Competencies for One Health field epidemiology
The need for properly trained epidemiologists to strengthen country capabilities in disease surveillance, epidemiological investigations, and outbreak response is a requirement recognized by the global public health community. Veterinary epidemiology is also recognized as a priority by FAO and the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH).
The presence of an applied epidemiology training programme has been included in the World Health Organization (WHO) Joint External Evaluation (JEE) tool since 2016, further motivating countries to develop and strengthen these capabilities. Although organizations such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), WHO, FAO, WOAH, and the Training Programmes in Epidemiology and Public Health Interventions Network (TEPHINET) have established relevant curricula and accreditations, no internationally accepted One Health competencies exist for epidemiologists nor are there standardized curricula, evaluation and certification, or continuing education requirements for graduates. This results in graduates with varying competence and the dilution of the reputation of field epidemiology training programmes.
To fill this gap, FAO, WHO and WOAH have defined and developed these documents on field epidemiology knowledge, skills and competencies in a One Health context for reference and use by countries and regions when planning and reviewing a One Health field epidemiology training programme.
