The Mini-Symposium on Participatory Epidemiology (PE) at ISVEE 13 was well attended. For the keynote, the meeting room was filled to capacity with more interested people listening from the hall. Most people stayed on to hear the subsequent 6 papers. The topics covered included PE practice in research and surveillance as well as two papers evaluating PE methods. An application of PE in Japan looked at the psychological impact of the response to the last FMD outbreak there. PENAPH was interested to learn that the PE Manual has been translated into Japanese. Versions  now exist in English, Spanish, French, Russian and Japanese.

The presentations were followed by an open discussion that was frank and constructive. Participation in the discussion was very broad and covered topics like appropriate experimental design for validating techniques, ethical approval for research using participatory designs and PE as a tool to understand incentives and align stakeholder goals.

The PENAPH key note presentation can be viewed below or at Update on the Participatory Epidemiology Network for Animal and Public Health (PENAPH). The organizers for ISVEE 14 to be held in 2015 in Mexico have suggested a PE session and a pre or post ISVEE course. The bottom line is that participatory epidemiology has become conventional in epidemiology!