Masters' Programme in Epidemiology and Biostatistics with Specialization in Disease Outbreak and Epidemic Response in sub-Saharan Africa

Epidemic-prone diseases are a global public threat particularly in sub-Saharan Africa where there is a scarcity of skilled public health workforce. The COVID-19 pandemic in Africa has informed the urgent need for a critical mass of well-trained epidemiologists and biostatisticians to respond to disease outbreaks and epidemics. The objective of the capacity building programme is to train a cohort of epidemiologists and biostatisticians across sub-Saharan Africa, who can collectively conduct routine surveillance, public health research and respond timeously to disease outbreaks. These EPI Fellows (early to mid-career researchers) will enhance the public health workforce capacity in NPHISs and National Ministries of Health to enable them to respond to outbreaks promptly. The Department of Epidemiology and Medical Statistics (EMS) at the University of Ibadan is well-positioned to provide competence-based training for Africans based on its 20-year track record of postgraduate training. The MPH Epidemiology and Biostatistics programme is supported by a consortium of academic and public health institutions in order to facilitate knowledge and competency-based training through a blended approach involving virtual and in-person modalities. This home-grown training will result in lower cost, better retention of graduates in the sub-Saharan Africa region, and an instructional focus and context that is relevant to each country. The 15 candidates (EPI Fellows) are public health practitioners working at National Public Health Institutes and National Ministries of Health as well as State Ministries of Health (SMoH). Medical doctors, veterinarians and graduates in the health sciences (pharmacists, laboratorians and biostatisticians) were admitted into the programme and they are currently on field attachment.  The EPI Fellows attended didactic lectures at the University of Ibadan (UI). A hybrid approach was used for the delivery of the lectures. This approach was adopted to allow the international partners (Institute of Cancer Research, UK, and University of Warwick, UK) to deliver the lectures and exercises.  The lectures were divided into two semesters (11 courses), each semester was also divided into two clusters (6 and 5 courses respectively). The fellows also participated in several online courses and presented at two national conferences. A proposal writing workshop was organised after the second semester examinations. Two workshops were organised for the Fellows: (1) How to make a power point presentation, and (2) Proposal writing. After these workshops, the Fellows made their pre-field seminar (research proposal) presentation, where each Fellow presented their proposed research. Following this, ethical approval was obtained. Currently, the Fellows are on a 6-month internship at various field sites.     On completion of the programme, the EPI Fellows will be skilled in infectious disease epidemiology concepts, have good research capacity in epidemiology and biostatistics, be prepared to analyse data and manage epidemic disease outbreaks, and produce forecasts and analytics to support public health decision making. They will also have enhanced research capacity in poverty-related diseases and in clinical trials across Africa. The EPI Fellows will remain in Africa for a minimum of two years after completing their studies to empower their countries.  The EPI Fellows will demonstrate good knowledge and application of statistical methods in epidemiological research and disease outbreaks; will have acquired skills in scientific reporting and practical experience to provide analytic and consultative services in epidemiology and public health research; acquired skills and practical experience to investigate epidemics and manage disease surveillance systems; developed skills in the design, organisation and management of epidemiological units as leadership and management skills; developed new methodologies and approaches for outbreak investigations and published in reputable peer reviewed journals to add to the body of literature on outbreak response in Africa. https://www.com.ui.edu.ng/index.php/prof-olufunmilayo-i-fawole/2-sample-data/712-masters-training-in-epidemiology-and-biostatistics-2021-2022-academic-year