Purpose of consultancy

To synthesize evidence and draft technical guidance on prioritization of pathogens for context specific multi-pathogen wastewater and environmental surveillance (WES).

Background

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, there is growing interest in the potential of WES to inform public health decision making for a range of pathogens and targets as part of collaborative surveillance for existing and future public health threats.

Guidance is needed on how to prioritize pathogens for WES implementation considering; public health significance and actionability of WES results, technical and operational feasibility, acceptability and potential for optimization for integration in overall surveillance and with any existing WES. Countries also need support to use the guidance to determine localized and contextualized WES priority targets and plan their implementation considering  local capability and capacity for WES including all aspects of sampling, laboratory analysis and reporting.

Given the cross-cutting nature of WES – across disease programmes and among WES specialists and initiatives globally – there is a high need for coordination and consultation at all levels.   The consultant will work under the supervision of the WHO HQ WSH team and in coordination with: a consultant environmental microbiologist, a WES expert review group, disease focal points for all selected WES-relevant diseases, regional focal points for guidance implementation, WHO HQ collaborative surveillance teams.

Deliverables

• Deliverable 1: Final guidance package on public health considerations for prioritization and implementation of multi-pathogen WES
  • Tasks:
    • Review draft prioritization package
    • Incorporate expert review and regional workshop feedback into summary guidance and target sheets
    • Develop at least 4 additional WES target sheet in collaboration with US-CDC, environmental microbiologist, the expert group and disease specific experts
    • Provide periodic feedback on the preferred pathway characteristics (PPC) and ethical framework for WES during their development
    • Prepare WES decision guidance tools in collaboration with US-CDC, the environmental microbiologist and the expert group
• Deliverable 2: Four regions supported to implement the WES prioritization package
  • Tasks:
    • Compile existing training materials / workshop packages and adaptation to facilitate deployment in regions using multi-media training modalities
    • Prepare workshop materials and decision guidance tools for use in regional workshop
    • Co-facilitate regional workshops in at least 4 regions face to face and up to 2 regions online and any joint workshops with UNEP in Africa as needed
    • Consolidate feedback from regional workshops for incorporation into finalized WES prioritization package under deliverable 1
    • Facilitate scoping of costing / cost-effectiveness case studies for multi-pathogen WES within 2-4 countries following regional workshops.
    • Provide technical response to country requests emerging from regional support and facilitate peer-to-peer connection and guidance as well as linkages with WHO HQ disease teams as needed.
• Deliverable 3: Formalized ToR for WES expert group and WES represented in relevant disease specific communities of practice, plans and technical advice
  • Tasks:
    • Participate in relevant global and regional WES communities of practice
    • Facilitate mapping of existing advisory groups and drafting of a ToR for a formalized WES expert group as well as selection and vetting of experts
    • Facilitate identification of key networks, events and technical outputs for WES relevant diseases and preparation of a calendar of relevant events and output for targeted WES inputs
    • Prepare for and attend disease specific meetings and events as needed to promote integration of WES as part of evidence-based multimodal surveillance
    • Extract key research questions for priority diseases through engagement in disease networks and the Global Consortium for Wastewater and Environmental Surveillance for Public Health (GLOWACON).
    • Encourage data sharing and incorporation of WES into existing surveillance reports and dashboards.

Qualifications, experience, skills and languages

Educational Qualifications

Essential:

• An advanced university degree in public health
• An advanced university degree in Medicine

Desirable:

• An advanced university degree in disease surveillance

Experience

Essential:

• Over 15 years of relevant experience in infectious disease programme delivery and surveillance in low- and middle-income countries
• Over 2 years of relevant experience designing and leading a national wastewater surveillance programme for an infectious disease
• Over 5 years of relevant experience in applied research and systematic review of evidence

Desirable:

• Experience working in varied global contexts including low-income country settings, emergency and humanitarian contexts

Skills/Knowledge

Essential:

• Demonstrable excellent skills in communication, including written skills
• Strong ability to facilitate and provide technical guidance on complex multi-stakeholder tasks.

Desirable:

• Training and workshop facilitation skills

Languages and level required

Essential:

• Expert knowledge of English
• Basic knowledge of French

Desirable:

• Intermediate knowledge of other UN languages