Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists Launches Applied Epidemiology Competencies Toolkit

Today, the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE) released the Applied Epidemiology Competencies (AECs) toolkit, a free, interactive resource designed to help applied epidemiologists put the 2023 AECs into everyday practice.

The toolkit provides resources for health department supervisors and individuals to assess applied epidemiology knowledge, skills and abilities across the AEC domains and use the results to identify areas of professional development; inform performance reviews and training plans; and ultimately aid in career maturation, recruitment and retention. Specific components include:

• Toolkit worksheets to provide practical how-to steps to incorporate the competencies into recruitment and retention efforts in health departments 
• Job descriptions (including step-by-step instructions for creating competency-based job descriptions to attract the right candidates for the positions) 
• Worksheets for career portfolios and training plans, as well as competency-based interview questions specifically for the four tiers of epidemiologists
• Free course trainings on CSTE Learn 
• Online, interactive evaluation tools to determine knowledge gaps, inform performance reviews and more 

“The AECs and the toolkit are truly transformative for the field of applied epidemiology,” said Janet Hamilton, MPH, executive director of CSTE. “The competencies shine light on the field in a different way by bringing the unique realities and dynamic needs of those epidemiologists working in health departments into curriculum at schools of public health. And the toolkit, informed by these competencies, helps health departments by providing practical, real-life tools to recruit and retain the best possible people to do this work as efficiently and effectively as possible.”

The competencies that inform this suite of free materials have been cross walked against the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) accreditation standards. An expert panel guided the development of the competencies to help ensure that they meet the needs of the applied epidemiology workforce. The Public Health Foundation’s Core Competencies for Public Health Professionals served as a foundation in developing the AECs.

 This project is funded by Cooperative Agreement number NU38OT000297 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Public Health Infrastructure Center (PHIC). 

####

CSTE works to advance public health policy and epidemiologic capacity. We also provide information, education, and developmental support of practicing epidemiologists in a wide range of areas as well as expertise in program and surveillance efforts.

CSTE is an organization of member states and territories representing public health epidemiologists. CSTE works to establish more effective relationships among state and other health agencies. We also provide technical advice and assistance to partner organizations and to federal public health agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).