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Five Fast Facts on CSTE’s Updated Applied Epidemiology Competencies

Posted By Ben Warden, CSTE, Thursday, September 21, 2023
Updated: Thursday, September 21, 2023

15 Years and running...

In 2008, CSTE and CDC collaborated to create the first set of Applied Epidemiology Competencies (AECs). The goal was simple: Improve the practice of epidemiology within the Public Health system. The first step? Define the role of an epidemiologist and determine what skills are needed for each step in their career.

Of course, the world has changed drastically since 2008, so CSTE and CDC have partnered once again to update the AECs and ensure relevancy in 2023. If you’re hungry to get started, read the full report here. But if you’re short on time, here are five fast (digestible) facts about the update:

  1. We Heard You! – As part of the 2023 revisions, CSTE gathered feedback on the AECs from a diverse audience. We convened a 20-member expert panel, hosted six town halls with more than 200 participants, and distributed an online survey. In all, 43 states provided feedback.
  2. New and Improved Structure – The updated AECs now have an easier, more intuitive flow that builds in skill complexity as the tiers progress. This allows for a more practical and useful document that’s simple to understand. The competency format also includes a straightforward skill statement with examples, similar to the Core Competencies for Public Health Professionals
  3. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Infused in All Domains – Principles of health equity have been infused throughout the AECs. This includes emphasizing the application of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) principles for identifying populations, designing, analyzing, and interpreting epidemiologic surveillance data, and implementing public health actions to ensure health equity is at the forefront of epidemiology.
  4. AECs Can Help You Today! – The AECs are a great resource for recruitment and retention efforts in your health department. They can be used to create job descriptions, identify professional development opportunities, craft training plans, and more—tools that are more important than ever in this modern era of public health funding.
  5. More Resources are Coming! – The 2023 AEC rollout is just beginning. CSTE plans to create an accompanying toolkit that will include evaluation tools, templates for creating job descriptions, career portfolios and training plans, interview questions, and much more!

One thing that hasn’t changed since 2008 is CSTE’s commitment to a healthy, engaged, and informed applied epidemiology workforce. We are proud to present these updated AECs—which you can read in full here—and we look forward to releasing even more companion resources soon.

To read the full AEC report, please click here. For additional questions, please contact WFResources@cste.org.

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