Call for Applications to Fill Vacancies on the “National Committees on Healthcare-Associated Infections and the Appropriate Use of Antibiotics”

Santé publique France is seeking two qualified individuals to join the “National Missions on Healthcare-Associated Infections and the Appropriate Use of Antibiotics” Committee in order to broaden the range of expertise required as the committee’s scope is expanded to include the “Appropriate Use of Antibiotics.” These individuals will serve until the end of the committee’s term in July 2022.

Application Guidelines

The application package must include:

  • a cover letter including your professional and personal contact information, an email address, and a cell phone number;

  • a resume;

  • a list of works/publications from the past five years;

  • a public declaration of interest to be completed on the DPI SANTE ministry portal.

The application must be submitted by March 1, 2022, to the following address: candidatures_CMNIAS@santepubliquefrance.fr

Only complete applications will be considered.

The selection of applications for the “National Missions on Healthcare-Associated Infections and Appropriate Use of Antibiotics” Committee will be based on the information provided in the cover letter, the candidates’ alignment with the skills required to fulfill the committee’s missions, and an analysis of conflicts of interest.

Please note: in accordance with the best practices for preventing conflicts of interest in effect at Santé publique France, participation on industry boards and the receipt of personal compensation from companies operating in the committee’s field of work constitute a conflict of interest that is incompatible with appointment to the committee.

Declarations of interest will be reviewed by the Internal Ethics Committee of Santé publique France. Candidates will be informed of the outcome of the review of their application via email from the secretariat of this committee.

Members will be appointed by decision of the Director General of Santé publique France; the DPI records of the members of the “National Missions on Healthcare-Associated Infections and Appropriate Use of Antibiotics” Committee are published on the DPI SANTE portal.

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.

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

Santé publique France (SpFrance) has been tasked with overseeing the national missions of the Centers for the Prevention of Healthcare-Associated Infections (CPias) – Decree No. 2017-129 of February 3, 2017, on the prevention of healthcare-associated infections – In this context, SpFrance has issued a call for proposals to the Support Centers for the Prevention of Healthcare-Associated Infections (CPias) to support their efforts in coordinating surveillance, information, and prevention activities at the national level.

Following on from PROPIAS and in preparation for the draft national strategy for the prevention of infections and antibiotic resistance, currently under review at the Ministry of Health and Solidarity (MSS), it is planned to supplement current national missions with initiatives on the appropriate use of antibiotics, which will be entrusted to the Regional Centers for Antibiotic Therapy (CRAtb) in collaboration with the CPias.

Reporting to the Director General of Santé publique France, the “National Missions on Healthcare-Associated Infections” Committee (CMNIAS) is a body responsible for drafting calls for proposals and evaluating projects in accordance with the agency’s committee structure. It supports Santé publique France in drafting the terms of reference for national missions covered by the call for projects and evaluates the scientific quality of the applications received to enable the agency to select them. It will also conduct an annual evaluation of the activities of the CPias responsible for national missions. Starting in 2023, the CMNIAS’s missions will be expanded to include the appropriate use of antibiotics.

The National Missions Committee currently comprises 9 expert members, appointed on a personal basis, and institutional representatives (7) from the DGS, the DGOS, the SGMAS, the ARS, the HAS, the Cnam, and Santé publique France (2 representatives from the Directorate of Infectious Diseases (DMI) and one representative from the Directorate of Regions (Dire)). Institutional representatives participate in an advisory capacity.

Given the new tasks to be implemented, two new qualified individuals are to be recruited.

This committee consists of 18 members, appointed by the Director General of Santé publique France.

Following the appointment of these two new members, the committee will consist of 20 members. Committee members will serve in their own capacity and may not be replaced.

The Committee’s work is based on scientific analysis that takes into account the mandates of the CPias as set forth by decree (Decree No. 2017-129 of February 3, 2017), the CRAtb (decree forthcoming), and Santé publique France, while incorporating the objectives of PROPIAS and the national strategy (currently underway). The resulting proposals are forwarded to the Agency’s Director General to be brought to the attention of the Ministry prior to their implementation.

To meet the established objectives, the Committee must be composed of healthcare professionals (physicians, pharmacists, healthcare administrators, nurses) with expertise in the surveillance and prevention of healthcare-associated infections and antibiotic resistance. In light of evolving national initiatives focused on the “appropriate use of antibiotics,” we are seeking individuals with the following expertise:

  • a pharmacologist with expertise in the field of antibiotics,

  • an infectious disease specialist.

The new committee members are appointed until July 25, 2022 (the end of the term of the current committee, which was appointed for five years).
The “National Missions on Healthcare-Associated Infections and Appropriate Use of Antibiotics” committee will meet at least three times a year, primarily in half-day videoconference sessions, with an estimated workload for members of 3 to 5 days per year. A few additional meetings may be scheduled as needed to monitor the committee’s projects or ad hoc tasks.

Members will sign a “Confidentiality and Commitment to Attend Meetings Agreement” and commit to regularly attending meetings and participating in any necessary drafting or proofreading work in between meetings.

Members will have access to information held by Santé publique France that is necessary for the requested work.

The Director General of Santé publique France will provide the resources necessary for the committee’s operation. The scientific and administrative secretariat of this committee will be provided by the Infectious Diseases Directorate of Santé publique France.

The committee may conduct hearings with any individual whose knowledge and experience are deemed necessary for its mission.

Travel and subsistence expenses are reimbursed in accordance with the terms and 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 attending meetings and for work performed, will be provided in accordance with the schedule established by the Board of Directors of Santé publique France.