Ethiopian Public Health Institute

The Ethiopian Public Health Institute (EPHI) is a technical arm of the Ethiopian Ministry of Health that conducts research, surveillance, response activities, and capacity building for regional laboratories. EPHI serves as a prime recipient and subrecipient on federal cooperative agreements that strengthen laboratory systems, disease monitoring, diagnostic testing, and public health capabilities related to HIV/AIDS, emerging infectious diseases, and pandemic preparedness in Ethiopia.

EPHI has received over $28 million in direct cooperative agreement funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) under programs like PEPFAR and the Global Health Security Agenda to bolster Ethiopia's national HIV response and achieve International Health Regulation targets. As a prime recipient, EPHI provides strategic leadership, disease surveillance, laboratory screening, and research focused on HIV, respiratory viruses, arboviruses, and other pathogens. EPHI has also served as a subrecipient to Washington University, receiving over $300,000 per year to collect samples, conduct on-site screening, and build regional laboratory capacity. Sample collection, screening, and capacity building by EPHI supports infectious disease research efforts by academic partners like the University of Hong Kong to identify unknown pathogens and inform outbreak response activities. Through both prime and subaward mechanisms, EPHI plays a crucial role in CDC's global health security initiatives by strengthening Ethiopia's public health infrastructure and capabilities.