Application Guidelines

The application package must include:

• a cover letter providing professional and personal contact information, an email address, and a cell phone number1;

• a resume;

• a list of works/publications from the past 5 years related to the activities of the agency and the Scientific Council;

• a public declaration of interest to be completed on the DPI portal accessible via the following link: https://dpi-declaration.sante.gouv.fr/dpi-webapp/app/candidature/index

The application must be submitted by December 31, 2018, to the following address: candidaturescs@santepubliquefrance.fr.

Selection Criteria

Only complete applications will be considered.

Applications will be selected by a jury convened by the agency, based on the information provided in the cover letter, the candidates’ alignment with the required skills, and an analysis of conflicts of interest.

Declarations of interest will be reviewed by Santé publique France’s Internal Ethics Committee.

Candidates will be notified of the outcome of the review of their application via email from the Secretariat of the Scientific Council.

The Board of Directors will decide on the successful candidates during the first quarter of 2019.

New members will be appointed for the remainder of the term, that is, until May 2021.

Members of the Ethics and Professional Conduct Committee and the Steering and Dialogue Committee of Santé publique France, as well as staff of the Regional Health Agencies (ARS) and the central administration of the Ministry of Health, are not eligible to apply.

The missions of Santé publique France

The national public health agency, established by Order No. 2016-462 of April 14, 2016, is a public administrative institution under the supervision of the Ministry of Health.

The agency’s missions are:

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

• monitoring health risks threatening the population;

• promoting health and reducing 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 consistent 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."

Missions of the Scientific Council and its Activities

The Scientific Council’s missions are to:

1. To provide advice on the agency’s research, expertise, and study priorities, as well as on its scientific partnership and programming policies.

2. Assist the agency’s management in developing procedures for calls for projects.

3. Validate and oversee the evaluation process of the agency’s scientific activities, and issue recommendations to management based on the results obtained.

4. Provide advice on the need to establish expert committees.

It assists the agency in its mission to contribute to the development and implementation of national and European public health policies. It may, on its own initiative, formulate observations and recommendations on any scientific or technical matter falling within the agency’s scope of competence. These are forwarded to the Director General and the Chair of the Board of Directors.

It prepares an annual report on the scientific and technical aspects of the agency’s activities. This report is submitted to the Board of Directors and the Directorate-General for Health.

The Scientific Council is called upon to issue opinions and recommendations on (non-exhaustive list):

• the objectives and performance agreement and its implementation;

• the annual work program and strategic guidelines;

• the various programs implemented in the areas of health emergency alert, preparedness, and response; surveillance; prevention; and health promotion, including communication;

• the agency’s methods of interaction with research partners;

• the expert review process implemented by the agency;

• lessons learned by the Agency from external evaluations and audits where scientific quality and priorities are concerned;

• the Agency’s various strategies where a scientific component must be taken into account;

• any topic it deems relevant, particularly regarding emerging issues (scientific, health-related, societal).

The Scientific Council may also, at the request of the Director General or the Board of Directors, conduct reviews of the Agency’s directorates or programs.

Composition of the Scientific Council

The Scientific Council comprises twenty-seven members, including its chair, at least four of whom are currently working or have previously worked abroad or in European or international organizations. The current composition of the Scientific Council (2017–2021) is available at: /Public-Health-France/Deontology-and-Ethics/DPI/Governance-Bodies/Scientific-Council

Members are appointed upon the recommendation of the Director General for a four-year term, renewable, by decision of the Chair of the Board of Directors, following approval by the Board of Directors of the list of members. They are selected from among scientific experts with expertise in the Agency’s areas of competence and recruited following a call for applications, after review of their professional background and conflicts of interest, in accordance with the provisions of Article L. 1451-1.

The duties of a member of the Scientific Council are incompatible with membership in any other body of the Agency and with any contractual relationship with it.

The Chair of the Scientific Council is appointed from among its members by order of the Minister of Health, following the Scientific Council’s recommendation.

In the event of a vacancy, for any reason whatsoever, a new member shall be appointed under the conditions set forth in the second paragraph of this article to complete the term of the member being replaced.

The Scientific Council may call upon the assistance of any qualified person.

Multidisciplinary skills and professional experience sought

The aim is to recruit individuals whose skills and experience will enable the Scientific Council to conduct a collective and comprehensive analysis of the Agency’s scientific policy, to examine how it carries out all of its missions based on the best available scientific evidence, and to analyze its various programs in greater detail.

The Agency’s multi-year program (2018–2022) currently comprises 28 programs and is structured around five pillars: Health Determinants, Populations, Pathologies, Intervention and Territories, and Infrastructure (/Sante-publique-France/Thematiques-de-travail).

Given the Agency’s missions, members of the Scientific Council are expected to possess:

• the ability to understand the scientific strategy of a public health agency dedicated to a population-based approach, such as Santé publique France, as well as the scientific and operational challenges of the programs it develops;

• a solid knowledge and understanding of the issues and national, regional, and even international stakeholders within the scope of the Agency’s missions;

• experience recognized by their peers:

  • within the scope of the Agency’s missions: surveillance and early warning, prevention, health promotion, and preparedness and response to health crises;

  • in at least one of the Agency’s areas of activity: Environmental Health, Occupational Health, Infectious Diseases, Noncommunicable Diseases, and Injuries;

Demonstrating experience in the fields listed below will be a significant asset:

• public health research, particularly intervention research (quantitative and qualitative approaches) and social marketing;

• combating social and regional health inequalities;

• the practice of scientific expertise in support of decision-making and evaluation, particularly in accordance with the charter on scientific expertise;

• contributing to external reviews or evaluations of scientific or research activities;

• contributing to evaluations of surveillance systems, interventions, and public health initiatives in the field;

• prevention and the fight against addiction to addictive substances and behaviors;

• public health communication: risk communication, analysis of risk perception, communication in crisis situations, etc.;

• the production, analysis, and use of public health indicators by decision-makers and researchers;

• university and professional training in public health with a focus on decision support;

• public health practice, particularly at the regional and local levels, especially medical practice;

• activities conducted by French or international learned societies, by public health institutes in other countries, by the WHO, ECDC, etc.

Operations and Workload

Operations

The Scientific Council is convened by its chair, or at the request of the director general, or at the reasoned initiative of at least one-third of its members, or at the request of the Board of Directors. It meets at least three times a year.

Agendas are prepared jointly by the Chair of the Scientific Council and the Secretariat of the Scientific Council.

The minutes of Scientific Council meetings and the annual activity report are prepared by the Scientific Council Secretariat prior to approval by the Scientific Council.

The Scientific Council’s opinions and recommendations are drafted by the Scientific Council, without the involvement of the Scientific Council Secretariat. The same applies when conducting reviews of programs or strategic directions.

Workload for Members

To ensure optimal performance, the Scientific Council meets three times a year (two two-day meetings and one one-day meeting).

In addition to attending meetings, members may be called upon to participate in specific activities, particularly participation in Scientific Council working groups, which may require their involvement for approximately five days per year.

Most of the work is done during the preparation of meetings (plenary sessions and working group meetings, in session, and during the Scientific Council’s drafting of its opinions and recommendations).

Role of the Chair of the Scientific Council

The Chair presents the annual activity report to the Board of Directors. He or she may be invited to meetings of the Ethics and Professional Conduct Committee or the Steering and Public Engagement Committee to ensure a link between these bodies.

He is an ex officio member of the ANSES Scientific Council and may appoint a representative to it.

Compensation and Expenses

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

Compensation for loss of income in the case of private practice and compensation for time spent attending meetings and for work performed shall be based on the scale established by the Board of Directors of Santé publique France.

¹ Required for authentication on the single website for public declarations of interest (DPI).

² Decree No. 2016-523 of April 27, 2016, on the creation of the National Public Health Agency