Senior National - Team Lead/ Health Sector Academician

FED TA: Development of Specialised Two-Weeks Training Course on Global Health Sector Reforms for Public Health Institutions / Higher Education Commission

Programme Overview

Evidence for Health (E4H) is a Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO)-funded programme aimed at strengthening Pakistan's healthcare system, thereby decreasing the burden of illness and saving lives. E4H provides technical assistance (TA) to the Federal, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), and Punjab governments, and is being implemented by Palladium along with Oxford Policy Management (OPM).

Through its flexible, embedded, and demand-driven model, E4H supports the government to achieve a resilient health system that is prepared for health emergencies, responsive to the latest evidence, and delivers equitable, quality, and efficient healthcare services. Specifically, E4H delivers TA across three outputs:

Output 1: Strengthened integrated health security, with a focus on preparing and responding to health emergencies, including pandemics.

Output 2: Strengthened evidence-based decision-making to drive health sector performance and accountability.

Output 3: Improved implementation of Universal Health Coverage, with a focus on ending preventable deaths.

Position Summary

The goal of this TA is developing a comprehensive, modular specialised course on "Global Health Sector Reform Initiatives" for integration into postgraduate higher public health education curricula in Pakistan.

Specific objectives are:

• Define core competencies and learning objectives for students to understand, compare, and critically appraise major global health reform models, foundational declarations & treaties, UHC, PHC and health security frameworks and their implications at national and provincial/area levels health sector
• Develop detailed course module with corresponding teaching materials (case studies, reading packs, lecture slides, assessment tools) covering human rights, global commitments & treaties, UHC, PHC, Essential Package of Health Services (EPHS), IHR, measuring UHC and IHR index and Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response System (IDSR).
• Propose adaptable delivery models (e.g., two-week module course) for universities and training institutions.
• Establish pathways and facilitate for accreditation and institutional adoption by relevant higher education bodies (e.g., Higher Education Commission - HEC) and key universities. (In future, the team may be assigned the task of developing master trainers at federal, Punjab and KP public health institutes with lecture recordings and resource material availability )

Strategic Approach

Contributions to health systems strengthening: This course design aims to build a foundational pillar for sustainable health system improvement and security by investing in the intellectual capital of future health leaders. It moves beyond theoretical concepts to focus on applied learning, using real-world case studies from Pakistan and other countries. 

Alignment with other E4H TAs/Investments/National Standards: The course will be developed in  accordance with the forthcoming National Health Population Policy (NHPP) 2025-34 priorities, the National Action Plan for Health Security (NAPHS), and aligned with HEC's curriculum guidelines. It will also integrate cross-cutting themes of equity, gender, governance, and health financing.

Alignment with other donors (if relevant): No direct financing from other development partners or CSOs is foreseen in this TA. Key stakeholders, including the HEC, the M/o NHSR&C, provincial health departments, and leading public health universities, and training institutes will be consulted throughout the process to ensure ownership and sustainability.

Scope of Work and Methodology

The development of the specialised course will be evidence-based and collaborative, ensuring academic excellence and practical relevance.

The technical approach will include:

• Targeted Desk Review: Examine global, national and sub-national health sector reforms’ literature, foundational declarations (Universal declaration on human rights, Alma-Ata, Astana etc), frameworks on UHC and IHR (2005), and other declarations and treaties in existing curricula from leading international schools of public health, HEC curriculum documents, and relevant Pakistan strategic plans (NHPP, NAPHS, EPHS).
• Stakeholder Engagement: Conduct consultations with key Public Health institutions, in-services training centres (Health Services Academy, Provincial Health Development Centres and District Health Development Centres) as well as policy makers from the Mo/ NHSR&C, NIH, and provincial health departments to validate content and delivery methods.
• Competency-Based Design: Apply a competency-based education framework to ensure the course equips students with tangible skills for policy analysis, critical thinking, reform management, and health security protocol implementation.
• Propose Module Clusters and Content Areas: The course will be linked with WHO The Global Research Agenda on Knowledge Translation (KT) and Evidence-informed Policy-making (EIP) and structured into the following core modules:

Validation Workshop: Present the draft course package to a group  comprising academicians, HEC representatives, and policy experts for validation and finalisation.

Focal points nominated by the Director General (Health), Health Services Academy and along with other relevant staff of the M/o NHSR&C, DOHs Public Health Universities, and HEC will be actively engaged, where possible, in the activity for capacity development regarding course design development.  

Sustainability: Capacity Building, Institutionalisation, and/or Transition Planning

Capacity Building: A key component will be a Training of Trainers (ToT) workshop for faculty members from universities to ensure effective delivery and scale-up.

Institutionalisation: The course will be designed for formal integration into the syllabi of MSPH and other relevant postgraduate programs. Endorsement from HEC will be sought to formalise its adoption by the public health academic institutions

Transition Planning: The final product will be handed over to HEC for ongoing management, updating, and dissemination to academic institutions.

Responsibilities

The Team Lead Health Sector Academician will work to achieve the following:

1. Joint Workplan/ Inception Report
2. Final course package
3. ToT workshop
4. Institutionalisation Plan

Timeline and Days

The level of effort (LOE) for the role is Maximum 70 days from Nov 2025 – Mar 31, 2026.

Requirement

Technical Expertise

• PHD or Postgraduate degree in Public Health, Health Policy, or Systems.
• 15+ years in health systems research/policy.
• Must have proven expertise in UHC, health financing, and an understanding of IHR/health security.

Competencies

• Planning and delivering work;
• Analysis and use of information;
• Decision making; Influencing