Laboratory epidemiologist: skilled partner in field epidemiology and disease surveillance in Kenya

Although for over 20 years the Field Epidemiology Training Programs (FETPs) have provided a model for building epidemiology capacity in Ministries of Health worldwide, the model does not address laboratory training and its integration with epidemiology. To overcome this, Kenya added a laboratory management component in 2004, creating the first field epidemiology and laboratory training program (FELTP) to train both medical and laboratory epidemiologists. Laboratory management and epidemiology candidates were recruited from among degree-holding scientists at the Ministry of Health and trained in both applied epidemiology and laboratory management using a combination of short courses and extensive field placements. The course generated a cohort of laboratory epidemiologists with demonstrated capacity in disease surveillance and management of outbreaks. Early indicators suggest programmatic success: the start of laboratory-based disease reporting and better laboratory involvement in outbreak responses.