Specifications: Permanent Part time (0.5 FTE)
Salary: £43,000 per annum full time equivalent (pro rata to part time hours)
Location: Ideally based in the UK, Germany or Denmark. Candidates from the rest of the world will be considered; however, Cochrane’s Central Executive Team is only able to offer consultancy contracts outside these countries (1-year fixed-term contracts)
Application Closing Date:  14 November 2022

Cochrane is a charity and a global, independent network of health practitioners, researchers, patient advocates and others, responding to the challenge of making vast amounts of research evidence useful for informing decisions about health. They do this by synthesising research findings to produce the best available evidence on what works. Their work has been recognised as the international gold standard for high quality, trusted information.

The core purpose of this role is to advise and contribute to the development of Cochrane information products and deliver on key projects for the Publishing & Technology Directorate (P&T).

The majority of Cochrane Central Executive staff are located in London, UK, however flexible locations are possible for the right candidate. Please note, however, that we are only able to offer consultancy contracts outside of the UK, Germany or Denmark.

Cochrane welcomes applications from a wide range of perspectives, experiences, locations and backgrounds; diversity, equity and inclusion are key to their values.

We will consider extended notice periods if required for applicants who wish to honour existing contracts. We fully support remote and flexible working arrangements.  

How to apply

• For further information on the role and how to apply, please click here. 
• The deadline to receive your application is by 14 November 2022.  
• The supporting statement should indicate why you are applying for the post, and how far you meet the requirements, using specific examples.
• Note that we will assess applications as they are received, and therefore may fill the post before the deadline.
• Read our Recruitment Privacy Statement

Healthcare decision making can be complex – learn from Sarah’s personal story and make use of Cochrane resources.

Evidence-based healthcare is the integration of the best research evidence with clinical expertise and patient values. It is often represented with these three elements in a Venn diagram with these three equally important elements. However, decision making in healthcare isn’t always so neat and uncomplicated.  Cochrane systematic reviews contribute to the best available, current, valid, and relevant evidence in this process. Cochrane is also committed to helping others understand evidence-based healthcare and the role of evidence.

Sarah Chapman, a former nurse with a long career in health research, had progressive hearing loss since early adulthood. Recently she was faced with a life changing decision if she would like to go ahead with an optional cochlear implant. In this video with illustrations by Karen Morley, Sarah talks us through her personal story of healthcare decision making and how evidence and other factors fit into her thinking.

Sarah explains, “We are messy creature full of messy emotions, living complex lives, and it's in that space that we make our healthcare decisions. Understanding evidence and learning to spot which health information is trustworthy is important to all patients and caregivers – and Cochrane has the resources that can help with this.” You can learn more about Sarah’s in her personal blog, ‘From Ear to Eternity.’

Cochrane has a long and rich history of collaborating with healthcare consumers (patients, carers, and the public). Presenting our evidence in a way that is useful for people making decisions about healthcare and advocating for evidence in health and care is an important part of our work.

Cochrane’s Evidence Essentials is a free introduction to Evidence Based Medicine, clinical trials, systematic reviews, and how to use evidence when making decisions about your health. It was co-produced with patients and caregivers and it is presented a interactive and accessible manner.

Catherine Spencer, Cochrane CEO, says “For Cochrane to achieve its vision, producing high quality reviews of health evidence isn’t enough. Cochrane aspires to a world where all health decisions are informed by high-quality evidence – which means people need to first understand evidence and how to use it. As Sarah’s story shows, making health decisions can be complex. Cochrane’s Evidence Essentials helps people understand health evidence and how to use it. We hope that anyone new to the world of evidence-based healthcare will find this resource indispensable.”

• View the free online resource ‘Cochrane Evidence Essentials’
• Get involved in Cochrane’s work as a patient or carer

Sometimes people avoid talking about uncertainty in scientific findings…but they shouldn't! Gain insights and practical advice on how to communicate uncertainty in this free resource.

Science is complicated and inherently uncertain – it’s hard for scientists and researchers to know how to talk with diverse audiences about this. We are excited for the launch of ‘How to communicate scientific uncertainty’ – a free resource directed at communication professionals and scientists and researchers sharing their work.

Lifeology’s tagline is ‘The place where science and art converge’. They offer a platform that brings together scientists, artists, and storytellers to help people better understand and engage with science, health information, and research. One of the main ways they meet their objectives is through beautifully illustrated, evidence-informed, bite-sized ‘flashcard’ courses about science and health-related topics aimed at the general public and students. 

“Drawing on experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic, Cochrane Convenes brought together leaders from across the world to explore and then recommend the changes needed in evidence synthesis to better prepare for and respond to future global health emergencies,” explains Cochrane's Editor in Chief, Dr Karla Soares-Weiser. “The Cochrane Convenes Report has a strong call for action for the research community to communicate scientific uncertainty better – this Lifeology course is a fantastic resource to address this.”

Author Nicole Kelp from Colorado State University says, “Uncertainty is complicated for all humans to handle, myself included! It was helpful to consider science communication from this empathic perspective while writing this course.” The Harding Centre for Risk Literacy reviewed a pre-final version. The course was reviewed multiple times by Muriah Umoquit, Senior Communications Officer at Cochrane.

This course has 43 cards illustrated beautifully by Jordan Hunter who uses the analogy of a Park Ranger helping people navigate the terrain with signage. “This project was a fun one to work on, “says Jordon. “The imagery in this course highlights the diversity of audiences and instead of text, I used symbols in speech bubbles so that the course can be easily translated.”

"Science communication thrives through collaboration among scientists, topic thought leaders, communication professionals, and creative visionaries like storytellers and artists," emphasized Muriah Umoquit, Senior Communications Officer at Cochrane and reviewer for this course. "It was great to join forces once again with Lifeology. This is the third collaboration with Lifeology, following the creation of the impactful resources ‘What is an infodemic and how can we prevent it?’ and ‘How to talk about vaccines when you’re not an expert’. We are thrilled to present our latest endeavor: a free resource on communicating scientific uncertainty. This invaluable resource is packed with practical advice and utilizes accessible language, empathetic storytelling, and relatable imagery. Join us and explore its enlightening content today!"

View the Lifeology course 'how to communicate scientific uncertainty' in:

• English
• Malay 

Learn more about Lifeology:

• Interview with Lifeology
• Lifeology website
• Lifeology on Twitter
• Lifeology on Instagram
• Lifeology on Slack

Cochrane's framework to 2027 builds on existing work leading to consumer involvement throughout the entire process of research and dissemination of Cochrane evidence. 

Healthcare consumers (patients, carers, and the public) play a vital role in making sure that Cochrane evidence addresses important questions and is produced, presented, and made available in a way that’s useful for people making difficult decisions about healthcare. 

Our consumer volunteers are a vital part of our evidence community, and we thank them for contributing their time, skills and lived experience to the organisation. 

Cochrane supports consumer involvement and engagement in health research because it promotes transparency, accountability, and trust in the way that research is produced; results in evidence that addresses consumers’ needs; reduces waste in research; improves the translation of research into policy and practice;  leads to improved benefits for health systems and better outcomes for patients; is consistent with current health research approaches; and is expected or mandated by our funders, partners, and consumers themselves.

Cochrane's framework for consumer engagement and involvement to 2027 is a result of significant involvement of stakeholders: a task group, consultations, surveys, prioritisation exercises, and drawing on central strategies and previous work with consumers.

We would like to thank all those people who contributed to creating this ambitious vision and we look forward to the work ahead to make this a reality. 

Richard Morley, Cochrane’s Consumer Engagement Officer, explains; “Cochrane has a long and rich history of collaborating with healthcare consumers. The Cochrane Consumer Network has played a formal role since 1995 with over 2,000 members and 2 Consumer Executives serving on the Cochrane Council. This framework will help guide Cochrane’s work to 2027; upscaling our existing efforts and ensure consumers are embedded and central to our work.”

The framework has five elements:

1. Engagement - a programme of communication about health research, evidence dissemination, recruitment and learning that helps more people use evidence in health decision making.
2. Co-production - increase the number of reviews prioritised and that involve consumers in the evidence production process to ensure that reviews are aligned with users’ needs and support consumer involvement in the governance of Cochrane.
3. Accessibility - a programme to improve health literacy amongst healthcare consumers that covers understanding evidence, health research, critical appraisal, and shared decision making, whilst working to make Cochrane evidence more accessible.
4. Partnership - establish a range of international strategic partnerships, including patient groups, to develop engagement, co-production, advocacy and health literacy activities leading to the dissemination of Cochrane evidence and improved engagement and involvement.
5. Evaluation and reporting - establish an observatory in order to ensure Cochrane’s work in engagement and involvement is evidence based, and to monitor and evaluate the impact of its work.

“Cochrane’s importance in the world of evidence-based medicine, its increasingly global reach, and growing membership, create an opportunity to significantly develop its work to engage with an international patient and public audience,” says Catherine Spencer, Cochrane CEO. “This framework ensures that patients, carers and the public are at the heart of what Cochrane does.” 

Chris Champion, Cochrane's Engagement, Learning and Support, explains how the framework fits in to Cochrane's engagement strategy and how you can get involved. 

Maureen Smith, Chair of the Cochrane Consumer Network Executive, explains how the framework fits into Cochrane's engagement strategy and is relevant to patients, carers, and the public.

• Read and download ‘Cochrane consumer engagement and involvement framework to 2027’
• Visit the Cochrane Consumer Network Website
• Get involved with Cochrane as a patient or carer

The World Health Organization (WHO) is currently running two consultations which will shape the future of global clinical trials policy. We encourage the Cochrane Community to participate. 

The surveys are being carried out following the passing of a resolution on ‘strengthening clinical trials to provide high-quality evidence on health interventions and to improve research quality and coordination’ at the World Health Assembly in May 2022.

Cochrane is submitting responses to both consultations at the central level. We also encourage members of our community who work with clinical trial data to also take part and share their perspectives.

Consultation 1: World Health Assembly Resolution on strengthening clinical trials

This survey requests input on implementation of the clinical trials resolution on a wide range of issues related to trials including data sharing, ensuring more representative trial populations, and planning and conducting trials in emergency circumstances. This is an opportunity to share examples of best practice and recommendations for improvement. The questions are available in PDF form here to help with preparing responses.

Consultation 2: WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform – draft guidance on reporting results in trial registries

This survey is a key opportunity to ensure that the reporting of results in clinical trial registries are fit for purpose. It concerns recommendations on the minimum elements of studies which should be reported. The questions are also available in PDF form here to help with prepare responses.

Both consultations close on 11 November 2022 – please consider participating.

If you are interested in finding out more about and contributing to Cochrane’s advocacy in this area, please write to Emma Thompson, Cochrane’s Advocacy and Partnerships Lead.

Cochrane appointments of two new governing board members, Professor Gillian Leng and Professor Wendy Levinson and says farewell to two retiring Trustees, Rae Lamb and Marguerite Koster.

Cochrane is an international non-profit network, which sets the gold standard for synthesizing health research findings  to facilitate evidence-based health care.  Cochrane Reviews, found in the Cochrane Library, are up-to-date, follow a rigorous scientific methodology, and are free from commercial conflicts of interest. Health professionals, patients, and policy makers trust Cochrane Reviews for their healthcare decision-making. Cochrane works with researchers, health professionals, patients, policy makers, and media representatives from around the world to make Cochrane Reviews relevant and usable.

Cochrane's Governing Board is responsible for setting Cochrane's strategic direction and overseeing the work of the Chief Executive Officer, Editor in Chief, and Central Executive Team. Tracey Howe has recently been appointed for a second term as Co-Chair of the Cochrane Governing Board.  Along with Co-Chair, Catherine Marshall, Tracey Howe,  announced the appointment of two new governing board members, Professor Gillian Leng and Prof essor Wendy Levinson and farewell to two retiring Trustees, Rae Lamb and Marguerite Koster.

Gillian Leng, former Chief Executive of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), and current trustee of the Guidelines International Network, has over 30 years’ experience of working within the national and international worlds of guideline development and associated evidence and research functions. Her knowledge and understanding of the development and use of evidence based health advice, in the Uk and internationally, will be valuable as the Cochrane Board continues its work developing a secure and strong role for the future.

Gill Leng said, "Cochrane is hugely important for international healthcare and plays a vital function in ensuring effective, robust evidence is available at a global level. As the trend for ‘living guidelines’ increases, the role of Cochrane as an evidence provider will become ever more essential, bringing alignment where appropriate with the needs for guideline developers. I have been a strong ‘Evidence advocate’ since I was a junior doctor, I contributed as a Cochrane Editor for many years, and I welcome the opportunity to help shape the future of Cochrane."

Wendy Levinson, is a Professor of Medicine at University of Toronto, currently Chair of Choosing Wisely Canada. She has a wide range of experience from her volunteer roles as Chair or President of the boards of the American Board of Internal Medicine, the Society of General Internal Medicine, the Professors of Medicine, and the Canadian Association of Professors of Medicine and full-time positions including serving as the Chair of Medicine at the University of Toronto  and the Division head of General Internal Medicine and Geriatrics at the University of Chicago. 

Wendy Levinson said of her appointment, "I admire the work of Cochrane and use the reviews frequently. Cochrane is undergoing major changes and I look forward to using my skills in leadership of large organizations, strategic planning, and fundraising to help support Cochrane’s future. Furthermore, my international network through Choosing Wisely may also serve to support Cochrane and build a useful collaboration, especially as we continue our important work identifying low value health care."

Catherine Spencer, Cochrane CEO said, ‘Wendy and Gill both bring an inspiring range of professional experience, which we welcome to help us navigate a new future for Cochrane. Both new Trustees also bring links with organisations Cochrane has partnered with and that rely on Cochrane Evidence for their work – the Guidelines International Network and Choosing Wisely.

We would also like to warmly thank leaving Trustees, Rae Lamb and Marguerite Koster for their service to and support for Cochrane.

Rae Lamb, is the Chief Executive of Te Pou in NZ, a national centre for workforce and leadership development for the mental health workforce in New Zealand, specialising in the development of evidence-based mental health resources and Deputy Chair of the NZ Quality and Safety Commission.  Ms Lamb initially trained as a reporter and broadcaster, then undertook a Harkness Fellowship in Health Policy at the Harvard School of Public Health and Institute for Healthcare Improvements in the United States. Rae has also served as a former New Zealand Deputy Health and Disability Commissioner and Australian Aged Care Complaints Commissioner.

Catherine Marshall, Co-Chair, said "Rae brought a wealth of experience in governance, organisational leadership, change management, complaint resolution and working with diverse stakeholder groups nationally and internationally. Rae understands the importance of evidence-based health care and decision making, and her professional, ethical approach has made a significant contribution to the governing board. We thank her for her work on our Complaints Policy and with the Complaints Committee and as a member of the Governance Committee."

Rae Lamb said “Cochrane and the work of its community is more important than ever in this late pandemic world where misinformation is rife. I am humbled to have had the opportunity to be part of Cochrane. I strongly believe there are exciting opportunities and times ahead for the organistion, its work and its people.”

Marguerite Koster,  Director of Evidence-Based Medicine at Kaiser Permanente Southern California, one of the largest not-for-profit health plans in the U.S., serving 12.2 million members. She oversees the efforts of the Southern California Permanente Medical Group’s Evidence-Based Medicine Services Unit within Kaiser Permanente’s Southern California Region, which provides medical care to more than 4.5 million members.   Marguerite will continue to serve Cochrane as a member of the Future of Evidence Synthesis Oversight Committee.

Tracey Howe, Co-Chair Governing Board, said "Marguerite was appointed to the Cochrane’s Governing Board in 2016 as one of its first externally appointed members. Marguerite has played an invaluable role as a Co-Chair of the Governing Board, Treasurer, Chair of the Finance, Audit & Investment Subcommittee, a member of the Remuneration and Governance Subcommittees, and the Cochrane/Guidelines International Network Partnership Advisory Group. Cochrane has benefited from Marguerite’s valuable experience in using Cochrane evidence to develop clinical practice guideline development, and inform health technology assessment, knowledge translation and evidence-based implementation."

Marguerite Koster said,  “Cochrane’s systematic reviews have been invaluable in informing evidence-based health care decisions within Kaiser Permanente. It has been my pleasure to serve on the Governing Board, especially to emphasize the vital role of the Cochrane Library in influencing health care policy and practice within a large health delivery system.”

• Learn more about Cochrane's governance and management

The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued updated recommendations on the induction of labour which is supported by evidence from Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth.

WHO develops global health guidelines, which are of a high methodological quality and are developed through a transparent, evidence-based decision-making process. Ensuring there is an appropriate use of evidence within these guidelines, represents one of the core aspects of Cochrane’s collobration with WHO. Cochrane has been a non-governmental organization in official relations with WHO since 2011.

The Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Group has a long-standing collaboration with WHO on the development and updating of Cochrane reviews that inform WHO’s guidelines on global maternal and perinatal health.

 
The primary goal of the latest guidelines for induction of labour is to improve the quality of care and outcomes for pregnant women undergoing induction of labour in under-resourced settings. The target audience of these guidelines includes obstetricians, midwives, general medical practitioners, health-care managers and public health policy-makers. The guidance provided is evidence-based and covers selected topics related to induction of labour that were regarded as critical priority questions by an international, multidisciplinary group of health-care workers, consumers and other stakeholders.

The updated to the recommendation include:

• Outpatient settings for induction of labour
• Induction of labour, at or beyond term
• Mechanical methods for induction of labour

“Cochrane’s official relations with WHO ensures they are able to draw on high quality evidence in their guidelines and recommendations that will have an impact upon health policies and clinical practice worldwide,” says Cochrane’s Editor in Chief, Dr Karla Soares-Weiser. “It’s also a testament to the important and hard work that many in the Cochrane community are putting forward.”

• Visit the Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth website
• Read the WHO recommendations for induction of labour

Installing mosquito screening over house windows and closing the gaps in house eaves can help reduce infection with Plasmodium parasites and the number of people with anaemia in the household, according to an updated Cochrane Review published this week. Householders can implement many of these house modifications themselves, providing a simple malaria prevention tool to complement existing vector control strategies.

The review author team, from the UK, Spain, South Africa, and Malawi, included one randomized controlled trial (RCT) and six cluster-RCTs, and noted an additional six ongoing trials. Trials assessed screening of windows, doors, eaves, ceilings, or any combination of these; this was either alone, or in combination with roof modification or eave tube installation (an insecticidal "lure and kill" device that reduces mosquito entry whilst maintaining some air flow).

The seven included trials, conducted in sub-Saharan Africa, showed that people living in modified houses were less likely to have Plasmodium parasites in their blood, and were less likely to experience moderate or severe anaemia. There was also a large reduction in the number of mosquitoes trapped indoors at night in some of the included trials.

This approach is not a new phenomenon; research from 1901 first demonstrated the effect of simple house screening techniques for protecting families in Italy from mosquito-related illness, and many householders globally continue to screen their homes to protect from nuisance insects. House modifications may provide an important, long-term, sustainable option to reduce malaria.

CIDG Research Associate and lead author Tilly Fox noted, “These results are encouraging, and the reduction in indoor mosquitoes will mean householders will be motivated to screen houses simply to reduce the nuisance factor as well as the health benefits”.

Professor Steve Lindsay from Durham University said, “It is gratifying to see the protective effect of house screening against malaria in different sites. For the future, innovative new solutions are needed to provide better and longer-lasting protection, including tougher screened windows, self-closing doors, and re-designing housing which will help keep the occupants healthy, comfortable, and secure.”

• Read the full review and plain language summary here
• Visit the Cochrane Infectious Diseases Group here

Fox T, Furnival-Adams J, Chaplin M, Napier M, Olanga EA. House modifications for preventing malaria. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2022, Issue 10. Art. No.: CD013398. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD013398.pub4.

Article originally published on Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine website

Specifications: Full Time (Permanent role)
Salary: £85,000 per annum
Location: UK, homebased and remote-working (attendance at meetings will be expected to pursue development and build relations)
Application Closing Date:  Wednesday 19 October 2022, 9am GMT

Cochrane aims to put evidence at the heart of health decision-making globally. We collaborate to produce trusted synthesized evidence, make it accessible to all, and advocate for its use.   Cochrane is seeking a Director of Publishing and Technology.

Cochrane is a charity and a global, independent network of health practitioners, researchers, patient advocates and others, responding to the challenge of making vast amounts of research evidence useful for informing decisions about health. They do this by synthesising research findings to produce the best available evidence on what works. Their work has been recognised as the international gold standard for high quality, trusted information.

As a member of the Executive Leadership Team, this role will lead the Publishing and Technology Directorate (comprising Cochrane Library partnership, Informatics and IT Services, product and business development) to drive high performance, organizational growth and financial returns to Cochrane.

Cochrane is seeking an ambitious individual who relishes a challenge, loves collaborative working, delivers results and has experience of successfully delivering strategy. The ideal candidates will possess an understanding and experience of leading the management and development of a portfolio of products and services that are appropriately priced to generate income.  You will support Cochrane to navigate a sustainable and realistic route to Open Access publishing, working with the leadership team, expert advisers, the Governing Board and our publisher (Wiley). Finally, you will be enterprising and a strategic thinker with the ability to seek and find creative solutions and foster innovation in your teams.

Cochrane welcomes applications from a wide range of perspectives, experiences, locations and backgrounds; diversity, equity and inclusion are key to their values.

How to apply

To obtain the candidate pack and further information on how to apply please contact:

Abigail Barclay
Search Director
a.barclay@inspiredselection.com

PLEASE NOTE: The recruitment agency will be longlisting applications as soon as they receive them, so please apply early to register your interest. 

Funding will support the centering of racial health equality in systematic reviews through national consensus building.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) is the largest American philanthropic organization focused solely on health and healthcare. The recent grant of $1 Million awarded to members and partners of the Cochrane US Network, including Texas Christian University (TCU), RTI International, Campbell Collaboration, Marymount University, and Georgia College, will support critical research to center racial health equity in systematic reviews through national consensus building.  

RWJF defines health equity to means that everyone has a fair and just opportunity to be as healthy as possible, which requires removing obstacles to health such as poverty, discrimination, and their consequences.  Systematic reviews—rigorous and comprehensive syntheses and critical appraisal of evidence—is a gold standard research tool to improve dissemination of evidence-based practices that can reduce or eliminate disparities.  To date, guidance documents for systematic reviews have not routinely considered health equity when- selecting topics, considering outcomes, conducting critical appraisal, assessing applicability of evidence to specific populations or settings, nor when communicating findings to key stakeholders and communities.

Cochrane Senior Officer Us Network, Tiffany Duque, states “by establishing standards to improve the methods, conduct, and reporting of systematic reviews specific to racial health equity, Cochrane can help reduce racial health disparities in the US. With this Robert Wood Johnson funding we will assess the gaps in primary and secondary research to help improve and guide future evidence synthesis toward improved racial health equity.”

This award is the largest to date for the Cochrane US Network, which was established in 2019. Catherine Spencer, Cochrane CEO states, “Racial health equality is a priority topic for Cochrane, the US, and globally. We encourage Cochrane reviews to include explicit descriptions of methods, effects of the interventions, and ability to reduce inequalities in health and to promote their applicability to all population groups. Cochrane is proud to lend its leadership and expertise to this project.”

This prestigious collaboration of investigators and institutions will undertake a comprehensive and ambitious effort to listen to stakeholders and communities, perform landscape analyses of existing resources, and prioritize next steps as the first phase to centering racial health equity in systematic reviews.  Principal Investigators include awardee Dr. Dru Riddle (TCU), Dr. Meera Viswanathan (RTI), Dr. Vivian Welch (Campbell), Dr. Patricia Heyn (Marymount), Dr. Damian Francis (Georgia College), and Tiffany Duque (Cochrane).

• Visit the Cochrane US Network website
• Learn more about equity methods at Cochrane

Cochrane London 2023: Forward together for trusted evidence
4-6 September 2023
Central London, UK

Cochrane is an international non-profit network that provides evidence-based scientific knowledge to improve healthcare for all people worldwide. Cochrane Reviews summarise all available research on a specific health question. They are up-to-date, follow a rigorous scientific methodology, and are free from commercial conflicts of interest. Health professionals, patients, and policy makers trust Cochrane Reviews for their healthcare decision-making. Cochrane works with researchers, health professionals, patients, policy makers, and media representatives from around the world to make Cochrane Reviews relevant and usable.

Cochrane holds an annual conference, known as a Colloquium, that brings together Cochrane researchers, clinical professionals, early career professionals, patients and carers, policymakers, and anyone interested in evidence synthesis and evidence-based healthcare. The events are a mix of keynote speakers, training opportunities, workshops, presentations, and a lively social and networking atmosphere. They are an exciting opportunity for a community of evidence synthesis enthusiasts to share, learn, and connect.  

Cochrane was founded 30 years ago in Oxford and to mark this anniversary the colloquium will be held in the United Kingdom. It will take place at the QEII Centre in Westminster, Central London, hosted by Cochrane UK. The main programme will run from the 4th to the 6th of September, with satellite events and meetings on the 3rd September 2023.

This will be the first time the Cochrane community has come together since 2018 and in recognition of this, it is being designed to celebrate the diverse, global and cohesive nature of the collaboration that is Cochrane. As in previous years there will be stipends to make it possible for students, early career professionals and those from low-and middle-income countries to attend. The Colloquium theme is forward together for trusted evidence. 

Martin Burton, Director of Cochrane UK, said: “After 30 years of producing and advocating for the use of high-quality evidence, Cochrane can look back on many significant achievements.  Now we need to look forward together.”

Catherine Spencer, Cochrane CEO said, “The 2023 Cochrane Colloquium is an event for everyone with an interest in the use of evidence in healthcare decision making. We welcome those engaged in evidence production, co-production, dissemination, implementation and policy making, as well as those making individual healthcare decisions to join us for this exciting event.”

Registration will open in early 2023. Scientific programme will be announced in the coming months.

• Find out more at the Colloquium website
• #CochraneLondon
• Press contact: Katie Abbotts, Cochrane UK

A new Cochrane Library Editorial  has been published about the overtreatment with multiple medications and potentially inappropriate medications use in frail, older adults, and people with multimorbidity. 

The editorial introduces the Cochrane Library Special Collection on deprescribing which provides a summary of Cochrane Reviews on the topic. This collection of reviews highlight that deprescribing is likely feasible and safe and can lead to benefits in prescribing and clinical outcomes. However, they also highlight significant gaps in the literature and methodological challenges to both conducting deprescribing studies and systematic reviews of deprescribing. The editorial calls on the deprescribing research field to focus on universally accepted standards, definitions, and checklists and work collaboratively with Cochrane Sustainable Healthcare. 

• Read the deprescribing editorial 
• View the Cochrane Library Special Collection on deprescribing 
• Visit the Cochrane Sustainable Healthcare website
• Register for free webinar on abandoning existing low-value care practices: 20 October 2022

In November 2022 Jimmy Volmink, the 'father of evidence-based medicine in Africa' and dedicated Cochrane member was the speaker for the 2022 Cochrane Lecture. 

Cochrane Lectures provide a forum for influential thinkers to deliver thought-provoking talks on the key challenges for the future Evidence-Based Medicine.

Cochrane’s vision is for a world in which “decisions about health and care are informed by high-quality evidence.” As a trusted source of evidence, the organisation is making a substantial contribution to the realisation of this ideal. Yet, more can be done to extend Cochrane’s global reach, and enhance its relevance and impact worldwide. In this year’s Cochrane Lecture, Professor James "Jimmy" Volmink called for the adoption of global health equity as a strategic priority for Cochrane, and explored ways this can be actioned through steps such as prioritising review topics, enabling participation and promoting diversity and inclusion.

Professor Volmink, the founding Director of the South African Cochrane Centre has a lifelong unwavering commitment to keep on 'banging the drum about inequality' to affect real change. Jimmy reflects on his personal and professional journey in this 'Recommended Dose' podcast.

• Watch other Cochrane Lecture recordings
• Professor Volmink on Twitter

The award supports critical research to help identify treatments to improve the lives of people suffering from debilitating eye diseases.

 The National Eye Institute (NEI) has awarded a $5 million grant to Tianjing Li, PhD, associate professor of ophthalmology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, in a continuation of the NEI’s support of the Cochrane Eyes and Vision US Satellite (CEV US Satellite) at the Sue Anschutz-Rodgers Eye Center.

The award is one of the largest grants the CU Department of Ophthalmology has received from the NEI and ensures the project will remain on the CU Anschutz Medical Campus for the next five years.

“We are very grateful for NEI’s continued support in the research we are doing,” says Li. “It will help us grow new partnerships, produce trustworthy evidence, and ultimately improve the vision care our patients receive.”

The Cochrane Eyes and Vision (CEV) US Satellite is a team of US-based researchers and practitioners who review medical literature for content covering interventions to prevent or treat eye conditions and visual impairments and to help people adjust to visual impairment or blindness. CEV is a member review group of the Cochrane US Network, which formed in 2019.  Cochrane Senior Officer Tiffany Duque states "this grant is an exciting achievement for the US Network, and we thank Dr. Li for her continued efforts and dedication not only to CEV but also to the US Network. We look forward to the high-quality evidence that will result from this grant, and to engaging other US Cochrane Centers in ensuring national dissemination of this important work."

“Cochrane systematic reviews are published in the Cochrane Library, which contains high-quality, independent evidence to inform health care decision-making,” says Li, principal investigator for the CEV US Satellite. “These reviews are valuable sources of information for those receiving and providing care, as well as for policymakers and researchers. Our reviews have been highly cited by national and international practice guidelines.”

Although the reviews are written for health care professionals, each review can also help to assist patients and the public in making informed health care decisions. Topics for reviews are identified based on gaps in the literature, importance of the topics to influence practice, and from interest and suggestions of patients and experts in the field. Once a review topic has been identified, Li’s team works with eye doctors to produce the review, which is then peer reviewed and ultimately published in the Cochrane Library.

 “We are very proud of the program Dr. Tianjing Li has built here in the Sue Anschutz-Rodgers Eye Center,” says Naresh Mandava, MD, chair of the CU Department of Ophthalmology and Sue Anschutz-Rodgers Endowed Chair in Retinal Diseases. “Evidence-based medicine is critical to our understanding of disease and identifying effective therapies that will ultimately improve the lives of people suffering from debilitating eye diseases. The Cochrane project centered here at CU leads the way in this endeavor and we appreciate the National Eye Institute’s continued support of this important work.”

The project’s mission to promote informed health care decision-making and research is critical amid the current climate of increasing health care disparities and growth of health care misinformation from online sources.

“Vision health care should be based on science,” Li says. “In this era of data deluge, evidence-informed practice is needed more than ever.”

Since 2002, the CEV US Satellite has published more than 120 systematic reviews and more than 90 methodological papers and book chapters. The project has also trained more than 120,000 individuals in methods for systematic reviews and has informed hundreds of clinical practice guidelines in the United States and internationally.

• Visit the Cochrane Eyes and Vision website
• Visit the Cochrane US website

Originally posted on the University of Colorado website

Location: Flexible location (remote working) – contract type dependent on location.
Specifications: Permanent employment contract if successful applicant based in UK, Germany or Denmark. Consultancy contract in other locations.
Salary: £36,000 per annum
Application Closing Date:  18 October 2022

Cochrane is a charity and a global, independent network of health practitioners, researchers, patient advocates and others, responding to the challenge of making vast amounts of research evidence useful for informing decisions about health. They do this by synthesising research findings to produce the best available evidence on what works. Their work has been recognised as the international gold standard for high quality, trusted information.

The core purpose of this role is to ensure that Cochrane systems are presented coherently to our users, are well-documented, tested, fit for purpose and that the user voice is heard in system development decision-making.

You will:

• provide second-line expert support on software used by Cochrane authors and staff to write and edit Cochrane Reviews:
  
  • Editorial Manager (third-party software from Aries Systems)
  • project management features in RevMan Web (in-house review development software)
• act as System Administrator for these systems, making configuration changes to optimise user experience
• update supporting documentation and run demos to educate users on system configurations
• input into projects and programmes of work which impact on Cochrane authors and staff
• represent the user voice in system development, based on feedback received from support cases and training
• use your knowledge to influence development priorities and project decisions that have an impact on system users

Cochrane welcomes applications from a wide range of perspectives, experiences, locations and backgrounds; diversity, equity and inclusion are key to their values.

How to apply

• For further information on the role and how to apply, please click here.  
• The deadline to receive your application is by 18 October 2022.  
• The supporting statement should indicate why you are applying for
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