Innovative Interstate Academic-Public Health Agency Collaborations for Case Investigations and Outbreak Surge Capacity.

Student interview teams provided essential surge capacity for the conduct of routine enteric disease surveillance and outbreak activities during the COVID-19 pandemic response, for states with that resource available. This case study describes how student interview teams based in Colorado and Washington supported enteric disease interviewing for public health agencies in Nebraska, Wyoming, Kansas, and California, and demonstrates the feasibility and value of interstate student interview team work to provide enteric and other communicable disease surge capacity. In collaboration with their respective state health agencies, the Colorado School of Public Health Enteric Disease Interview Team (EDIT) and the University of Washington Student Epidemic Action Leaders (SEAL) team amended scopes of work and procedures for hiring and onboarding, training, work management and engagement, communication, and evaluation to offer enteric disease interviewing support to the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, the Wyoming Department of Health, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, and the California Department of Public Health.