Expert groups
THL’s expert groups support public authority decision-making and national guidance by providing independent, research-based expertise.
The groups bring together experts from various fields to assess, monitor, and develop themes related to population health and well-being, such as the prevention and control of infectious diseases. Their tasks and operations are based on legislation and official mandates.
The National Immunization Technical Advisory Group is a working group appointed by the Director General of the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL). Its tasks are to
- monitor international developments in the field of vaccines and especially vaccination programmes
- prepare THL’s proposals to the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health for the development of the national vaccination programme
- prepare THL’s recommendations concerning the use of vaccines outside the national vaccination programme.
The Director General of THL appoints the members of the National Immunization Technical Advisory Group for a period of three years at a time. The term of office of the current working group is 1 September 2023 – 31 August 2026.
Composition of the National Immunization Technical Advisory Group
Chair
Kirsi Valtonen, Finnish Association of General Practitioners
Members
Kari Auranen, University of Turku
Maija Lappalainen, Association of Specialists in Clinical Microbiology
Veikko Launis, University of Turku
Timi Martelius, Finnish Association of Infectious Disease Physicians
Seppo Meri, University of Helsinki
Riitta Niittyvuopio, Finnish Medicines Agency (Fimea)
Aija Saarinen, Finnish Union of Public Health Nurses
Terhi Ruuska-Loewald, Finnish Pediatric Association
Maarit Wuorela, University of Turku
Otto Helve, THL
Merit Melin, THL
Hanna Nohynek, THL
Lauri Sääksvuori, THL
Karolina Tuomisto, THL
Mia Kontio, THL, Secretary
Principles of Operation
1. Term of office
The Director General of THL appoints the working group for three years at a time. The number of terms of office of a member is not limited.
2. Group membership
THL requests nominations for external expert members six months before the end of the group’s term of office, in such a way that organizational and stakeholder groups important for the vaccination programme are consulted and that multiprofessional representation is ensured within the group.
The National Immunization Technical Advisory Group should have representation of at least the following skills and experience: epidemiology, ethics, pharmacology, geriatrics, infectious diseases, public health science, clinical microbiology, clinical drug trials, behavioural sciences, pediatrics, mathematical modelling, systematic reviews, health care, health economics, and general practice. Wherever possible, equality considerations, geographical factors, and the representation of special groups and non-governmental organizations are ensured.
The majority of the members are external to THL. The chair and vice-chair of the working group are external to THL.
3. Observers and external experts
As necessary, the group may invite observers or external experts to attend meetings. If required, experts from the pharmaceutical industry may also be used to provide additional information.
Observers and experts external to the group participate only in the open part of the meeting and not in the closed part.
4. Confidentiality and secrecy
The group’s minutes, proposals, and recommendations are public, except when they relate to an ongoing procurement procedure or contain information that is confidential under the law. Members of the group sign, at the constitutive meeting, a THL confidentiality agreement that is valid for the entire term of office and covers, among other things, confidential information that may arise in meetings concerning vaccines and their procurement.
Observers and external experts invited by the group must sign a confidentiality agreement before participating in each meeting. A separate confidentiality agreement is not required, however, if the observer or expert is otherwise bound by equivalent confidentiality obligations.
5. Duties of the members
Experts working at THL or elsewhere prepare the matters to be handled by the National Immunization Technical Advisory Group. The members of the group participate in discussions and in the preparation of proposals and recommendations.
6. Interests and conflicts of interest
The group’s recommendations may have significant financial impacts. For this reason, when appointing the group, it is ensured that members do not have significant financial, intellectual, or other ties to the vaccine industry, other pharmaceutical industry actors, or other stakeholders in the field.
Candidates proposed as members must submit a declaration of interests to the THL registry. The declaration is submitted using a form approved by THL. THL assesses the possible conflict of interest caused by such interests separately for each member at the time of appointment and during the term of office whenever the situation changes. When handling matters related to procurement, the chair may, after consulting the group, decide that a member is disqualified from participating in the handling of the matter.
7. Public access to meetings
The group’s meetings are closed. If necessary, the group may also organize meetings that are open to all citizens or to different stakeholder and target groups, including the pharmaceutical industry.
8. Evidence assessment process and grounds for decision-making
The group’s proposals and recommendations must primarily be based on research evidence or other well-justified assessments.
Where applicable, the group shall take into account the following considerations:
- infectious disease epidemiology, including pandemic situations
- vaccine effectiveness and safety
- long-term effects of vaccines
- economic factors
- benefit–risk assessment of vaccines
- government programme and public health perspectives
- regional and international considerations, including neighboring countries in particular
- care pathway structuring.
9. Decision-making procedure
The group is quorate when at least half of the members participate in the meeting. Participation in the meeting may also take place by telephone or other remote connections.
The group aims to continue information gathering and discussions, where possible, until consensus is reached. In the event of disagreement, an open vote is held. In the event of a tie, the chair’s vote is decisive.
10. Establishment of working groups and working practices
To resolve specific issues, the group may, if necessary, propose the establishment of working groups. The group decides on a case-by-case basis on the composition of working groups, their mandate, the timetable for the work, and the public nature of their reports.
11. Work plan
At the beginning of its term of office, the group prepares a work plan with schedules for the handling of known extensive thematic entities. The plan may be refined during the term of office.
12. Meeting invitation and agenda
The group meets as necessary at least 4–5 times per year. Invitations to meetings must be sent no later than two weeks before the meeting, and all supporting material no later than one week before the meeting. Exceptionally, invitations and materials may also be delivered later than this if it is necessary due to the urgency of the matters to be handled or for another justified reason. Decisions on more rapid convening are made by the chair after consulting the group’s members. In all cases, members must be given sufficient time to familiarize themselves with the material to be handled.
Proposals for agenda items may be made by all group members, who may also take into account suggestions received from other parties. Other proposals submitted directly to the National Immunization Technical Advisory Group may also be included on the agenda. During the meeting, matters other than those listed on the agenda may also be discussed, but no decisions may be made on such matters.
The agenda shall always include an item concerning the disqualification of participants.
If observers or experts external to the group participate in the meeting, the parts of the meeting that are open to all participants and those closed to external participants must be defined at the beginning of the meeting.
13. Minutes
The group’s secretary generally keeps decision minutes of the meetings, which must also indicate the grounds for proposals and recommendations. The minutes are prepared within two weeks of the meeting, after which members have one week to comment. Approved minutes are public documents.
The minutes are sent for information to THL’s management group and to the responsible officials at the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health.
14. Publicity of the group’s activities
The group’s composition and principles of operation. The minutes are available from the THL registry upon request.
The group has a shared wiki workspace on THL’s server to support document distribution and archiving as well as internal discussion within the group. Access to this space is protected by passwords.
In public, statements on behalf of the group are made primarily by the chair or, in the chair’s absence, by the vice-chair.
15. Expense reimbursements and fees
Travel expenses of the group’s members are reimbursed in accordance with the government travel regulations. Decisions on fees paid to members and working groups are made by the Director General of THL.