Consultant at World Health Organization (WHO)

Purpose of Consultancy

• The consultant will contribute to the newborn implementation research project, immediate Kangaroo Mother Care Study (i-KMC).  
• He/she will facilitate the setup of implementation research in each phase to ensure mother and baby receive high quality care, and provide technical guidance to the WHO study coordination team to monitor the implementation of the study. 

Background  

• New evidence from a WHO-coordinated multi-country randomized controlled trial showed clear evidence that KMC (continuous skin to skin contact) initiated immediately after birth with a mother or surrogate reduces neonatal mortality in LBW infants by 25%.
• WHO recommendations have been updated using all the new evidence on KMC (scale-up of facility-KMC, community-initiated KMC and immediate KMC).
• The evidence is still lacking about the optimal ways to scale up immediate KMC and its potential impact on key outcomes in the target population under program conditions.  
• MCA coordinates a multi-country implementation research on immediate Kangaroo Mother Care in Bangladesh, Ethiopia, India and Nigeria, funded by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.  
• The objectives of this implementation study include:
  • Developing an adaptable implementation model to add immediate KMC to a functional system of care of preterm and LBW infants. 
  • Optimizing the model to achieve at least 80% immediate KMC coverage among eligible babies born or referred to the included health facilities.
  • Scaling up the optimized model to multiple administrative areas in a stepped wedge manner and evaluate its impact on neonatal mortality, breastfeeding, and clinical sepsis.
  • To promote and support the government to scale up immediate KMC at provincial and national level. 
• The study is in the protocol development phase and is expected to be complete in 48 months. WHO provides overall technical coordination and oversees the implementation of the study. 

Deliverables

• Output 1. Provide technical expertise to develop study materials. 
  • Deliverable 1. Contribute to the development study protocol, case report forms, consent form. Expected by 31 December 2022.
• Output 2. Provide technical input for the site to set up implementation research 
  • Deliverable 1. Help study sites and their government to set up Special Newborn Care Unit (SNCU) in i-KMC implementing facilities. Expected 31 March 2023.
  • Deliverable 2. Prepare webinars to improve quality of care in proposed i-KMC implementing facilities. 
• Output 3. Provide technical input to ensure the quality of study 
  • Deliverable 1: Site monitoring report sent to WHO for each of the 6 sites. 

Qualifications, Experience, Skills and Languages
Educational Qualifications:
Essential:

• Advanced Degree in Paediatrics.

Desirable:

• Doctoral Degree in Neonatology. 

Experience:
Essential:

• Over 10 years of relevant clinical experience in paediatrics/neonatology.
• Experience in newborn health research, in particular implementation research. 

Skills / Knowledge:

• Excellent knowledge in the area of newborn health and newborn health research
• Skills in research methodology
• Expert knowledge of newborn health and its public health aspects. 
• Strong research, analytical and scientific writing skills, as evidenced by publication in peer-reviewed scientific journals in the topic area.
• Strong planning and organizational skills demonstrated ability to manage converging priorities and deliver high-quality products under tight deadlines. 
• Ability to present clearly in oral and written presentations.

Languages required:
Essential:  

• Expert knowledge of English

Travel: 

• The consultant is expected to travel.

Expected duration of contract: 

• 11 months – part-time at 50%.
• Additional contracts may be offered based on programme needs and satisfactory performance.

Remuneration
Band level C: USD10,000 - USD12,500 Monthly.