The Eastern Mediterranean Public Health Network (EMPHNET) is a member of the Strategic Leadership Group (SLG), an initiative launched by the Training Programs in Epidemiology and Public Health Interventions Network (TEPHINET) in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2021. The SLG’s purpose is to provide high-level leadership and accountability for the Global Field Epidemiology Roadmap. The SLG works to drive the progress of the FETP Enterprise—a vast, multi-partner undertaking that includes the development, implementation, and evaluation of FETPs around the globe.

Participating on behalf of EMPHNET, Executive Director Dr. Mohannad Al-Nsour joined the Second Annual In-Person Meeting of the Strategic Leadership Group (SLG) at the WHO Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence (the WHO Pandemic Hub), Berlin, Germany, on June 22–23, 2023. Dr. Mohannad leads the group which focuses on the development of a cadre of specially-trained FETP fellows and alumni for rapid response to health emergencies.

The SLG is comprised of 14 global health leaders, in addition to the two co-chairs—Rebecca Martin, PhD, Director of CDC’s Center for Global Health, and Dr. Ibrahima Socé Fall, MD, PhD, MPH, Assistant Director-general for Emergency Response at the World Health Organization (WHO).

The SLG will advance global disease surveillance, detection, and response by monitoring the need for change and enhancement of the FETP Enterprise; developing action-oriented guidance, recommendations, and standards; and commissioning specific work to develop tools, systems, and policies.