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The FEiA team wishes everyone all the very best over the holiday season. It has been great connecting with like minded colleagues from all over the world, and what a privilege to spend another year working alongside our amazing colleagues in the Pacific. We look forward to staying in contact next year.

Participants from the 2nd Frontline FETP workshop in West New Britain.

HIGHLIGHTS

• The second Frontline FETP workshop recently concluded in West New Britain Province. Participants presented findings from their field projects and continued their OneHealth training. They have one more fieldwork phase, and a final face-face workshop.

• Sandaun Province (West Sepik) launched their Frontline FETP. This OneHealth Frontline FETP brings together workers from public health, animal health and environmental health sectors to learn about and conduct disease surveillance and outbreak investigation. Frontline is an exciting new initiative, with Sandaun the second province in Papua New Guinea to pilot this four-month program. Prior to the workshop, facilitators met for a week to tailor the training materials specifically for the local Sandaun context. Following the workshop, trainees will undertake field projects to strengthen disease surveillance using a OneHealth lens. They will also engage directly with the communities they serve to establish and strengthen long term relationships.

• A virtual workshop for graduates of the advanced FETPNG was held on abstract writing in preparation for next years TEPHINET conference in Australia and the Medical Symposium in PNG.

• Rapid Response Team training continues. It’s been a phenomenal effort this year with RRT’s now established in 16 provinces, with ~240 team members completing the 2-day initiation training. Work on the 5-day competency based curriculum is underway; this program will commence in 2023. Plans are also underway to train the national RRT in early 2023.

UPCOMING

• Sols FETP Annual Monitoring meeting will be held in December. Participants from the Sols FETP cohort 2 will meet for a day and a half workshop to reflect on their learnings so far.

STORIES FROM THE FIELD

After the graduation of the advanced Field Epidemiology Training Program in PNG earlier this year James Flint, FEIA Program Coordinator, reflected on the challenges and achievements of the graduates over a turbulent 3 years.

CENTRING WOMEN IN THE PLANNING AND DELIVERY OF FIELD EPIDEMIOLOGY TRAINING PROGRAMS

As part of FEiA’s work furthering gender equality, FEiA Program Manager Rachel Mather is undertaking a PhD at the Australian National University. On 17 November she completed a Thesis Proposal Review; the first major milestone of her PhD journey that presented the background to her project and research plan.

Rachel is using a Participatory Action Research approach to explore how experiences of field epidemiology training programs (FETPs) may differ by participants’ gender. She aims to use the findings to work with key FETP stakeholders to design safe, inclusive and empowering FETPs, in support of gender equality.

Slides shared from FEIA Program Manager, Rachel Mather, in her PhD Thesis Proposal Review.

NEW VIDEO

aFETPNG graduate, Richard, reflects on his training and how it helped prepare him for a pandemic response.

PHOTO OF THE MONTH

We were thrilled to hear the news of the safe arrival of Steph’s baby girl. Congratulations Steph & Tommy!