Carrying Forward the Past and Forging Ahead with Resolve: 2025 China Field Epidemiology Training Program Annual Conference Held in Shanghai

On 21 and 22 August 2025, the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China Academy of Preventive Medicine) convened the 2025 China Field Epidemiology Training Program (CFETP) Annual Conference in Shanghai.

Lei Zhenglong, Director of the Department of Communicable Disease Control of the National Disease Control and Prevention Administration, Wang Jianwei, Director of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (President of the China Academy of Preventive Medicine), and Zhang Hao, Deputy Director of the Shanghai Municipal Health Commission and Secretary of the Party Leadership Group and Director of the Shanghai Municipal Administration of Disease Control and Prevention, attended the opening ceremony. The opening ceremony was chaired by Director Wang Jianwei. Nearly 700 participants took part in the conference, including representatives from international organizations, universities and medical institutions, the CFETP and provincial Field Epidemiology Training Programs (FETPs), the Hong Kong, China FETP and the China Veterinary FETP, as well as FETP fellows and mentors from Thailand and Singapore.

In his opening remarks, Director Lei Zhenglong fully acknowledged the important contribution made by the China Field Epidemiology Training Program. He stressed the need to accurately understand current tasks, keep pace with the high quality development of disease control, strengthen systems thinking and keep up with the times. He called for stronger support for trainers, a focus on practice oriented training and the development of cross cutting competencies, so as to further strengthen core capacity in field epidemiological investigation.

In his keynote address, Director (President) Wang Jianwei reviewed the founding mission of the CFETP and the main measures taken to put it into practice. Using case examples, he discussed the programme’s value and training results in responding to public health problems. He set out clear expectations for future development in four areas, namely clarifying the programme’s positioning, strengthening quality, deepening cooperation and enhancing support for administrative decision making.

The conference invited the Director of the Training Programs in Epidemiology and Public Health Interventions Network (TEPHINET), as well as leaders responsible for FETPs at the Department of Disease Control of the Ministry of Public Health of Thailand, the Singapore Infectious Diseases Management Division, the Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, and the China Animal Health and Epidemiology Center, to share their experience in establishing and developing FETPs. Senior experts from the World Health Organization Representative Office in China, the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China Academy of Preventive Medicine), provincial CDCs, universities and the China Tuberculosis Society delivered thematic presentations on such key areas as the response to public health emergencies, cutting edge research and application in digital and intelligent health, immunization programmes, environmental health, One Health, tuberculosis prevention and control, and health workforce development, providing participants with forward looking perspectives and practical insights.

The conference received a total of 719 abstract submissions, of which 53 were selected for oral presentations and 79 for poster presentations. During the meeting, participants engaged in lively discussion and in-depth exchange.

Since 2006, the CFETP has held its annual conference for twenty consecutive years. The conference has not only provided an academic platform for provincial FETPs across the country to share experience, present results and plan joint development, but has also become an important bridge for cooperation between China and global and regional FETPs, sharing Chinese experience and contributing Chinese insight to the improvement of global public health governance.

Director Lei Zhenglong of the Department of Communicable Disease Control of the National Disease Control and Prevention Administration delivering the opening remarks[Photo/chinacdc.cn]

Experts delivering the keynote and thematic presentations[Photo/chinacdc.cn]

Scenes from the conference[Photo/chinacdc.cn]

Group photo of the 2025 China Field Epidemiology Training Program Annual Conference[Photo/chinacdc.cn]