Folkhälsomyndigheten (FOHM) - EPIET

Moa Rehn (main EPIET supervisor) 
Tel. + 46 10-205 21 16

The Public Health Agency of Sweden (PHAS) has a national responsibility for public health issues and works to ensure good public health. The agency also works to ensure that the population is protected against communicable diseases and other health threats.

Please visit the PHAS website for more information about the agency’s mission and responsibilities.

https://www.folkhalsomyndigheten.se/the-public-health-agency-of-sweden/about-us/our-mission/ 

The Public Health Agency of Sweden is an acknowledged training site for both EUPHEM and EPIET. The EPIET fellows are based in the Department of Communicable Disease Control and Health Protection and they will acquire experience in various epidemiological fields such as:

• Surveillance activities: The Public Health Agency of Sweden is responsible for surveillance of the notifiable infectious diseases but also gather information on some additional non-notifiable ones. Data collection for the surveillance activities is carried out through a national web-based surveillance system (SmiNet). Former EPIET fellows have been involved in routine surveillance for certain communicable diseases, setting up new surveillance systems or evaluating existing surveillance systems, as well as generating periodic surveillance reports.
• Outbreak investigations: County medical officers are responsible for investigating local outbreaks. However, The Public Health Agency of Sweden provides expert advice for epidemiological investigations for local outbreaks when needed. Coordinates the epidemiological investigation for national or widespread outbreaks and provide laboratory expertise. Previous EPIET fellows have been involved in both regional and national outbreaks, mainly on food- and waterborne diseases.
• Research projects: Many projects are ongoing in the agency and there are always projects on relevant topics in the pipeline for the EPIET fellows. He or she will have the responsibility for all the steps in at least one research study; to plan and design, collect data, analyse, interpret and communicate findings. Colleagues have extensive experience from previous research studies of various designs and will supervise the fellow and provide help and guidance when needed. In research studies as well as outbreak investigations, this unit has a close collaboration with statisticians who provide expert advice and answer statistical questions.
• The EPIET fellow can also get involved in teaching activities, such as giving lectures and facilitating case studies within training programmes hosted at The Public Health Agency of Sweden or at collaborating agencies or Universities.
• Seminars, workshops and forums on epidemiological or public health-related topics are organised regularly at the agency. The EPIET fellow is welcome to participate in daily update meetings on current outbreaks and threats, weekly meetings of all epidemiological queries.
• The Institute has large laboratory facilities including biosafety lever 4 and has nationwide responsibilities for diagnostics concerning many infectious agents. Epidemiologists work closely with the microbiologists and there are opportunities for the EPIET fellow visit the laboratories to get a better understanding for different laboratory aspects of relevance for epidemiological investigations.
• The EPIET fellow will be provided with a personal PC with relevant software programmes.
• The agency is well-located geographically, on the campus of the renowned Karolinska Institute, and the university library is situated only a couple of minutes’ walk away. ECDC is also close by located 4 km from The Public Health Agency of Sweden .

Each fellow will have a specified supervisor but will also be assisted by other experienced epidemiologists, microbiologists and statisticians in the different projects where the fellow choses to participate in.

Supervision is coordinated by Moa Rehn, EPIET alumnus (2012-2014).

Former and current EPIET fellows may provide further information. Please refer to the contact person or to the Fellowship Faculty Office for more details. 

English will go a long way in Sweden. For hands-on experience in outbreak investigations, as well as to work in the national surveillance system, Swedish language knowledge is an advantage.

Number of EPIET fellows trained at the institute: 27 (1995, 1996 [2], 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 [2], 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012 [2], 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021). Currently the agency hosts one EU-track EPIET fellow and one MS-track EPIET fellow.

Number of alumni at the institute: seven (January 2024)