PHI Outputs Consultant

Organizational Context

The WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region faces significant public health challenges including outbreaks, conflict, and disrupted health services. To address these, WHO EMRO developed the ePHEM platform for emergency management and is advancing digital tools like the PHI Assistant and AIM toolkit for epidemic intelligence and decision support. This consultancy supports the development and implementation of these critical tools.

Job Purpose

This consultancy aims to provide technical support for the WHO Health Emergencies Programme (WHE) in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, focusing on enhancing Public Health Intelligence (PHI) outputs through the ePHEM platform and other digital tools. The role will contribute to the development, documentation, testing, and deployment of these tools, including the PHI Assistant and Rapid Risk Assessment (RRA) functionalities. The objective is to improve the speed, consistency, and quality of signal detection, risk assessment, and public health decision-making in response to health emergencies. This involves creating practical guidance, user-friendly templates, and capacity-building materials to support Member States and WHO country offices in strengthening their PHI capabilities and effectively utilizing digital solutions for epidemic preparedness and response.

Responsibilities

Develop a comprehensive PHI inception package utilizing ePHEM, including practical guidance on PHI functions, roles, signal workflows, RRA linkage, meeting routines, and core outputs. Create user-friendly ePHEM templates and examples for signal documentation, event summaries, action tracking, and decision support, refining the package based on stakeholder feedback. Assist in structured testing of ePHEM modules, PHI Assistant, AIM toolkit, and related decision-support tools, documenting user experiences, limitations, and recommendations. Produce practical use cases and concise internal testing notes. Prepare or update training materials covering PHI, ePHEM, RRA, AI literacy, and digital epidemic intelligence, designing case studies and exercises for event detection, verification, risk assessment, and emergency decision-making. Develop knowledge products for the PHI Community of Practice and compile a final consultancy report summarizing delivered products, lessons learned, and recommended next steps.

Work Experience

Up to five years of relevant experience in epidemiology, surveillance, and/or control of acute public health events, including epidemic surveillance during public health crises. Experience with digital health tools and platforms is advantageous.

Skills

Technical knowledge in the use of EIOS and SSA; strong writing and presentation skills; knowledge of rapid risk assessment processes; excellent English proficiency; proficiency in another UN language (Arabic or French) is an asset.

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