The EpiCap initiative intends to strengthen the capacity in analytic epidemiology at the University of Bergen (UiB), the Norwegian Institute of Public Health (external link), and Innlandet Hospital Trust (external link) in Norway and in collaborating institutions in India and Sub-Saharan Africa. Further, EpiCap will strengthen the pedagogic skills of young epidemiologists in collaborating institutions and support them to become better communicators of research findings. They will be engaged as co-facilitators in courses held by scholars such as Profs. Krista F. Huybrechts (external link), Matthew Fox (external link), Håkon K. Gjessing, Kåre Mølbak (external link), Tor A. Strand, and John Bradley (external link). In this endeavor, we will draw on research by and experience of two of UiB leading pedagogues, Prof. Arild Raaheim and Associate Professor Monika Kvernenes. The co-facilitators and course participants are expected to pass on their acquired competence on to others within and outside our consortium.
The EpiCap initiative emerges from CISMAC, the Bergen Centre for Ethics and Priority Setting in Health (BCEPS), and the Centre for International Health (CIH) at the Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care (IGS) of UiB’s Faculty of Medicine and the Department of Education at its Faculty of Psychology. The Society of Applied Studies with its Centre for Health Research and Development (external link) and the Indian Council of Medical Research (external link) with India’s premier epidemiologic research institute, National Institute of epidemiology (external link) are our partners in India. In Sub-Saharan Africa, our partner institution is Makerere University School of Public Health (external link) in Kampala, Uganda. Aligning with the Research Fairness Initiative (external link) and in accordance with the Research Council of Norway’s strategy on New Priorities for Global Health Research (external link), CISMAC will endeavor to work in close partnerships also with other low- and middle-income country (LMIC) research institutions to further develop this initiative.
A document which describes EpiCap in more detail is found here. (external link) This is a living document, and will be adapted based on the evolving EpiCap initiative, in response to new development in the field of analytic epidemiology and to the need of and contributions by the EpiCap partners.
In collaboration with ICMR National Institute of Epidemiology (external link), our latest course, “Advanced Epidemiology” (external link), was given by Professor Matthew Fox and supported by EpiCap co-facilitators in Chennai, India in January 2025.