What is FELTP?

The incorporation of epidemiology AND laboratory training makes the Caribbean Regional programme a FELTP = Field Epidemiology AND Laboratory Training Programme.

Globally, Field Epidemiology Training Programmes ("FETPs") are widely recognized professional development programmes for public health professionals, based on service and on-the-job learning in applied epidemiology.

The Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) was the first FETP, established by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control in 1951 to address a shortage of skilled epidemiologists in the public health workforce. There are now more than 71 national and regional FETPs and FELTPs around the world.

The goal of the Caribbean Regional FELTP is to provide a core curriculum of competency-based classroom learning and on-the-job training, to develop field epidemiology skills and tools to respond to public health issues in the Caribbean through surveillance, outbreak investigation, and operational research and analysis.

The Caribbean Regional FELTP is structured in three tiers: Level I is a 5-month programme that provides basic training in applied epidemiology, public health laboratory science, and communications. Level II involves 12 months of learning and fieldwork in the same content areas, at an intermediate level, and introduce competencies in the areas of teaching and mentoring. Level III will be a full two-year "fellowship" programme. At each tier, Trainees will spend about 20% of the time in the classroom, and the remaining 80% of their time on the job, implementing what they have learned and demonstrating their skills while providing service to public health organizations.

The CR-FELTP is designed for health professionals from diverse backgrounds, who want to contribute to building Caribbean capacity to implement evidence-based health actions and policies, to prevent disease, promote and protect health.

What Can FELTP Do?

  1. Deliver actionable information for determining public health policy and programming
  2. Build and link the systems that are fundamental to containing emerging health threats that may affect national, regional, or global health
 

Shared FETP/FELTP Goals

  • Support “learning through doing” in public health organizations
  • Help countries build sustainable capacity for detecting and responding to urgent public health issues Country-owned and tailored to meet the public health needs and infrastructure of each country
  • Build capacity for training other healthcare professionals, supporting a culture of service
  • Contribute to a global network of FE(L)TPs, to facilitate information sharing and professional development

Building Individual Competency → Building Public Health Capacity

Competency

"An integrated set of knowledge, skills and attitudes that support the successful performance of a job function"

 

FELTP in the Caribbean

Potential Benefits:

A cadre of well-trained public health professionals within the region who are able to carry out the following:

  • Improve public health responses to control disease outbreaks through technical coordination
  • Support post-disaster/emergency public health surveillance
  • Strengthen surveillance and health systems within countries
  • Conduct operational research on communicable and non-communicable diseases to inform health policy in the Caribbean
  • Introduce new and advanced laboratory technologies to support laboratory surveillance
  • Promote effective collaboration and communication between key stakeholders in country to strengthen public health response

Team

Dr. Laura-Lee Boodram
Head CR-FELTP, CARPHA

Resident Advisor CR-FELTP
boodrala@carpha.org

Mrs. Donna Frank-Pierre
Programme Assistant

Administrative Consultant
frankdon@carpha.org

Ms. Candice Barrow

Training and Development Officer
Training and Accreditation Consultant
barrowca@carpha.org