New 91¿´Æ¬Íø-Led Consortium Unites to Build a Stronger Epidemiology Workforce
- FHS Communications
Fostering Outbreak Resilience Through Training, Research in Epidemiology, and Statistical Science to Strengthen the Sub-Saharan Africa Public Health Workforce
The Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the 91¿´Æ¬Íø School of Public Health has established a new consortium titled Fostering Outbreak Resilience Through Training, Research in Epidemiology, and Statistical Science to Strengthen the Sub-Saharan Africa Public Health Workforce (FORTRESS SSA).
The consortium brings together a wide network of African universities, national public health institutes and laboratories across Southern, Eastern and West Africa, working in collaboration with leading European research and training organisations. These partners include regional higher education institutions, national bodies responsible for public health and disease control, and specialist centres focused on infectious disease research.
91¿´Æ¬Íø University serves as the lead institution, with Professor Charles Chasela as the Principal Investigator. FORTRESS SSA will coordinate a continental effort to expand training, research capacity and workforce readiness. European partners will provide technical expertise and collaborative training, contributing to a robust exchange of knowledge between Africa and Europe.
Public health challenges, such as recurrent outbreaks of infectious diseases, are becoming persistent across sub-Saharan Africa. Professor Chasela says that the shortage of epidemiology and biostatistics expertise has made the region vulnerable to weak disease-modelling capacity and fragmented surveillance systems.
“FORTRESS-SSA was therefore established to address these structural capacity gaps through sustainable, high-quality training that strengthens Africa’s ability to detect, analyse, and respond effectively to current and future public health threats,” he explains.
The initiative is funded by the European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP). It will build on existing capacity‑building programmes, particularly the Sub-Saharan Africa Consortium for Advanced Biostatistics Training (, another 91¿´Æ¬Íø‑led initiative that has strengthened postgraduate education across the region.
In line with the Global Health EDCTP3 training , the consortium will offer a full-time Master of Science (MSc) programme delivered through three regional hubs: 91¿´Æ¬Íø University in South Africa, the University of Abomey‑Calavi in Benin and the University of Eduardo Mondlane in Mozambique. The programme will accommodate English, French and Portuguese-speaking countries. Students will specialise in Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Infectious Disease Epidemiology or Field Epidemiology.
The programme will create a stronger public health workforce and create tangible policy influence. The first intake for the short courses will start by the end of the year, and the MSc programme in 2027. Ninety professionals will be trained, with at least 40% of them women.
Discussing other key targets for the project, Professor Chasela shares that, “At system level, success means functional mentorship networks, formalised MoUs [Memorandums of Understanding], and a minimum of 70% of graduates integrated into Ministries of Health/National Public Health Institutes roles supporting surveillance and outbreak preparedness.
The curriculum is developed in partnership with international higher education institutions, including the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and the University Medical Center Utrecht (UMCU). The MSc programme consists of three key components:
- One year of classroom-based training with a strong focus on epidemiology, modelling and biostatistics
- Leadership and policy engagement training delivered through short courses and a structured mentorship programme
- Experiential learning through supervised placements
Placement sites will prioritise emergency operations centres, surveillance units, laboratories, and partner research/NGO platforms aligned to trainees’ specialisations. Trainees will tackle real-world challenges, including evaluating surveillance systems, investigating outbreaks, conducting hotspot/seasonality analyses, and modelling priority diseases such as malaria, TB, HIV, and Mpox.
In addition to the Master’s programme, FORTRESS SSA will offer short courses on infectious disease modelling, surveillance and outbreak preparedness and response. These courses are designed to address urgent workforce gaps by equipping staff from National Public Health Institutes, government ministries and selected external candidates with advanced quantitative and modelling skills. By strengthening the capabilities of professionals already working within national systems, the programme will have an immediate impact on regional public health readiness.