Global Consultant, Data Use and Decision Science

Resolve to Save Lives' (RTSL) Prevent Epidemics program works closely with Ministries of Health and national public health institutes in Africa to strengthen epidemic preparedness capacity, accelerate disease detection and response, and to use data effectively to inform action. In addition to direct partnership with governments, RTSL also works with a range of other global, regional and national partners including the World Health Organization, World Bank, Africa CDC, and civil society organizations to implement programs, prototype new innovations, and ensure sustainability through increased national ownership, including domestic budget allocations. To find out more about our work, visit: https://www.resolvetosavelives.org  and https://preventepidemics.org/  

We are currently implementing the Collaborative Surveillance approach in 4 African countries. Since the rollout of the International Health Regulations measurement tools, countries have made steady progress in improving surveillance capacities and detecting outbreaks in a timelier manner. However, many of these gains have been made through systems operated by different sectors of government. To effectively understand the risks of public health events and determine the best preventive or responsive actions, diverse decision-makers—including communities, public health officials, and policymakers—need multi-sectoral, integrated data from different sources, including climate, health facilities, laboratories, non-health partners, and communities themselves.   

Collaborative surveillance starts with the end in mind, starting from the lifesaving decisions that governments make before and during an outbreak, then optimizing the data, systems, processes, and people needed to make those decisions. To accomplish this aim, we apply principles of design thinking, systems thinking, and change management. The CS initiative supports countries to align resources, maximize potential impacts for the effective use of data, and strengthen national capacities for implementation and ownership. The initiative will also support country implementation for activities to enhance disease and contextual/risk data through strengthened surveillance and innovations in epidemic intelligence, effective use of existing and emergent data throughout the event lifecycle (from anticipatory action to risk communication during emergencies), and development of data tools and products that support key decision-makers from communities, health sector officials, and policymakers. To learn more about Collaborative Surveillance, visit https://resolvetosavelives.org/epidemic-prevention/collaborative-surveillance/ 

RTSL accepts and reviews applications on an ongoing basis. We are grateful for your interest in our work and for your application. Unfortunately, due to the volume of applications, we are unable to respond to every applicant. One of our talent team members will contact you if your qualifications match the role.