National Center for Epidemiology - as a training site

Description of the institute

The National Center for Epidemiology, Budapest, Hungary (NCE) is a governmental institution The geographic focus is the national level, as well as subnational level. The Hungarian name is Országos Epidemiológiai Központ or just OEK.

Mission

The mission of the OEK is to protect population health by numerous tasks, including research activities, training and practical activity in the field of communicable disease epidemiology, and to provide valid data on communicable diseases for decision-makers, health professionals and information to the public. NCE is also a national public health microbiological reference laboratory center. These reference laboratories have the task of maintenance of strain collection, sera bank, preparedness for rare pathogens, molecular-epidemiological typing of most important pathogens, scientific advice, training, accreditation, national and international operations, quality assurance, organization of national proficiency testing and participation in  international ones, continuous development, built in cold capacity, international relationship for up-to-date information.

The Center was established on 1 January 1998 and has approximately 209 employees including nearly 107 graduates. Divisions and departments of the Center are headquarters in the field of epidemiology of infectious diseases. Although an independent body, the OEK is attached to the organizational structure of the National Public Health and Medical Officer Service.

The main tasks and present activities of the Center

• Communicable disease epidemiology 
• Surveillance and control of communicable disease
• Organization and coordination of epidemiological and laboratory surveillance programmes
• Organization of the nation-wide collection of epidemiological data, and laboratory samples
• Participation in EU networks of epidemiological surveillance and of reference laboratories
• Elaboration and implementation of the regional and national strategies in communicable disease prevention and control
• Elaboration of recommendations and guidelines for public health intervention
• Advice and technical support to district Public Health Authorities

Research activities

HIV/AIDS in Hungary; National Surveillance of Nosocomial Infections; National Surveillance of antibiotic resistance; Genetic background of antibiotic resistance; Pheno- and genotyping of most important human pathogens (viruses, bacteria, fungi, parasites); Vaccine preventable diseases; Monitoring of health status of Hungarian population; Chronic viral infections; Training in communicable disease epidemiology and microbiology.

Training opportunities

The training opportunities include participation in surveillance programs, in data analysis of national reported data on communicable diseases and on laboratory results. The fellow has the opportunity to spend necessary time in laboratories and gain basic knowledge on sample processing and microbiological diagnostic methods, teaching, and publishing articles. Trainees have the opportunity to participate in a wide range of outbreak investigations. Field work is expected to be done in cooperation with colleagues in public health centres. All necessary support including computer equipment, communication and library facilities are available.

Training supervision

For the EPIET/EUPHEM fellow a work plan is elaborated, which advancement is supported by the head of the center, they regularly discuss the next challenges. The fellow is based in the department/division that he had chosen in his project (Hospital Epidemiology, Epidemiology, Division of Virology, Division of Bacteriology, Parasitology, Mycology, Phage and molecular typing), but he/she can work in other units too. A practiced medical epidemiologist/microbiologist directly supervise the fellow, and he/she can ask for help from any experts of the institute if necessary. He/she can participate in trainings, useful programs, conferences organized in the institute and in other places in the country.

Language requirements

English. Conversational skills in Hungarian are welcome, even if in field investigations the fellow is working together with a Hungarian colleague.

Training history
Number of EPIET fellows trained at the institute: 3 (2006-2008; 2010-2012; 2011-2013)
Number of EPIET MS-track fellows trained at the institute: 1 (2011-2013)
Number of alumni at the institute: 2

National Center for Epidemiology as training site - flyer