The scientific training strategy developed by Santé publique France aims to address collective and forward-looking needs for skills development and to support the evolution of the professions required to carry out its missions (prevention, health promotion, health impact assessment, monitoring of the population’s health status, surveillance and early warning, preparedness and response to health crises, expert analysis, etc.).

It includes:

• internal scientific training tailored to the Institute’s needs (introductory courses on the agency’s professions, training modules, monthly scientific seminars, mentoring), in coordination with the Human Resources Department and in collaboration with the agency’s scientific departments;

• external contributions to the training of stakeholders in the national public health network, and in support of the agency’s departments. For example: the agency is a partner of the EHESP, funds the Health Promotion Chair, and participates in the EHESP’s continuing education modules on health promotion. Santé Publique France is also involved in the IDEA applied epidemiology course, organized with the School of Advanced Studies in Public Health (EHESP), in collaboration with the Center for Epidemiology and Public Health of the Armed Forces (Cespa) of the Armed Forces Health Service and the Epiter association;

• training for medical reservists, which focuses on acquiring and developing both cross-disciplinary skills (medical reservist) and job-specific skills (e.g., surgery during overseas missions) to enable them to respond to health emergencies in a wide range of areas: emerging infectious diseases, hospital reinforcement, medical repatriation of French nationals, etc.

Specific partnerships with EHESP, the Armed Forces Health Service, the Directorate General for Civil Security, and training organizations help optimize these unique programs.

The agency also offers distance learning options in the form of MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses). The MOOC “Promoting Physical Activity Among Youth and Combating Sedentary Lifestyles” was thus aimed at professionals in healthcare, education, local governments, and sports associations (two sessions in March–April 2015 and 2016).

At the international level, the agency actively participates in the ECDC’s EPIET program (European Programme for Intervention Epidemiology Training) by contributing to the program’s scientific coordination and hosting interns.
Finally, the agency contributes to university programs such as the Master’s 1 and 2 programs in public health and epidemiology at ISPED, the Kremlin-Bicêtre Summer School, and the Francophone Summer University in Public Health in Besançon, organized by the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy of Besançon and the Franche-Comté Regional Health Agency. Each year
, the agency hosts public health and pharmacy interns, as well as master’s and doctoral students.