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Welcome to Idaho Disease Intervention training!

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Idaho Disease Intervention Basics

The Idaho Disease Intervention Basics training is a free, online, asynchronous course on disease intervention and public health. The training educates learners about public health and disease intervention through the lens of disease intervention specialist (DIS) work, a public health profession that entails contact tracing, partner services, and case investigation to address the spread of disease (most commonly, sexually transmitted infections (STIs)).

Check out the Idaho Disease Intervention course in the news with this article by the Northwest Center of Public Health Practice!

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What is the goal of the training?

The goal of this training is to educate Idahoans on disease intervention and encourage interest and competency in public health work.

Why should I take this training?

With this training, you can learn more about public health and disease intervention with an Idaho-specific focus. This training can help prepare you for a career in public health or further your knowledge on public health for an existing career. Once you complete the training, you will receive a certificate for your efforts.

How do I take the training?

The training can be taken in two ways. The training can be taken as a free, online, asynchronous course through CDC Train. Alternatively, you can take this training for credit through the University of Idaho (1 credit). The course prefix is Health and Safety 403 for undergraduate credit or 503 for graduate credit. Whether you take the training for course credit or not, you will need to create a free CDC Train profile to access the training.

What will I learn about in the training?

The Idaho Disease Intervention Basics training consists of five learning topics:

  • An introduction to DIS work
  • DIS communication skills
  • STI education
  • Health equity skills
  • DIS work in Idaho

How long does it take to complete the training?

The training is currently 40 learning hours. Depending on your learning speed, you may complete the course more quickly. CDC allows for 37 hours to complete the CDC portion of the training. The Disease Intervention in Idaho module will take 1 hour. There are ample opportunities to extend learning by reviewing additional resources provided in the training.

Team

Production Team

This training was developed in partnership with the Northwest Center for Public Health Practice.

  • Dawn Amos, Content Developer, University of Idaho
  • Helen Brown, RDN, MPH, Content Developer, University of Idaho
  • Nicole Dettmar, MSIS, M.S., Project Manager, Northwest Center for Public Health Practice
  • Kevin deVoss, M.A., Instructional Designer, Northwest Center for Public Health Practice
  • Lynda Freeman, D.H.Sc., Contributor, University of Idaho
  • Patricia Ho, Graphic Designer, Northwest Center for Public Health Practice
  • Sarah Manchanda, E-Learning Manager, Northwest Center for Public Health Practice
  • Nick Pinkham, Instructional Technologist, Northwest Center for Public Health Practice
  • Megan Rogers, M.S., Evaluation Manager, Northwest Center for Public Health Practice

F.A.Q

Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is a disease intervention specialist?

    A disease intervention specialist (DIS) is a non-licensed public health professional who conducts contact tracing, partner services, and case investigation to address the spread of disease. While DIS can investigate a variety of infectious diseases, they most commonly focus on sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Learn more about DIS.

  • The Idaho Disease Intervention Basics training offers an introduction to public health and disease intervention. The training was developed to educate Idahoans on disease intervention and encourage interest and competency in public health work. The training teaches learners about disease intervention through the lens of DIS work.

  • The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) made funding available to improve states' capacity to respond to communicable disease through contact tracing, partner services, and case investigation. This is the first DIS training developed for Idaho.

  • This training was developed by faculty and staff in the College of Education, Health and Human Sciences at the University of Idaho, in partnership with the Pacific Northwest Public Health Training Center.

  • The training focuses on five learning topics: an introduction to DIS work, DIS communication skills, STI education, health equity skills, and specific information about DIS work in Idaho. The training contains content from CDC Train's Passport to Partner Services, various other CDC Train modules, and an Idaho-specific training module.

  • The training is currently 40 learning hours. Depending on your learning speed, you may complete the course more quickly. CDC allows for 37 hours to complete the CDC portion of the training. The Disease Intervention in Idaho module will take 1 hour. There are ample opportunities to extend learning by reviewing additional resources provided in the training.

  • This training is free and available for anyone 18 years of age or older. The training is a good start for anyone wanting to learn more about public health and disease intervention work. This training is suitable for a broad audience: students (undergraduate, graduate, medical), public health professionals, community members, healthcare workers, non-profit organization leaders and staff, etc. Due to the sensitive nature of some of the content, this training was not designed for people under 18 years of age.

  • This is a completely online asynchronous training. All the modules for the training are located on CDC Train. You will need to create a free profile on CDC Train to access the training. You can take this training for credit through the University of Idaho (1 credit). The course prefix is Health and Safety 403 for undergraduate credit or 503 for graduate credit.

  • No, this training will not make you a certified DIS in Idaho. In Idaho, there is no certification required to become a DIS. There is currently no national training to certify or license a person as a DIS. The CDC plans to release a DIS certification exam in 2025. Completing this training will offer you an introduction to disease intervention and DIS work.

  • No. You should not conduct DIS work (e.g., partner services, contact tracing, and case investigation) independently. In Idaho, DIS work is only conducted by the seven Idaho Public Health Districts and the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare.

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