Application Guidelines

Applications from interested candidates must include:

• a cover letter including professional and personal contact information;

• a resume;

• a list of works/publications from the past 5 years

• a public declaration of interests to be completed via the agency’s application available at the following link: http://dpi.santepubliquefrance.fr

Applications must be submitted by September 25, 2017, to the following address: candidatures_GT_DPPS@santepubliquefrance.fr.

Selection Criteria

Only complete applications will be considered. Selection of applications for the "Prevention and Health Promotion" expert committee will be based on the information provided in the cover letter, the candidates’ alignment with the required competencies, an analysis of conflicts of interest, and the necessary multidisciplinary and diverse composition of the group to address the issue at hand. Declarations of interest will be reviewed by the Internal Ethics Committee of Santé publique France. Candidates will be notified of the outcome of the review of their application via email from the committee secretariat. Members are appointed by decision of the Director General of Santé publique France; the committee’s composition is published on the agency’s website. Staff members of central administrative bodies, regional health agencies, and members of the Scientific Council, the Ethics and Professional Conduct Committee, and the Steering and Dialogue Committee of Santé publique France are not eligible to apply.

Missions of the National Public Health Agency

The National Public Health Agency, established by Order No. 2016-462 of April 14, 2016, is a public administrative institution of the State, under the supervision of the Minister of Health.

The agency’s missions are:

• epidemiological observation and monitoring of the health status of the population;

• monitoring health risks threatening the population;

• health promotion and the reduction of health risks;

• developing prevention and health education;

• preparing for and responding to health threats, alerts, and crises;

• issuing health alerts.

"Within its scope of competence and to carry out its missions, the agency applies expertise in accordance with the principles set forth in Article L. 1452-1. Its opinions and recommendations are issued in accordance with the provisions of Article L. 1452-2. Subject to respect for privacy and secrets protected by law, in particular the rules relating to the protection of national defense secrets, its opinions and recommendations are made public.'

Mandate of the Expert Committee

The mission of this committee of experts will be to support the agency in developing its expertise in fields not yet covered by other institutions (effective local and regional intervention strategies for prevention and health promotion, local strategies to reduce social health inequalities and their coordination with national and local strategies). This committee will be responsible for formulating opinions and recommendations in response to referrals or even on its own initiative. It will also be tasked with assisting the agency in its activities related to the design, development, evaluation, and testing of methods, strategies, and actions for prevention, health promotion, and health education.

This committee will report to the Directorate of Prevention and Health Promotion. The committee may establish ad hoc working groups based on specific themes, such as the health benefits of physical activity interventions or how to implement interventions tested by the agency...

Composition of the Expert Committee

This expert committee will consist of approximately fifteen members, both French and foreign, appointed by the Director General of Santé publique France. These experts may come from scientific and academic circles or be involved in the implementation and evaluation of local initiatives.

The experts will serve in their own capacity and therefore cannot be replaced.

The expertise required within the committee must enable the analysis of all necessary documents (descriptive epidemiology, sociological or anthropological studies, intervention evaluations, literature reviews, meta-analyses, theoretical models, etc.). It is also necessary to bring together the professional expertise required to analyze prevention and health promotion initiatives while taking into account the contexts in which they are implemented. These skills will be used to formulate opinions and recommendations on prevention and health promotion programs or initiatives, including social and communication issues.

Required Skills

Given the wide range of topics to be covered, Santé publique France is seeking generalists and individuals with expertise in research methods.

General skills

• interest in public health approaches;

• skills and experience in reviewing scientific evidence;

• ability to work collaboratively;

• experience participating in expert committees;

• experience in formulating operational recommendations for decision-makers and stakeholders in prevention and health promotion;

• experience in interventions aimed at reducing social inequalities in health.

Specific skills

• humanities and social sciences, particularly sociology;

• various medical specialties such as general medicine, occupational medicine, school and university medicine, maternal and child health (MCH) medicine, geriatrics, etc.;

• public health and epidemiology;

• health prevention and promotion;

• educational sciences;

• health communication sciences;

• economics of prevention and health promotion;

• medical prevention;

• communication sciences, social marketing.

Functioning of the Expert Committee

The Expert Committee is established for a term of 4 years. The committee chair is appointed from among its members by the agency’s director general. The committee meets at least once a quarter and as needed. Members sign a “confidentiality agreement and commitment to attend meetings regularly.” The Expert Committee may only deliberate if at least half of its members are present. It issues its opinions by a two-thirds majority of those present. Any minority opinions, drafted and signed by their authors, are included alongside the opinions and recommendations issued by the Expert Committee. The Expert Committee has access to all information held by Santé publique France that is necessary for carrying out the requested expert assessment. The Director General of Santé publique France provides the resources necessary for its operation.The scientific secretariat of the committee is provided by the Directorate of Prevention and Health Promotion of Santé publique France. The expert committee may conduct hearings with any individual or legal entity whose knowledge, information, and experience are deemed necessary for the conduct of the expert assessment, particularly regarding the feasibility and practicality of the proposed recommendations.The expert committee may establish ad hoc working groups. Working groups may consist of members of the expert committee, but experts from outside the committee may also be called upon if necessary. In such cases, external experts will be recruited through a call for applications and following an analysis of CVs and statements of professional qualifications. The chair approves the final composition of the working group and appoints a chair/rapporteur for that group. The work carried out within these working groups is presented to the committee of experts in a plenary session for approval.

Allowances and Travel Expenses

Travel and accommodation expenses are covered under the conditions applicable to civilian government employees.

Compensation for loss of income in the case of self-employed individuals, as well as compensation for time spent participating in meetings and for work performed, will be provided in accordance with the scale established by the Board of Directors of Santé publique France.