Advancing Public Health in Rwanda through the Field Epidemiology Training Program

We are pleased to present the latest edition of the Journal of Interventional Epidemiology and Public Health (JIEPH) special supplement featuring articles from the Rwanda Field Epidemiology Training Program (R-FETP). This edition covers critical public health issues in Rwanda, highlighting past efforts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, address the challenges of HIV/AIDS, and improve maternal and child health. The articles offer valuable insights that can inform and inspire public health practitioners, policymakers, and researchers both in Rwanda and globally. This supplement comes against the backdrop of Rwanda´s efforts to build a competent national epidemiologic workforce through the Rwanda Field Epidemiology Training Program. FETPs are competency-based workforce development training programs aimed at improving the epidemiology capacity of Ministry of Health staff at all levels to prevent, detect, investigate and respond to public health priority issues[1]. Established in 2009, RFETP has so far graduated six advanced cohorts and 76 field Epidemiologists. The program also currently runs the intermediate and basic FETP training models at sub national levels. A total of 13 health