I-FETP Officers from NIPHTR Mumbai Complete Scientific Report Writing Workshop at NCDC New Delhi

The Third Contact Session of Cohort II of the Intermediate Field Epidemiology Training Programme (I-FETP) was successfully conducted at the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), New Delhi, from 2–6 February 2026, bringing together nine I-FETP officers from the National Institute of Public Health Training and Research (NIPHTR), Mumbai.

The intensive five-day workshop focused on strengthening competencies in scientific report writing and abstract preparation, equipping officers with essential skills for communicating epidemiological findings and public health evidence effectively. The session was facilitated by expert coaches and faculty from SAFETYNET.

The workshop commenced with an opening address by Dr Anurag Dhoundiyal, Public Health Specialist at SAFETYNET, who outlined the objectives and structure of the training programme. Technical sessions throughout the week guided officers through the key components of scientific and epidemiological report writing.

The first day focused on developing the Introduction section of epidemiological reports, facilitated by Dr Betsy Varghese, followed by a hands-on session on reference management and citation using Zotero conducted by Dr Gopi K and Dr Anurag Dhoundiyal.

On the second day, Dr Bhavesh led the session on writing the Methods section, while the third day focused on Results writing, facilitated by Dr Aby Robinson, SAFETYNET Epidemiologist at NIPHTR Mumbai. The afternoon session addressed the Discussion and Conclusion sections and was conducted by Dr Gopi K.

A major highlight of the workshop was the interaction with Dr Ranjan Das, Director of NCDC, on the fourth day. Dr Das shared valuable insights on scientific reporting and manuscript preparation, providing participants with practical perspectives on scientific communication in public health. This was followed by a dedicated abstract writing session facilitated by Dr Srividya K, after which officers worked on drafting abstracts for their respective studies.

The final day of the workshop was devoted to refining epidemiological reports and finalizing abstracts for submission to IPHACON 2026.

The successful completion of the workshop reflects the continued commitment of the I-FETP and SAFETYNET to strengthening field epidemiology capacity and advancing scientific communication skills among public health professionals.