Job vacancy at WHO : Consultant - Inclusion of pregnant women in TB drug and vaccine research - (2310631)

Consultant - Inclusion of pregnant women in TB drug and vaccine research - (2310631)
 
 
Contractual Arrangement: External consultant
Contract Duration (Years, Months, Days): 11 months

Closing Date: Jan 9, 2024, 11:59:00 PM
Primary Location: Anywhere
Organization: HQ/VCC TB Vulnerable Populations, Communities &Comorbidities
Schedule: Part-time
 
 
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Purpose of consultancy
To prepare for and report on a consensus meeting on earlier and optimal inclusion of pregnant women in TB drug and vaccine research.

Background  
Out of the estimated 10.6 million people who fall ill with tuberculosis (TB) every year, 2 million are females aged between 15 and 45 years. In the absence of systematic collection of data on TB in pregnancy, modelling studies have estimated that more than 215 000 pregnant women develop TB annually, with the vast majority occurring in Africa and South-East Asia.

TB contributes to 6 –15% of all maternal mortality and TB in pregnancy is associated with adverse maternal and perinatal outcomes and complications during birth. The risk of TB during the post-partum period is increased due to delays in early detection during pregnancy as a result of related physiological and immunological changes.

Historically, pregnant women have been excluded from trials on prevention and treatment of TB, resulting in a lack of access to the most effective medicines and regimens. Most newer TB medications and regimens are therefore used off-label. National TB surveillance systems usually do not capture data on TB during pregnancy and the post-partum period. In October 2023 a meeting was convened by the USAID-funded SMART4TB project, the IMPAACT network and WHO to develop a roadmap towards consensus on earlier and optimal inclusion of pregnant women in TB drug and vaccine research.

The next steps in the process to reach consensus include mapping of current evidence including any evidence gaps; commissioning of evidence reviews to fill evidence gaps; convening of five working groups who will meet online; development of working documents by the working groups, which will feed into the consensus statement; and a consensus meeting resulting in a meeting report, call to action and scientific publications to be conducted in quarter 4, 2024.

Deliverables
Deliverable 1: Develop a summary of available background information on TB in pregnancy, including the meeting report from the October 2023 meeting, an analysis of similarities and differences between the HIV and the TB consensus process, a literature review on TB preventive treatment, TB therapeutics for drug-susceptible and drug-resistant TB (regimens and individual drugs), vaccines, current pipeline, main gaps in pharmacokinetic and safety data relevant to TB in pregnancy and the post-partum period to inform evidence reviews to be conducted.
Expected by: 31 March 2024.
Deliverable 2: Establish and organize work by the working groups convened by WHO (preclinical TB research; TB drug clinical trials; TB vaccine trials; Maternal TB surveillance), preparing technical documents for the consensus meeting.
Expected by: 15 February 2024 (establishment of working groups) and 30 September 2024 (technical documents for consensus meeting).
Deliverable 3: Prepare initial drafts of the working group documents for the review of WHO and working group members.
Expected by 30 June 2024.
Deliverable 4: Prepare the pre-final drafts of the working group documents to be reviewed by the WHO and working group members before the consensus meeting.
Expected by 30 September 2024.
Deliverable 5: Conduct preparations for the consensus meeting, including the development of the agenda, list of participants, and approved meeting plan.
Expected by: 31 October 2024.
Deliverable 6: Take notes and co-facilitate group work during the final consensus meeting.
Expected by: 30 November 2024.
Deliverable 7: Compile the draft meeting report of the consensus meeting.
Expected by: 15 December 2024.
Deliverable 8: Draft the consensus statement consisting of the executive summary and the documents prepared by each of the working groups.
Expected by: 31 December 2024.
Deliverable 9: Initiate drafting of academic publications based on working group outputs.
Expected by: 31 December 2024.
Qualifications, experience, skills and languages
Educational Qualifications:
Essential:

Advanced university degree in medicine and/or epidemiology and/or public health or related field.
Desirable:

Doctoral degree in public health or related field.
Experience
Essential:

Over 10 years of experience in clinical or programmatic management of tuberculosis and/or maternal and child health.
Experience in clinical, operational or epidemiological research.
Experience in public health policy development and advocacy.
Desirable:

Experience in clinical management and/or research specifically related to TB in pregnancy.
Experience in participating in consensus processes on public health topics.
Skills/Knowledge:
Excellent understanding of the End TB Strategy, WHO TB related policies and guidelines.
A good understanding of the challenges related to prevention, case detection, treatment and care of pregnant and post-partum women with drug-susceptible TB (DS-TB) and drug-resistant TB (DR-TB).
Ability to analyse systematic reviews, individual patient data meta-analyses and technical reports, including related to pharmacokinetics/pharmacometrics.
Excellent skills in commonly used computer software including Word, Excel and Powerpoint.
Excellent writing, presentation and interpersonal communication skills (written and oral).
Excellent organization skills.
Awareness of, and sensitivity to, cultural differences when working with colleagues and when presenting to audiences.
Good understanding of processes to reach consensus on public health topics. Good group facilitation skills.
Languages required:
Essential:  

Expert knowledge of English.

Location
Off site: Home-based.

Travel
The consultant is expected to travel.

Remuneration:
Band level C - USD 10,000 - 12,500 per month

Living expenses (A living expense is payable to on-site consultants who are internationally recruited):
N/A

Expected duration of contract:
11 months – part-time at 50%. Remuneration will be pro-rated accordingly.

All applications must be submitted ONLINE at : https://careers.who.int/careersection/ex/jobsearch.ftl