Antimicrobial Use-Consumption Focal Point, Fleming Project at University of Nairobi

ADVERT REF AD/8/151/24; 1 POST
The Position

The position is domiciled in the Department of Clinical Medicine and Therapeutics in the Faculty of Health Sciences, under the Fleming Fund Kenya Grant. This is a project that will be conducted in several hospitals in Kenya to strengthen surveillance of antimicrobial resistance and antimicrobial use.

Location

The position will be based at the Department of Clinical Medicine and Therapeutics and will report to the Principal Investigator.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Provide input to the work program under the AMR secretariat in the area of antimicrobial consumption (AMC) and Use (AMU) surveillance/monitoring.
• Lead the implementation of national and county AMU/AMC monitoring systems.
• Work in collaboration with the Pharmacy and Poisons Board (PPB) to enhance the national AMC surveillance tool, and support health care facilities and community pharmacies with generating local data.
• Work directly with health care facilities to support their AMU surveillance, through technical support with conducting point prevalence surveys (PPB).
• Contribute to the development of strategies to foster AMR surveillance with a focus in AMU/AMC.
• Oversee data collection, analysis and disseminate information on best practices and experiences in implementing sustainable AMU/AMC surveillance systems.
• Provide technical assistance to support the linkages of data from facilities and community pharmacies to national level databases.
• Provide, where required, the training to facility teams on AMC and AMU data management.
• Contribute to operational research related to antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in human health to support the establishment and implementation of surveillance programs and activities on antimicrobial use (AMU) and consumption (AMC).
• In collaboration with NASIC and the PPB, support the preparation and submission of GLASS reports on AMU/AMC
• Serve as a technical resource at the NASIC Secretariat level concerning AMU/AMC surveillance; respond to inquiries and provide detailed and technical information concerning related principles, practices, issues, measures, techniques, and procedures.
• Produce reports related to the deliverables
• Perform all other related duties as assigned.

Job Specifications:

• Masters degree in Clinical Pharmacy or Pharmacoepidemiology
• Bachelor level university degree in Health Sciences such as Pharmacy or Medicine
• Post-graduate training with a focus on antimicrobials.
• Master's degree in Clinical Pharmacy or Pharmacoepidemiology will be an added advantage.

Experience

• At least five years of progressively responsible professional experience in AMR, AMU/AMC monitoring and developing policies that contribute to preventing and mitigating AMR.
• Demonstrated experience at the national level.
• Experience in establishing and maintaining functional antimicrobial stewardship programs at facility/county level.
• Proven experience in writing reports and technical documents.
• Proven experience in developing methods and tools for and implementing AMR, AMU/AMC surveillance.
• Experience in the development of guidelines and policies.
• Experience with managing data systems
• Proven experience in data collection and analysis of healthcare-related datasets.
• Proficiency with data analysis software

Skills

• Proven knowledge of technical aspects of monitoring antimicrobial use and consumption including methods and tools for data collection and reporting.
• Knowledge of country-level AMR programs policies, practices, guidelines and procedures in the various strategic objectives and related areas.
• Ability to design and conduct research and translate results into evidence-based recommendations for strengthening health systems.
• Ability to review and revise policies.
• Interpersonal skills using tact, patience and courtesy.
• Understanding antimicrobial resistance relevant to human health and its impact on Public Health.
• Knowledge of microbiology and healthcare data.
• Good communication and collaboration skills with multidisciplinary teams.
• Strong problem-solving skills
• Knowledge of data security and ethical considerations in data science.
• Excellent presentation