Call for expressions of interest in serving as member of the European Regional Verification Commission for Measles and Rubella Elimination (RVC)

In adopting the European Vaccine Action Plan 2015-2020, the 53 Member States of the WHO European Region confirmed their commitment to measles and rubella elimination in the Region.

The European Regional Commission for Verification of Measles and Rubella Elimination (RVC) was established in 2011 to fulfill the essential tasks of measuring progress, advocating for prioritization of elimination efforts and ultimately verifying that measles and rubella have been eliminated in countries and in the European Region. As its secretariat, WHO/Europe is calling for expressions of interest from qualified experts to complete and complement the RVC.

To apply, please send a letter of interest by 31 December 2017 to euvaccine@who.int.

Post description

The specific functions of the RVC and its members are as follows.

• Conduct and participate in the annual meetings and other activities of the RVC (meetings related to verification process and country missions as required to monitor progress, verify data analyses, and advocate for elimination), as organized by and in close consultation with the RVC Secretariat.
• Receive and analyse the annual reports submitted by the NVCs in each country, and review measles/rubella epidemiology and status of elimination in countries and in the European Region as a whole, applying criteria, parameters and procedures for documenting and verifying the achievement of elimination.
• Advise national verification committees (NVCs) on the verification process, analysing the data for verification on the country level, and provide guidance on the most adequate presentation of data in annual reporting process.
• Prepare and submit an annual RVC report to the WHO Regional Director for Europe, with feedback to Member States.
• Define internal procedures and responsibilities of the members of the RVC to manage the documentation and verification process.
• Provide observations and comments, and suggest modifications in verification tools and processes/procedures to Secretariat and to the European Technical Advisory Groups of Experts (ETAGE), for consideration.
• When documented, declare the regional interruption of measles and rubella transmission.

Qualifications

The RVC is an external and independent entity comprised of a chairperson, a vice-chairperson, and a maximum of 8 additional members with recognized technical expertise, including epidemiologists, clinicians, virologists and molecular biologists dealing with vaccine-preventable diseases.

To be considered for membership, candidates:

• should be leading scientists, senior physicians or university staff, who are committed to taking the responsibility of verification extremely seriously and committed to work as RVC member participating in planned activities;
• should understand that their reputations as scientists or leading public figures will depend on their judgment as to whether the quality of work and its documentation is sufficient for a decision to recommend that verification of measles and rubella elimination has been achieved;
• must not be involved in the managerial or operational aspects of their respective national immunization programmes (for potential applicants coming from countries of the WHO European Region);
• should not be involved in surveillance or laboratory components of the elimination activity, nor have a direct responsibility in the achievement of the elimination goal at the regional or national level (for potential applicants coming from countries of the WHO European Region);
• should be fluent in written and spoken English (all RVC meetings and communications are conducted in English).

Experience of work in and knowledge of countries of the European Region is an asset for potential candidates.

RVC members are recommended by the Secretariat and appointed by the WHO Regional Director for Europe. RVC members will be appointed, as far as possible, to reflect a balanced representation in terms of areas of expertise, professional affiliation, geographic representation and gender balance. Due to the strict requirement for professional independence and to avoid personal conflicts of interest, RVC membership is voluntary and WHO cannot pay salary or consultant fees of any kind. However, WHO will cover all expenses related to travel to verification commission meetings as well as field visits to Member States, as applicable.