Call for experts in hepatitis B virus epidemiology and response to serve on the Global Validation Advisory Committee

Issued on: 22 March 2021

Deadline: 5 April 2021 at 24:00 Geneva time

WHO is seeking experts in hepatitis B virus (HBV) epidemiology and response to serve on the Global Validation Advisory Committee (GVAC) for the elimination of mother-to-child transmission (EMTCT) of HIV, syphilis and HBV. This “call for experts” provides information about the validation advisory group and the expert profiles being sought. Applicants will be selected after a standard WHO selection process has been completed.

Background

In 2014, WHO published the global criteria and processes for validation of EMTCT of HIV and congenital syphilis. In 2015, WHO formed the GVAC, an independent group of experts in HIV, syphilis and human rights and community representatives of women living with HIV. The GVAC reviews countries that have applied for validation and advises WHO on whether countries have met the global criteria and standards for validation of EMTCT of HIV and/or syphilis.

In 2020, through a series of technical consultations with the WHO regions and independent hepatitis experts, the global criteria for the elimination of MTCT of HBV were established and a global strategy toward “triple elimination”, advised by the Global Strategy towards elimination of viral hepatitis as a public health problem was developed. The the similarity of the control interventions necessary to prevent transmission of HIV, syphilis, and HBVin pregnancy and postpartum supports the feasibility and benefit of an integrated approach to EMTCT of the three infections with triple elimination serving to improve a broad range of maternal and child health (MCH) services and outcomes. The GVAC now requires HBV expertise in the group to have a full complement of experts needed to evaluate countries for achieving triple elimination.

Mission and functions of the GVAC

The functions of the GVAC are to:

• Critically review and evaluate regional validation committee (RVC) reports to ensure compliance of country reports with the global criteria for EMTCT validation. 
• Provide clear recommendations to countries on their performance in the validation process of EMTCT;
• Provide guidance to countries for ongoing monitoring and maintenance of validation; and
• Review tools for assessment of EMTCT validation and recommend updates to the global criteria and processes.

At a minimum, GVAC members should be able and willing to:

• Serve on the committee for at least one year (option to serve for up to nine years);
• Participate in an annual GVAC face-to-face or virtual meeting;
• Participate in GVAC calls at least every two-months and  ad-hoc calls as needed;
• Review RVC validation reports (individually and through virtual meetings) to assess for compliance with minimum global standards;
• Assist in revising the current validation assessment tools to include EMTCT of HBV;
• Biannually, review data on maintenance of validation for countries who were successfully validated;
• As needed, participate in country validation missions or regional validation meetings on behalf of the larger GVAC; and
• Support capacity building of countries or regional committees where needed.

Members will serve for an initial term of up to 3 years, renewable twice for a period of up to an additional six years or depending on the GVAC secretariat need.

GVAC members will not be remunerated for their participation in the GVAC. However, reasonable expenses such as travel expenses incurred by attendance at GVAC meetings and participation in regional and country EMTCT activities will be compensated by WHO in accordance with the applicable rules and policies of WHO. GVAC members should not receive any financial or other incentives from any other source in relation to their GVAC functions.

Operations of the GVAC

The GVAC will have a face-to-face meeting (conducted virtually if needed) once a year. The WHO Secretariat shall provide any necessary technical and other support for the GVAC. WHO will convene additional scheduled meetings on a quarterly basis, including through teleconferences and videoconferences, including on an ad hoc basis. Membership in the GVAC may be terminated by the global secretariat for various reasons, including but not limited to: 

• failure to attend three consecutive GVAC calls or meetings;
• change in affiliation resulting in a conflict of interest; and 
• a lack of professionalism involving, for example, a breach of confidentiality.

A written report of all GVAC business and technical teleconferences, validation meetings (to include recommendations to countries) will be the responsibility of the global secretariat. The GVAC will be given all reports and asked to provide comments and edits within two weeks of receiving the documents. All recommendations from the GVAC are advisory to WHO, which retains full control over any subsequent decision or actions regarding any proposals, policy issues or other matters considered by the GVAC. Information and documentation to which members may gain access in performing GVAC related activities will be considered as confidential and proprietary to WHO and /or parties collaborating with WHO. GVAC members shall not purport to speak on behalf of, or represent, the GVAC or WHO to any third party. In this regard, GVAC members may be approached by non-WHO sources for their views, comments and statements on matters of public health concern and asked to state the views of the GVAC or of details related to GVAC discussions. GVAC members should refer all such enquiries to WHO.

Who can express interest?

The GVAC is a multidisciplinary team that includes women living with HIV (WLHIV), and members who have a range of technical knowledge, skills and experience relevant to elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, syphilis and/or HBV. Currently, we are calling for HBV experts only. Members will be chosen after the WHO selection process has been completed.

WHO welcomes expressions of interest from epidemiologist, scientists, healthcare professionals, and healthcare regulators with expertise in HBV elimination of mother-to-child transmission programmes including, immunization, vaccines and biologics (IVB) and monitoring and evaluation of viral hepatitis response programmes.

GVAC members shall not be representatives of governments, organizations, institutions or entities, but rather shall serve in an independent, personal and individual capacity and shall possess expertise in EMTCT of HIV, syphilis and/or HBV.

In selecting members, attention shall be paid to gender balance, the importance of representation from all the WHO regions and to include applicants from low and middle income countries. 

Submitting your expression of interest

To register your interest in being considered for the GVAC, please submit the following documents by 5 April 2021 at 24:00h (midnight) Geneva time to newmanm@who.int using the subject line “Expression of interest for the GVAC”:

• A cover letter, indicating your motivation to apply and how you satisfy the selection criteria.
• Your curriculum vitae; and
• A signed and completed Declaration of Interests (DOI) form for WHO Experts, available at https://www.who.int/about/ethics/declarations-of-interest.

After submission, your expression of interest will be reviewed by WHO. Due to an expected high volume of interest, only selected individuals will be informed. 

Important information about the selection processes and conditions of appointment

Members of WHO advisory groups (AGs) must be free of any real, potential or apparent conflicts of interest. To this end, applicants are required to complete the WHO Declaration of Interests for WHO Experts, and the selection as a member of a AG is, amongst other things, dependent on WHO determining that there is no conflict of interest or that any identified conflicts could be appropriately managed (in addition to WHO’s evaluation of an applicant’s experience, expertise and motivation and other criteria).

All AG members will serve in their individual expert capacity and shall not represent any governments, any commercial industries or entities, any research, academic or civil society organizations, or any other bodies, entities, institutions or organizations. They are expected to fully comply with the Code of Conduct for WHO Experts (https://www.who.https://www.who.int/about/ethics/declarations-of-interest). AG members will be expected to sign and return a completed confidentiality undertaking prior to the beginning of the first meeting.

At any point during the selection process, telephone interviews may be scheduled between an applicant and the WHO Secretariat to enable WHO to ask questions relating to the applicant’s experience and expertise and/or to assess whether the applicant meets the criteria for membership in the relevant AG.

The selection of members of the AGs will be made by WHO in its sole discretion, taking into account  the following (non-exclusive) criteria: relevant technical expertise; experience in international and country policy work; communication skills; and ability to work constructively with people from different cultural backgrounds and orientations .The selection of AG members will also take account of the need for diverse perspectives from different regions, especially from low and middle-income countries, and for gender balance.

If selected by WHO, proposed members will be sent an invitation letter and a Memorandum of Agreement. Appointment as a member of an AG will be subject to the proposed member returning to WHO the countersigned copy of these two documents.

WHO reserves the right to accept or reject any expression of interest, to annul the open call process and reject all expressions of interest at any time without incurring any liability to the affected applicant or applicants and without any obligation to inform the affected applicant or applicants of the grounds for WHO's action. WHO may also decide, at any time, not to proceed with the establishment of the AG, disband an existing TAG or modify the work of the AG.

WHO shall not in any way be obliged to reveal, or discuss with any applicant, how an expression of interest was assessed, or to provide any other information relating to the evaluation/selection process or to state the reasons for not choosing a member.

WHO may publish the names and a short biography of the selected individuals on the WHO internet.

AG members will not be remunerated for their services in relation to the AG or otherwise. Travel and accommodation expenses of AG members to participate in AG meetings will be covered by WHO in accordance with its applicable policies, rules and procedures.

The appointment will be limited in time as indicated in the letter of appointment.

If you have any questions about this “Call for experts”, please write to newmanm@who.int well before the applicable deadline. 

(Open call reference: 2021/Mar/19)