The Republic of the Marshall Islands Ministry of Health and Human Services is the latest health agency completing the Data for Decision Making (DDM) program. Eleven of the original 20 epi-technician candidates completed the program and their results are being submitted to the Fiji National University School of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences for post-graduate credit in applied epidemiology. The graduation ceremony was held on Friday, March 9, 2018.

The program consisted of five courses and multiple practical projects. These included mapping of “hot spots” for leprosy and tuberculosis, mapping service coverage for early childhood vaccine coverage, vitamin A and helminth mass treatment for children, protection measures for cervical cancer (including screening and vaccination of girls), institution of tracking system for cancer patients, productivity monitoring for medical staff, development of annual key performance indicators reporting system for the health sector, and development of a system for monthly monitoring of health programs performance and financial status. This program was delivered as a partnership between PIHOA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) with assistance in the performance monitoring projects from the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO).