Public Health Professionals Received Training on Environmental Epidemiology, Exposure Assessment
A training course given for the last four days on Environmental Epidemiology and Exposure Assessment was wound up here yesterday, October 5, 2023.
The training course, which was organized by The Ethiopian Public Health Institute (EPHI) and the Norwegian Institute of Public Health (NIPH) in collaboration with the Building Stronger Public Health Institutions program, is part of Building Stronger Public Health Institutions and Systems (BIS).
The organizers said that the training was given to public health professionals at the Ethiopian Public Health Institute (EPHI) with the objectives of equipping them with skills to recognize and respond to emerging environmental health threats and ultimately enable them to contribute to disease prevention and improved health outcomes.
The coordinator of the BIS-Ethiopia project, Dr. Eleni Papadopoulu said that the training aimed at contributing to the establishment of competent and resilient health systems underpinned by strong public health institutions.
“This collaboration is funded by the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD) and implemented by the NIPH,” Eleni said.
Deputy Director General of EPHI, Dr. Getachew Tollera, said that the training was organized to help build the capacity of EPHI health professionals in environmental epidemiology and exposure assessment. He urged all participants to actively participate in the training and get experience from global experts.
Dr. Getachew extended his gratitude and appreciation on behalf of EPHI and on his own behalf to the Norwegian Institute of Public Health (NIPH) and those who have been involved in the training.
“I should seize this opportunity to thank, particularly Tara and Lila (Eleni), and my Food Science and Nutrition Research Directorate for making this training possible. I would also like to thank the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD) for their financial assistance,” he said.
Participants in the training said that health professionals who are engaged in the research sector should regularly be provided with similar refresher and skill-upgrading training.
Closing the four-day training course, EPHI’s Food Science and Nutrition Research Directorate (FSNRD), Dr. Masresha Tessema, said that such a training course is very important to young researchers who face challenges in their day-to-day activities. The training was unique in its focus on environmental challenges like air pollution, climate change, sanitation waste management, and urbanization, according to him.
Dr. Masresha extended his gratitude and appreciation to NIPH, EPHI, BIS, and the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD).
“I should also thank all instructors for their unreserved efficiency in sharing their knowledge with the young researchers. Hadn’t there been their close collaboration and support, this training course would have never been a reality,” Dr. Masresha said.
Dr. Masreshsa also appreciated the active participation of the trainees. He promised that similar capacity building training would be given to EPHI researchers in the future.
Expatriate and local academicians and researchers at doctoral and professorship levels were involved in delivering the training, which has made its focus on environmental health challenges and priorities in Africa, exposure assessment, research methodology, ethics, evidence synthesis and literature reviews, science communication, and grant writing, among others.