In December 2024, the CDC Foundation Data Impact Program conducted two communication training sessions at Bangladesh’s Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control, and Research (IEDCR) in Dhaka.
The first session, a Scientific Communication Training-of-Trainers (TOT) workshop, took place from December 2–5 and was attended by seven mentors from IEDCR. During this session, participants reviewed and practiced the content of the 5-dayScientific Communication workshop, which they were set to facilitate in January2025 for 19 graduates of the Field Epidemiology Training Program. The training also covered adult learning concepts, instructional strategies and coaching/mentoring techniques. This TOT workshop empowered the mentors to effectively teach and engage future trainees, ensuring sustainable knowledge transfer within IEDCR and a long-term positive impact on the organization’s ability to communicate scientific information effectively.
The second session, a Risk Communication workshop, was held from December 8–10 and involved 18 medical officers, scientific officers and assistant professors from IEDCR. The workshop aimed to enhance Bangladesh’s capacity to respond to disease outbreaks and public health emergencies more swiftly and effectively by using key risk communication tools. Participants learned how to apply risk communication principles when engaging with various target audiences. Specifically,they learned how to communicate important health messages, speak with the media and connect with different groups of people, making it easier to build trust and respond effectively during public health challenges.
The workshop combined didactic sessions with hands-on group activities. At the start of the training, participants were divided into four groups, each selecting a “mock” public health issue affecting Bangladesh. The topics chosen were dengue fever in Dhaka, antimicrobial resistance in intensive care units, air pollution in Dhaka and diphtheria vaccination. The groups conducted audience analyses, developed public health messages and practiced media interviews based on their selected issues. The impact of the training was clear as participants became more confident and skilled in communicating risk and felt better equipped to handle real-life situations and respond quickly to future health emergencies.
