South-East Asia Regional Conference on Epidemiology

Mini contact session of the FETP scholars
<strong>South</strong>-<strong>East</strong> <strong>Asia</strong> <strong>Regional</strong> <strong>Conference</strong> on Epidemiology | 329
and ensure use) as published in a special issue of the Mortality and Morbidity Weekly Report. Quality
assurance measures while managing the training programme and its management module include:
(a) documentation of all procedures, with peer review process; (b) continuous assessment by the
faculty of the acquisition of the competencies by the scholars; and (c) regular evaluation of the learning
activities by the scholars. Of the 80 scholars who joined the programme during 2001-2007, 69 (86%)
completed it. Of those, all produced at least one situation analysis and a programme evaluation report.
The results of a survey of the NIE graduates conducted in 2009 suggested that most graduates’ skills
in management had increased from being ‘aware’ (i.e. has been exposed) to being ‘proficient’ (i.e.
experience in the field to the point that one can implement without supervision). The limitations of
the approach are that (1) everyone cannot be a leader; (2) some people will not be placed in managerial
positions; and (3) the FETP course keeps a primary focus on field epidemiology; hence, it cannot
address everything.
Inclusion of a management core competency in the FETP course increased the skills of the
scholars in these disciplines. More importantly, as per the ‘learning through service’ concepts, the
field assignments helped bridge the FETP experience with the health system through a client-focused
situation analysis that served local decision-makers and the delivery of a programme evaluation report
that could be acted upon. Additional efforts are needed to: (1) further refine these modules through
continuous quality improvement to maximize benefit to the health system; and (2) scale up this kind of
approach for use in more epidemiology training courses. Lastly, supplemental management modules
could be considered as add-ons to the programme for those graduates who might need them.