D - Email Invitation

Attachment D. E-mail invitation to participate in interview

From: [Name]

To: ELC Epidemiology and Principal Investigators

Subject: Assessment of the ELC Flexible Epidemiology Program – Invitation to participate

Dear [Name]:

Greetings! The ELC Assessment Team is conducting an assessment determine the utility of the Flexible Epidemiology Program, and its’ contributions in enhancing our nation’s state and local health department’s epidemiology capacity. The findings from this assessment will be used to demonstrate the value of this program, and make recommendations for improving the program to better support and sustain infectious disease capacity at the state and local level.

The ELC Assessment Team is inviting you to participate in this project. You and your state’s ELC flexible epidemiologist have been selected to participate in two separate, in-depth interviews with a member of the ELC Assessment Team. You have been selected because you share certain characteristics that will be relevant and important for this project. The interview will assess you and your state’s ELC flexible epidemiologist’s perspectives on the:

1. Value and utilization of this program,

2. Recommendations for program improvements.

The interviews will take place over the phone and last about 39 minutes. They will be recorded so that your responses are accurately captured, and then transcribed. Once the recordings are transcribed, they will be destroyed. There will be no information linking respondents’ names to the information collected. Information collected from the interviews will be aggregated into a final summary report. Responses will not be linked to individual respondents, or specific health departments. The final summary report is the only report that will be made available to persons outside of the ELC Assessment Team. The final summary report will be made accessible for you to share with your leadership and stakeholders, as well as other internal and external stakeholders of the ELC program. It may be used in other reports or presentations.

If you would like to participate, please contact Christina Chung at 404-639-3988 or via e-mail at [email protected] and let us know the best time to call you to arrange a time to speak.

We look forward to your participation in this important project.

Sincerely,