The World Health Organization (WHO) is seeking experts interested in serving as a member of the Malaria Vaccine Implementation Programme – Programme Advisory Group (MVIP-PAG). This “Call for experts” provides information about the advisory group in question, the expert profiles being sought, the process to express interest, and the process of selection.
The Programme Advisory Group (PAG) is a body with up to 12 experts. The role of the PAG is two-fold: to provide technical advice and recommendations to WHO on issues concerning the implementation of the MVIP; and, to review the evidence, as it becomes available, including but not limited to the MVIP, on the balance of benefits and risks of RTS,S/AS01 and consolidate the feedback into a report to the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE) and the Malaria Policy Advisory Group (MPAG) with recommendations on potential wider scale use of the vaccine in sub-Saharan Africa.
The PAG includes expertise in the fields of public health and epidemiology, malaria in Africa, vaccine safety, implementation research, statistics, immunization and vaccine policy and implementation. In the selection of the members, consideration will be given to attaining an adequate technical distribution of expertise, geographical representation and gender balance. There will be an emphasis on expertise of relevance to low- and middle-income country settings in sub-Saharan Africa.
PAG members serve in their personal capacities, based on their scientific and technical knowledge and experience, as well as their commitment and willingness to volunteer the necessary time and effort. The PAG has no executive, regulatory, or decision-making function.
Based on current PAG membership and to attain balance in representation, WHO particularly welcomes expressions of interest at this time from scientists, health care professionals, and healthcare regulators with expertise in one or more of the following areas:
- Routine immunization in low- and middle-income country settings in sub-Saharan Africa
- Malaria in Africa
- Implementation research
- Vaccine policy and implementation
Please see additional details and information on how to submit an expression of interest below.
Background
The Malaria Vaccine Implementation Programme (MVIP) was developed to act on the 2016 WHO recommendation for pilot implementation of the RTS,S/AS01 malaria vaccine (RTS,S). The MVIP supports routine introduction of the malaria vaccine in selected areas of three pilot countries (Ghana, Kenya and Malawi) and rigorous evaluation of the programmatic feasibility of administering the recommended 4 doses, the vaccine’s impact on mortality, and its safety in the context of routine use. Additional background information can be found here:
- Malaria vaccine: WHO position paper – January 2016
- Malaria vaccine implementation programme
The role of the Programme Advisory Group (PAG) is two-fold:
- To provide technical advice and recommendations to the WHO MVIP Leadership Team (which includes the Executive Director, Universal Health Coverage/Life Course (ExDir UHL) Assistant Directors-General (ADGs) of Universal Health Coverage/Communicable
and Noncommunicable Diseases (UCN) and Access to Medicines and Health Products (MHP), the Regional Director (RD) of the Regional Office for Africa (AFRO), the Directors of Immunization, Vaccines and Biologicals (IVB), the Global Malaria
Programme (GMP) and AFRO, and the WHO Representatives of Ghana, Kenya and Malawi, and to the Programme Coordination Team on issues concerning MVIP. Specific responsibilities include:
- Review and advice to WHO regarding the final master protocol for the RTS,S/AS01 pilot evaluations, to ensure appropriate design and methodologies to assess the questions highlighted by SAGE and MPAG.
- Regular review and advice to WHO of MVIP activities and progress to ensure implementation according to protocols and scientific guidelines.
- Review and regular advice to WHO of MVIP reports and data for submission to WHO advisory bodies (in particular MPAG and SAGE).
- Advice to WHO on specific technical, scientific or programmatic questions that may arise over the course of the MVIP implementation.
- To review the evidence, as it becomes available, including but not limited to the MVIP, on the balance of benefits and risks of RTS,S/AS01 and consolidate the feedback into a report to SAGE and MPAG with recommendations on potential wider
scale use of the vaccine in sub-Saharan Africa. Specific responsibilities include:
- Review data on efficacy, effectiveness, duration of protection, safety, feasibility, acceptability, impact, equity impact, economic aspects and other relevant considerations of the RTS,S/AS01 vaccine. Seek advice and recommendations from other advisory groups, such as the MVIP Data Safety and Monitoring Board (DSMB), the Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety (GACVS), the African Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety (AACVS), the Regional Immunization Technical Advisory Group (RITAG), the Immunization and vaccines related Implementation Research Advisory Committee (IVIR-AC) and others as relevant.
- Develop draft policy recommendations on the potential wider scale use of the malaria vaccine for consideration by SAGE and MPAG in line with the Framework for Policy Decision on RTS,S/AS01 by assessing the quality of the evidence and completing an evidence-to-recommendation table for systematic consideration of the criteria specified therein.
- Advise on the appropriate timing for review of the evidence by SAGE and MPAG in view to making policy recommendations and updating the 2016 WHO position paper on malaria vaccines.
- To provide technical advice and recommendations to the WHO MVIP Leadership Team (which includes the Executive Director, Universal Health Coverage/Life Course (ExDir UHL) Assistant Directors-General (ADGs) of Universal Health Coverage/Communicable
and Noncommunicable Diseases (UCN) and Access to Medicines and Health Products (MHP), the Regional Director (RD) of the Regional Office for Africa (AFRO), the Directors of Immunization, Vaccines and Biologicals (IVB), the Global Malaria
Programme (GMP) and AFRO, and the WHO Representatives of Ghana, Kenya and Malawi, and to the Programme Coordination Team on issues concerning MVIP. Specific responsibilities include:
The PAG has no executive, regulatory, or decision-making function.
Operations of the Malaria Vaccine Implementation Programme – Programme Advisory Group
Usually the PAG will be convened for quarterly meetings either by face-to-face or virtual meetings. The frequency and format of meetings will be decided by WHO. The working language of the group will be English.
Further information on MVIP PAG
Who can express interest
The PAG will have up to 12 members with expertise in the fields of public health and epidemiology, malaria in Africa, vaccine safety, implementation research, statistics, immunization and vaccine policy and implementation. In the selection of the members, consideration will be given to attaining an adequate technical distribution of expertise, geographical representation and gender balance. There will be an emphasis on expertise of relevance to low- and middle-income country settings in sub-Saharan Africa. Approximately two representatives from SAGE, MPAG, RITAG and possibly GACVS will be appointed by each committee to serve on the PAG.
Based on current PAG membership and to achieve balance in representation, WHO particularly welcomes expressions of interest at this time from scientists, health care professionals, and healthcare regulators with expertise in one or more of the following areas:
- Routine immunization in low- and middle-income country settings in sub-Saharan Africa
- Malaria in Africa
- Implementation research
- Vaccine policy and implementation
Submitting your expression of interest
To register your interest in being considered for the MVIP PAG please submit the following documents by 05 April 24:00h (midnight) Geneva time to mvipinfo@who.int using the subject line “Expression of interest for the MVIP PAG – Ref. No. 2021/Mar/18”:
- A cover letter, indicating your motivation to apply and how you satisfy the selection criteria. Please note that, if selected, membership will be in a personal capacity (therefore, do not use the letterhead or other identification of your employer);
- 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 a selection panel. Due to an expected high volume of interest, only selected individuals will be informed.
Important information about the selection processes
Existing MVIP PAG members have been selected by the Directors of IVB and GMP based on relevant expertise and following review of potential conflicts of interest. Going forward, new PAG members will be selected upon the proposal of a selection panel. A public call for nominations is issued. After determination of eligibility, nominations are submitted to the selection panel. At any point during the selection process, telephone interviews may be scheduled between an applicant and the selection panel 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 advisory group (AG). Members will be selected on the basis of their qualifications and ability to contribute to the accomplishment of PAG’s objectives.
If selected by WHO, proposed members will be sent an invitation letter and a Memorandum of Agreement. Appointment as a member of the MVIP PAG will be subject to the proposed member returning to WHO the countersigned copy of these two documents.
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 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.
Information and documentation to which members may gain access in performing related activities will be considered as confidential and proprietary to WHO and/or parties collaborating with WHO. PAG members shall not purport to speak on behalf of, or represent, the MVIP or WHO to any third party. All proposed members will be required to sign an appropriate confidentiality undertaking and provisions on ownership.
If you have any questions about this “Call for experts”, please write to mvipinfo@who.int well before the applicable deadline.
Important information about the conditions of appointment
Members of a WHO AG should be free of any real, potential or perceived conflict of interest. To this end, members are required to complete a declaration of interest form prior to their appointment and each meeting and their participation is subject to the evaluation of completed forms by the WHO Secretariat.
Members will serve in their personal capacities for their scientific and technical knowledge and experience, as well as for their commitment and willingness to volunteer the necessary time and effort. Members must respect the impartiality and independence required of WHO. In performing their work, they may not seek or accept instructions from any Government or from any authority external to the Organization. All AG members 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.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.
Members are appointed initially for two years, renewable by the Directors of IVB and GMP for further two-year terms. However, if a member misses two meetings, in the absence of sufficient justification (e.g. illness, inability to procure visa, cancellation of flights, etc.), his/her appointment may be terminated by the Directors of IVB and GMP. The appointment and/or designation as a member may be terminated at any time by WHO if WHO’s interest so requires or as otherwise specified in these TORs or letters of appointment.
WHO may publish the names and a short biography of the selected individuals on the WHO website. When traveling for WHO PAG activities, members will be reimbursed for travel costs and accommodation according to WHO standard procedures.
The PAG will exist to the point of review by the SAGE and MPAG of the final datasets generated by the Malaria Vaccine Implementation Programme, expected to be in 2023, or as WHO decides. The MVIP Leadership Team will determine when the PAG may be dissolved.