When a disease spreads, everyone sees the consequences – the case numbers, the headlines and press briefings, the emergency measures and public health interventions – but in reality, most outbreaks are stopped in their tracks, because public health specialists detect and respond to them before they become front-page news. And that’s because someone keeps probing for more information, and asking the right questions, someone like Dr Temel.
“Field epidemiology is a constant state of scepticism,” explains Dr Fehminaz Temel, Unit Supervisor of Türkiye’s Field Epidemiology Training Programme (FETP). “You keep asking why, who, when and how. You cannot immediately believe everything you read. You question it.”
A public health specialist with a sub-specialty in field epidemiology, Dr Temel has worked in the programme since its establishment in 2012. Today, she leads FETP, under the Ministry of Health of Türkiye, overseeing the training and deployment of field epidemiologists across the country.
But the strength of the programme does not rely on instinct alone. It is built on structured, extensive preparation. At the core of outbreak epidemiology is the need to bring outbreaks under control and prevent the further spread of disease.
Practical training
The Health Security in Türkiye Project is a European Union- and WHO-funded initiative aimed at strengthening capacities through integrated preparedness and response to epidemic threats of all origins, in line with international standards.
Under the project, implemented by the Ministry of Health, FETP fellows are equipped with practical tools that turn suspicion into scientific evidence. From the use of Geographic Information Systems and disease modelling to applied epidemiology, the training –supported by WHO technical expertise – is designed for immediate use in the field.
Rather than abstract lessons, the training provides the tools that allow epidemiologists to recognize patterns others may overlook, model how diseases might spread and identify risks before they escalate.
Engaging communities
FETP in Türkiye is largely female-dominated, not by design but by evolution.
“More women apply to the programme,” Dr Temel explains. “It is demanding work. You must apply what you learn in the field. It requires long hours, sometimes sleepless nights– something many women are already accustomed to managing in different aspects of life.”
She describes how diversity strengthens decision-making: “When you knock on a door, the presence of a woman can make participation easier. During surveys or interviews, communities can feel more open and engaged”.
Positioned within the Ministry of Health of Türkiye, the programme translates training into real public health action. The trained workforce was mobilized following the February 2023 earthquakes in southern Türkiye, supporting affected provinces from the acute emergency phase through longer-term public health recovery.
But monitoring was only part of the effort.
“At the same time, we were strengthening our capacity in the provinces. We were training local teams, guiding them and ensuring that each province had qualified professionals who knew how to detect and manage outbreaks,” says Dr Temel.
That was when preparedness became visible.
Passing knowledge forward
The strength of the programme lies not only in training, but in continuity and sustainability. Dr Gülşen Barlas knows this. She began as a fellow in 2013, completed the programme in 2015, and has been working as a mentor ever since.
“Clinicians treat individual patients,” she explains. “Epidemiologists protect communities.”
Mentorship is constant; surveillance systems are reviewed together; outbreak investigations are discussed in real time. Fellows present their findings nationally and internationally.
“It gives us great satisfaction to watch them [fellows] identify the cause of an outbreak, recommend control measures, and present their work. You see the impact of what they have learned,” says Dr Balas.
Many fellows later return to provincial health directorates or central units within the Ministry of Health, becoming the trained eyes and analytical minds responding to infectious disease events in their regions.
Seeing beyond the numbers
For Dr İrem Zengi, one of the fellows, the experience has shaped both her professional perspective and her personal understanding of public health.
“We work with data,” she says. “But data is never just numbers. Behind every number, there is a person.”
A public health specialist, her field experience began during the COVID-19 pandemic and continued after the earthquake in Hatay Province.
“The field is dynamic. You must always be ready. You have to respond quickly. And when you see the result of your intervention, it brings immense professional satisfaction,” she says.
During outbreak investigations, she saw how these trainings are put into action.
“You analyse the data and notice something others might not see. You ask the right questions. One question can change the entire narrative.”
She describes the investigation process as detective work, connecting the dots, identifying patterns and uncovering causality. But one memory stands out: while assessing temporary settlements after the earthquake, she was approached by a woman who felt she could not share her concerns with anyone else.
“She told me she felt more at ease speaking to me,” Dr Zengi recounts.
In that moment, it became clear that access in the field is not only about authority or technical expertise, but also about trust.
The programme, she says, has made her more inquisitive and more observant, able to look beyond the obvious and recognize that numbers represent lives.
Strengthening health security through continuity
Through collaboration with WHO and international networks, such as the Training Programs in Epidemiology and Public Health Interventions Network (TEPHINET), the programme aligns national implementation with global health security standards. After the Advanced FETP was internationally accredited in 2022, Türkiye is expanding provincial-level capacities and recently launched the Frontline FETP tier, marking another step in strengthening field epidemiology capacity.
As Dr Priyakanta Nayak, Coordinator, WHO Health Security in Türkiye Project, notes: “The women of the Türkiye FETP continue to demonstrate that leadership in public health is built step by step, case by case, community by community. As the Turkish proverb says, ‘Damlaya damlaya göl olur’ – drop by drop, a lake is formed.
“From Frontline FETP, where surveillance skills are sharpened at the provincial level and rapid responses begin, to Advanced FETP, where complex analyses, strategic leadership and national-level coordination take shape, and each milestone reflects growth, commitment and impact. Every outbreak investigated, every dataset analysed, every field visit conducted and every FETP fellow mentored adds another drop to a growing lake of expertise and resilience.
“The strength, professionalism and steady determination of FETP fellows are not only improving health security in Türkiye, they are building a continuum of excellence from frontline practice to advanced leadership, inspiring the next generation of field epidemiologists to rise with confidence and purpose.”
The true measure of health security is not only how a country responds to an outbreak, but how many outbreaks never happen at all. And in training programmes, coordination centres and field sites across Türkiye, field epidemiologists continue asking the questions that prevent the next crisis.
The publication of this story was co-funded by the European Union. Its contents are the sole responsibility of WHO and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union. This story was developed by the WHO Country Office in Türkiye.