Request for Proposals
Background
NOhep
In July 2016, the World Hepatitis Alliance (WHA) launched NOhep, a global grassroots movement
focussed on eliminating viral hepatitis by 2030. Aimed at uniting people around the world, NOhep
was created to build awareness of the disease and strengthen the global voice demanding action
and change so that millions of people are given the chance to live a life free from hepatitis.
NOhep was developed because, although hepatitis is responsible for taking 1.1 million lives each
year, the response to viral hepatitis has been critically under-funded and widely overlooked by
governments, international funders and development partners. This is despite the fact that tools to
eliminate viral hepatitis exist, there is a cure for hepatitis C and a vaccine and effective treatment for
hepatitis B.
NOhep Medical Visionaries Programme
Medical professionals are a crucial member of the NOhep community, helping to bridge the gap
between medicine and public health. To effectively engage with this group, WHA launched the
NOhep Medical Visionaries programme in 2017. This is a practical and peer-led “champions”
programme, which aims to equip medical professionals with the knowledge and tools they need to
lead the fight against viral hepatitis, and to empower them to advocate and take action to drive
elimination efforts.
Since launching we have had almost 600 sign ups from more than 90 countries.
Work to date
The NOhep Medical Visionaries programme was launched in each region of the world at a major liver
conference. Following the launch, a steering committee of 23 NOhep Medical Visionaries developed
the NOhep Guide for Medical Professionals. The guide sets out 5 principles for taking action, listed
below, and is intended to provide practical support and guidance to unlock the powerful role that
medical professionals can play in achieving viral hepatitis elimination.
1. Educate peers: you educate peers that elimination of viral hepatitis is achievable
2. Raise awareness: you raise awareness amongst key audiences of viral hepatitis as a human
and economic issue and the urgent need to act
3. Enable others: you enable other medical professionals to play their role in eliminating viral
hepatitis
4. Facilitate collaboration: you facilitate collaboration between key stakeholders to advance
viral hepatitis elimination efforts
5. Vocal ambassador: you are an ambassador for all efforts to eliminate viral hepatitis,
promoting action and driving change that will help achieve ambitious goals
Building on these principles, since 2019 we have delivered NOhep Medical Visionary forums at major
regional liver meetings. These forums have highlighted that there is no one size fits all approach to
what action can look like and that everyone has a role to play. Importantly presentations focus on
implementation and not outcomes and the forums allow time for discussion to enable new ideas to
be fostered.
Objectives
The work to date has been well received but with hepatitis testing and care increasingly provided by
primary care health providers and not liver specialists we want to expand the programme beyond
the current cohort, who are primarily hepatologists. However, before doing this it will be important
to review and develop a new framework for the programme which will lead to greater engagement
and impact.
Could you help shape the next stages of the programme? Send in your proposal by 9am (GMT) November 19 2021