Free Public Health Infectious Disease Training

I have exciting news if you are a Texas healthcare nerd whose heart skips a beat at the words “infectious disease.” I love studying things like how to measure the virulence of an infectious disease outbreak, so I was thrilled when I discovered a wonderful opportunity for Texas residents in the science of disease surveillance and public health data analytics: the Texas Epidemic Public Health Institute’s (TEPHI) free Pandemic Preparedness certification offered through the University of Texas-Houston School of Public Health.

And even better, the certification is free for Texas residents.

So far, I am loving the material. 

As I wrap up the second course, I’ve especially enjoyed the examples that relate to Texas history – like the town of Sanitorium, Texas, where Tuberculosis patients used to come from out-of-state to take advantage of the dry air and West Texas weather.

There are four classes plus a virtual capstone in the Certification program:

• Foundations of Epidemiology
• Foundation of Infectious Disease
• Surveillance of Infectious Disease
• Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response

The instruction is top-notch, and it includes free Certified Nursing Education (CNE) credits, as well as access to current electronic textbooks for no additional charge. All the courses are asynchronous, so it works around any schedule.^[1]

What’s not to love?

You only need to be a Texas resident with a high school diploma to take these courses, but the material is offered at an undergraduate level of instruction. So, if studying unusual parasites is right up your alley, then these courses are an amazing way to obtain free continuing education credits and acquire some fascinating new knowledge.

^[1] Texas Epidemic Public Health Institute (2024). Certificate Program. https://www.tephi.texas.gov/training/index.htm.