Peer Review Committee

The Governance Overview, Membership Policy and Conflict of Interest and Recusal Policy of the Digital Square Peer Review Committee has been approved by the Governing Board. Any changes to the policies require board approval.

Governance Overview

Role of the Peer Review Committee

The PRC is not a governing body and its recommendations to the Governing Board are non- binding; however, the PRC plays a critical role as technical experts, assessing the technical and programmatic appropriateness of submitted proposals. The PRC’s role is to:

• Evaluate proposals against global goods criteria and provide technical feedback to authors
• Evaluate the programmatic and contextual appropriateness of a proposal in meeting health system challenges.
• Evaluate submitted proposals and assign green, amber, or red lit status.

Responsibilities

• Review all investment proposals, utilizing the global goods criteria.
• Support the dhi by voting on proposals to move forward for investment, investigate further, or decline outright.
• Support the dhi management team by providing additional technical guidance as requested in regard to green or amber lit investment proposals.
• Share knowledge and provide technical and strategic advice in areas of expertise.

Composition

The PRC is comprised of a diverse set of the foremost leaders and thinkers in digital health technology. The PRC does not have a limit on the number of Members. Seats are allocated to organizations, referred to as Member Organizations. There is no term limit. The PRC is comprised of Member Organizations and Representatives who meet the following membership criteria:

• Are recognized as experts in global health informatics, information technology, software development, and/or interoperability.
• Have expertise in regional and global digital health systems.
• Fulfill a balanced representation of the diverse group of stakeholders in digital health, including country governments, donor organizations, implementing organizations, technology vendors, and other constituencies.
• Willingness to comply with required participation as described in the governance documents.

Conflict of interest

Members will disclose organizational or personal/financial conflicts before proposal review. The Chair will determine the scope of the conflict and the necessity for recusal. It is important to note that members are not likely to be recused from the review and feedback process on a proposal, but rather just voting, as their feedback is integral to the “peer” in Peer Review Committee. This will be applied fairly but may vary by situation.

Voting

Each PRC member organization receives one vote. Representatives and Alternates should come to a consensus in order to cast one organizational. All votes are weighed equally. PATH as the ex officio chair does not have a vote. The PRC member organizations cast their votes for green-, amber-, or red-light on the proposals. The breakdown of the organizational votes is then communicated to the Governing Board.

In the case of the DH&I WG group, each organization within the group receives one vote, all of which are weighed equally. The majority vote within the DH&I WG is then cast as the DH&I WG organizational vote. In the event of a tie between green and amber, the vote will be cast as green. In the event of a tie between green and red, the vote will be cast as amber. In the event of a tie between amber and red, the vote will be cast as amber.

Membership Policy

Purpose

The purpose of this PRC Membership Policy (this “Policy”) is to delineate the criteria for membership on the Peer Review Committee (the “PRC”) of Digital Square.

Peer Review Committee composition

The PRC will be comprised of a diverse set of the foremost leaders and thinkers in digital health technology. The PRC will not have a limit on the number of members. Seats will be allocated to organizations, which will appoint expert representatives. Organizations will assign one PRC Representative and one Alternate to each seat, both of whom should meet the membership criteria.

Member selection criteria

Commitment

Availability and commitment to contributing time, including, at minimum, participation in three annual and six reading days. Ad hoc meetings, reading days, and virtual communication will be called for as needed. The total time commitment is estimated at up to one day per month.

Expertise

Recognized as experts in global health informatics, information technology, software development, interoperability, and regional and global digital health systems. Members should fulfill a balanced representation of the diverse group of stakeholders in digital health, including country governments, donor organizations, implementing organizations, technology vendors, and other stakeholders.

Collaboration

Willingness and commitment to engaging in discussion of ideas and dialogue to explore a variety of solutions.

Commitment to the Principles of Digital Development

Ability and enthusiasm to act as an ambassador and advocate for the Principles of Digital Development.

Judgment

High-level judgment in complex situations and acute analytical skills.

Conflict of interest

Ability and willingness to abide by the PRC’s Conflict of Interest and Recusal Policy.

Member selection process

Process

The Digital Square management team, in conjunction with the existing PRC Members, will conduct a consultative process to recruit PRC Members, leveraging relationships with the Health Data Collaborative’s Digital Health and Interoperability Working Group and the wider digital health community.

List of candidates

The Digital Square management team, with guidance from the Digital Square Director, existing PRC Members, the Chair, and other stakeholders, will review interested organizations for eligibility criteria for PRC membership.

Selection

The existing PRC Members, the Digital Square Director, and the Chair will recruit PRC Members that are willing to fulfill the expectations of membership on the PRC.

Membership

Member Organizations

All seats on the PRC are allocated to organizations, which are Member Organizations. Each Member Organization will be represented by a Representative and must appoint at least one Alternate to the PRC.

Representatives

Individuals appointed to represent their organization to the PRC are Representatives. The Representative must have the capacity and authority to represent the Member Organization in discussions and recommendation-making. Each Member Organization may change its Representative at its own discretion; however, the Member Organization is required to notify the PRC at in advancereview.

Alternates

Member Organizations must appoint at least one Alternate to the PRC. Alternates may serve in place of Representatives due to a Representative’s absence or the Alternate’s superior subject matter knowledge. There is no limit to Alternates’ participation in PRC web-conferences and deliberation; however, only one vote is allocated to each Member Organization.

PRC Members

PRC Members refers inclusively to Member Organizations, Representatives, and Alternates.

Term

There is no term length for PRC membership; however, Representatives should plan to participate for a minimum of one year for continuity. Member Organizations may change their Representative at their own discretion; however, the Member Organization is required to notify the PRC Chair review.

Member guidelines

Responsibilities

• Review all investment proposals, utilizing the global goods criteria.
• Support Digital Square by providing recommendations on which proposals to move forward for investment, investigate further, or decline outright.
• Support the Digital Square management team by providing additional technical guidance as requested in regard to green or amber lit investment proposals.
• Share knowledge and provide technical and strategic advice in areas of expertise.

Participation

Members are required to participate in three annual review processes. Participation will be recorded.

Alternates

PRC Members may send one of their Alternates to participate in their absence. If neither the Representative nor any of the Alternates is available, a proxy may participate, with three days’ prior written notice and approval from the Chair. Proxies must meet membership criteria.

Acting in good faith

Subject to their respective roles, PRC Members will act in good faith in the best interests of the development of digital health global goods.

Conflict of interest

All PRC Members will abide by the PRC’s Conflict of Interest and Recusal Policy.

Fulfillment of obligations

A PRC Member who does not fulfill his/her responsibilities as described in this Policy or misses two review processes without reasonable explanation will be asked by the Chair to resign. If the PRC Member refuses to resign, a vote will be taken on the removal of the Member from the PRC.

Resignation

A Member Organization may resign at any time by giving notice in writing to the Chair and the Digital Square Director at least four weeks in advance.

Representative resignation

Should a Member Organization change its Representative or a Representative resign from his/her role with the Member Organization, an Alternate should fill the role as Representative and the Member Organization should appoint another Alternate. The Member Organization should give notice in writing to the Chair and the Digital Square Director at least four weeks in advance.

Conflict of Interest and Recusal Policy

Purpose

Conflicts of interest

Conflicts of interest of varying degrees of significance or nature—are an unavoidable reality in the conduct of the Peer Review Committee’s (the “PRC”) operations. A conflict of interest in and of itself is not wrong and may not be unethical, but those involved in recommendation-making processes on behalf of the PRC must take appropriate action to ensure disclosure of any actual, perceived, or potential conflicts of interest. As a result, the PRC will be able to properly manage conflicts of interest and thus mitigate the operational and reputational risks inherent in such conflicts.

Purpose

The purpose of this Conflict of Interest and Recusal Policy (this “Policy”) is therefore to protect the integrity and reputation of the PRC’s recommendation-making processes, particularly in regard to recommendations that will result in the allocation of resources, by establishing procedures to identify, evaluate, and address any actual, perceived, or potential conflicts that may arise. As a basic principle, such conflicts must be resolved in favor of the PRC. Those involved in recommendation-making processes on behalf of the PRC will be expected to abide by the provisions of this Policy.

Definitions

PRC Member(s)

Any Organizational Member, Representative, or Alternate to the PRC.

Family member(s)

A PRC Member’s grandparents, parents/guardians, spouse/domestic partner, siblings, children/dependents, and/or grandchildren.

Conflict of interest

A situation where a PRC Member has an actual, perceived, or potential organizational or financial/personal interest, as defined below, that may:

• Affect the conduct of his/her duties and responsibilities with respect to Digital Square.
• Create the perception that the PRC Member is using his/her position in Digital Square for organizational or personal financial gain at the expense of Digital Square.

Organizational interest

An organizational interest arises when a PRC Member is an officer, director, trustee, partner, or (negotiating to become) an employee of an entity that may benefit financially from a recommendation on which he/she would make a recommendation.

Financial/personal interest

A PRC Member has a financial/personal interest when he/she or any family member may benefit financially or in any other significant way from a transaction or other financial arrangement between Digital Square and an entity with which the PRC Member has:

• An ownership or investment interest.
• A senior leadership or board member position (whether paid or unpaid).
• A direct or indirect compensation arrangement, including through a business, investment, or family member, or in the form of substantial gifts or favors.
• A potential in securing any of the above.

Conflict of interest established

PRC Members will not use their position of influence to secure any financial gain for themselves, their family members, or the organizations with which they are affiliated. There are several possibilities for determining whether an actual, perceived, or potential conflict exists:

• A PRC Member discloses that he/she has an actual, perceived, or potential conflict.
• The Chair determines an actual, perceived, or potential conflict exists.
• The PRC determines an actual, perceived, or potential conflict exists.
• The Governing Board (the “Board”) of Digital Square determines an actual, perceived, or potential conflict exists.

Categories of interest

Interests can generally be categorized according to the following types.

• Direct: A direct interest in any PRC recommendation may be established when a PRC Member directly benefits from such recommendation through an organizational or personal/financial interest.
• Indirect: An indirect interest in any PRC recommendation may be established when a PRC Member indirectly benefits from such recommendation through an organizational or financial/personal interest.

Duty to disclose

A PRC Member must disclose organizational and/or financial/personal interests and the nature of such interest when he/she becomes aware that a conflict exists, could be perceived to exist, or is likely to occur. Such risks should be disclosed in writing to the Chair upon joining the PRC (for preexisting conflicts), or before the next PRC review process.

Recusal

1

Though PRC Members bring their experience and affiliations to bear for the benefit of recommending investments in global goods, they should also recognize their responsibility to put the interests of global goods before other interests when taking recommendations on behalf of the PRC. Concurrently, when discharging their duties, PRC Members are not required to take recommendations that conflict with the constitution, regulations, rules, and policies of the organization they represent to the PRC. Therefore, participation in and disclosure of any actual, perceived, or potential conflict of interest relevant to a PRC recommendation should be guided by the provisions of this Policy, with any such conflict identified and declared.

2

Conflicts should be identified prior to proposal reviews, as outlined in the section "Duty to disclose". Should an actual, perceived, or potential conflict arise during the course of proposal review, the PRC Member will disclose the conflict to the Chair as soon as possible upon learning of the possible conflict and in no event later than the vote.

3

It will be the responsibility of the Chair to determine the scope and the necessity of recusal from voting, given the type of interest disclosed. The PRC records will reflect the conflicted PRC Member’s disclosure and whether the conflicted PRC Member participated in or abstained from voting. In occasions of personal interest, the Chair may allocate a recused Representative’s vote to an Alternate.

4

Should an actual, perceived, or potential conflict of interest apply to the Chair, the same recusal process applies. If an actual, perceived, or potential conflict of interest arises during the course of the review, he/she will disclose the conflict, recuse him/herself, and appoint a temporary Chair to call for a vote.

Failure to disclose

1

Failure to disclose or disputes over whether a conflict exists may be referred to the PRC for resolution. Failure to disclose a personal interest by a PRC Member will be addressed in consultation with the organization providing that Member.

2

Should any PRC Member have reasonable cause to believe that another PRC Member has failed to disclose an actual, perceived, or potential conflict of interest, he/she will inform the Chair. The PRC Member will have an opportunity to explain the alleged failure to disclose. The reporting PRC Member should have reasonable grounds for suspecting a violation and must do so in good faith. Knowingly reporting false or frivolous information is contrary to this Policy.

Current Membership

Digital Square's Peer Review Committee is comprised of the following organizations.

• African Centre for eHealth Excellence (Acfee)
• Asia eHealth Information Network (AeHIN)
• Digital Square (ex officio)
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
• Department for International Development (DFID)
• Digital Impact Alliance (DIAL)
• Health Data Collaborative (HDC) via the Digital Health & Interoperability Working Group including:
  • IntraHealth International
  • Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
  • MEASURE Evaluation
  • RTI
• International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
• Swedish Program for ICT in Developing Regions (SPIDER)
• United States Agency for International Development (USAID)