Bridging continents: postgraduate infectious diseases training programs from central Europe to Southeast Asia

Öncü S. Erdem H. Tufan Z.K. Al-Abri S.S. Al Maslamani M. Alramahi J.W. Alrifai S. Alsuwaidi A. Ahmed A. Baljic R. Beović B. Civljak R. Duisenova A. Garashova D. Grozdanovski K. Harxhi A. Holban T. Kanj S. Kumar S. Kutmanova A. Mardani M. Memish Z.A. Miftode E.G. Namani S. Öncü S. Petrov M.M. Preveden T. Pshenichnaya N. Rahimi B.A. Oblokulov A. Taşova Y. Tsiodras S. Varghese G.M.
December 2025 Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH

Infection
2025 #53 Issue 6 2565 - 2585 pp.

Purpose: Increasing travel, climate change, spread of antimicrobial resistance and pandemics increased the need for well-trained infectious diseases (ID) specialists and qualified ID specialist training for protecting public health all over the world. In this study, we aimed to provide a comprehensive overview of ID specialty training programs for standardization and quality improvement in a large geographical area. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study among national respondents of 29 countries [Central Asia (Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan), the Middle East (Iran, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Iraq, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Lebanon), Southeast Europe (Albania, Greece, Kosovo, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, the Republic of North Macedonia, Croatia), Eastern Europe (Russia, Moldova, Romania, Bulgaria), South Asia (India, Pakistan, Afghanistan), Southeast Asia (Malaysia), Türkiye] to evaluate the structure and components of ID training programs. Results: In this study, structural variability in ID training programs was notable. 65.5% of the countries offered independent specialty program, 59% of the countries reported a required exam for entry into the ID specialization. Nearly all of the countries had a formal training curriculum; written exams were the most common used assessment method. Conclusion: This study provides a comprehensive overview of ID specialty training across diverse regions, highlighting major structural differences in curricula, training duration, and national standards. Its broad geographic scope and contributions from actively engaged ID educators offer a unique global perspective. The findings underscore the urgent need for harmonized training frameworks, the strengthening of national curricula, and the promotion of international collaboration and inclusive strategies, all essential for developing a skilled, competent and resilient global ID workforce.

Cross-sectional studies , Health workforce , Infectious diseases , Medical education , Specialty training

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Department of Medical Education, Faculty of Medicine, Aydın Adnan Menderes University, Aydın, Turkey
Department of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology, Turkish Health Sciences University, Gülhane School of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey
Department of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt University, Ankara, Turkey
The Royal Hospital, Muscat, Oman
Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Communicable Disease Center, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar
Jordan Hospital, Amman, Jordan
Ibn Sina University of Medical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Baghdad, Iraq
Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates
Pakistan Kidney and Liver Institute and Research Center, Lahore, Pakistan
Clinic for Infectious Diseases, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
University Medical Centre Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
Dr. Fran Mihaljevic University Hospital for Infectious Diseases, University of Zagreb School of Medicine, HR, Zagreb, Croatia
Department of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, Asfendiyarov Kazakh National Medical University, Almaty, Kazakhstan
Center for Infectious Diseases, Baku, Azerbaijan
Hospital for Infectious Diseases, Skopje, North Macedonia
Faculty of Medicine, Infectious Disease Department, Tirana, Albania
Infectious Diseases Clinical Hospital Toma Ciorba, Chisinau, Moldova
American University of Beirut Medical Center, Beirut, Lebanon
Hospital Sungai Buloh, Selengor, Sungai Buloh, Malaysia
International Higher School of Medicine, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
Loghman Hakim Hospital, Tehran, Iran
King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center & College of Medicine, Alfaisal University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Hubert Department of Global Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, United States
Infectious Diseases Sf. ParaschevaIasi, Iasi, Romania
Pinea Medical Center, Prishtina, Kosovo
Department of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology, Aydın Adnan Menderes University Faculty of Medicine, Aydın, Turkey
Faculty of Medicine, Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology “Prof. Elissay Yanev”, Medical University of Plovdiv, Plovdiv, Bulgaria
President of Serbian ID Society, Belgrade, Serbia
Central Research Institute of Epidemiology, Moscow, Russian Federation
Kandahar University Teaching Hospital, Kandahar, Afghanistan
Bukhara Medical University after named Abu Ali ibn Sino, Bukhara, Uzbekistan
Department of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology, Çukurova University Faculty of Medicine, Adana, Turkey
Attikon University Hospital, Athens, Greece
Christian Medical Hospital, Vellore, India

Department of Medical Education
Department of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology
Department of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology
The Royal Hospital
Division of Infectious Diseases
Jordan Hospital
Ibn Sina University of Medical and Pharmaceutical Sciences
Department of Pediatrics
Pakistan Kidney and Liver Institute and Research Center
Clinic for Infectious Diseases
University Medical Centre Ljubljana
Dr. Fran Mihaljevic University Hospital for Infectious Diseases
Department of Infectious and Tropical Diseases
Center for Infectious Diseases
Hospital for Infectious Diseases
Faculty of Medicine
Infectious Diseases Clinical Hospital Toma Ciorba
American University of Beirut Medical Center
Hospital Sungai Buloh
International Higher School of Medicine
Loghman Hakim Hospital
King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center & College of Medicine
Infectious Diseases Sf. ParaschevaIasi
Pinea Medical Center
Department of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology
Faculty of Medicine
President of Serbian ID Society
Central Research Institute of Epidemiology
Kandahar University Teaching Hospital
Bukhara Medical University after named Abu Ali ibn Sino
Department of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology
Attikon University Hospital
Christian Medical Hospital

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