Increasing Global Workforce Capacity: A New Outbreak Investigation Curriciulum Open Access

Buttolph, Jenna (Spring 2022)

Permanent URL: https://etd.library.emory.edu/concern/etds/wd375x50n?locale=en
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Abstract

The current pandemic has shed light on the need to increase the efforts in the Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA), a regulation recognized globally and support by large health organizations, including the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A component of the GHSA includes increasing workforce capacity, both at country and regional levels to ultimately lead to a safer, more secure world in the field of public health. A key tool to expand workforce capacity includes outbreak investigation training. These trainings allow for public health professionals to learn how to communicate with other personnel in the health field, properly respond to public health emergencies of international concern, and perform appropriate laboratory diagnostics and surveillance measures. Based off previous outbreak investigation trainings conducted globally, there is a need to review and/or repeat similar trainings due to the lack of educational adherence to materials presented by the respective implementers. This special studies project was developed to engage participants with an outbreak that has not been previously taught with a higher emphasis on collaboration with other professionals in the audience for a more interactive experience. The curriculum also offers a tabletop exercise, which is utilized for enhanced participation through an outbreak investigation simulation. This project offers a new perspective on how to train public health professionals in various settings, with the overall intent to increase workforce capacity and expand the GHSA globally. 

Table of Contents

Chapter 1- Introduction................................................................................................................ 1

1.1 Rationale and Problem Statement.............................................................................................1

1.2 Purpose Statement ..................................................................................................................2

1.3 Objectives...............................................................................................................................2

1.4 Significance Statement.............................................................................................................3

1.5 Relationship Between the GHSA and Outbreak Investigation Trainings........................................3

1.5.1 Understanding the Global Health Security Agenda...................................................................3

1.5.2 Current Data on Global Workforce Capacity............................................................................ 4

1.5.3 The Case Study .................................................................................................................... 5

1.5.4 Why This Case Study is Different........................................................................................... 6

Chapter 2- Literature Review ........................................................................................................ 8

2.1 Outbreak Investigation Curricula for Health Professionals that Relate to the GHSA......................8

Teaching Outbreak Investigations with an Interactive Blended Learning ......................................... 8

Case Study: Building a Microlearning Curriculum at WorldFish....................................................... 8

Clinical REsearch During Outbreak (CREDO) Training for Low and Middle-Income Count................. 9

2.2 Outbreak Investigation Evidence-Based Curricula that Have Hands-On Material .........................9

Teaching Epidemiology Concepts Experientially: A “Real” Foodborne Outbreak In the Classroom..... 9

Development of a Pandemic Awareness STEM Outreach Curriculum:

Utilizing a Computational Thinking Taxonomy Framework .......................................................... 10

Training for Foodborne Outbreak Investigations by Using Structured Learning Experience ............. 10

South Africa Field Epidemiology Training Program:

Developing and Building Applied Epidemiology Capacity, 2007- 2016............................................ 10

2.3 Outbreak Investigation Curricula with Specific Emphasis on

Medical and Public Health Personnel Communication...................................................................11

Improvement of DVM Curriculum to Meet OIE Recommendations at

Chattogram Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Bangladesh ............................................. 11

Training Ghanaian frontline healthcare workers in

public health surveillance and disease outbreak investigation and response................................... 12

Teaching Wildlife Disease Outbreak Response Through a Collaborative One Health Workshop......... 13

2.4 Summary...............................................................................................................................13

Chapter 3- Methodology ............................................................................................................. 15

Chapter 4 – The Actual Curriculum...............................................................................................18

Chapter 5- Discussion, Conclusion and Recommendations.............................................................20

5.1 Discussion......................................................................................................................... ...20

5.2 Conclusions..................................................................................................................... .....20

5.3 Recommendations.................................................................................................................21

5.4 Closing Statements............................................................................................................... 22 Sources..................................................................................................................................... 24

Appendix A: The Ugandan Case Study ........................................................................................ 26

Appendix B: The Outbreak Investigation Curriculum ................................................................... 33

Appendix C: The Tabletop Exercise .............................................................................................66

Appendix D: Photographs from the Outbreak Investigation Training at the

National Centers for Disease Control and Public Health (NCDC) in Tbilisi, Georgia......................... 68

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