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Epi-Ready Team Training Program

Epi-Ready Team Training is a nationwide initiative intended to provide up-to-date foodborne disease outbreak investigation and surveillance training to public and private sector environmental health professionals as well as other professionals that have collaborated in conducting foodborne disease outbreak investigations. The training includes group exercises, Q&A sessions, and didactic lectures conducted over 2 days.

For more information about this program, please contact Elizabeth Ostertag, Epidemiology Project Specialist at 860.357.2097 or eostertag@neha.org or Tom Dickey, Project Coordinator, at 701.277.4833 or tdickey@neha.org.

Epi-Ready Team Training Workshop

NEHA, in cooperation with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is pleased to offer a training opportunity for EH and PH professionals working in city, county, and state health departments, environmental protection agencies, and individuals from agencies or private companies that have collaborated with environmental health professionals in conducting foodborne disease outbreak investigations. The primary workshop objective is to present educational materials and implementation strategies designed to enhance the competence and confidence level of environmental health professionals. Training will include interactive group exercises, question and answer sessions, and didactic lectures on passive surveillance, outbreak determination, environmental assessment, epidemiological investigation, laboratory guidance, and final report writing. 

Fifty health professionals will be chosen as teams to participate at each regional workshop. Teams of participants should consist of no more than three individuals from at least two separate health disciplines (e.g. environmental health specialist, epidemiologist, laboratory representative, and public health nurse). Team applications are highly encouraged and will be accepted electronically once the specific regional workshop announcement is posted, generally 6-8 weeks prior to the training dates. If chosen, you will be expected to participate with your team throughout the workshop. Should you not be able to attend with a team, you will be placed into a team that is best suited for you. 

Train-the-Trainer

Due to time and funding, Epi-Ready can only train a limited amount of the EH workforce. Because of this, we have created Train-the-Trainer (TtT), an additional optional one day workshop that provides attendees with the skills to train a more customized state/local version of Epi-Ready to fellow EH professionals. Those teams wishing to become state/local trainers should ensure their team is composed of an EH professional, a laboratorian, and an epidemiologist who together possess the desire and abilities to teach large groups of students. Upon satisfactory completion of the training each team will receive a generic instructor’s version of the Epi-Ready course curriculum, PowerPoint presentations and a Training Guide. We also ask that teams commit to at their cost, conduct a workshop in their local jurisdiction within one year of attending the TtT. Epi-Ready Team Training is a prerequisite to the Train-the-Trainer (TtT) course and CE will be awarded at the completion of the workshop. 

Epi-Ready Team Training Workshop Schedule

Epi-Ready Team Training Program Resources Opportunities

• Epi-Ready Team Training Course Curriculum
• Epi-Ready Course Instructors
• Epi-Ready Team Training Past Workshop Information
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-Food Safety Office
• Food Safety Web-Based Resources

Epi-Ready Program Achievements

Epi-Ready is a Recipient of the 2008 Food Safety Leadership Award from NSF International  
NSF International (NSF) announced that NEHA’s Epi-Ready Team Training is a 2008 recipient of the Food Safety Leadership Award in Education and Training. NSF’s Food Safety Leadership Awards program recognizes key individuals and organizations who have demonstrated outstanding leadership in foodservice safety. As part of its ongoing commitment to help protect the public from foodborne illness, each year NSF recognizes groundbreaking food safety achievements.