The Task Force for Global Health

Respiratory Virus Prevention (RVP) Programs: COVID-19 Vaccine Implementation Program (CoVIP) In FY23, we received funding from CDC to continue to support up to 41 countries via technical support and/or subawards and we contracted 46 field consultants. During the year, the number of consultants and subawards decreased due to a reduction in funding and decreased need for consultants to support COVID activities but we ended the year with 20 consultants and we are supporting 27 countries via technical support and/subawards to support COVID related activities. The subawards are mainly focused on integrating COVID-19 into routine immune immunization systems. We also funded an additional 5 vaccine effectiveness projects. Specific technical assistance highlights are listed below: 1. Redeployed staff to support outbreaks of polio and other VPD, as well as vaccine introductions, campaigns, and preparedness plans for multiple antigens 2. Completed integration survey and submitted journal article (currently in review) 3. Presented at/participated in technical workshops nationally, regionally, and internationally 4. Led workshops/trainings on topics from infodemic management to rapid community assessment to data quality to AEFI surveillance 5. Contributed to design of Rapid Support Performance Tool for workforce needs "triage" with the workforce development team 6. Consultants served on national integration planning body in (at least) nine countries In August 2023, we received additional funding from the Global Immunization Division at CDC to support a health worker safety project in Zambia and to fund a partner to develop a rapid support performance triage tool. Longer-term Goal: To ensure that targeted low and middle-income countries are able to increase COVID-19 vaccine uptake in order to meet the following objectives: Objectives: 1. Reduce COVID-19 disease burden, 2. Enhance global health security, 3. Strengthen capacity to vaccinate in response to any future epidemic and pandemic threat Key performance indicators for FY23 are listed below: a. Over 2.5M does were administered via direct support in 14 countries, b. Close to 2000 people were mentored by staff and partners, c. We supported Knowledge, Attitudes, Practices and Perceptions surveys in 12 countries, d. We supported COVID-19 Post-Introduction Evaluations in 10 countries which led to program improvement workshops for 5 countries, e. 92% (11/12) of our sub award partners were very satisfied/somewhat satisfied with the sub ward support the country receive, f. 86% (6/7) of our country partners were very satisfied/somewhat satisfied with the technical support they received by our consultants. CARESAFE (A project funded separately to within the CoVIP project) Vaccine Related Events Projects: a. 4 countries -Ghana, Malawi, Uganda and Barbados and b. Adverse Events of Special Interest After Immunization Project: Chile The CARESAFE project exists within the context of the Covid-19 Vaccine Implementation Program (COVIP). This project builds on existing CDC and Task Force for Global Health (TFGH)/Brighton Collaboration (BC) areas of technical expertise. The aim of the CARESAFE Project is to work with low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) to strengthen their capacity for pharmacovigilance of COVID-19 vaccine adverse events following immunization (AEFI)/of special interest (AESI), as well as strengthen the capacity of LMIC to reliably and sustainably monitor the safety of vaccines. The CARESAFE project supports LMICs that have requested CDC support or have worked with CDC or The Task Force on immunization program strengthening in the past. CARESAFE received a Notice of Award from the CDC for FY22 to carry out work in Ethiopia, Chile, and Ghana. These funds were set to expire in September 2023 but the funds were approved to extend until September 2024. This will allow CARESAFE to wrap up activities in Chile in FY24. Partnership for International Vaccine Initiatives (PIVI) Number of PIVI partner countries: 17 (4 are new partner countries) 1. Influenza Vaccine Doses donated: 403,000 ($1,654,290) 2. Number of partner countries that received donated influenza vaccine doses: 12 3. Number of partner countries that received subawards: 12 4. Total sub award funding provided: $858,125 5. Number of partner countries transitioning from PIVI vaccine support: 6 Goal: Reduce the global disease burden from influenza and improve national and global capacity to respond to pandemics and other epidemic threats Objectives: 1. Partner Countries have increased programmatic experience and local evidence to inform government investment in, improvement of, and integration of national influenza vaccination programs 2. PIVI project team facilitates access to reliable and affordable sources of influenza vaccines for distribution to partner countries 3. Partner Countries are able to secure financial and in-kind resources for national influenza vaccination programs in alignment with their sustainability plans 4. Increased number of Partner Countries transitioning from PIVI vaccine support 5. Expanded number of Partner Countries included in PIVI program

The Training Programs in Epidemiology and Public Health Interventions Network (TEPHINET) Long-term Program Goal Foster a global network of FETPs that addresses worldwide gaps in country and regional epidemiological workforce capacity. Program Partners/Stakeholders/Clients CDC HQ, CDC Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS), Global field epidemiology training programs (FETPs), Accreditation Working Group, Universidad del Valle (UVG) of Guatemala, NCD Collaborative, GOARN-WHO, AFENET, EMPHNET, SAFETYNET, Central Asia Ministries of Health, South Caucasus Ministries of Health, India EIS, Colorado Center of Excellence, Colorado Public Health Department, One Health Zoonotic Disease Prioritization, COMISCA, REDSEC, REDSUR, Latin American MoHs (e.g. Ecuador MoH), CDC NPHI, Ukraine Public Health Center, Ethiopia Public Health Institute, Burkina Faso MoH, IANPHI, Pakistan NIH, CDC Eastern European and Central Asia regional office, Kyrgyzstan Ministry of Health, CARPHA, Georgia NCDC Program Activities TEPHINET Network Development Initiative, FETP Accreditation, Accreditation Scale-up, Monitoring and evaluation of FETP residents and alumni, Quality Improvement & Accreditation, Strengthening FETP monitoring and evaluation, Regional FETP Communities of practice, TEPHINET FETP Learning Strategy, Development of Health Equity Curriculum, Global FETP Frontline, Intermediate and Advanced support, Update Mentor's Curriculum, Curriculum & e-learning, FETP Training & Alumni Tracking, Support Mobilization of FETP grades, Credential FETP Graduates, Central America Building Capacity for Global Disease Detection, Pakistan COVID-19, Strengthening Early Warning Surveillance in South America, Pan respiratory disease surveillance, One Health curriculum pilot, Border Health Activities, South America Cross, Border ARD Surveillance, Public Health Bulletin-related activities in 5 countries, Ukraine NPHI Building, Critical COVID-19 Workforce Capacity, Georgia Assessing/Strengthening, Excess Deaths - Central Asia. Performance Measures Increased use of accreditation standards and internal quality improvement standards in FETP. Increased global networking and professional opportunities for FETP residents and graduates. Increased knowledge of importance of field epidemiology to health security among global and national partners and stakeholders. Established workgroups to develop governance structure, systems and mechanisms that results in coordinated common goals and objectives at global, regional and country level. Increased preparedness and involvement of FETPs in outbreak investigations, disaster response, and field epidemiology activities. Increased strategic guidance and technical assistance between FETP community members, including alumni and partners, on learning and capacity building related initiatives. Increased cross-border, regional, and global capacity for surveillance, outbreak detection, response and prevention. Regional and global networks have defined roles and work together in coordinated fashion to strengthen programs and FETP capacity. Improved prevention of avoidable pandemics: including naturally occurring outbreaks and intentional or accidental releases. Improved ability to rapidly detect threats early. Improved interconnected global network that can respond rapidly and mobilize effectively to public health threats. Improved preparedness for potential future outbreaks and other highly infectious diseases. Accomplishments with metrics Operational, consulting, workshops and/or training support implemented for FETPs across 6 WHO regions (AFR, AMR, SEAR, EUR, EMR, WPR) and more than 10 countries (Central America, Central Asia, South Caucasus, Vietnam, India, Columbia, Haiti, Kenya, Cameroon, Ecuador, Caribbean Region, Vietnam, Ukraine) Nearly 30 workshops and/or trainings were implemented globally for FETP frontline, intermediate or advanced tier trainees, trainers or mentors in collaboration with regional partners (particularly Caribbean and South American regions), with at least 1 virtual R epi training for Kazakhstan cohorts. 244 contracts executed by TEPHINET for program implementation. 25 global FETPs accredited by Dec 2022. 3414 active users on TEPHIConnect, the only global networking platform for FETPs. 4 new cohorts and/or FETP tiers were launched in 5 countries in the Latin American region (Colombia, Ecuador, Argentina, Chile, and Paraguay) 76 FETPs completed the Annual member survey that provides key FETP metrics such as number of graduates, cohorts, scientific publications, study tracks and program budgets. Supported FETP logistics for field work for at least 27 outbreak investigations in Kazakhstan, Georgia, Colombia, and Ecuador. Over 10 types of disease outbreak investigations supported (Foodborne disease, drug intoxication, enteric diseases, TAD, HCAI, dengue, measles, monkey pox, COVID-19, avian influenza, leptospirosis, bovine rabies, bovine brucellosis, AFP.) Multiple online course language translations supported or implemented to increase FETP knowledge accessibility. Execution of FETP International Nights (April 25-26, 2023) in person at the CDC EIS Conference for the first time since 2019. TEPHINET received 191 total abstracts. 201 attended in-person on night 1 and 234 on night 2. The event was live streamed on YouTube. As of May 3, 2023, night 1 garnered 1.4K views, and night 2, 1K. In partnership with the Executive Secretariat of the Council of Ministers of Health of Central America and the Dominican Republic (SE-COMISCA), TEPHINET held its 11th Global Scientific Conference in Panama from September 4-9, 2022, bringing together 600 in person and virtual attendees from 65 countries. The event featured more than 200 oral and poster presentations from FETP fellows and alumni, 14 plenary and keynote sessions, and 14 pre-conference workshops on topics including learning, quality improvement, emergency response, statistical analysis, impact evaluation and scientific writing. On September 7, 2022, TEPHINET led the second global celebration of the World Field Epidemiology Day, reaching more than 35 million people on social media and through events held across the globe. Two sessions were held during the 11thTEPHINET Global Scientific Conference in Panama, focused on the theme of Empowering Field Epidemiologists for Stronger Health Systems and reaching 600 people. In April 2023, TEPHINET published its 2022 Annual Report with the theme of "The Future of FETP: Building a Sustainable Health Workforce for Pandemic Preparedness and Response." The report was distributed online, and print copies were distributed at the EIS Conference. The report contains 7 stories demonstrating the role of FETPs in outbreak response. In May 2023, TEPHINET launched the theme for the 2023 World Field Epidemiology Day: "Increasing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Field Epidemiology." TEPHINET received five requests for assistance from GOARN. Over 230 FETP alumni submitted letters of interest. The South Caucasus Small Grants Program 2022-2023 awarded grants to 5 South Caucasus FELTP Alumni Association members. The topic area for this round of grants was "Emerging and Re Emerging Infectious Diseases". 12 monthly financial reports submitted to BST Project Officer at CDC.

Public Health Informatics Institute (PHII) provided direct services to the U.S. public health system through a cooperative agreement with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). This funding supported PHII and its partners in efforts to increase the capacity of public health informaticians and other public health leaders and practitioners to improve the collection, management and use of information and information technology for protecting and improving health and reducing disparities. Key activities included providing workforce development and online tools to state and local health departments on the subject of planning and initiating ongoing data modernization efforts; providing training to public health professionals in essential informatics competencies; creating a suite of new trainings for public health professionals sustaining daily operations of jurisdictional immunization information systems; and developing a playbook for assessing child and adolescent health within catchment areas. Additionally, PHII is an ongoing partner on a collaborative Gates Foundation-funded project that is collecting data to reduce childhood mortality across the globe; this project is working on mortality surveillance activities at sites in Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. PHII is also engaged with USAID funding for ongoing support of their information system for tracking neglected tropical diseases. PHII also launched two new projects this year: one involving an equity and racial justice-centered approach to community data distribution and collection in the U.S., and a Global Fund-funded project to strengthen early warning surveillance systems in several high-priority countries in Africa and Asia. This second project is intended to prepare and protect the global health landscape against future potential pandemics or other public health emergencies.

Additional accomplishments were made by other Programs that include the International Trachoma Initiative, Neglected Tropical Diseases, Global Partnership for Zero Leprosy, Children Without Worms, Coalition for Global Hepatitis Elimination, Mectizan Donation Program, Health Campaign Effectiveness, Partnership for Influenza Vaccine Introduction, Global Funders Consortium for Universal Influenza Vaccine Development,Voices for Vaccines, Brighton Collaboration, Polio Eradication Center, Focus Area for Compassion and Ethics, and MedSurplus Alliance. During the year, these programs worked towards preventing, controlling and eliminating diseases such as intestinal worms, leprosy, lymphatic filariasis, polio, river blindness, trachoma and viral hepatitis. The programs also protected the health populations of the people served by building strong health systems that can train qualified disease detectives, build evidence-based structures to get medicines and vaccines to people, and ensure that communities have the supplies and information they need to fight diseases. This is done through disease surveillance, information systems, medicines, medical equipment and supplies, operational research, outbreak response, seasonal influenza and pandemic preparedness, and vaccines.