Canadian Field Epidemiology Program Evaluation: Survey and Interview Data

Filled with results from a mixed-methods evaluation of the Canadian Field Epidemiology Program (CFEP). It includes survey responses from 24 graduates and interviews with 22 graduates, 15 placement supervisors, and 13 managers, covering the period 2018-2023. The data details program outputs such as 145 outbreak investigations by trainees and 48 by graduates.

Use Cases

• Analyze the relationship between CFEP competency domains and post-graduation employment as an epidemiologist using survey data.
• Examine the frequency and types of surveillance system enhancements (evaluated, enhanced, or implemented) reported by trainees (91%, n=20).
• Investigate the contributions of graduates to strengthening disease surveillance and outbreak response systems as reported by placement site supervisors and current managers.
• Study the adoption of new analytical tools like R and advanced data visualization introduced by trainees, as noted in qualitative interview data.

Strengths

• Mixed-methods design triangulates quantitative survey data from 24 graduates with qualitative interviews from 50 total participants.
• Provides specific counts of program outputs, including 145 outbreak investigations by trainees and 48 by graduates.
• Includes detailed outcome metrics such as 75% (n=18) of graduates employed as epidemiologists and 54% (n=13) progressing to supervisory roles.

Limitations

• Small quantitative sample size of 24 survey respondents limits statistical power for subgroup analysis.
• Data is confined to a single national program (CFEP) and may not be generalizable to other field epidemiology training contexts.
• The 20.9 KB file size indicates the dataset is a summary document, not the raw underlying survey or interview data.

Provenance

Source

James A. Flint via figshare.

Collection Method

Online survey of CFEP graduates and semi-structured interviews with graduates, placement site supervisors, and current managers.

Time Range

Evaluation covers graduates from 2018 to 2023.

Freshness

Covers graduates from 2018 to 2023; metadata last updated in 2026.

Geography

Canada.