Call for Experts on Behavioural Insights and Sciences for Public Health
The World Health Organization (WHO) is soliciting proposals for the nomination of experts to serve on a Technical Advisory Group (TAG) to WHO on behavioural insights and sciences for public health. This work will contribute to WHO’s vision of a world in which all people attain the highest possible standard of health and well-being and to the achievement of the triple billion goals.
Behavioural insights and sciences can be applied to a variety of issues, fields and types of interventions to increase their impact, and are being increasingly adopted in government agencies and international organizations to ensure effective and impactful policies and programmes. WHO is undertaking a transformation process aimed at promoting health, keeping the world safe and serving the vulnerable. As part of this process, WHO recognizes the need to explore and understand the many factors affecting human behaviour and practices for the success of health policies and programmes aimed at helping people and communities live healthier lives.
To inform the work of the WHO behavioural insights initiative, WHO will establish a TAG for behavioural insights and sciences. This group will provide expert advice for the development of a road map for WHO to define a mechanism to systematically include behavioural evidence in its work across the three levels of the organization and in national health policies and programme planning. The recommendations of the expert group will be addressed to WHO across the three levels of the Organization.
The group will build on pre-existing initiatives and work in a consultative manner, through one or two in-person meetings and remotely. The expert group, using existing evidence, shall have the following functions:
- Advise WHO on how to adopt behavioural insights and science perspectives to support WHO’s 13th General Programme of Work and how to identify priority areas for implementation within WHO and in Member States;
- Make recommendations to WHO for the development of an operational framework for the mainstreaming of behavioural insights and sciences into WHO operations, particularly in the area of providing technical advice on national health policies and programme planning;
- Advise WHO on potential challenges and risks for the Organization related to the recommendations made by the TAG.
Members must be recognized experts with an outstanding record of achievements in at least one of the fields listed below and a demonstrated understanding of behavioural and social sciences. Applications are solicited globally to ensure diversity in terms of expertise, as well as balanced geographical and gender representation.
WHO welcomes applications from experts working in the following areas and domains:
- Implementation: experts with experience designing and implementing national health policies and programmes informed by behavioural insights and science and/or setting up or running behavioural insights and sciences units operating in large organizations, governments and/or government agencies or special programmes;
- Academia and research: experts who have conducted or are currently conducting research to understand how humans behave, interact and make health related decisions, including experts from the following fields: psychology, anthropology, sociology, cultural studies, behavioural economics and social sciences;
- Ethics experts and, specifically, those who address the ethics of influencing behaviours;
- Monitoring and evaluation: experts in evaluating and documenting impact of behaviourally informed policies and programmes.
Nominations will be reviewed and selected by WHO. Meeting outputs will serve as recommendations for the creation and incubation of a behavioural insights initiative in WHO.
Qualifications of members
Required:
- proven expertise in behavioural sciences (related to psychology, anthropology, sociology, cultural studies, behavioural economics and social sciences);
- proven experience in research, implementation and/or evaluation of policies and programme informed by behavioural insights and sciences;
- proven experience in the application of behavioral insights to public health;
- proven experience working on public health for low- and middle-income countries;
- good command of English;
- ability to evaluate complex issues and weigh up conflicting opinions.
Desirable:
- experience operating at a strategic level in the public or related sectors;
- experience working in high-level advisory committees.
How to apply
- Please submit your application by 3 March 2020
To apply you will need to upload the following documents in the form provided:
- a cover letter highlighting your motivation to apply, your relevant expertise and how you satisfy the criteria set out in ‘Qualifications of Members’ as set out above, and the expected contribution if you were appointed as a member of the TAG (maximum 2 pages);
- an up-to-date curriculum vitae (CV) in English (maximum five pages);
- A completed Declaration of Interest (DOI) form for WHO Experts.
Important information about the selection processes
Members of the TAG should have no significant conflict of interest that would impair their neutrality, independence or objectivity in their role of technical advisors to WHO. To this end, applicants are required to complete the WHO Declaration of Interest for WHO Experts, and the shortlisting by WHO of any individual for selection as a member of a TAG is, amongst other considerations, dependent on WHO determining that there is no conflict of interest or that those conflicts that were identified can be appropriately managed (i.e. in addition to WHO’s evaluation of such individual’s experience, expertise and motivation and other criteria).
WHO will rely on the information you provide on your cover letter and CV to assess whether you have the experience and expertise required at the appropriate level. Please ensure that you provide written evidence to support how you meet all of the relevant criteria, which are identified in the “Qualifications of members” section.
If you are shortlisted, then at any point during the application process, telephone interviews may be scheduled between you and the WHO Secretariat to ask questions relating to your experience and expertise and/or to explore whether you meet the specified qualities required for membership to the TAG.
Membership of the TAG will be at WHO’s sole discretion. In the selection of members, consideration will be given to attaining an adequate distribution of technical expertise, as well as balanced geographical and gender representation. WHO reserves the right to accept or reject any application, to annul the process set up for the open call and reject all applications at any time without thereby incurring any liability to the affected application.
WHO shall not in any way be obliged to reveal, or discuss with any applicant, how an application was assessed, or to provide any other information relating to the evaluation/selection process or to state the reasons for not choosing a member.
At any time during the evaluation/selection process, WHO reserves the right to modify the scope of the work of the TAG.
If appointed to the TAG, all 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.
WHO may publish the names and a short biography of the individuals appointed to the TAG on the WHO website, ahead of the first meeting of the group.
After receipt of the applications
- WHO will acknowledge receipt of your application and its completeness (by e-mail) and check it for eligibility after the application deadline.
- telephone interviews may be scheduled between nominees and the Secretariat to clarify areas of uncertainties about the application and the experience and expertise indicated;
- successful candidates will receive a letter inviting them to serve on the expert group with clear indication of the beginning and duration of term;
- due to an expected high volume of interest, only successful applicants will be informed;
- CVs received from this posting may be used to fill other future openings requiring a similar skill set.
Compensation
Members will not be remunerated for any work related to the TAG. However, WHO will arrange and pay for WHO-authorized travel and per diem for Members to attend TAG meetings, in accordance with the WHO travel rules and policies.
Deadline
Candidates should submit their applications no later than 3 March 2020
For more information click "LINK TO ORIGINAL" below.
This opportunity has expired. It was originally published here:
https://www.who.int/news-room/articles-detail/call-for-experts-on-behavioural-insights-and-sciences-for-public-health?fbclid=IwAR2O1NI-AQjsDYeiJyf5kW_ZJbRqWv5p00dvAPqdYsc6aUcSU_IQP4oAZ2g