Enhancing global health security through tele-mentoring: a descriptive case study of the public health surveillance ECHO in Uganda

Abstract Strengthening public health surveillance capacity is a cornerstone of global health security, particularly in low- and middle-income countries facing recurrent infectious disease threats. This manuscript describes the implementation of the Public Health Surveillance Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes (ECHO) model in Uganda as an innovative tele-mentoring approach to enhance workforce competency, data use, and coordinated outbreak response across national and subnational levels. It is a model that leverages a hub-and-spoke virtual learning platform. The Public Health Surveillance ECHO connected multidisciplinary subject matter experts from the Ministry of Health and partners with frontline surveillance officers, laboratory personnel, and district health teams through regular case-based discussions, short didactic sessions, and peer learning. The program addressed priority gaps in Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response (IDSR), including event-based surveillance, data quality and analysis, risk communication, and timely reporting, while fostering a community of practice that transcended geographic and resource constraints. Implementation outcomes demonstrate improved participant knowledge, confidence, and application of surveillance standards, alongside strengthened collaboration between districts and the national level, contributing to early detection, verification, and response to public health events. By institutionalizing continuous, low-cost capacity building and real-time problem solving, the Public Health Surveillance ECHO model offers a scalable and sustainable strategy for reinforcing Uganda’s health system resilience and advancing global health security objectives under the International Health Regulations (2005).