Fellows attend annual Project Review module in Portugal

The module hosted by Instituto Nacional de Saúde (INASA gathered 93 participants, including 27 MediPIET fellows, 43 EPIET/EUPHEM fellows, three MediPIET supervisors from Montenegro, Lebanon, and Tunisia and 19 EPIET/EUPHEM facilitators.

The module aims at preparing fellows for doing scientific presentations, including at the upcoming European Scientific Conference on Applied Infectious Disease Epidemiology (ESCAIDE) that takes place in November 2023. Fellows learnt how to explain, defend, and justify their methodological choices, engage in scientific argumentation, and take on board scientific review and suggestions.  

The interactive group discussions in the module provided an excellent opportunity for the fellows to review their ongoing projects and receive feedback from peers.

Fellows also participated in a workshop on why it is important to publish scientific work and how to improve the chances of getting published in relevant journals. The workshop discussed the importance of using inclusive and sensitive language in scientific writing.

After completing the module, fellows should be able to deliver effective presentations, give and receive constructive feedback, and make relevant recommendations for public health based on the findings of their scientific work. 

Graduating MediPIET fellows 

Last year, ECDC talked to three Cohort 4 fellows, who will graduate in November 2023. They explained about the projects they are working on and how the MediPIET training programme has helped their professional development.

Besfort Kryeziu (Kosovo[1]) is a medical doctor and works at the National Institute of Public Health of Kosovo. He is a member of the COVID-19 Management Task Team, working at the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency Operation Center (PHEOC).

Lika Karichashvili (Georgia) works as a specialist at Georgia’s National Centre for Disease Control and Public Health in the division for HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis, STI & TB. She holds a bachelor’s degree in public health.

Lina Chaito (Lebanon) holds a master’s degree in public health and specialises in epidemiology and biostatistics. She works at the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health and is a part-time instructor of epidemiology and research methods at the Makassed University of Beirut.

[1] This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence