The Fellowship in Food Protection is offered by the International Food Protection Training Institute (IFPTI) and funded by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). It is a truly unique program that is open to individuals who perform food protection regulatory functions at the federal, state, local, tribal, or territorial level, with at least 4 years of experience in the food regulatory field, and who want to make a positive impact through association membership, advocacy, and leadership. The program focuses on helping the Fellows gain leadership competencies and requires each Fellow to design, conduct, report, write an article, and present primary research on a food safety issue of their choosing. Unlike more traditional training programs that largerly involve instructor presentations, the Fellowship emphasizes participatory activities that allow the Fellows to practice specific skills and concepts. The Fellowship Lead Instructors are recognized leaders in the food regulatory arena.
Seven cohorts (75 alumni) have successfully completed the Fellowship Program, and Cohort VIII commenced in September 2019. Fellowship alumni have reported increased career advancement, increased professional involvement through associations, and greater leadership roles within their agencies since completing the Fellowship Program.
As part of IFPTI’s partnership with FDA through Cooperative Agreements (IFPTI is currently in year 4 of a second 5-year Cooperative Agreement), the institute created the Fellowship Program in 2010 to help create future food regulatory leaders who can continue to promote an Integrated Food Safety System (IFSS) through agency collaboration. The program received American National Standards Institute accreditation in 2012 and International Association for Continuing Education and Training accreditation in 2015.
The Fellowship Program Curriculum
The Fellowship is a yearlong program incorporating three on-location weeklong sessions (typically at IFPTI’s Portage, MI, location), periodic webinars, and a mentor-guided research project. Week 1 focuses on Professional Communication, Week 2 focuses on Program Management, and Week 3 focuses on Applied Leadership. The program layout is shown in Figure 1.
Competencies (knowledge, skills, and abilities) for each of the content or topic areas were built out utilizing IFPTI’s competency-based curriculum framework development process. The IFPTI process has served as the foundation for FDA’s National Curriculum Standard (NCS), the goal of which is a true IFSS in the U.S., comprising a competent food regulatory workforce doing comparable work across all jurisdictions. A comprehensive article on the creation of the NCS was featured in the August-September 2016 issue of Food Safety Magazine.[1]
To identify the competencies within the Fellowship content or topic areas, IFPTI facilitated a subject matter expert workshop comprising experienced food protection professionals who held various leadership positions in food regulatory agencies and associations such as the Association of Food and Drug Officials (AFDO). A total of 369 distinct competencies covering the topic areas were identified. The competencies served as the foundation for learning objectives, and the Fellowship Program content was subsequently developed. Examples of these competencies and learning objectives include:
• Discuss the importance of emotional intelligence. (Interpersonal Skills, Week 1)
• Identify the attributes of a facilitator. (Facilitation Skills, Week 3)
• Explain political influencers. (Political Awareness, Week 3)
During Week 1 (Professional Communication), Fellows discuss the role of leadership within the food regulatory arena and are presented with examples of various leadership approaches. Fellows then look at the history of the effort in the U.S. to establish an IFSS and the benefits of integration. Analytical skills are then examined, with the Fellows being given the opportunity to assess various agency policies against community, political, and food safety backdrops. Writing skills, interpersonal skills, and public speaking skills round out Week 1, with the Fellows creating written briefing reports, delivering presentations to their peers, and discussing the role of ethics.
During Week 2 (Program Management), Fellows continue to examine the benefits of an IFSS, with an emphasis on the need for effective collaboration across all food regulatory jurisdictions. Fellows then look at foundational functions of management, including planning, organizing, employee development, staffing, directing, team building, and controlling. The topic of applied science is covered next, with the Fellows discussing how science is used in the food regulatory environment. Week 2 then shifts to the process of policy making, public and administrative policies, negotiation skills and tactics, and legal proceedings, which include public hearings, agency legal authority, and due process.
During the final week of the Fellowship, Fellows focus on leadership skills, including effective facilitation techniques, advocating on behalf of their regulatory agency, engaging with stakeholders, and political awareness. Fellows also examine the topic of public relations and are given the opportunity to create and deliver their own food safety messages.
The Solaris IFSS
Throughout the program, the Fellows apply the concepts discussed to collaboratively design an IFSS for Solaris, a fictitious island nation located off the eastern coast of Florida, near the Bermuda Triangle (Figure 2). Each of the Fellows assumes a regulatory position within the country and is required to represent local and regional stakeholder needs, while helping to craft a food safety system unique for the country that fosters economic growth through international trade.
While creating the Solaris IFSS, Fellows:
• Identify stakeholders
• Negotiate with stakeholders
• Develop an organizational chart
• Conduct policy planning
• Craft messages to stakeholders
• Develop an implementation plan
• Interact with parliamentary committees
“The Knowledge, Practices, and Perceptions of Produce Safety by Commercial Aquaponic Growers of Fresh Fruits and Vegetables in Hawaii” (Luisa Castro, Ph.D., Hawaii Produce Safety Program Manager, Hawaii Department of Agriculture)
“Taproom Regulation Challenges in the Midwestern United States” (Hannah Davis, MPH, RS, Food Standards Compliance Officer, Minnesota Department of Agriculture)
“Refrigerated and Frozen Pet Food: Estimating Risk Factors and Analyzing Regulatory Authority” (Ashlee-Rose Ferguson, AFRPS Coordinator, Washington State Department of Agriculture)
“Foodborne Illness Risks in Iowa Agritourism 2014–2018” (Brianna Gabel, CP-FS, Environmental Health Specialist, Linn County Public Health [Iowa])
“Survey of Retail Food Transportation Inspection Activity in the U.S.” (Jill Lozmack Mollberg, Food Safety Specialist, Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development)
“Oklahoma Weather Effects on E. coli in Surface Water and Produce Safety” (Justin McConaghy, Produce Safety Program Coordinator, Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food, and Forestry)
“Food Truck Risk Factors and Public Health Intervention Violations in Suffolk County, NY” (Amanda McDonnell, Senior Public Health Sanitarian, Suffolk County Department of Health Services)