OBJECTIVES OF THE PROGRAMME
The mission of WHO's Health Emergencies Programme is to build the capacity of Member States to manage health emergency risks and – where capacity is not available – lead, coordinate or develop the international health response to epidemics and humanitarian crises to provide effective relief and recovery to affected populations.
The Department of Epidemic and Pandemic Management (EPM) advances global efforts to prevent and control existing and emerging infectious diseases by increasing access to evidence-based interventions; fostering impactful innovation; and leveraging technical, operational and strategic partnerships.
The Emerging Zoonoses and High Impact Epidemics (EZH) Unit develops strategies, guidance, global mechanisms and interventions to address emerging zoonosis and high threat pathogens responsible for epidemics or pandemics thereby reducing their impact on affected populations and limiting their international spread. This unit deals with known emerging and re-emerging high threat pathogens such as (i) Zoonotic high threat pathogens; (ii) Arboviruses; (iii) Epidemic Bacterial Diseases.
In the context of climate change and the increasing threat of arboviruses, WHO’s Global arbovirus Programme is prioritizing support of Member States to rapidly detect and respond to arbovirus outbreaks at the local levels. This is needed both in newly affected areas but also endemic regions where the established seasonality pattern is shifting, with earlier and longer seasons observed in many regions.
DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES
Under the supervision of a technical expert, the intern will assist the Global Arbovirus Programme and the Epidemiology and Analytics for Response Unit at WHO in technical work on analytics for arboviruses under, and assigned the agreed terms of reference:
- Participate in on-going arbovirus technical projects and meetings, and EZH unit and EPM departmental projects and meetings, as requested.
- Support the development of an early warning system for chikungunya and other arboviruses by:
- Supporting the collation of existing data (surveillance, climate, sociodemographic, entomological, environmental) within 2-3 chosen countries with sufficient data to calibrate the model.
- Support communications with countries to develop the transmission model and assess the relative importance of driving factors in each setting.
- Assist in the review and use the model to inform an early warning system based on alarm indicators (e.g. climate, entomological surveillance) and assess the ability to accurately detect outbreaks in advance.
- Participate in the development of short- and medium-term forecasts of cases and potential severity of the outbreak data.
- Support the compare performance with simpler seasonal statistical models.
Learning objectives
The purpose of the WHO Internship Programme is to provide an enriching learning experience for students and recent graduates. The Learning Objectives outlined within each internship vacancy are a key component of the programme.
Within this internship, the intern will:
- Understand the objectives of WHOs work in epidemic and pandemic management, in general and specifically related to epidemic-prone arboviral diseases
- Understand the difference of work between headquarters, regional offices and country offices
- Communicate clearly about how analytic tools can support decision making
- Know how to collate, assemble data and prepare a comprehensive analysis
DURATION OF INTERNSHIP
2 November 2026 to 16 April 2027: 24 weeks
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
Education
Have completed the equivalent of three years of full-time studies in Public Health, Medicine, Epidemiology, Biostatistics or related field) at a university or equivalent institution prior to commencing the assignment; AND be enrolled in a course of study at a university or equivalent institution leading to a formal qualification (applicants who have already graduated may also qualify for consideration provided that they apply to the internship within eighteen months after completion of their formal qualification).
Skills
Core competencies
• Team work
• Respecting and promoting individual and cultural differences
• Communication
All interns should be able to demonstrate the following skills in line with the WHO core competencies:
• Communicating effectively orally and in writing
• Showing willingness to learn from mistakes
• Producing and delivering quality results
• Working collaboratively with team members
In addition, interns need to be familiar with commonly used computer programmes, such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint. Knowledge of specialized computer programmes, for example, statistical software such as XLStat may be an advantage.
Experience
• Experience in supporting the development and application of advanced mathematical and statistical models and simulations in epidemiological contexts.
• Experience in arbovirus transmission dynamics through academic work or research
• Experience with data analysis, statistical packages and interest in the design of graphical display and analysis of health information in an international comparative perspective, such as for health system performance assessment
• Skills in the use of software for data management and statistical analysis.
Languages
Essential: Expert knowledge of English (Read, Write and Speak)
Desirable: Intermediate knowledge of French. Intermediate knowledge of other UN language.
FINANCIAL SUPPORT
Interns do not receive a salary. They do however receive a living allowance. The amount of living allowance is different in each duty station. The amount also depends on any other external financial support received by the intern (grant, scholarships, etc.) and whether their permanent residence is in the duty station of the internship. In Geneva, for interns with permanent residence in the duty station, the maximum amount of the allowance provided by WHO is 739 CHF per month. For interns whose permanent residence is outside of the duty station, the maximum amount is 1680 CHF per month. The exact amount of the living allowance will be calculated for each intern, after selection, based on a legal financial disclosure form that the individual will complete. In addition, all interns in Geneva will receive daily lunch vouchers for meal expenses (20 CHF per working day). WHO also provides all interns with accident and medical insurance coverage.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
• Please note that internships at WHO are very competitive and only a small number of applicants will be accepted every year. Only candidates under serious consideration will be contacted
• Living abroad is expensive and finding accommodation can be challenging. All intern candidates should be aware of these factors before they consider applying for a WHO Internship.
• If selected for a WHO Internship, candidates will be required to provide certified copies of proof of enrolment in an eligible course of studies, a completed WHO medical certificate of fitness for work, and the contact details for reference checks.
• WHO only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU)/United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed through the link: http://www.whed.net. Some professional certificates may not appear in the WHED and will require individual review.
• WHO prides itself on a workforce that adheres to the highest ethical and professional standards and that is committed to put the WHO Values Charter into practice.
• WHO has zero tolerance towards sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA), sexual harassment and other types of abusive conduct (i.e., discrimination, abuse of authority and harassment). All members of the WHO workforce have a role to play in promoting a safe and respectful workplace and should report to WHO any actual or suspected cases of SEA, sexual harassment and other types of abusive conduct. To ensure that individuals with a substantiated history of SEA, sexual harassment or other types of abusive conduct are not hired by the Organization, WHO will conduct a background verification of final candidates.
• The WHO is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. The WHO recruits and employs staff regardless of disability status, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, language, race, marital status, religious, cultural, ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds, or any other personal characteristics.
• The WHO is committed to achieving gender parity and geographical diversity in its workforce. Women, persons with disabilities, and nationals of unrepresented and underrepresented Member States (https://www.who.int/careers/diversity-equity-and-inclusion) are strongly encouraged to apply.
• Persons with disabilities can request reasonable accommodations to enable participation in the recruitment process. Requests for reasonable accommodation should be sent through an email to reasonableaccommodation@who.int
• WHO has a smoke-free environment and does not recruit smokers or users of any form of tobacco.
• Please note that WHO’s contracts are conditional on members of the workforce confirming that they are vaccinated as required by WHO before undertaking a WHO assignment, except where a medical condition does not allow such vaccination, as certified by the WHO Department of Staff Health and Wellbeing (SHW). The successful candidate will be asked to provide relevant evidence related to this condition. A copy of the updated vaccination card must be shared with WHO medical service in the medical clearance process. Please note that certain countries require proof of specific vaccinations for entry or exit. For example, official proof /certification of yellow fever vaccination is required to enter many countries. Country-specific vaccine recommendations can be found on the WHO international travel and Staff Health and Wellbeing website. For vaccination-related queries please contact SHW directly at shws@who.int.
• In case the website does not display properly, please retry by: (i) checking that you have the latest version of the browser installed (Chrome, Edge or Firefox); (ii) clearing your browser history and opening the site in a new browser (not a new tab within the same browser); or (iii) retry accessing the website using Mozilla Firefox browser or using another device. Click this link for detailed guidance on completing job applications: Instructions for candidates