WHO consultancy: Rollout of Policy Guidance on Integrated Stewardship Activities

Dear All,

Just below my signature you will find the full details on a recently posted WHO consultancy opportunity. It’s an intriguing 6-month project during which you would be responsible for the rollout and implementation of a new WHO Policy Guidance on the Implementation of Integrated Antimicrobial Stewardship Activities. This guidance will be rolled out in several regions and implementation to adapt the guidance to local contexts will start in several countries.

Even if you don’t want to apply for consultancy, you should take a look at the Policy Guidance. The guidance was created because “Member States have requested WHO policy guidance on how to facilitate the implementation of national AMS activities in an integrated and programmatic approach.” To address these requests, the guidance aims to provide a set of evidence-based and pragmatic recommendations to drive comprehensive and integrated AMS activities and has these target audiences:

  • National policy-makers at ministries of health, national AMR coordinating bodies such as national AMR steering or coordinating committees or other equivalent national authorities who are responsible for the development, implementation and monitoring of the national action plans, policies and standards for mitigating AMR in the human health sector.
  • Subnational authorities and decisionmakers, technical experts and stakeholders supporting such programmes at all levels.
  • Finally, sectors or ministries working on quality of care in the human health sector, WASH, IPC, animal and plant health as well the environment would find the policy to have important implications and relevance.


Intriguing indeed … all quite high level! Could this be you? The deadline is 9 June 2021. Sharpen your pencil and get to it!

All best wishes, –jr

John H. Rex, MD | Chief Medical Officer, F2G Ltd. | Operating Partner, Advent Life Sciences. Follow me on Twitter: @JohnRex_NewAbx. See past newsletters and subscribe for the future: https://amr.solutions/blog/. All opinions are my own.

— ALL THE DETAILS —
Contract Type: Individual consultancy
Application deadline: COB Wednesday, 9 June 2021 (CET)
Contact: Naomi Vollet
Email address: whoams@who.int
Consultancy reference: HQ/AMR/GCP/2021/7
 

  1. Purpose of the Consultancy

Support the rollout and implementation of the WHO Policy Guidance on Integrated Antimicrobial Stewardship Activities
                                                                                               

  1. Background

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global health and development threat. It requires urgent multisectoral action in order to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Antimicrobials are used to fight diseases in humans, animals and plants and include antibiotic, antiviral, antifungal and antiparasitic medicines. AMR occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites change over time and no longer respond to medicines, making infections harder to treat and increasing the risk of disease spread, severe illness and death. As a result of drug resistance, antibiotics and other antimicrobial medicines become ineffective and infections become increasingly difficult or impossible to treat.
 
In response to demand from member states and after extensive global consultations, WHO developed a new policy guidance on the implementation of integrated antimicrobial stewardship activities. This guidance will be rolled out in several regions and implementation to adapt the guidance to local contexts will start in several countries. 
 
The Department of Global Coordination and Partnership on AMR leads and coordinates the global One Health multisectoral response to AMR, in cooperation with FAO, OIE, the UN as well as other agencies, civil society, and the private sector, towards a world free from the suffering of drug-resistant infections. The Department has the following functions in line with WHO’s General Programme of Work to protect antimicrobials important for human health and mitigate drug-resistant infections: Leads the global One Health multisectoral response to AMR across the human, animal, plant, food, feed and environment sectors, through multisectoral engagement and interventions, and strengthening advocacy and awareness; Facilitates global coordination and interagency engagement and partnership for creation and sustenance of shared global vision and goals; shapes the research and development agenda through innovation, priority setting and supporting global initiatives that enable the generation, translation and dissemination of knowledge; facilitates, nurtures and scales up evidence-based interventions to enhance stewardship, awareness, and understanding of AMR across the One Health spectrum.

  1. Planned timelines

This consultancy is for six months, to begin as soon as possible.

  1. Work effort

Full time (100% FTE)

  1. Work to be performed

Output: Facilitate effective implementation of the rollout of the WHO Policy Guidance on Integrated Antimicrobial Stewardship Activities across selected regions and countries
Activity 1 Engage in consultations with WHO regions and country offices to finalise activities needed to rollout the policy guidance and enable effective implementation
Activity 2 Provide technical assistance as may be required to support  effective rollout
Activity 3 Monitor progress against agreed plans and provide periodic reports of progress 
Activity 4 Monitor utilization of funds against agreed budgets and provided periodic updates on expenditures
Activity 5 Support documentation of all aspects of the rollout and share information across regions and countries
Activity 6 Develop draft reports for submission to donor(s) periodically

  1. Specific requirements

Qualifications:                           
Essential: minimum first university degree in Public Health, Medicine and/or project management
Desirable: additional qualification in the above fields
 
Experience:
Essential: At least five (5) years of experience in project management in the area of public health; communicable diseases; water sanitation and hygiene; and/or AMR.
Desirable: Previous experience with antimicrobial stewardship. Experience working in the UN.
 
– Technical skills and knowledge:

  • Excellent writing and editing skills
  • Excellent organizational and scheduling skills
  • Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to build strong relationships with a variety of stakeholders across different sectors
  • Excellent analytical and presentation skills
  • Self-discipline with the ability to work with autonomy and as part of a team

 
WHO Competencies:

  • Communicating in a credible and effective way
  • Producing results
  • Knowing and managing yourself
  • Moving forward in a changing environment

 
– Language requirements:
Fluency in English (both oral and written).
An additional UN language would be an advantage.

  1. Place of assignment

The consultancy will be initiated remotely (home-based) under a teleworking arrangement. Virtual meetings with the Geneva-based GCP Department will take place during regular office hours (Central European Time). If regulations allow, a transition to work from Geneva would be strongly preferred.

  1. Travel

When the department or office concerned determines that travel is necessary in order for the consultant to perform the work, a travel request will be raised and per diem will be applied as per WHO payment regulations.

  1. Fee rate, contract duration, timing of payments and performance evaluation

The remuneration will be based on a monthly fee in the range US$7,000 – US$9,000, depending on the selected consultant’s degree of specialization, knowledge, qualifications, experience and skills. This is in accordance with the WHO remuneration scales for international consultants. The daily fee will be agreed between WHO and the selected consultant in advance. The contract will cover a 6-month period. Payments will be made following satisfactory completion of a set of deliverables. Other terms and conditions of employment will be in accordance with WHO policy on the employment of consultants (details available upon request).

  1. How to prepare and submit a proposal in reply to this tender

 

  1. Content of the proposal
  1. A cover letter explaining the bidder’s motivation for applying to this position.
  2. A copy, in .pdf format, of the bidder’s updated CV or Personal History Form (preferred option, detailed instructions on how to do this through the following link: http://www.who.int/careers/process/instructions-for-candidates.pdf?ua=1).
    PLEASE NOTE: The selected candidate(s) will be asked to produce copies of all degrees/diplomas/certificates as mentioned in their CVs or Personal History Forms, as well as a copy of their passport and other documents as appropriate.
  3. Full contact details.
  4. Description and contact details of at least two recent references (the references shall be related to the present Terms of Reference).

 
Incomplete proposals will not be considered.

  1. Questions during preparation of proposal

A prospective bidder requiring any clarification on technical, contractual or commercial matters may notify WHO via e-mail (whoams@who.int) no later than 3 June, 2021 hours, 23.59 hours Central European Time (Geneva time).

  1. Deadline for submission of proposal

The deadline for final submissions of proposals is 9 June, 2021 23.59 hours Central European Time (Geneva time).

  1. Email address for submission of proposal

Final duly completed proposals should be submitted in electronic format by e-mail to: whoams@who.int with subject reference clearly marked as reference number HQ/AMR/GCP/2021/7.
 
Additional Information section:

  • This vacancy notice may be used to identify candidates for other similar consultancies.
  • Only candidates under serious consideration will be contacted.
  • A written test and interview will be used as a form of screening.
  • If your candidature is retained for interview, you will be required to provide, in advance, a scanned copy of the degree(s)/diploma(s)/certificate(s) required for this position. WHO only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU)/United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed through the link: http://www.whed.net/. Some professional certificates may not appear in the WHED and will require individual review.
  • For information on WHO’s operations please visit: http://www.who.int.
  • WHO is committed to workforce diversity.
  • WHO has a smoke-free environment and does not recruit smokers or users of any form of tobacco.
  • Applications from women and from nationals of non and underrepresented Member States are particularly encouraged.

Current funding opportunities (most current list is here):

  • MTEC has announced an RFP seeking proposals focused on diagnostics, prevention of endemic diarrhea, and selected antivirals. Go here for the full RFP and search for “FA2.13” to find the infection-focused topics. White papers are due 17 June 2021.
  • GNA NOW (part of the IMI AMR Accelerator) has an open call to identify a novel mechanism antibacterial to add to its portfolio. The selected project would receive resources equivalent up to several million € (to be defined according to project needs); see also this 11 May 2021 newsletter for details. Expressions of interest are due by 18 June 2021.
  • CARB-X recently announced that their existing resources will be reserved to fund their existing portfolio (more than 80 total awards, and counting, as they include contracting from prior rounds). New rounds from CARB-X will occur only after new funding is obtained in 2021.
  • It’s not a funder, but AiCuris’ AiCubator offers incubator support to very early stage projects. Read more about it here.
  • The Global AMR R&D Hub’s dynamic dashboard (link) summarizes the global clinical development pipeline, incentives for AMR R&D, and investors/investments in AMR R&D.
  • In addition to the lists provided by the Global AMR R&D Hub, you might also be interested in my most current lists of R&D incentives (link) and priority pathogens (link).


Upcoming meetings of interest to the AMR community (most current list is here):

  • 24-29 May 2021 (virtual and in Geneva): ESPID 2021, the 39th Annual Meeting of the European Society for Paediatric Infectious Diseases. Save-the-date announcement is here, details to follow. 
  • 26 May 2021 (virtual, 15.00-16.00 CEST): Webinar on the GNA NOW open call. See this 11 May 2021 newsletter for details on GNA NOW. Go here to register for the webinar.
  • 27 May 2021 (virtual, 9.30a-11.00 CEST): GARDP-sponsored webinar entitled “New clinical trial designs for evaluation of antimicrobial agents.” Go here to register.
  • 7-9 Jun 2021 (virtual, various times): 5th International Conference on Responsible Use of Antibiotics in Animals. This conference runs only every few years … the 4th instance was in 2016. Go here to register.
  • 20-24 Jun 2021 (Toronto): International Symposium on Pneumococci and Pneumococcal Diseases (ISPPD-12). Go here for details.
  • 20-24 Jun 2021 (virtual, various times): World Microbe Forum sponsored by the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) and the Federation of European Microbiological Societies (FEMS). Go here for more details and to register.
  • 24 Jun 2021 (virtual, 09:30 AM – 05:30 PM CEST): Workshop entitled “Advancing Data Technologies to corner AMR.” Sponsored by AMR Insights, you can register here.
  • 27 Jun-2 Jul 2021 (Ventura, CA): Gordon Research Conference entitled “Antimicrobial Peptides”. Go here for details, go here for the linked 26-27 Jun Gordon Research Seminar that precedes it.
  • 9-12 Jul 2021 (virtual): Annual ECCMID meeting (#31)
  • 26 Jul-30 Jul 2021 (online): Small World Initiative Instructor Training Workshop – training for undergraduate professors in the wet lab techniques, parallel curricula, & pedagogical instruction to engage students in the hunt to find new antibiotic-producing soil microbes. Go here to register.
  • 14-29 Aug 2021 (Marine Biology Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA): Residential course entitled “Molecular Mycology: Current Approaches to Fungal Pathogenesis.” This 2-week intensive training program has run annually for many years and gets outstanding reviews. Go here for details.
  • 24-26 Aug 2021 (virtual, timings not stated but presumably EU-centered): The 5th edition of the annual AMR conference sponsored by the BEAM Alliance, CARB-X, the Novo REPAIR Impact Fund, the IMI Accelerator, and the European Biotechnology Network. The in-person version of this meeting is consistently excellent; the video-based version will have to do for 2021. Go here for details. 
  • 8-11 Oct 2021 (Aberdeen, Scotland): 10th Trends in Medical Mycology. Go here for details.
  • 11-15 Oct 2021 (physical, somewhere in the UK): UK-focused Innovation Mission sponsored by Innovate UK in collaboration with AMR Insights and Oxford innovation. This free event seeks to connect AMR-focused start-ups, SMEs and Multinationals, Academia, Research Institutes, Regional Development Companies and other interested stakeholders in the UK, Europe and other parts of the world. Go here for more details.
  • 16-24 Oct 2021 (Annecy, France): Interdisciplinary Course on Antibiotics and Resistance (ICARe). This is a soup-to-nuts residential course on antibiotics, antibiotic resistance, and antibiotic R&D. The course is very intense, very detailed, and gets rave reviews. Registration is here and is limited to 40 students. Bonus feature: For obvious reasons, the course didn’t happen in 2020! But as a celebration of the course’s 5th year, a webinar version was held on 29 Oct 2020: go here to stream it. 
  • 25-28 Oct 2021 (Stellenbosch, South Africa): The University of Cape Town’s H3D Research Centre will celebrate its 10th anniversary with a symposium covering the Centre’s research on Malaria, TB, Neglected Tropical Diseases, and AMR. Go here to register.
  • 5-8 Nov 2021 (Albuquerque, New Mexico): Biannual meeting of the MSGERC (Mycoses Study Group Education and Research Consortium). Save-the-date announcement is here, details to follow.
  • 6-11 Mar 2022 (Il Ciocco, Tuscany): Gordon Research Conference entitled “New Antibacterial Discovery and Development”. Go here for details, go here for the linked 5-6 Mar Gordon Research Seminar that precedes it.

Dear All,
 
The IDWeek 2024 program committee is again seeking programs on novel antimicrobial agents and novel diagnostics for presentation in pipeline sessions! Here’s what is sought:

  • “Industry partners are invited to submit antimicrobials that are in preclinical stages of development (Phase II and III preferred) or recently approved after January 2024.
  • “The pipeline sessions will include antibacterials, antifungals, and antivirals (excluding COVID-19 and HIV).
  • “The committee also invites companies developing novel diagnostic technologies with a minimum of some preliminary proof of concept data to submit.” 

This is a great opportunity to tell the story of your development project! The deadline to submit is Wednesday, June 26 via the application portal. Any questions should be directed to program@idsociety.org. Please share this email with anyone you think might be interested in applying!
 
In addition, I’ll also note that those with a more general story to tell should look at the BugHub Stage (and the Global BugHub stage). Both BugHub variants seek “presentations that touch on your experience of working in infectious diseases and presentations that ultimately lead to a greater understanding of our diverse field” via a TED Talk-esque speech about your work. The deadline for applications is 26 June, the same as for the pipeline sessions.

I look forward to seeing you there! All best wishes, –jr

John H. Rex, MD | Chief Medical Officer, F2G Ltd. | Operating Partner, Advent Life Sciences. Follow me on Twitter: @JohnRex_NewAbx. See past newsletters and subscribe for the future: https://amr.solutions/blog/. All opinions are my own.

John’s Top Recurring Meetings

Virtual meetings are easy to attend, but regular attendance at annual in-person events is the key to building your network and gaining deeper insight. My personal favorites for such in-person meetings are below. Of particular value for developers are the AMR Conference and the ASM-ESCMID conference. Hope to see you there!

  • 27-30 April 2024 (Barcelona, Spain): 34th ECCMID, the annual meeting of the European Society for Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases. Go here for details. 
  • 17-20 Sep 2024 (Porto, Portugal): ASM/ESCMID Joint Conference on Drug Development to Meet the Challenge of Antimicrobial Resistance. Go here for the meeting’s general website. You can’t register (yet) for the 2024 event, but save the date!
  • 16-20 Oct 2024 (Los Angeles, USA): IDWeek 2024, the annual meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society of America. Save the date! More details to come!
  • 25-26 February 2025 (Basel, Switzerland): The 9th AMR Conference 2025. Go here to register

Upcoming meetings of interest to the AMR community:

  • [NEW]  9 Apr 2024 (virtual, 830a-10a ET): GARDP’s next REVIVE webinar entitled “Progressing a discovery project – Criteria and challenges.” Register here.
  • [NEW] 9 Apr 2024 (virtual, 10a-1130a ET): CDC webinar “Impacts of Antimicrobial Resistance on Cancer Care.” Click here for details and to register.
  • 10-11 Apr 2024 (virtual): Sepsis Alliance AMR Conference, a 2-day conference focused on “Practical technologies to manage sepsis and counteract the expanding challenge of antimicrobial resistance.” Go here for details and to register.
  • 26 Apr 2024 (Barcelona, Spain): ESCMID workshop entitled “Using Data Science and Machine Learning for Infection Science: A Hands-on Introduction.” Click here to register or here for more details. 
  • 27-30 April 2024 (Barcelona, Spain): 34th ECCMID, the annual meeting of the European Society for Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases. See Recurring Meetings list, above.
  • 26-31 May 2024 (Montreal, Canada): EDAR7, the McGill AMR Centre’s 7th edition of their Environmental Dimension of Antimicrobial Resistance conference. Go here for details; final abstract deadline is 21 Dec 2023.
  • 28-29 May 2024 (in person, Uppsala, Sweden): Uppsala Antibiotic Days, a broad-ranging 2-day program hosted by the Uppsala Antibiotic Center. Go here for details and to register.
  • [NEW] 30-31 May 2024 (face-to-face in Rockville, Maryland as well as online, 8.30-5.30p ET on 30 May, 9-2.40p on 31 May): NIAID-sponsored workshop entitled “Towards realizing the promise of adjunctive immune therapy for invasive fungal infections”. The agenda covers host immunity to invasive fungal infections, immune modulators in the context of fungal infections; and strategies for testing immune modulators as adjunctive therapy. Go here for more details and to register.
  • 9-13 June 2024 (in person, Ascona, Switzerland): “New Approaches to Combat Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria, 2nd Edition” is a Sunday-Thursday residential workshop focused on the deep biology of AMR. Sponsored by NCCR AntiResist (a Swiss National Science Foundation consortium), the scientific program has the feel of a Gordon Conference. Space is limited, so you are encouraged to apply promptly — go here for details.
  • 13-17 June 2024 (Atlanta, Georgia): ASM Microbe, the annual meeting of the American Society for Microbiology. You can’t register yet, but you can go here for general details.
  • 17-20 Sep 2024 (Porto, Portugal): ASM/ESCMID Joint Conference on Drug Development to Meet the Challenge of Antimicrobial Resistance. See Recurring Meetings list, above.
  • 16-20 Oct 2024 (Los Angeles, USA): IDWeek 2024, the annual meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society of America. See Recurring Meetings list, above. 
  • 19-27 Oct 2024 (Annecy, France, residential in-person program): ICARe (Interdisciplinary Course on Antibiotics and Resistance). Now in its 8th year, Patrice Courvalin directs the program with the support of an all-star scientific committee and faculty. The resulting soup-to-nuts training covers all aspects of antimicrobials, is very intense, and routinely gets rave reviews! Seating is limited, so mark your calendars now if you are interested. Applications open in March 2024 — go here for more details.
  • 4-5 Dec 2024 (in person, Washington, DC): “Fungal Dx 2024: Fungal Diagnostics in Clinical Practice” is a 2-day in-person workshop organized by ISHAM‘s Fungal Diagnostics Working Group. The program and registration links are available at https://fungaldx.com/; the agenda is comprehensive and features an all-star global list of speakers.

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