ECDC Winter Workshop 2020 - The science of using science to support policy making for prevention and control of communicable diseases

The Winter Workshop will bring together country experts with various backgrounds to exchange experiences, views and gain knowledge and skills about how to inform policy makers in relation to preparedness, detection, assessment and control of public health threats with a cross-border dimension at the EU-level, in the area of communicable disease prevention and control.  

A similar workshop took place at the beginning of 2019. The results of the evaluation were very positive and improvements have been made to this 2nd edition of the workshop, taking into account the participants’ feedback.

Participants:

This is an invitation only course in which expressions of interest are channelled through the ECDC National Focal Points for Training. Participants shall commit to engage in some type of knowledge transfer activity in their country.

The 3 day training course covers the following key areas:

• Introduction to the policy process and evidence-informed policy-making.
• Designing a plan to enhance and support the use of evidence to inform and influence policymaking in the area of communicable disease prevention and control.

What will participants gain from attending the course?

Upon completion of the Winter Workshop, the participants should be able to:

• Identify research evidence as one of many factors that can influence policy making.
• Describe and interpret the main challenges public health professionals encounter in their member states to use science to inform policy makers at the national or local level.
• Share examples, from their own experience, of interventions that have effectively informed policy making for detection/assessment, preparedness, response/control or recovery in the field of infectious diseases.
• Identify evidence-based mechanisms to enhance and support the use of research evidence in policy making, including communication strategies.
• Design a contextually appropriate approach to enhance and support the use of research evidence to inform policy making in their member state.
• Prepare an activity to cascade learning in their institutions or country of origin based on the content of the workshop.

Pedagogical approach for the Winter Workshop:

• An online (through EVA platform) pre and post-workshop activity of 8 hours each is expected.
• Participants will be invited to actively contribute and if possible present their experience in the topics covered by the workshop.
• Interactive lectures from experts in policy making will provide the basis for discussions.
• A group work will be structured to design a strategy to enhance and support the use of research evidence in policy making.
• A structured breakout session will be dedicated to support the participants in developing a knowledge transfer activity in their professional setting.
• Opportunities for feedback from experts and colleagues (participants) will be integrated at different stages of the workshop.