[Infectious disease epidemiology education and training Programs. FETP and EPIET]

The German Field Epidemiology Training Programme (FETP) and the European Programme for Intervention Epidemiology Training (EPIET) were founded to develop a network of epidemiologists for the surveillance and control of communicable diseases. During their 2-year training, FETP or EPIET fellows are based at the Robert Koch-Institut or other European host institutes and have to conduct outbreak investigations, carry out surveillance and research projects and publish the results. Since 1995, all 22 FETP and 94 EPIET fellows have conducted and published numerous outbreak investigations, surveillance and research projects, for example on pathogens inducing salmonellosis, influenza, SARS or avian influenza. Currently, 70% of FETP and EPIET alumni are working in key positions in communicable disease control on a regional, national or international level. The German FETP and the European EPIET programme offer high quality practical training in applied epidemiology. The expert knowledge of the alumni of both training programmes will be incorporated into the new European Centre for Disease Control (ECDC) and determine the future direction of infectious disease epidemiology in Germany and Europe.