PERSPECTIVE article
Front. Public Health
Sec. Public Health Policy
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1654089
This article is part of the Research TopicAdvancing Public Health Preparedness and Response in the Eastern Mediterranean Region: Challenges, Opportunities, and Ways Forward – Insights from the 8th EMPHNET Regional ConferenceView all 6 articles
The Role of Public Health Networks in Strengthening Public Health Systems: The Case of EMPHNET in the Eastern Mediterranean Region
Provisionally accepted
Yousef Khader1*
Dana Shalabi2
Leen Daoud2
Deema Al Bakri2
Rana Hamawi2
Randa K. Saad2
Sayed Himatt2
Zeina Abdel Majeed2
Ruba Alsouri2
Nada Ahmed2Rabi Assaf2
Nadine Haddad2Sardar Parwiz2Majd Alsoukhni2
Haitham Bashier2Magid Al-Gunaid2
Mohannad Al Nsour2- 1Public Health, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan
- 2Eastern Mediterranean Public Health Network, Amman, Jordan
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The Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR) faces a range of complex public health challenges, including endemic diseases, recurrent outbreaks, and weak health systems exacerbated by political instability and humanitarian crises. Public health networks play a pivotal role in addressing these challenges by fostering collaboration, enhancing workforce capacity, and strengthening disease prevention and response systems. This manuscript examines the contributions of the Eastern Mediterranean Public Health Network (EMPHNET) as a model for leveraging public health networks to improve health systems and outcomes in the EMR. EMPHNET operates across multiple public health domains, including disease surveillance, routine immunization, polio eradication, emergency management, non-communicable diseases, neglected tropical disease (NTDs), and One Health initiatives. Through its strategic partnerships with ministries of health, international organizations, and academic institutions, EMPHNET has strengthened epidemiological capacity, supported mass vaccination campaigns, and advanced research and policy development. Notable initiatives include enhancing syndromic surveillance and implementing laboratory-based brucellosis surveillance. In addition to infectious disease control, EM-PHNET has made significant strides in maternal and child health, workforce development, and digital health innovations. It has supported national immunization strategies, developed digital health tools for real-time surveillance, and provided capacity-building programs for frontline healthcare workers. Furthermore, EMPHNET's contributions to biosecurity, antimicrobial resistance, and NTDs underscore its commitment to addressing both regional and global health threats. In conclusion, EMPHNET has emerged as a leading organization in strengthening public health systems in the EMR. Its work highlights the critical role of public health networks in building resilience, enhancing emergency preparedness, and improving population health outcomes.
Keywords: Public health networks, EMPHNET, Eastern Mediterranean region, disease surveillance, Immunization, workforce development, One Health, Health systems strengthening
Received: 25 Jun 2025; Accepted: 11 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Khader, Shalabi, Daoud, Al Bakri, Hamawi, Saad, Himatt, Abdel Majeed, Alsouri, Ahmed, Assaf, Haddad, Parwiz, Alsoukhni, Bashier, Al-Gunaid and Al Nsour. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Yousef Khader, Public Health, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan
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