224484 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)'s International Experience and Technical Assistance (IETA) Program: An innovative approach to enhancing workforce capacity in global health

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Prachi Mehta, DrPh, , PMP , Office of Surveillance, Epidemiology and Laboratory Services, Public Health Surveillance Program Office, Biosurveillance Coord, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA
Mitch Wolfe, MD, MPH , Global AIDS Program, Thailand Ministry of Public Health - U.S. CDC Collaboration, and CDC/Southeast Asia Regional Office, Nonthaburi, Thailand
Christine Jolley, MPP , Coordinating Office for Global Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA
Providing ongoing opportunities for continuing education and skills development remains the cornerstone for a well trained and qualified public health workforce. The International Experience and Technical Assistance (IETA) program at CDC offers qualified Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) public health professionals an innovative opportunity to apply their scientific, technical and program management skills in an international public health setting while learning what it takes to work successfully in an international assignment. Anecdotal evidence suggests that IETA has been successful in preparing professionals to work in overseas positions. Since its inception in 1996, the program has built a cadre of over 200 public health professionals qualified to work overseas. All HHS employees with their supervisor's approval are eligible to apply to this program; 20% of the placements are reserved for non-CDC HHS employees to ensure a well represented workforce from across the full agency. This poster will describe the evolution, structure and content of IETA while highlighting factors contributing to its success. A 2009 program participant's experiences in working overseas with the CDC Thailand Global AIDS Program will be presented to demonstrate how the program helped build her own capacity and that of the host nation to address health priorities. Similarities and differences between domestic duties and overseas experience will be discussed along with lessons learned, skills gained and future plans for working internationally. The IETA program model has potential application in other public health settings where there is a need to build internal workforce capacity in global health.

Learning Areas:
Diversity and culture
Public health or related education

Learning Objectives:
1. Describe the structure and content of a program that has been successful in building an internal workforce capacity in global public health. 2. Identify 3 key factors that contribute to the success of a program designed to build internal workforce capacity in global health. Describe differences and similarities in working domestically versus overseas.

Keywords: Global Education, Developing Countries

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am qualified to present because I participated in the International Education and Technical Assistance Program in 2009 and worked in the Global AIDS Program in Thailand as part of my assignment
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.