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| Reference: | 4385 |
| Country: | Switzerland |
| Multiple country event: | Yes |
| Region: | EURO |
| City: | Geneva |
| Start date: | 15 October 2012 |
| End date: | 12 April 2013 |
| Estimated duration: | 6 months initially. Provided performance is satisfactory, contract will be extended for a further 6 months. |
| Status: | Confirmed - Confirmé |
| | (The dates, expert and funding source have been confirmed ) |
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| Title: | Consultant to support the work of the WHO Global Task Force on TB Impact Measurement on strengthening TB surveillance |
| Type: | Mission |
| Terms of Reference: | Background
Global targets for reductions in the burden of TB disease have been set for 2015 as part of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and by the Stop TB Partnership. The MDG target is that TB incidence should be falling (MDG target 6.c). The Stop TB Partnership targets are that TB mortality and prevalence rates should be halved by 2015 compared with a baseline of 1990.
In June 2006, the Stop TB Department (STB) in the World Health Organization (WHO) established a Global Task Force on TB Impact Measurement, with the TB monitoring and evaluation (TME) team in STB as the secretariat. The mandate of the Task Force is to produce a robust, rigorous and widely-endorsed assessment of whether the 2015 targets set for TB control are achieved at global level and for each WHO region; to regularly report on progress towards these targets in the years leading up to 2015; and to help build national capacity in monitoring and evaluation. A wide range of technical, financial and development agencies, countries and individual experts are engaged in the work of the Task Force. Full details can be found on the Task Force website.
Three major strategic areas of work have been defined by the Task Force. These are:
1. Strengthening routine surveillance of TB cases and deaths towards the goal of directly measuring the burden of TB (cases and deaths) from notification and vital registration data;
2. National population-based surveys of the prevalence of TB disease in 21 global focus countries (12 in Africa, 9 in Asia);
3. Periodic review and updating of methods used to translate surveillance and survey data into estimates of TB incidence, prevalence and mortality.
After six years of work, there has been enormous global progress on TB prevalence surveys and an 18 month expert review and associated updating of methods to estimate TB incidence, prevalence and mortality was completed in 2009, with methods applied in consultations with a cumulative total of 96 countries and results reflected in all subsequent WHO reports on global TB control. Efforts to strengthen surveillance include systematic assessment of surveillance data in the 96 country consultations and development of plans to strengthen surveillance based on identified gaps.
In 2012 and 2013, the Task Force has three top priorities within the strategic track of work on strengthening surveillance. These are:
1) Development of a TB surveillance checklist of standards and benchmarks. The standards define the characteristics of a high-performance surveillance system capable of providing a direct measure of TB cases and deaths from (respectively) notification and vital registration data. The benchmarks quantify the level of performance that must be achieved for the standard to be considered met. Assessment of whether standards and benchmarks are met can be used to improve estimates of TB incidence, to identify surveillance gaps that need to be addressed to move towards the goal of direct measurement, and to certify countries that meet standards and for which incidence and mortality can already be directly measured from surveillance data.
2) Development of a guide on "inventory" studies to measure TB under-reporting. Inventory studies can be used to provide a direct measure of the gap between notifications and the number of diagnosed TB cases, and in certain circumstances can be combined with capture-recapture methods to estimate TB incidence. Such studies are currently confined to a few countries, but if implemented more widely on a periodic basis they will substantially improve measurement of the absolute level of TB incidence and trends.
3) Institutionalization of the use of the TB surveillance checklist of standards and benchmarks as the basis for strengthened surveillance at country level. In particular, there are opportunities to integrate the use of the TB surveillance checklist within the grant mechanisms of the Global Fund.
The TME team in STB has recently been awarded a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation called “Strengthening TB surveillance to measure TB incidence”. The grant is for the period May 2012 to end October 2013, and includes funding for a consultant to work with the TME team for one year. The consultant is needed to work with staff in STB/TME to provide the additional capacity and expertise needed to finalize the TB surveillance checklist and user guide, to build global and national capacity to use the TB surveillance checklist, to build global and national capacity to design and implement inventory studies, and to work with the Global Fund on institutionalizing the use of the TB surveillance checklist as the basis for TB M&E investment plans.
Tasks
Under the broad guidance of the Coordinator, TME, with first-line supervision from the senior epidemiologist, and in close collaboration with other staff in TME (notably the data manager and statistician):
1. Review the user guide for the TB surveillance checklist of standards and benchmarks, with particular attention to the clarity of the explanations provided, the adequacy of the worked examples and the usefulness of the “corrective actions” suggested when standards are not met.
2. Work with the lead authors of each of the 15 sections of the user guide to revise, refine and finalize the text so that it is clear to an “uninformed but intelligent” user.
3. In consultation with TME staff, define and compile the datasets needed to facilitate the assessment of whether the benchmarks are met (e.g. compilation of all data that are already available in the WHO TB database and other global databases and that can be used to assess whether benchmarks are met in any given country).
4. Develop an online database that can be used to access the data compiled in (3).
5. Organize the editing, graphic design and printing of the user guide that accompanies the TB surveillance checklist of standards and benchmarks.
6. Assist TME staff and other Task Force partners (notably the Centers for Disease Control, USA) to prepare a workshop to build capacity to use the TB surveillance checklist and to design inventory studies, with participants from TB-endemic countries and technical partners. This will include preparation of workshop materials.
7. Conduct systematic assessments of TB surveillance using the TB surveillance checklist in Global Fund priority countries, and develop related M&E investment plans.
8. Contribute to other related tasks in TME, as appropriate.
Expected Deliverables (with timelines)
1. Final version of user guide to accompany the TB surveillance checklist of standards and benchmarks available for wide dissemination (January 2013).
2. Datasets needed to facilitate the assessment of whether the benchmarks are met compiled and available in a user-friendly online database (January 2013).
3. Workshop to build capacity to use the TB surveillance checklist and to design inventory studies, with participants from TB-endemic countries and technical partners, successfully held (March 2013) and follow-up support provided as appropriate (up to September 2013).
4. Systematic assessments of TB surveillance using the TB surveillance checklist completed in several Global Fund priority countries, and related M&E investment plans developed (October 2013).
If appropriate, other relevant and mutually-agreed deliverables linked to the Task Force’s work may be defined during the course of the consultancy.
Profile sought
Essential qualifications, knowledge, skills and experience
• An advanced degree (at least Masters level) in epidemiology, including courses on the control of communicable diseases in developing countries;
• At least seven years of experience working in public health and epidemiology, including experience of communicable diseases surveillance and at least two years of experience related to TB care and control;
• Expertise in data management and analysis, including in the context of TB data;
• At least five years of experience of working in developing countries, including at least one long-term (= one year) assignment;
• Strong analytical and communication (oral and written) skills;
• Very good knowledge of either Stata or R statistical software;
• Excellent knowledge of the work of the WHO Global Task Force on TB Impact Measurement;
• Excellent English.
Desirable experience
• Previous work with the Global Task Force on TB Impact Measurement;
• Participation in previous meetings and workshops organized by the Global Task Force on TB Impact Measurement, including those in which the TB surveillance checklist and inventory studies have been discussed;
• Previous experience of working with WHO and the Global Fund at country level.
Other essential requirements
• Willing to be based at WHO-HQ (Geneva) for one year;
• Available to start the consultancy in October 2012 (a later start date is not possible);
• Strong interest in and commitment to the work of the Global Task Force on TB Impact Measurement.
Fee rate, contract duration, timing of payments and performance evaluation
A monthly fee rate will be used and payment will be on a monthly basis. The rate will be established according to the rates defined in the WHO policy for employment of consultants, at the P4 level (approximately US$ 9,000 per month). In line with WHO policy for the employment of consultants, the consultant will be able to participate in WHO’s health insurance scheme.
The initial contract will be for six months. After five months, performance will be evaluated according to a standard template used for WHO consultants. Provided that performance is satisfactory, the contract will be extended for a further six months (i.e. 12 months in total).
How to apply
Interested applicants should send a motivation letter explaining why they would like to undertake the consultancy and an up-to-date CV to Dr Katherine Floyd (floydk@who.int) with cc to Ms Pamela Baillie (bailliep@who.int ) by 27 July. Shortlisted candidates will be contacted for a telephone interview (to be scheduled before 17 August). The successful candidate will be informed by e-mail by 31 August.
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| Training Opportunity: | No |
| Website: | http://www.who.int/tb/advisory_bodies/impact_measurement_taskforce/en/ |
| Purpose 1: | M&E/supervision/ impact measurement |
| Purpose 2: | |
| Purpose 3: | |
| Other purpose: | |
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| Entered by: | WHO/HQ |
| Partner 1: | |
| Partner 2: | |
| Partner 3: | |
| Contact name: | Dr Katherine Floyd, cc: Pamela Baillie |
| Contact email: | floydk@who.int and cc: bailliep@who.int |
| Other agencies: | |
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| Funding needs: | No |
| Funding source: | CIDA |
| Other funding source: | |
| Available funding: | $ 0 |
| Funding gap: | $ 0 |
| Global Fund reference: | |
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| Comments: | DEADLINE for submission: 27 July 2012. |
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There are no experts (roster) associated with this event. There are no experts (non-roster) associated with this event.
Date Created: 9 July 2012
Entered By: Monitoring & evaluation, impact measurement
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