR21LG,UKAccountholder:EpietAlumniNetworkAccountNumber:43922782Sortcode:40-35-09

DON’TFORGET!!!Theannualmembershipfeeis€20/£18.

Fellowsintheirfirstandsecondyearoftrainingareexemptfrompayingmembershipfees,accordingtotheacceptedStatuteschangeatthe2012GeneralAssembly.

Thedetailsforhowtotransferfeesbyonlinebankingareonthispage;ifyourequireanyfurtherinformationon membership payment, we kindly ask you to contact the EAN board (eanboard@gmail.com), putting“membershippayment”inthesubjectline.

Pleaseindicateyournameandmembershipyearasreferenceinthebanktransferandalsosendanemailtoeanboard@gmail.comtoinformusaboutyourpayment(sometimesnamesarenotcorrectlytransmittedwiththetransfer).Thankyouforyoursupport!

EAN family

Annual EAN membership fees

Congratulations to EAN alumnus Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu (EPIETCohort9/2004-2006)whohastakenthepositionasDirectoroftheNigerianCDCafewweeksago!EANissoproud!

Prof.GérardKrausesentusapictureashewasthefirstoftheEANbunchtocongratulateChikweinpersoninAbuja!

ThepictureshowsChikweonhis5thdayinofficetogetherwith theSORMAS-teamwhile theyhada one week design thinking workshop in Abujathat SORMAS organized jointly with NCDC andNFELTP staff and field public health offers fromNigeriatomoveforwardwiththeSORMAS-openproject. SORMAS-open stands for “surveillance,outbreak response management and analysissystem”, the open source version of an earlierSORMAS. You may also recognize EPIET-fellowSalla,whoGérardsaystheyareveryfortunatetohaveintheSORMASteam.

IfyouwanttolearnmoreaboutSORMASsee:

http://www.sormas.org/index.php/en/