Amman, June 17 (Petra) — The Ministry of Health, in cooperation with
the Middle East Network for Community Health (EMPHNET), on Wednesday
celebrated the graduation of two new cohorts of the Jordanian Field
Epidemiology Training Program, reinforcing national efforts to
strengthen public health capacity and disease surveillance.

A total of 11 trainees from the program’s 20th and 21st cohorts
completed the two-year training program, which covered epidemiology,
biostatistics, surveillance systems, communication, health economics,
laboratory sciences and biosafety, computer applications, and
scientific writing. With the latest graduates, the program’s total
number of graduates has reached 183 specialists.

The Jordanian Field Epidemiology Training Program is integrated
within the Community Medicine Residency Program, a specialty
accredited by the Jordanian Medical Council under the Jordanian Board
of Community Medicine, helping ensure the program’s sustainability
and institutional standing.

Graduates serve at both the central level and within governorate
health directorates. All governorates currently have at least one
program graduate working in the public health sector, making Jordan
one of the few countries regionally and globally to meet the
International Health Regulations benchmark of one epidemiologist per
200,000 people.

Secretary-General of the Ministry of Health for Primary Healthcare
and Epidemiology Riyad Shiyab said the Applied Epidemiology and
Community Medicine Program has become a cornerstone of the ministry’s
efforts to build specialized public health expertise and enhance the
efficiency of the national health system.

He said the program serves as a key source of support for the
ministry in epidemiology, public health and emergency response at
both the national and regional levels.

Shiyab noted that the program has helped prepare specialized
healthcare professionals with the skills needed to monitor diseases,
investigate outbreaks, analyze health data and support evidence-based
decision-making, strengthening the health sector’s preparedness to
address emerging challenges.

He said recent years have underscored the importance of developing
national expertise in applied epidemiology, noting that program
graduates played a leading role in Jordan’s response to the COVID-19
pandemic and contributed to studies and research that supported
health policymaking and improvements in primary healthcare services.

Shiyab added that Jordan has hosted trainees from several Arab
countries and contributed to the establishment of similar programs
across the region in cooperation with AMPHNET and the United States
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

He stressed that the graduates’ achievements reflect a national
commitment to protecting public health and enhancing the health
sector’s readiness to respond to future challenges, while commending
EMPHNET and other partners for their continued technical and
logistical support.

Director of the Center of Excellence in Applied Epidemiology and
representative of EMPHNET, Yousef Qaoud, reaffirmed the network’s
commitment to supporting the Field Epidemiology Training Program in
Jordan and similar initiatives across the region. He said the
program’s success reflects the long-standing partnership between the
Ministry of Health and EMPHNET, which has supported the program since
2011 and contributed to the development of comparable programs in
several countries.

Qaoud noted that the Jordanian program has hosted participants from a
number of Arab countries, fostering regional cooperation and the
exchange of expertise.

Since its establishment, the program received support from the CDC
between 1998 and 2011. Since 2011, EMPHNET has worked alongside the
Ministry of Health to ensure its continued growth, development, and
sustainability through technical and logistical assistance.

//Petra// AJ