Curriculum in Pharmacoepidemiology Training Programs: A Cross-Sectional Study to Assess Educational Needs and...

Pharmacoepidemiology is a key discipline for evidence-based decision-making, yet its educational programs have not been systematically assessed for alignment with international core competencies. Our objectives were to evaluate curricula alignment of pharmacoepidemiology training programs with ISPE-recommended core competency themes and identify key curriculum content development areas.

The ISPE Core Competencies Workgroup and ISPE leadership developed a curriculum and needs assessment survey, incorporating feedback from global members. The survey was electronically distributed to leaders of pharmacoepidemiology training programs (e.g., department chairs and program directors) using the ISPE contact database, followed by snowball sampling to enhance representation. Institutional respondent characteristics were categorized by sector and geographic region. Competency mapping identified the most and least represented competency categories within curricula. Needs assessment responses were reported as proportions, and free-text responses were thematically analyzed, allowing for multiple themes per response.

Sixty-four institutions participated (73.4% academic programs, 18.8% industry/consulting, and 7.8% government/regulatory). Representation by global region was: 35.9% Europe, 29.7% North America, 23.4% Latin America, 7.8% Asia, 1.6% Africa, and 1.6% Gulf Region. Respondents prioritized developing standards in pharmacoepidemiology training curriculum in two areas-45.5% "Epidemiology" and 36.4% "Statistics, Analysis, and Data Science"-with few endorsements of other areas. The most represented competencies covered in curricula were "Statistics" (100%, 45/45) and "Study Design" (100%, 43/43). The least represented were "Advanced Modeling" (54%, 25/46) and "Professional Practice" (66%, 31/47). Key needs in pharmacoepidemiology curriculum centered around four themes: 33.3% (8/24) "Methods (generally)", 33.3% (8/24) "Analytical Skills," 16.7% (4/24) "Communication (writing, teaching)," and 25.0% "(6/24) Other (applications, new therapies)." Content type that would best support curriculum development, as ranked by 42 respondents, was: "Learning objectives with pre-packaged activities" 45.2% (19/42), "Recorded webinars/lectures" 28.6% (12/42), "Example syllabi" 21.4% (9/42), and "Reading lists" 4.8% (2/42).

This global assessment highlights critical gaps in pharmacoepidemiology training, particularly in advanced analytical methods and professional practice. ISPE has a unique opportunity to address these gaps by developing targeted educational activities and resources that enhance methodological rigor and practical skills.