Deadline: 11 August 2024
The World Health Organization (WHO) is seeking experts to serve as Members of the WHO Technical Advisory Group on Virus Evolution (TAG-VE). 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.
Background
The continuous and substantial evolution of SARS-CoV-2 since the virus emerged continues to pose challenges to the ongoing public health prevention and response actions. In June 2020, the WHO established the TAG-VE which is an independent and multidisciplinary advisory group of experts that assesses the public health implications of emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants. To date, the TAG-VE has discussed the implications of the evolution of SARS-CoV-2 for timely risk assessment and to inform WHO policy, such as the designation of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern.
With the expansion of the sequencing capacity across almost all countries, more and more genetic data for a variety of pathogens is being generated, which allows tracking of pathogen’s genetic changes and studying their phenotype and the associated implications for public health policy and research needs.
Since the establishment of the TAG-VE in June 2020, the terms of reference have been limited to SARS-CoV-2 but there is now an interest to use this platform to expand to include other priority viruses with epidemic and pandemic potential. Viruses such as MERS-CoV, monkeypox virus and dengue virus will be amongst the first to be prioritized. This transition will require a balance between virus-specific and cross-cutting expertise across the membership of the TAG-VE. This will be achieved through the establishment of a group of members with cross-cutting expertise, which may be supported ad hoc by virus- and disease-specific experts as needed. It is also envisaged in the future to expand monitoring of evolution to other pathogens including bacteria.
Functions of the TAG-VE
In its capacity as an advisory body to WHO, the TAG-VE has the following functions:
- Advise WHO on strengthening mechanisms to identify and prioritize (potential) relevant mutations of priority viruses of epidemic and pandemic potential, including the strengthening of global capacity to assess newly emerging variants;
- Develop and apply a framework for analyzing and assessing variants of priority viruses of epidemic and pandemic potential and their impact on transmissibility, severity of the disease, antigenicity and diagnostics or therapeutics;
- Provide regular and updated recommendations to WHO on the global characterization of circulating variants of viruses of epidemic and pandemic potential. Alert WHO on relevant mutations/variants, and advise on their potential impact related to viral characteristics (e.g., in virulence, transmission) and countermeasures (e.g., diagnostics, vaccines and therapeutics);
- Recommend to WHO specific investigations on the impact of specific mutations (including the laboratory controlled in vitro and in vivo studies of mutants);
- Advise WHO on mitigation strategies to reduce the negative effect of such mutations, that might impact virus behavior or countermeasures; and
- Advise WHO on how/if to communicate to the scientific community and the general audience as needed
- Advise WHO, as appropriate, on other relevant topics related to this area of work.
The updated Terms of Reference for the TAG-VE can be found in annex to this open call.
Operations of the TAG-VE
The TAG-VE is convened quarterly, but additional meetings may be held depending on the public health questions related to virus evolution that need attention. At each meeting, Members will be asked to review evidence and interpretation of relevant data e.g. epidemiological, laboratory evidence, genomic sequence data etc, for priority viruses of epidemic and pandemic potential. Observers with additional subject-matter expertise may be invited to comment on the evidence reviews. Based on these assessments, the TAG-VE may issue recommendations as to the public health implications of findings related to virus evolution.
Members of the TAG-VE are expected to attend an in-person meeting per year. In addition, Members are expected to attend additional online meetings, convened for one or two hours typically on a quarterly basis (but ad hoc meetings may need to be convened). The working language of the group is English.
Who can express interest?
The TAG-VE is multidisciplinary, with members who have a range of technical knowledge, skills and experience relevant to virus evolution. Up to 25 Members may be selected.
WHO welcomes expressions of interest from:
Scientists, healthcare professionals, or others with expertise in multiple pathogens in one or more of the following areas
- Bioinformatics
- Clinical Management
- Evolutionary biology
- Epidemiology
- Laboratory sciences
- Outbreak preparedness and response
- Public Health Microbiology / Virology
Applicants should have experience applying their expertise in these fields to support public health decision making.
Submitting your expression of interest
To register your interest in being considered for the TAG-VE, please submit the following documents by 23:59 CEST on 11 August 2024 to subissil@who.int using the subject line “Expression of interest for the Technical Advisory Group on Virus Evolution:"
- 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 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.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 [subissil@who.int] well before the applicable deadline.
Annex:
Updated Terms of Reference of the Technical Advisory Group on Virus Evolution.