Accredited train-the-trainer course kicked off

The first two training modules for public health epidemiologists and microbiologists were conducted on 21 – 23 May 2024 in Belgrade as part of the EU Twinning project. The trainings were accredited with the European Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (EACCME). Seven instructors came from the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) and the audience was comprised of representatives of key Serbian public health institutions. The training programme will continue in autumn 2024. It is expected that the trained Serbian public health professionals will adapt the acquired knowledge and skills to organize similar trainings for their colleagues in Serbia.

Human capacity is one of the core priorities of the Twinning project and one of the project’s three components focuses on strengthening the competences and skills of public health professionals engaged in the surveillance of communicable diseases in Serbia. Thorough preparations and deliberations commenced with the selection of target groups for the training, followed by planning and conducting a training needs assessment to identify the domains and topics of the trainings. Based on the identified needs and priorities, THL experts analysed their own capacities and expertise to respond to the Serbian counterparts’ expectations.  All these preparations and discussions took place during THL experts’ missions to Belgrade and by email.

Following a few months of the assessment and planning work, the first two educational modules for public health epidemiologists and microbiologists took place from 21 to 23 May at the Institute of Public Health of Serbia – “Advanced principles of applied communicable disease epidemiology” and “Basics of applied epidemiology for microbiologists”. The two trainings were conducted in parallel as some of the plenary and case study sessions were held jointly for both trainee groups to facilitate discussion and encourage collaboration between epidemiologists and microbiologists. The training material was based on ECDC EPIET/EUPHEM educational resources and THL’s own material and case studies. The organisation, content and methodology of the training was appraised by the trainees, who also suggested ideas and themes for future trainings.

The trainings have been accredited by the European Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (EACCME), and each of the 23 trainees received EACCME certificates and 16.5 European CME credits, which are also recognized nationally.

The training programme will continue in autumn 2024 and the discussions about the content and structure of the future training modules have already started.

It is expected that the Serbian experts, who will have completed the Twinning project modules, will later take the responsibility of cascade-training their colleagues.