Intern –Global Tuberculosis (TB) Programme

OBJECTIVES OF THE PROGRAMME

The WHO Global TB Programme aims to guide the global response to the TB epidemic and facilitate partnerships, provide evidence-based norms, standards and policies, support Member States in adapting and adopting the End TB Strategy within strengthened health systems, measure global progress, monitor and assess national programme performance, financing and impact, and enable progress across the continuum of TB research, linked within a wider health research strategy.

The WHO End TB strategy has the overall goal of ending the global TB epidemic by 2030. The targets for 2030 are to reduce TB mortality and TB incidence by 90% and 80% respectively, compared with a baseline of 2015. The strategy has three pillars\: (1) integrated patient-centred care and prevention; (2) bold policies and supportive systems; and (3) intensified research and innovation.

The Tuberculosis Monitoring and Evaluation unit (TME) is responsible for three major areas of work. These are\: (i) regular monitoring of the global epidemics of TB and drug-resistant TB and progress in the implementation and financing of TB care, control, and research, in the context of global strategies and targets; (ii) leading and coordinating global efforts to improve measurement of the burden of TB disease via the WHO Global Task Force on TB Impact Measurement (convened by TME) and the Global Project on surveillance of anti-TB drug resistance, with results used to inform global and national TB policy, strategy and programmatic action; and (iii) economic and financial evaluation relevant to the development, implementation and impact of international policies and strategies for TB control. This work is done in the context of global targets for TB control.

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES

Terms of reference

Under the supervision of relevant staff in the Global TB Programme, the intern will support the delivery of activities related to TB monitoring and evaluation based on agreed terms of references and in line with their skills set. These terms of reference typically include some or all of the following responsibilities\:

• Conduct literature searches and reviews related to TB prevention, care and support.
• Organize documents and data related to TB monitoring and evaluation, including documents related national surveys on costs faced by TB patients and their households
• Support the drafting, formatting, and editing of documents and materials, including policy briefs, country case studies, tools and guidance, brochures and reports related to TB monitoring and evaluation
• Assist in organizing workshops, meetings, conferences, and events as required
• Participate in on-going departmental projects

Learning objectives

Through internship activities, the intern will\:

• Understand the vision, missions and functions of the WHO Global TB Programme
• Learn how to communicate clearly about the work of Global TB Programme and the vision, goal, targets and approaches of the WHO’s End TB Strategy
• Learn how to conduct literature searches and reviews for specific public health purposes
• Learn how to collect and organize relevant data and conduct basic analyses and visualization
• Learn how to draft documents in an appropriate style according to the purpose and audience

INTERNSHIP PERIOD\:

03 February – 30 June 2020 (21 weeks)

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education

Have completed three years of full-time studies (bachelor's level or equivalent) at a university or equivalent institution prior to commencing the assignment; AND be enrolled in a course of study at a university or equivalent institution leading to a formal qualification in epidemiology, public health or relevant fields (applicants who have already graduated may also qualify for consideration provided that they apply the internship within six months after completion of their formal qualification).

Skills
Core competencies

• Team work
• Respecting and promoting individual and cultural difference
• Communication

All interns should be able to demonstrate the following skills in line with the WHO core competencies\:

• Communicating effectively orally and in writing
• Showing willingness to learn from mistakes
• Producing and delivering quality results
• Working collaboratively with team members

In addition, interns need to be familiar with commonly used computer programmes, such as Word, Excel, Power Point. Knowledge of specialized computer programmes, for example, statistical software such as Stata or R may be an advantage.

Experience

• Experience in the subject area through academic work or research.
• Experience in managing and analysing public health data including TB-related data;
• Field and/or developing country experience, desirable.
• Experience in programme/project management in public health, including experience in TB programmes, desirable.
• Experience in TB prevention and care including clinical management and social support, desirable.

Languages

Essential\: Expert knowledge of English.Desirable\: Intermediate knowledge of French. Intermediate knowledge of Other UN language.

FINANCIAL SUPPORT

Interns do not receive a salary. They do however receive a stipend. The stipend depends on the duty station and other external support (grant, scholarships, etc.) received by the intern. In Geneva, the maximum amount of the stipend provided by WHO is 1728 USD per month. The exact amount of the stipend will be calculated for each intern, after selection, based on a financial disclosure form that they will complete. In addition, all interns in Geneva will receive a daily lunch voucher of a value of CHF15 to be used on WHO campus during the working days. WHO is also providing all interns with an accident and medical insurance coverage.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• Please note that internships at WHO are very competitive and only a small number of applicants will be accepted every year. Only successful candidates will be contacted.
• Living abroad is expensive and finding accommodation can be challenging. All intern candidates should be aware of these factors before they consider applying for a WHO Internship.
• If selected for a WHO Internship, candidates will be required to provide certified copies of proof of enrolment in a course of studies and a medical certificate of fitness for work.
• Interns are not eligible for appointment to consultant positions in WHO for a period of three months following the end of the internship. However, no such restriction applies to temporary or longer term staff positions if the vacancy has been advertised and a competitive process completed.