Epidemiologist

**Contractual Arrangement***: External consultant

**Contract Duration (Years, Months, Days)***: 6 months

**Job Posting***: Apr 20, 2023, 3:56:03 AM

**Closing Date***: May 4, 2023, 4:59:00 PM

**Primary Location***: Egypt-Cairo

**Organization***: EM/WHE WHO Health Emergencies Programme (WHE)

**Schedule***: Full-time

..
- **Purpose of consultancy**

The purpose of the consultancy is to provide technical support to enhance the capacity of WHO-EMRO to detect, risk assess and communicate acute public health events across the 3 levels of the Organization. The consultant will act as the focal point for the information and communication products relevant to public health intelligence. He/she will liaise with the External Communication team in EMRO in finalizing and circulating the different products. In addition, the consultant will also support the detection, verification and risk assessment and communication of acute public health events.
- **Background**

The WHO Health Emergencies Programme (WHE) is mandated to enhance WHO’s capacity for the rapid detection, assessment, and follow-up of all public health risks. This provides the opportunity to establish a framework that facilitates the implementation of a common approach to public health intelligence and public health event management across all levels of the organization.

The Health Emergency Information and Risk Assessment (HIM) Unit is responsible for identifying new public health events, assessing risks to public health, conducting epidemiological surveillance and field investigations, monitoring public health interventions, and communicating public health information to technical partners.

Under the HIM Unit is the Public Health Intelligence (PHI) Team, which is at the forefront of rapidly identifying emerging public health threats, assessing the risks and communicating them. This enables timely response and strategies to address critical needs and avoid further morbidity and mortality. The key to deliver this crucial task is to identify signals within 24 hours, verify, risk assess and communicate and manage these acute public health events. The team systematically uses the Epidemic Intelligence from Open Source (EIOS) and social media platforms in collecting relevant information that may have potential to international public health. The team works 24/7 and produces results with a very tight deadline.

Technical support is needed to scale up the reproduction of PHI products like the Daily and Weekly Bulletins, Event Information Site (EIS) posts, Disease Outbreak News (DON), Rapid Risk Assessments, Public Health Situational Analysis, slides and other ad hoc information products. He/she will also assist in the daily work of detection, verification and risk assessment of acute public health events.
- **Work to be performed**
- Output 1. Support EMRO-HIM in strengthening the reproduction of PHI information products

Deliverable 1.1: Liaise with External Communication Department on the content editing, graphic designing of EIS, DON, RRA, PHSA, Daily and Weekly Bulletins

Deliverable 1.2: Draft SOP and provide orientation to the PHI team in EMRO

Deliverable 1.3: Ensure the timely circulation of the products
- Output 2: Support EMRO-HIM on Epidemic Intelligence (EI)

Deliverable 2.1: Surf news articles using the EIOS platform and other social media platforms

Deliverable 2.2: Fill in EI platform of acute public health events

Deliverable 2.3: For the duration of the consultancy, draft Daily Summary of signals and events, EIS, DON and RRA when required
- Output 3. Support EMRO-HIM in monitoring acute public health events

Deliverable 3.1: Create, update acute public health events in the EMS

Deliverable 3.2: Draft and present signals and events during the EOC meetings

Deliverable 3.3: Monitor PHI Key performance indicators and update systematically the KPI database
- **Qualifications, experience, skills and languages**

**Educational Qualifications**:
Essential: University degree in Public Health, Medicine, Veterinary Medicine, Pharmacy or other related field

Desirable: Advanced (Master degree) in Public Health, Field Epidemiology Training Program (FETP)

**Experience**:
At least one-year of progressive professional experience in public health, epidemiology or information management either in public or private sector including experience in conducting EI, risk assessment, or surveillance

Familiarity with the WHO tools in signal detection, verification and risk assessment

Desirable: International experience or work experience in the UN, INGOs or MOH on health information management and surveillance

**Skills/Technical skills and knowledge**:

- Demonstrated knowledge of public health, emergency response, communicable disease control, and risk assessment.
- Demonstrated knowledge in health information management.
- Expertise in capacity building in information management for health.
- Good knowledge of WHO mandate and goals and UN programmes.
- Prove