Thursday, May 25, 2023

Wednesday, May 24, 2023

Introducing "Las claves de la evidencia en salud" by Cochrane Iberoamerica—a dynamic Spanish course that delves into evidence-based healthcare, clinical trials, and Cochrane evidence. Designed for healthcare consumers (patients, care givers, family members), policy makers, and the healthcare team, this interactive course offers five modules, each estimated to take 30-40 minutes to complete. Best of all, it's completely free with a Cochrane account (registration for Cochrane account is also free).

The course offers interactive learning with reading materials, videos, quizzes, and other assessments. It follows the personal journey of 'Elena,' a fictional consumer, but participants can explore modules freely. It has been co-produced by healthcare consumers, researchers, and Cochrane specialists. The original English version, "Evidence Essentials", was translated and adapted by the Iberoamerican Cochrane Center.

"We are convinced that this course is a relevant and user-friendly contribution to disseminate to the Spanish-speaking public how we know if a treatment works and what is the process to generate scientific evidence for health care. At the Iberoamerican Cochrane Center we translate all Cochrane systematic reviews into Spanish and this new course in Spanish is an ideal addition to improve the use of all this evidence in health care", says Gerard Urrútia, director of the Iberoamerican Cochrane Center and the Iberoamerican Cochrane Network.

"We'll promote it in Spain and the 18 countries of the Iberoamerican Cochrane Network to enhance understanding of evidence in health," adds Urrútia. "It targets healthcare users and professionals, complementing other resources we provide."



"We are going to disseminate this course in Spain and in the other 18 countries that are part of the Iberoamerican Cochrane Network as a first gateway to learning the key elements of evidence in health," adds Urrútia. "Our target audience is not only health care users, but also all those who are not familiar with systematic reviews and need to make healthcare decisions, including healthcare professionals. These modules will also support the numerous resources and dissemination activities that we produce for the Spanish-speaking public, such as Nutrimedia or Cochrane responde."

Check out this free online resource in Spanish or the other three languages today! 

• Evidence Essentials
• Las claves de la evidencia en salud
• Evidenz verstehen - ein Onlinekurs von Cochrane
• Основы Доказательств Кокрейн

Tuesday, May 23, 2023

Monday, May 22, 2023

It is with great sadness that we mark the passing of Hyeong Sik Ahn, Director of Cochrane Korea, Professor at the Department of Preventive Medicine, and former Dean of the Graduate School of Public Health at Korea University.

Professor Ahn's enduring relationship with Cochrane, spanning over twenty years, began when he attended his first Cochrane Colloquium in 2002. This initial gathering in Norway fueled his determination to introduce Cochrane principles in Korea. In 2007, Professor Ahn led the establishment of the Korean Branch of the Australasian Cochrane Center. Two years later, Cochrane Korea was officially inaugurated at Korea University as a geographical group of Cochrane.

Beyond his Cochrane-related activities, Professor Ahn organized the 8th Guidelines International Network Conference in the summer of 2011, themed "Linking Evidence, Policy, and Practice," marking the first time the conference was held in Asia. In 2014, he authored an influential article published in the New England Journal of Medicine titled "Korea's Thyroid Cancer 'Epidemic' – Screening and Overdiagnosis." This article highlighted Professor Ahn's determination to address overdiagnosis, particularly within the Korean healthcare system.

One of the highlights of Professor Ahn's academic career was hosting the 24th Cochrane Colloquium in the fall of 2016 in Seoul, where colleagues and researchers from around the world gathered for a successful conference that the Cochrane Korea team fondly remembers. In 2015, he spearheaded the implementation of the Choosing Wisely Korea campaign, aimed at reducing unnecessary medical tests and treatments in the country. By 2022, the campaign had gained endorsement from twenty-seven Korean medical societies.

"Professor Ahn played a pivotal role in establishing Evidence-Based Medicine in Korea," says Catherine Spencer, CEO of Cochrane. "To the fortunate students and colleagues who knew him, his passing represents an immeasurable loss. He will be deeply missed."

Professor Hyun Jung Kim, who served as co-director alongside Professor Ahn, will now assume the role of Director of Cochrane Korea, carrying forward Professor Ahn's inspiring legacy.

• Visit the Cochrane Korea website

 

 

 

Friday, May 19, 2023

Cochrane, a global independent network of researchers, professionals, patients, carers, and health enthusiasts, proudly announces the publication of its latest Special Collection titled "Cochrane at 30: what our 30th year can tell us about the future." 

In an era where access to health evidence has expanded, the risk of misinterpreting complex content has grown, while the likelihood of individuals obtaining a comprehensive and balanced understanding has diminished. Cochrane's role in providing accessible, credible information to support informed decision-making has never been more critical in improving global health.

At the heart of Cochrane's mission is the collaborative production of trustworthy health information devoid of commercial sponsorship and conflicts of interest. This commitment enables the generation of authoritative and reliable evidence, unconstrained by commercial and financial interests. Cochrane's systematic reviews, which gather and analyze the best available evidence, are recognized globally as the gold standard for reliable and high-quality information.

The need for Cochrane's work is even greater than it was when we started in 1993. In an era where access to health evidence has expanded, the risk of misinterpreting complex content has grown, while the likelihood of individuals obtaining a comprehensive and balanced understanding has diminished. Cochrane's role in providing accessible, credible information to support informed decision-making has never been more critical in improving global health.

To commemorate Cochrane's 30th anniversary, we have curated a collection of Cochrane Reviews that exemplify the enduring mission and innovative approaches taken by our organization. This special collection underscores the future of Cochrane, built upon its rich history of methodological diversity and unwavering dedication to meeting user needs.

• View the Cochrane Library Special Collection

 

 

Friday, May 19, 2023

Specifications: Permanent – Full Time (Hybrid Role, 3 days office and 2 days WFH)
Salary: £55,257 (Paid in DKK, as per market exchange rate) per annum
Location: Copenhagen, Denmark
Directorate: Publishing & Technology
Closing date: 7 June 2023

Cochrane is an international charity. For 30 years we have responded to the challenge of making vast amounts of research evidence useful for informing decisions about health. We do this by synthesising research findings and our work has been recognised as the international gold standard for high quality, trusted information.

Cochrane's strength is in its collaborative, global community. We have 110,000+ members and supporters around the world. Though we are spread out across the globe, our shared passion for health evidence unites us. Our Central Executive Team supports this work and is divided into five directorates: Evidence Production and Methods, Publishing and Technology, Development, and Finance and Corporate Services.

As development team lead, you will manage an Agile/Scrum software development team (3 developers, 1 test engineer) who develop web applications that accelerate the production of systematic reviews of health evidence. You will support the team in their work, coordinate with product owners on timelines, and contribute to software testing within the team as needed to ensure sprint goals are met.

Don’t have every single qualification? We know that some people are less likely to apply for a job unless they are a perfect match. At Cochrane, we’re not looking for “perfect matches.” We’re looking to welcome people to our diverse, inclusive, and passionate workplace. So, if you’re excited about this role but don’t have every single qualification, we encourage you to apply anyway. Whether it’s this role or another one, you may be just the right candidate.

Our organization is built on four core values: Collaboration: Underpins everting we do, locally and globally. Relevant: The right evidence at the right time in the right format. Integrity: Independent and transparent. Quality: Reviewing and improving what we do, maintaining rigour and trust.  

You can expect:  

• An opportunity to truly impact health globally  
• A flexible work environment  
• A comprehensive onboarding experiences
• An environment where people feel welcome, heard, and included, regardless of their differences

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

How to apply

• For further information on the role and how to apply, please click here.
• The deadline to receive your application is 7 June 2023.
• The supporting statement should indicate why you are applying for the post, and how far you meet the requirements, using specific examples. 
• Read our Recruitment Privacy Statement

Tuesday, May 23, 2023 Category: Jobs

Thursday, May 11, 2023

Thursday, May 11, 2023

Stroke, heart disease, hypertension and peripheral vascular diseases are leading global causes of mortality and morbidity. As the population ages and these conditions become more common in low-income countries, the need for an integrated response has become increasingly clear.

The new Heart, Stroke and Circulation Thematic Group aims to bring together experts from across all four topics to foster collaboration between researchers in different fields while providing comprehensive reviews on cutting-edge topics related to stroke, heart disease, hypertension, and peripheral vascular diseases. 

A collaborative effort

Through this collaborative effort, it is hoped that progress toward a better understanding of these conditions can be accelerated while also providing improved patient care.

The Heart, Stroke and Circulation Group has 708 relevant Cochrane reviews; 216 of which have been used over 1,000 times each and some of which have been used over 5,000 times. 

Professor Mead explained: “Multimorbidity prevalence will increase with an ageing global population and we know that different vascular diseases coexist in the same person. We hope that through our new thematic group, we will be able collective expertise and knowledge, create more comprehensive reviews, which will be of benefit to patients living with vascular disease, and also those making treatment and policy decisions in this area.”

Covering a broader range of topics in greater depth

As populations age and these conditions become more prevalent in low-income countries, the need to work together becomes increasingly important. 

This new thematic group was formed to reduce topic overlap between the four areas of research and to improve time-to-publication by sharing collective expertise and knowledge and collaborating with experts around the world. By combining forces, they will be able to provide reviews that cover a broad range of topics with greater depth. The aim is to benefit experts looking for information but, equally as importantly, patients who may have a combination of diseases or issues that cross over between multiple disciplines. 

Alex Todhunter-Brown continues: "Management of heart disease, stroke, hypertension, and peripheral vascular diseases is a global challenge that requires an integrated approach. The Heart, Stroke and Circulation Thematic Group is an alliance of experts, united by a common goal to generate evidence to support the best ways of prevention, treatment and rehabilitation of these conditions. Our goal is to improve outcomes for people with these conditions – we can do this by ensuring that we have robust, reliable evidence about effective treatments and rehabilitation strategies. Working together, we can make a difference to people affected by heart, stroke and circulation problems."

• Learn more about Cochrane Heart, Stroke and Circulation and get involved

Wednesday, May 10, 2023

  Characterised by close collaboration and cross-disciplinary expertise, Cochrane’s new Person-Centred Care, Health Systems and Public Health Thematic Group is led by Rebecca Ryan (CCC, La Trobe University Australia), Luke Wolfenden (CPH, University of Newcastle, Australia), Simon Lewin (EPOC, Norwegian University of Science and Technology) and Sasha Shepperd (EPOC, University of Oxford), the new Group has its sights set on bringing quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods expertise to evidence applied across diverse clinical areas, populations and contexts.   ‘We know the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) highlight the interconnectedness between health and public health systems and personal, social and environmental contexts,’ Rebecca Ryan explains. ‘But to date Cochrane hasn’t been well placed to engage with this cross-cutting agenda. Establishing this Thematic Group offers a really timely and promising opportunity to begin doing so. We are really looking forward to working together on this.’

‘With our longstanding shared interests in methods, topics and complex reviews, we have enjoyed the benefits of close collaboration for many years. We now want to enable Cochrane to take forward evidence syntheses that span these complex areas and contribute to the delivery of the SDGs and improvement of global health outcomes.’

‘Working more closely as a coordinated Thematic Group will enable cross-cutting priority topics to be identified, along with overlapping areas where research waste might be reduced. There will also be scope to explore effective and efficient ways of providing content input through new Evidence Synthesis Units and the Central Editorial Service. There are so many possibilities.’

Person-Centred Care

Person-centred approaches are a key part of ensuring that health and public health systems interventions, and their implementation strategies, meet the needs of patients, family members, carers and other stakeholders by identifying priority topics and outcomes that are mutually beneficial.

‘Person-centred approaches can lead to more sustainable and resilient services and systems that are better able to meet individual and community needs. They promote engagement, empowerment and equity and are increasingly recognised as necessary for safe, high-performing health systems,’ Rebecca says. ‘There are many examples of improvements where health and public health systems have adopted a person- centred approach. On the other hand, when health care organisation and delivery is less focused on people we know the outcomes can be dire – for example leading to antibiotic resistance due to poor prescribing , increased medication errors, fragmented care and risks to patient safety, increased maternal mortality, and inappropriate and unresponsive end of life care.’

Bringing together evidence on person-centred care and evidence from the fields of health and public health systems will contribute to ensuring that Cochrane evidence addresses these critical issues and meets the needs of diverse communities around the world.’

Health Systems and Public Health

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to highlight the urgent need for resilient health and public health systems that effectively engage people within and across communities. In response, the Person-Centred Care, Health Systems and Public Health Thematic Group will support the integration of evidence-based interventions into health and public health systems to improve outcomes for patients and communities globally. To do so, the Group will draw on a range of disciplines including health services research, behavioral and implementation sciences, stakeholder engagement and participatory methods, qualitative research, and quality improvement.

‘A health system includes the policies, organizations and activities that have the primary purpose of promoting, restoring or maintaining the health and wellbeing of individuals and the public,’ Rebecca explains. ‘They are complex structures spanning local, national and global contexts and involve a multiplicity of delivery platforms – so for example health facilities of all sorts, schools, communities and households - and an even wider range of service users and other stakeholders.’

‘We know interventions focused on health and public health systems can have substantial effects on peoples’ lives. We need high quality evidence to identify effective health or public health policies, programmes and services and maximise their benefits. We also need evidence-based strategies to support their implementation in feasible ways that meet the needs of consumers and key stakeholders.’

Global scope, focus on low- and middle-income countries (LMICs)

Collectively, this new Thematic Group brings over two decades of substantial experience working with LMIC-based partners to identify priority topics, conduct syntheses, disseminate key findings and strengthen capacity.

‘We look forward to building on the strong representation of LMIC-based editors and other partners in the months and years ahead,’ says EPOC’s Simon Lewin. ‘For example, our group currently has five LMIC-based editors and associate editors. We also have a number of strategies in place that will help to ensure we support the development and use of evidence relevant to LMICs. Our Internal Reference Group and International Advisory Panel will include strong participation from LMIC-based partners, and we will work closely with LMIC-based Cochrane geographic entities, several of which have expressed support for this Thematic Group.’

‘We also look forward to engaging with key organisations, such as the WHO HQ and relevant WHO regional offices, to identify priority synthesis topics for LMIC settings. Our knowledge translation approach will consistently consider ways of reaching LMIC-based policy users and other stakeholders.’

Next steps

‘As one of the first Thematic Groups, we plan to dedicate time to engaging with the wider Cochrane community to understand our role and set priorities that align with important global health topics’, Rebecca says. ‘We will also build on our relationships with funders across our geographic contexts and topic areas to explore funding opportunities and options.’‘We have a real interest in further developing and extending our methods of working with consumers and other stakeholders so that we can build expertise and capacity in a wider range of approaches and activities. Activities include active involvement in priority setting for research and review topics, community engagement to inform sharing of research findings directly with policymakers, and co-production of research including co-authoring Cochrane reviews. We intend that these kinds of activities will continue, alongside new and evolving opportunities to contribute to Cochrane and evidence synthesis activities.

• Learn more about Person Centred Care, Health Systems and Public Health and get involved

Wednesday, May 10, 2023

• Largest ever investigation into antidepressants used for chronic pain shows insufficient evidence to determine how effective or harmful they may be.
• Study reviewed commonly prescribed medications including amitriptyline, duloxetine, fluoxetine, citalopram, paroxetine, and sertraline.
• One third of people globally are living with long-term pain with many prescribed antidepressants to relieve symptoms.

Most antidepressants used for chronic pain are being prescribed with “insufficient” evidence of their effectiveness, scientists have warned.

A major investigation into medications used to manage long-term pain found that harms of many of the commonly recommended drugs have not been well studied.

The Cochrane review, led by scientists from several UK universities including Southampton and Newcastle, examined 176 trials consisting of nearly 30,000 patients involved in assessments which prescribed antidepressants for chronic pain.

Among the drugs studied were amitriptyline, fluoxetine, citalopram, paroxetine, sertraline, and duloxetine – with only the latter showing reliable evidence for pain relief. One third of people globally are living with chronic pain, World Health Organisation data shows, with many prescribed antidepressants for relieving symptoms.

Lead author Professor Tamar Pincus from the University of Southampton said: “This is a global public health concern. Chronic pain is a problem for millions who are prescribed antidepressants without sufficient scientific proof they help, nor an understanding of the long-term impact on health.

“Our review found no reliable evidence for the long-term efficacy of any antidepressant, and no reliable evidence for their safety for chronic pain at any point. Though we did find that duloxetine provided short-term pain relief for patients we studied, we remain concerned about its possible long-term harm due to the gaps in current evidence.”

Amitriptyline is one of the most commonly prescribed antidepressants for pain management worldwide. In the last 12 months, around ten million prescriptions were given to patients in England at the 10mg dose recommended for pain. By comparison, five million prescriptions were given at the higher doses recommended for depression.

For duloxetine, three and a half million prescriptions were dispensed in England, but the recommended doses do not currently differ between conditions.

The two-year Cochrane study was the largest ever assessment of antidepressants recommended by leading bodies including the UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the USA.

Statistician Gavin Stewart, review co-author from Newcastle University, said: “We are calling on governing health bodies NICE and the FDA to update their guidelines to reflect the new scientific evidence, and on funders to stop supporting small and flawed trials. Evidence synthesis is often complex and nuanced but the evidence underpinning the use of these treatments is not equivalent, so current treatment modalities are hard to justify.”

The review revealed that duloxetine was consistently the highest-rated medication and was equally as effective for fibromyalgia, musculoskeletal, and neuropathic pain conditions.

Other results showed:

• Standard doses of duloxetine are as successful for reducing pain as higher quantities.
• Milnacipran was also effective at reducing pain, but scientists are not as confident as duloxetine due to fewer studies with fewer people.

Prof Tamar Pincus added: “We simply cannot tell about other antidepressants because sufficiently good studies are not available – but it does not mean that people should stop taking prescribed medication without consulting their GP.”

Scientists responsible for the review, funded by the NIHR’s Health Technology Assessment programme, were from the universities of Southampton, Newcastle, Bristol, UCL, Bath, and Keele, alongside Oxford University Hospital.

The team assessed the trials using a statistical method that enables researchers to combine data from relevant studies to estimate the effects of different drugs, which have not been compared directly in individual trials.

University of Southampton researcher Dr Hollie Birkinshaw said: “Though previous investigations show that some antidepressants might relieve pain, there has never been a comprehensive study examining all medications across all chronic conditions – until now.

“The only reliable evidence is for duloxetine. Adopting a person-centred approach is critical to treatment and, when patients and clinicians decide together to try antidepressants, they should start from the drug for which there is good evidence.”

• Read the plain language summary and full Cochrane Review

Birkinshaw H, Friedrich CM, Cole P, Eccleston C, Serfaty M, Stewart G, White S, Moore RA, Phillippo D, Pincus T. Antidepressants for pain management in adults with chronic pain: a network meta‐analysis. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2023, Issue 5. Art. No.: CD014682. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD014682.pub2.

Wednesday, May 10, 2023

A  full-time position as a Postdoc is vacant at Cochrane Denmark and at the Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine Odense (CEBMO), Department of Clinical Research, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Southern Denmark (SDU).

Apply by 1 July 2023

The position is limited to two years with the possibility of extension by up to a maximum of two years, starting in September 2023 (negotiable).

The position involves research (50%), pre-graduate and postgraduate guidance and teaching (40%) and administration (10%).

Research tasks
The position as a postdoc consists of research, teaching, professional development, and guidance in Evidence-Based Medicine.

The centre’s main research topics are bias in clinical research, conflicts of interest, de-implementation, and medical devices. The centre is responsible for a pre-graduate course in evidence-based medicine for medical students, and postgraduate courses (e.g., PhD courses). Furthermore, the centre supports Cochrane authors and runs a methodological consultancy service for clinical researchers, e.g., when conducting systematic reviews.

We expect you to have a relevant academic degree (PhD level) and a research interest in evidence-based medicine and clinical research methodology.

The post involves responsibility for a primary project on exploring the concept of minimally relevant degree of bias in randomized trials.

Expectations of qualifications
The applicant must have a Ph.D.-degree and documented research experience in one or more of the following areas/fields:

• Evidence-based medicine
• Research methodology
• Clinical minimally relevant difference
• Meta-epidemiology

Potential applicants must be postdoc-qualified in accordance with Ministerial Order on Job Structure for Academic Staff at Universities.

Contact
For further information please contact the Head of Centre, OUH/SDU, Asbjørn Hróbjartsson, phone 24792553/ e-mail: ahrobjartsson@health.sdu.dk or the Head of  the Department of Clinical Research Kirsten Ohm Kyvik, phone: 6011 3046/ e-mail: KKyvik@health.sdu.dk

Conditions of employment
The Recruitment/Hiring takes place in accordance with the agreement between the Ministry of Finance and the Central Organisation of the Academics.

Assessment of applicant will be done in accordance with the current/applicable university recruitment order. Applicants will be assessed by an expert committee, and applicant will be informed of their assessment by the university.

Applications – including the required attachments – must be sent electronically via the below-mentioned link “Apply online". Only online applications will be accepted and assessed. Attached files must be Adobe PDF or Word format. Each field in the application form can contain up to max. 10 MB.

Only applications written in English will be accepted for evaluation.

The application must include (as PDF- or docx-files):

• A motivation letter
• A CV
• Copies of certificates/diplomas including evidence of acquisition of a PhD degree or equivalent
• A complete and numbered list of publications
• The 3 scientific, peer-reviewed publications that the applicant wishes to be included in the assessment of his or her scientific qualifications. (Please note that one PDF or docx file must be attached for each publication).
• A research plan
• A teaching portfolio
• An explanation of other qualifications relevant to the position.

Incomplete applications, which do not meet the above-mentioned requirements, will not be assessed.

See also the faculty's guidance for applicants at the link below.

Applications may be shortlisted

The University wishes our staff to reflect the diversity of society and thus welcomes applications from all qualified candidates regardless of personal background.

Living and working in Denmark
Foreign applicants will be offered Danish language training as part of the employment. The International Staff Office (ISO) at SDU provides a variety of services for new employees, guests and people who are considering applying for a job at the University of Southern Denmark. Among other things, the staff answers questions concerning salary, taxation, housing and accompanying family.

Further Details

• Guide for applicants
• Apply by 1 July 2023

Tuesday, May 9, 2023 Category: Jobs

The Cochrane Colloquium is a premier event for those interested in evidence-based healthcare decision-making. It brings together individuals involved in evidence production, dissemination, implementation, and policy-making, as well as those making individual healthcare decisions. The 2023 Cochrane Colloquium will take place in London, UK from 4th to 6th of September 2023, with satellite events on 3rd of September. Registration is now open.

One of the key features of the Colloquium is the poster sessions, which have facilitated many collaborations, partnerships, and learning opportunities. This year, approximately 300 posters will be presented. However, rows of text-heavy posters can be difficult for attendees to navigate, particularly for those for whom English is not their native language, or who may be neurodivergent or disabled.

To address this challenge, we are collaborating with a team of researchers who are investigating the accessibility of presentations at academic conferences. As part of their work, they have created Cochrane Colloquium poster templates based on the latest evidence.

Can you tell us a bit about your elite poster research team so we have an understanding of how you are approaching academic posters?
Sure! Our team includes Dr. Zen Faulkes, author of the book “Better Posters” and founder of the Better Posters blog, Dr. Mike Morrison, the psychologist who created a redesign for scientific posters that went viral and started the #BetterPoster movement, and Dr. Emily Messina and her colleagues at IPG Health Medical Communications (James Wells, Noofa Hannan, and Anja Petersen).   

What do you see as the purpose of academic posters?
For all the hate posters get, they have incredible potential and play a crucial role in science communication. A scientific poster session is one of the only learning environments in science where researchers walk into a room completely open to learning anything. So, a key function of scientific posters is to give scientists broad, serendipitous insight about work going on across their whole field. They’re also great for meeting people with similar research interests. Networking is a key purpose of attending a poster session, but the job of the poster itself is to communicate insight very quickly (and engagingly!) in a stressed, busy environment.

Most conference attendees can probably relate to this. Most academic posters follow the same format that they always have. What’s wrong with them?
Imagine that you’re standing in front of a wall where somebody has taped-up printed pages of a scientific paper, and you’re trying to read all those dense text and tiny figures on the pages from 4 feet away. Now imagine trying to do that while there are literally 100 other similar ‘posters’ you need to see in a short time, and while a presenter is standing in your personal bubble trying to talk to you. Now imagine trying to do that with low vision, or a processing disorder that amplifies the lights and sounds in the room. It’s difficult to learn anything from the poster in that context, which is why people often just give up and ask the presenter to explain the study.

That’s core problem with the traditional scientific poster design: It ignores the context of just how busy and overwhelming the room it’s sitting in is. Mainly because it was created decades ago when poster sessions were much smaller.

There is also a harmful feedback loop in scientific poster design, where authors with (typically) no design training feel like they need to ‘fill up all the space’ with text and figures to ‘show that they did work’, and then the poster session attendees learn just to accept that cluttered posters will always be the norm and we have to make due with them.

So, what would make these posters better?
A ‘better’ poster is one that is designed to teach people about what the study learned fast, even when they’re mentally overwhelmed or standing far away. This typically means ‘better’ posters are much less cluttered, have big clear takeaways, and have bigger key figures and data visualizations. You can imagine how this is also unsurprisingly better for accessibility needs like low vision or ADHD.

Can you tell us more about the design you came up with?
The #BetterPoster template is based on the latest research in instructional design, accessibility, and eye tracking. It is designed to teach people something (typically the main finding) from a far distance; this makes it possible for you to learn something from every poster in the room, not just the few you stop at. (If you’re a presenter worried about ‘spoilers’, research so far indicates that this results in the same or more people actually stopping to talk). Then, the remainder of the poster is designed to quickly communicate additional details (limitations, key figures, methods) still at a distance of about 3ft. The figures also include mini-takeaways, to help people interpret graphs while also trying to, for example, pay attention to you the presenter. Finally, it includes a QR code that people can scan to get the author’s contact details or read the whole paper.

Cochrane is adopting the #BetterPoster design as the official poster template for the Cochrane Colloquium. What can poster presenters expect?
Poster presenters can expect to save hours of time in creating their posters and to have an easier time getting their information to the people who will be most interested in their content. You’ll notice that when people walk by your betterposter, more people will at least read your big main finding. When that happens, count it as a little win: you’ve just communicated something you’ve learned to somebody else who needs to know it, even if they didn’t stop. Then, when people do stop to talk, hopefully you notice that they’re able to engage with more content on your poster and ask you better questions because you made it big and clear enough to read. Presenters can download the templates here. The templates are adjustable to the specific size requirements of the colloquium, but they can also be adapted for other presentations in the future. And please get creative in how you make your poster ‘feel’! Communicating study-relevant emotion is part of good science communication. We're excited to see what you come up with; please tag pictures of your poster with #BetterPoster on social media so we can see them!

And what can attendees of the Colloquium expect?
You typically browse a poster session hunting for those one or two posters that are most relevant to you that you’re going to invest in. You can still do that, but now, with betterposters, you’ll be constantly learning as you’re hunting. You’ll learn something from every single poster you walk by, and then more from the few you decide to stop at. And if you stop to talk, it’ll be easier to see the figures and details while you’re talking to the presenter. And if you want even more on your favourite poster, scan the QR code for more detail that you can take away.  We will include an evaluation within the official post-Colloquium survey and look forward to hearing attendees' feedback.

• Download the #BetterPoster template
• Learn more about the Cochrane Colloquium, 4-6 September 2023

Tuesday, May 16, 2023

Title: Project Officer
Specifications: 12-Months Fixed Term – Contract
Salary: £32,500 per annum
Location: UK – Remote/Flexible
Directorate: CEOO
Closing date: May 22, 2023

Cochrane is an international charity. For 30 years we have responded to the challenge of making vast amounts of research evidence useful for informing decisions about health. We do this by synthesising research findings and our work has been recognised as the international gold standard for high quality, trusted information.

Cochrane's strength is in its collaborative, global community. We have 110,000+ members and supporters from around the world. Though we are spread out across the globe, our shared passion for health evidence unites us. Our Central Executive Team supports this work and is divided into five directorates: Evidence Production and Methods, Publishing and Technology, Development, and Finance and Corporate Services.

We are recruiting a project officer role to support the Project Portfolio Manager with the development of Cochrane’s new organizational strategy, annual operational plans and quarterly reports. The role will also support the Project Managers with administrative duties for Cochrane’s priority projects and programs where required.

Don’t have every single qualification? We know that some people are less likely to apply for a job unless they are a perfect match. At Cochrane, we’re not looking for “perfect matches.” We’re looking to welcome people to our diverse, inclusive, and passionate workplace. So, if you’re excited about this role but don’t have every single qualification, we encourage you to apply anyway. Whether it’s this role or another one, you may be just the right candidate.

Our organization is built on four core values: Collaboration: Underpins everything we do, locally and globally. Relevant: The right evidence at the right time in the right format. Integrity: Independent and transparent. Quality: Reviewing and improving what we do, maintaining rigour and trust.

You can expect:

• An opportunity to truly impact health globally
• A flexible work environment
•  A comprehensive onboarding experiences
• An environment where people feel welcome, heard, and included, regardless of their differences

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

How to apply

• Further information on the role and how to apply
• The deadline to receive your application is the May 22nd , 2023.
• The supporting statement should indicate why you are applying for the post, and how far you meet the requirements, using specific examples.  
• Read our Recruitment Privacy Statement

Friday, May 5, 2023 Category: Jobs

Cochrane Rehabilitation will represent Cochrane in an upcoming side event at the 76th World Health Assembly (WHA). The event, titled "Strengthening Rehabilitation in Health Systems - Responding to the new WHA Resolution" aims to raise awareness of evidence-based health policies and advocate for the integration of rehabilitation services into health systems. As WHO's decision-making body, the WHA is attended by representatives from all Member States, making it a crucial platform for promoting evidence-informed healthcare practices. This year's assembly marks the 75th anniversary of WHO's founding and the first time that a resolution focused on rehabilitation has been included in the agenda.

• 25 May 2023, 18:30 - 19:30 CEST, followed by a  reception
• The Auditorium, Domaine de la Pastorale, Route de Ferney 106, Geneva  or via live-stream
• Register to attend in-person or online
  
  
  

Emma Thompson, Cochrane 's Advocacy and Partnership Lead, stated: “The World Health Assembly is the most important global health policy forum, bringing together health leaders from around the world. This side event is a major opportunity for Cochrane to stand alongside others working in rehabilitation in calling on decision-makers to ensure that the provision of robust, evidence-informed services for everyone remains firmly on the global health agenda.”

Dr. Carlotte Kiekens, Cochrane Rehabilitation Co-Director, emphasized the significance of the forthcoming vote on the "Strengthening Rehabilitation in Health Systems" resolution, stating: "This year, the World Health Assembly (WHA) will vote for the first time on a resolution for ‘Strengthening Rehabilitation in Health Systems'. This comes from an understanding that we are experiencing increased disability and multimorbidity due to the ageing population, the growth of non-communicable diseases, and the successes of medicine.”

Prof. Stefano Negrini, Director of Cochrane Rehabilitation, will participate in the panel session and discuss issues related to research and evidence needs for rehabilitation. Cochrane Rehabilitation has collaborated with WHO on evidence support for rehabilitation issues for several years, including as part of Rehabilitation 2030 and in leading Cochrane’s involvement in the new World Rehabilitation Alliance.

Negrini explained, “The WHA resolution follows WHO’s launch of “Rehabilitation 2030: a call for action”, the production of a Package of Interventions for Rehabilitation, and the launch of the World Rehabilitation Alliance to advocate for the field. During the WHA side event, promoted by the delegations of several countries and co-organised with partners in the field, Cochrane, through Cochrane Rehabilitation, has been given a specific place on the panel discussion due to our strong collaboration with the WHO Rehabilitation Programme over the years.”

Overall, the side event offers a valuable opportunity for Cochrane to stand in solidarity with others in the rehabilitation field to urge decision-makers to prioritize the provision of evidence-informed services for all. Recent estimates suggest that over 2.4 billion people worldwide live with health conditions that could benefit from rehabilitation, yet more than half of the global population lack access to these services, particularly in lower-income or fragile settings.

• Register for  "Strengthening rehabilitation in health systems - Responding to the new WHA Resolution" by 18 May
• Visit the Cochrane Rehabilitation website

Friday, May 5, 2023

Friday, May 5, 2023

Friday, May 5, 2023

Cochrane is proud to share inductees to the lifetime and emeritus memberships, recognizing the extraordinary contributions of individuals who have made an exceptional, long-standing contribution to Cochrane’s work and leadership.

Cochrane's strength is in its collaborative, global community. Over the last 30 years, our members and supporters from more than 130 countries have worked together to produce credible, accessible health information and help inform health decision-making. Though we are spread out across the globe, our shared passion for health evidence unites us.

Cochrane’s Membership scheme helps reward everyone who helps provide produce and disseminate Cochrane evidence, as well as provide leadership for our strategic goals. Membership is a valuable addition to résumés, gives you voting rights, and opens opportunities for getting involved in governance and learning opportunities.

We are proud to recognise extraordinary contributions to Cochrane with Emeritus and Lifetime Memberships. These will be awarded to those who have contributed to Cochrane’s success over many years and are now ending their active time with Cochrane.

Emeritus members:
Individuals who made a significant long-standing contribution to the leadership of the organization.

• Gerd Antes
• Hilda Bastian
• Sally Bell-Syer
• Xavier Bonfill
• Martin Burton
• Teresa Anna Cantisani
• Iain Chalmers
• Chris Champion
• Nicky Cullum
• Kay Dickersin
• Gladys Faba
• Zbys Fedorowicz
• Paul Garner
• Robin Grant
• Muir Gray
• Jini Hetherington
• Sophie Hill
• Marguerite Koster
• Malinee Laopaiboon
• Anne Lyddiatt
• Petra Macaskill
• Fergus Macbeth
• Chris Mavergames
• Ann Merete Møller
• Nathan Pace
• Nandi Siegfried
• Prathap Tharyan
• Mario Tristan
• Christopher Williams
• Hywel Williams

Lifetime members:
Individuals at all levels of the organization who have made an exceptional, long-standing commitment to Cochrane's work.

• Marty Chaplin
• Linda Clare
• Leon Flicker
• Patricia Graves
• Peter Herbison
• Anne Lethaby
• Fiona Rowe
• Karen Steingart
• Maoling Wei

Emeritus members

Individuals who made a significant long-standing contribution to the leadership of the organization.

Gerd Antes

"Cochrane Germany, Cochrane Switzerland and Cochrane Austria are sending  congratulations to Gerd on his well-deserved emeritus status. Throughout his career, Gerd has been a driving force in the advancement of evidence-based healthcare and critical thinking, particularly in the German-speaking countries. Our collaboration spans many years, and we have greatly enjoyed working with him. We are so very pleased to see Cochrane honor his life-time contributions. Without Gerd’s support, Cochrane Germany, Cochrane Sitzerland and Cochrane Austria would not be where they are today. Vielen Dank, Gerd!"

Joerg Meerpohl, Erik von Elm and Gerald Gartlehner

Hilda Bastian 

"Hilda's impact on Cochrane is undeniable. Her advocacy for transparent reporting, rigorous analysis, and clear communication of research findings has greatly enriched Cochrane’s commitment to evidence-based health and care. Moreover, her dedication to demystifying scientific research has helped bridging the gap between researchers and the public. By fostering a culture of informed decision-making grounded in robust evidence, Hilda Bastian’s contributions have elevated the standards of evidence and ultimately enhanced patient care worldwide.

Hilda has become one of Cochrane's most influential and respected critical friends. She has consistently championed consumer involvement and has pushed Cochrane hard on its commitments to open access, transparency and patient engagement. She has provided advice to many people over the years, and made a virtue out of dispassionate (...and sometimes very passionate...) critique."

Sally Bell-Syer 

"In 1999, I was undertaking a series of systematic reviews at the University of York when I was approached by Nicky Cullum, the Co-ordinating Editor of the Cochrane Wounds Group, and asked if I would be interested in joining their team as their Trial Search Co-ordinator (now information Specialist). This was an exciting time to join, as the Wounds Group was growing and developing with new authors becoming engaged in review writing. After three years I took over the Managing Editor (ME) role and became actively involved in supporting and training authors in systematic review methodology whilst continuing to be involved in collaborating on writing reviews for both the Wounds and the Skin Group.

I remained in this post until my retirement from the University. At that point I joined the Managing Editor Support team and continued to enjoy working with all of my colleagues in the review groups for several more years.

I have far too many highlights of being involved with Cochrane to mention! Overall, I think being part of such an amazing organisation which was built on hard work, vision and time given voluntarily in working towards a common goal. But in particular the ME community who are (in my personal view) the keystone of Cochrane, supporting the authors producing the reviews that is the Cochrane Library of today.

We worked hard and had a lot of fun but were fundamental to many of the organisational developments; included forming the MEs’ Executive, running training courses and establishing documentation to support the editorial role and then achieving funding for the ME Support team.

Special highlights – the time spent with the MEs’ Executive, travelling to Colloquia, and having the opportunity of meeting face-to-face, my term representing MEs on the Steering Group (now Governing Board) and of course being awarded the Chris Silagy Prize, nominated by my peers.

The evidence-based healthcare movement has grown massively and Cochrane is at its very core. The pioneering vision and work undertaken to establish Cochrane was ground-breaking. Cochrane Reviews have developed over time and represent a resource which is highly respected and accessible to all. They have relevance to every aspect of society whether you are a healthcare provider, a carer, a patient, a researcher or policy maker. The truly international base of the organisation is a real strength as well as its diversity and inclusivity. It has stayed true to its purpose and mission whilst creating a cohesive and supportive community.

Over the years I have introduced many people to take up positions within the Cochrane organisation and many of them are still there. The author community, however, has evolved dramatically and Cochrane through its partnership with Wiley has meant that the authoring process is much more aligned to that of a medical journal. This development has been an organic change over many years and has embraced the emerging technologies. Support is now available in a wealth of online support and training materials which are available to all. To contribute to a fabulous resource such as the Cochrane Library is a rewarding experience for anyone wanting to contribute to evidence-based healthcare. Anyone interested in getting involved, be they authors, consumers, healthcare providers, researchers, health care professionals and from any country in the world can be assured they will receive a warm welcome."

 

"For more than 20 years, Sally Bell-Syer made a huge contribution to the work of Cochrane through her work with the Wounds Group and as an advocate for Managing Editors (MEs). She sat on the Cochrane Steering Committee, set up and convened MEs Executive. Also, after identifying the need for specific mentoring and support for her ME colleagues she put together the concept of the ME Support Team. Once established Sally spent six years ably assisting and mentoring MEs, both new and old, to take on the challenges and demands of an ME. While working for Cochrane Sally went above and beyond her role and is a very deserved of an Emeritus Membership."

Gail Quinn and Clare Jess

 

Xavier Bonfill  

"In 1994 I attended my first Colloquium in Hamilton (Canada) and began promoting the Cochrane Collaboration in Spain, initially under the help and supervision of Alessandro Liberati (Ɨ 2012). In 1997 the Spanish Cochrane Centre was registered and I became its Director. In 2000, the Centre was registered as Iberoamerican Cochrane Centre (IbCC) because we assumed the responsibility of promoting and coordinating the Cochrane activities in the Latin American Spanish-speaking countries besides Spain and Portugal.

I was the director of the IbCC since then and until early 2023. We established he Iberoamerican Cochrane Network formed by people from Spain and Latin America and many associate and affiliate centres based in health care centres, research institutes, universities and government bodies. I have co-authored more than 30 Cochrane reviews published in the Cochrane Library. I was the coordinating editor of the Lung Cancer Group between 1998 and 2003 and was a member of the Cochrane Governing Board for the period 2019 - 2021.

We started translating the Cochrane reviews into Spanish in 2000 and publishing them in the platform that we created: the Biblioteca Cochrane Plus (BCP). Starting in 2003 until now the Spanish Ministry of Health has maintained a national subscription to the BCP, similarly to what has happened in other Iberoamerican countries in different periods. The usage of the BCP has been always very high (in millions). It was fully integrated into the enhanced Cochrane Library in 2019.

I would distinguish two dimensions of Cochrane impact: the first, more technical and material, has consisted in the elaboration of a huge amount of documented evidence about a great diversity of interventions, not only on the most conventional ones, distributed in different formats and languages. The development of methodologies in evidence synthesis has also been dramatic and a lot of people over the world have benefited from that. Many health care individual decisions and recommendations included in CPGs have been more appropriate thanks to the existence of Cochrane materials and methods.

The second dimension is social: the existence of a worldwide network based on a Collaboration with idealistic, democratic and generous principles, open to anyone from any country and background, including patients and citizens, has been a landmark by itself and contributed to demonstrate the kind of pathway that our world should follow if aspires to peace and harmony.

Cochrane has new challenges today, which are different from those existing 30 years ago. There are also many more opportunities, particularly in the field of information technologies. But I think the principles that led to constituting the Cochrane Collaboration continue to be still relevant and valid, and they should be well known and assumed consequently. I would add that efforts must be devoted for maintaining and promoting Cochrane as an organisation really global, participative, multilingual, and inclusive."

 

"Xavier's contribution to Cochrane has been impressive, right from the beginning of his involvement in 1994. His initial enthusiasm for Cochrane's ideal was soon complemented by his vision and drive to consolidate Cochrane first in Spain and soon after also in the Spanish-speaking world. Thanks to his inspiring and generous leadership style, he created the necessary complicities to establish the Iberoamerican Cochrane Network, a vibrant network that still endures today. We feel indebted to his legacy and are grateful for his hard and constant work which encourages us to continue with enthusiam in this new stage of great challenges and opportunities."

Gerard Urrútia Cuchí and Eva Madrid

 

Martin Burton 

"Martin’s contribution to Cochrane extends over 25 years, beginning in 1998 when he became the founding Co-ordinating Editor of Cochrane ENT. In 2011 he stepped into the role of Director of Cochrane UK and has served as a member of the Cochrane Governing Board 2014 in a number of roles, becoming a Co-Chair of the board in 2017. Martin has led Cochrane UK through a significant strategic change and has supported the team to achieve a balance of serving its UK stakeholders, supporting the Cochrane community, and contributing to the global organization and evidence community. He has supported the team at Cochrane UK to develop and maintain an innovative dissemination programme, contributing to the development and implementation of Cochrane’s Knowledge Translation Framework and supporting our stakeholders in the use of health evidence. He's also shown an exceptional commitment to promoting the understanding and use of evidence among students and young people.Martin is moving on from Cochrane to embark on a new and exciting appointment as Master of Sidney Sussex College Cambridge from September 2023."
Therese Docherty and Sarah Chapman

Teresa Anna Cantisani

"I have been involved in Cochrane since 1998, thanks to Livia Candelise, Professor of Neurology in Milan, Peter Sandercook, Professor of Neurology in Edinburgh and member of the Cochrane Stroke Group, Stefano Ricci, Neurologist - member of the Cochrane Stroke Group, and Alessandro Liberati, founder and promoter of Cochrane Italia. From the moment I joined, I was enthusiastic about this large international network, which combines rigor in producing syntheses of the literature on health interventions with a focus on people with ill health, their carers and is committed to working to achieve global health 

I was very happy to be part of the mixed team that won the football tournament during the Seventh International Cochrane Colloquium in Rome in 1999.

In 2000, I was an active member of the team involved in the registration of the Cochrane Neurological Field, led by Livia Candelise from then until 2006. I was the Director of the Cochrane Neurological Field, now the Cochrane Neurological Sciences Field, from 2007 to the present.

I'm a clinical neurologist and this role has had a very significant influence on my work with Cochrane, because I've always felt that it's very important for clinicians to learn how to critically appraise the medical literature and it is of great value to bridge the gap between research and clinical practice.

Since its inception the intention of our field has been to build a bridge between Cochrane products in the field of neurology and end users (students, clinicians, consumers, policy makers, etc.), but not only from Cochrane to end users, but also vice versa, with the aim of a continuous exchange of ideas and stimuli.

My team and I have tried to achieve this goal through many initiatives, such as publishing sections, Cochrane Corners, in neurological journals, creating a Textbook of Cochrane Neurological reviews, participating in priority setting processes of neurological Cochrane groups, organising workshops at major neurological conferences and also stand-alone workshops.  

Special efforts have been made to train medical students and neurology residents, in particular through the organisation of face-to-face and online schools, where clinical and methodological aspects are continuously explored. With great satisfaction, some of the participants have also become authors of Cochrane reviews.

Cochrane is facing new challenges today, so it is increasingly important that young people get to know it, appreciate it, and participate in its global and extraordinarily inclusive world."

Iain Chalmers

Iaian played a pivotal role in the founding of Cochrane, revolutionizing the way healthcare information is disseminated and accessed. In the early 1990s, Chalmers recognized the need for a comprehensive database of high-quality evidence to guide medical decision-making. Working as the first director of the National Perinatal Epidemology Unit in Oxford, he led the development of Effective Care in Pregnancy and Childbirth, one of the first collections of systematic reviews of health evidence. Inspired by Archie Cochrane's influential book "Effectiveness and Efficiency: Random Reflections on Health Services," Chalmers envisioned a global collaboration that would systematically review and synthesize research evidence on topics across healthcare.

In 1993, to bring his vision to life, Iain convened a meeting of nearly a hundred colleagues who agreed to establish the Cochrane Collaboration. Motivated by the enthusiastic reception given to the digital preparation, publication and updating of systematic reviews of interventions in pregnancy and childbirth, others embarked on the preparation, publication and promotion of systematic reviews across all of healthcare. The early versions of the Cochrane Collaboration's work were distributed on floppy discs and then CD-ROMs, reflecting the technological landscape of the time, and eventually used the world wide web, thus making evidence-based information more accessible to healthcare professionals and researchers worldwide. This innovative approach to assembling and disseminating evidence was rapidly recognised as an important innovation and led to the expansion and development of the Cochrane Collaboration into the globally recognized organization it is today.

"Iain Chalmers' pioneering efforts to improve health care decision-making in pregnancy and childbirth, and subsequent role as a co-founder of the Cochrane Collaboration have profoundly impacted the practice of evidence-based medicine, globally.  His dedication to rigorous research methodology, transparency, and fostering wider participation and collaboration has left an indelible mark on many of us.  Through his vision and commitment Iain has inspired researchers and clinicians around the world to strive for excellence and encouraged a more inclusive and collaborative approach to generating and utilizing evidence in healthcare."

Karla Soares-Weiser and Jimmy Volmink

Chris Champion 

"My Cochrane journey started by working in Cochrane Review Groups, where I spent five years learning about methods and contributing to the technology development agenda in Cochrane. During this time I contributed to Cochrane at an organisational level through chairing committees and serving on executives, but I wanted to do more. When I saw the launch of Cochrane’s Strategy to 2020, I saw huge potential to increase the reach and impact of the Collaboration and I wanted to be part of making that a reality. This led me to take on various executive roles including working in the CEO’s Office, where I was fortunate to work with and learn from Mark Wilson, and then later managing a large department focussed on services to the Cochrane Community. 

My experience of being part of the Cochrane Review Group community always grounded me in the day to day challenges people face in delivering Cochrane’s mission around the globe and it also made me appreciate the importance of the vast network of people without which there is no Cochrane. I consider myself fortunate to have worked closely with a wide range of people in Cochrane all the way from founding members such as Iain Chalmers and Jini Hetherington through to the early career professionals network who represent the next generation of leaders in Cochrane. Supporting all of those committed and inspirational individuals that make Cochrane what it is was what motivated me in my daily Cochrane work. 

I have always been extremely proud to tell people about Cochrane and the impact it has had on the world and I am delighted to have been nominated as an Emeritus Member, so that I can continue to be considered part of this prestigious community for many years to come."

Nicky Cullum

Nicky is one of the founding members of Cochrane and led Cochrane Wounds from 1995 to 2023, providing decision makers in this field with robust, relevant and timely evidence for 28 years. Nicky was also elected to the Governing body in 2018 where she served until 2021.

Nicky’s contribution to Cochrane is hard to overstate: her methodological knowledge and skill alongside a terrifying level of attention to detail and clarity of communication produced reviews that have been a benchmark for excellence for many years. Nicky has remained an enthusiastic early adopter of innovation in systematic review methodology, constantly working at the vanguard of methodological development over her long Cochrane career, aiming to product the most rigorous work possible.

In addition to providing decision makers with reliable and up-to-date systematic review evidence for over a quarter of a century, Nicky’s work in Cochrane has influenced the careers of numerous individuals. Nicky has built capacity for review conduct and evidence based healthcare more broadly across disciplines but particularly in nursing. Nicky has been a longstanding and hugely effective and impactful advocate and representative of Cochrane. She has tirelessly championed Cochrane’s values and work making a huge contribution to the development of Cochrane, its global reputation and its impact.

Kay Dickersin

"I got involved with the Cochrane Collaboration as Iain Chalmers said that he would like to do for ALL of medicine what he had done for the perinatal field. I, with many others, signed on then and there.

My personal highlight of my involvement is the annual Colloquiums. Every year, I would be fed up with the world, and then I went to the annual meeting. At the Colloquium I would then be inspired by all the idealistic men and women from all over the world who were engaged in making the dream a reality. It really was a collaboration.

The work Cochrane Collaboration do is so important. Who else should do it than someone who knows how to do the work systematically and well?"

 

“We are beyond thrilled that Dr. Kay Dickersin, Professor Emerita at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, is being recognized as an Emeritus Member of the Cochrane Collaboration. Dr. Dickersin was a founding member of the Cochrane Collaboration in 1993 and has been a strong advocate for Cochrane’s vision and methodology ever since. Her pioneering work on publication bias in the 1980s stimulated her multiple efforts to rectify the situation. She was a leader of initiatives for indexing randomized trials, development of search filters for identifying randomized trials, and trial registration. Dr. Dickersin deserves recognition for her immense contributions and commitment to Cochrane, and to the methodology of evidence synthesis that underpins every Cochrane systematic review.”

Tianjing Li and Bobbi Scherer

Gladys Faba 

"Gladys was one of the founders of the first Cochrane Mexican group in 1999, in the National Institute of Public Health. She served as the director of that group for almost a decade and also coordinated the rest of the Mexican Cochrane groups from 2003 to 2006.

She also served in the Cochrane Board from 2017 to 2021.

Dr. Faba has been a leader in advocating for the use of evidence and Cochrane systematic reviews to inform health policy in Mexico."

Giordano Pérez-Gaxiola and Leticia Barajas

Zbys Fedorowicz

Paul Garner

"Paul has made a truly extraordinary contribution to Cochrane. This contribution spans from the formation of the Cochrane Infectious Diseases Group and his subsequent leadership of this Group, to his significant contributions to methods and Cochrane policies, and his enthusiastic involvement in the wider Cochrane community. Throughout his time with Cochrane, he has embraced the spirit of collaboration drawing new authors from all over the globe into evidence synthesis and building capacity in this field. His nose for high-priority topics has led to the production of some of the most impactful Cochrane reviews which add to his hugely impressive portfolio of work. His passion for evidence synthesis has been infectious (excuse the pun!) for many early career researchers, and he continues to be a hugely supportive mentor and friend to many within the Cochrane Collaboration."

Deirdre Walshe and Tilly Fox

Robin Grant

"Robin's association with GNOC goes back to the very early years of the Group when he took over as Editor responsible for the neuro-oncology titles working alongside the founding Co-ordinating Editor Chris Williams. In 2011 this association was formalised when the Neuro-oncology satellite was established to accommodate the increasing number of Systematic Reviews (SRs) in this area. It was at this point that Robin became a joint Co-ordinating Editor and the Group’s name was changed to Gynaecological, Neuro-oncology and Orphan Cancers. Robin’s role as an NHS Consultant Neurologist at the Edinburgh Centre for neuro-oncology (ECNO) as well as his committee roles in various international societies dedicated to advancing the research in neuro-oncology (most notably as President of the European Association of Neuro-oncology) allowed him to expand the Groups contacts and Editors on an international scale.

Robin is an excellent communicator and his enthusiasm is infectious, especially when building and maintain outstanding working relationships and effectively managing associations with a diverse range of individuals such as academic editors, authors, senior academics/clinicians, policy officers, allied charities, researchers and health consumers. This was particularly evident during the James Lind Alliance Neuro-oncology PSP, which identified and promoted the clinical research questions for SRs and future topics for clinical trials of greatest importance to children and adults with tumours arising in the brain or spinal cord. These were then translated and published as Cochrane reviews covering eight out of the top ten identified uncertainties. Working alongside Jo Morrison, Robin is a hugely supportive, positive and innovative colleague for the GNOC team as well as an ambassador for the wider Cochrane community."

Gail Quinn and Clare Jess

Muir Gray

"As Director of R&D for the Anglia and Oxford Region of the NHS I was one of the joint funders of the UK Cochrane Centre and one Saturday morning Iain told me that he had had an idea and that was to set up a Cochrane Collaboration, and that one advantage of the name was that we could use the same logo that David Mostyn had prepared for the Cochrane Centre

A personal highlight of mine were the volunteers we recruited from Oxford clubs like the Headington Bridge Club to scan journal title pages to identifiy possible randomised controlled trials

The impact Cochrane has had on Evidence Based Medicine in part was result of recruiting Dave Sackett as Professor of EBM to Oxford , where he also took the Chair of the Collaboration. We can say that the Collaboration created the way EBM to move from being an excellent McMaster initiative to broaden to become EBHC world wide

My advice to someone interested in getting involved with Cochrane - Join the Revolution!"

 

"We are delighted to present this prestigious award to Sir Muir Gray to honour his invaluable contributions as one of Cochrane's founders and chief visionaries. Sir Muir's dedication to Cochrane spans decades, from his instrumental role as the original Company Secretary and member of the original Steering Group to his ongoing engagement evidence synthesis. His unwavering commitment to promoting value in healthcare and inspiring countless individuals to participate as contributors and supporters makes him a true champion of Cochrane's mission."

Karla Soares-Weiser and Martin Burton

Jini Hetherington 

"I initially got involved with Cochrane as I was Administrator of the National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit when Iain Chalmers was Director. In 1992 Iain took me, and several others with him when he established the Cochrane Centre, which later became the UK Cochrane Centre when the organisation became worldwide.

I have loved meeting and working with people from all over the world. Sharing the common cause of contributing towards evidence-based health care for the final twenty years of my working life gave me purpose and self-respect, as well as many friends of many different nationalities. I couldn’t have wished for anything better.

One of the Collaboration’s major strengths is that people with vastly differing skills and experience from each other all have something to offer. It is the mix of interests, abilities and nationalities that makes a Cochrane job so interesting and rewarding. I would just say, “Go for it!”"

 

 "We are thrilled to present the prestigious Emeritus Award to honour Jini Hetherington for her extraordinary contributions to Cochrane. Jini's invaluable involvement in the early stages of Cochrane, including her instrumental role in the development of the Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Database, which later transformed into the renowned Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews/Cochrane Library, is truly commendable. As Cochrane's first administrator, her remarkable dedication in shaping crucial processes and policies, coupled with her unwavering support and warm hospitality extended to colleagues from around the world, exemplify her exceptional commitment to the Cochrane community. Jini's exceptional contributions make her highly deserving of this prestigious award."

Karla Soares-Weiser and Martin Burton

Sophie Hill 

"I first heard of Cochrane in the mid-1990s. After participating in a clinical guidelines committee for Australia’s National Health and Medical Research Council, I gave a paper at the 1996 Adelaide Cochrane Colloquium on ‘The liquorice all-sorts approach: review and synthesis of a mixed bag of research.’ This led to an invitation from Professor Chris Silagy to give a paper on consumers and evidence at a Melbourne seminar and my interest in the challenges of communication and evidence was appreciated by officers in the Victorian Department of Health. I was subsequently invited in 2000 to put in a proposal to take on the Coordinating Editor role of the Cochrane Consumers and Communication Group. I was influenced by a wonderful book by Light and Pillemer, titled ‘Summing Up’ (1984). The key message for me from this book was how can we make better decisions at a societal level informed by what we have already learned from reliable research. The applied nature of this question had a big impact on my thinking.

I have many happy memories of my involvement with Cochrane. Building an evidence base is a tremendous feeling of accomplishment. But so is working to make the organisation strong and productive and I had several roles where I could do this. I have been part of many wonderful teams of people working locally and around the world to contribute evidence to better decision making by consumers, health professionals and governments. The highlight of my career was working closely with the Victorian Department of Health to incorporate evidence on communication and participation into policy making. Cochrane has had many impacts on health care and health research. In the Cochrane Consumers and Communication Group, we were able to show that person-centred care really matters! There is strong and reliable evidence to demonstrate the importance of communication with patients, and that it can be done well, and it can be done poorly. Communication was long neglected by the health system. If Covid has shown us anything, it is how important communication has become, and obviously it is going to remain a critical challenge well into the future.

Cochrane is first and foremost a wonderful network of people around the world, all doing interesting things. It links research, health care and advocacy."

"We are very proud to have nominated Sophie Hill for Emeritus Membership of Cochrane and congratulate her on receipt of the award in recognition of her enormous contributions to Cochrane both internationally and within Australia. Over many years, Sophie has through her leadership, mentorship and many positions made an extraordinary contribution to Cochrane’s impact, methods, relevance and standing. All the while, Sophie has approached her roles in Cochrane as she approaches life: with integrity, intelligence, humility and humour. We are really fortunate to have worked closely with Sophie and incredibly pleased to see her work within Cochrane acknowledged in this way."

Rebecca Ryan and Sally Green

Marguerite Koster

"I first became acquainted with the Cochrane community at the 2008 Colloquium in Freiberg, where I was asked to give a plenary presentation on “Perspectives on Cochrane Reviews from a User in the U.S.”  As an evidence analyst/methodologist and manager of a unit within a large U.S.-based health care organization (Kaiser Permanente Southern California) that had been relying on Cochrane systematic reviews to inform clinical decision making, this offered an opportunity to connect with the Cochrane community and emphasize that health care organizations value the work they do.  Since that time, I’ve attended almost all annual Cochrane colloquia and continue to emphasize the importance of Cochrane reviews in the development of guidance by health care delivery organizations.  In 2016, I was appointed to the Cochrane Governing Board as one of two external members (along with Catherine Marshall), and it was my privilege to serve the Cochrane community in this capacity for six years.  I respect and admire everyone who is a part of the Cochrane community and have enjoyed working with the Cochrane Future of Evidence Synthesis workgroup for the past few years.  I look forward to continuing my support for Cochrane, its mission and scientific strategy in the coming years."

Malinee Laopaiboon 

Malinee is a biostatistician who began her involvement with Cochrane when she worked with Iain Chalmers at the NPEU in Oxford in the 1980s. She was a co-founder of the Thai Cochrane Network (now Cochrane Thailand) and has been a long-standing and active contributor on many Cochrane reviews. Malinee played a major role in training a large group of systematic reviewers in Thailand and SE Asia, and worked tirelessly in supervising and supporting many Cochrane review authors. She also mentored successors in her department to continue working with Cochrane and providing methods support and advice to Thai authors. Malinee’s charming and kind personality was appreciated by all those she worked with and supported.

Pisake Lumbiganon and SteveMcDonald

Anne Lyddiatt

"Years ago people who had questions about their treatment of medical conditions relied on information obtained from their doctor, family, friends, and some public information. This was at times helpful but not always and often didn’t answer the questions of most concern to the patient. It was this atmosphere in which the Cochrane reviews made their entrance - and were received by many who had questions and concerns about their treatment. I can remember people telling me that they didn’t have a medical background and were afraid it would just confuse them more. The plain language summary was a solution to that! Over the years I have referred many to the reviews and I know this has had an effect as they referred family and friend to the site.

Personally I have made many friends within the Cochrane family. People I knew I could call on when needed. They were always there and willing to answer my questions no matter how “dumb” I felt they were. I am not closely connected with Cochrane at this point but certainly tell people who are interested in becoming involved to contact the group or someone I know who is still closely connected.

I think at this time in health care we are dealing with a crisis - not just here in Canada but world-wide. People are desperate for information that will help them make decisions. Many are without a GP and I shudder to think of the info they are receiving from friends, family, and many of the unreliable sources of medical information available to us. I see this as an opportunity to make people more aware of evidence based medicine through public awareness and education by all various methods available."

 

 "We are thrilled to congratulate Anne on being recognized as an Emeritus Member of the Cochrane Collaboration! Anne’s infinite enthusiasm and drive to improve health research and health care for arthritis patients has seen her take on a wide number of appointments as a patient research partner or representative locally, provincially, nationally and internationally. Perhaps more importantly, she has not only championed patient engagement in all of her work, but has been a steadfast, generous and selfless mentor to countless others she has engaged with or recruited. She has quite simply been the quiet but driving force behind successful patient engagement globally."

Peter Tugwell and Catherine Hofstetter

Petra Macaskill

"Prof Petra Macaskill has exemplified remarkable collegiality, expertise and dedication during about two decades of service to Cochrane in various roles including co-convenor of the Screening and Diagnostic Tests Methods Group (SDTMG), Handbook author, review author, editor and statistical editor.

In 2004 Petra was invited by the German Cochrane Centre to participate in an international meeting of methodologists held in Freiburg. This was a pivotal meeting of the Cochrane Diagnostic Test Accuracy (DTA) Reviews Working Group that subsequently led to the development and implementation of Cochrane DTA reviews in the Cochrane Library with the first review published in 2008. Petra became co-convenor of SDTMG (with Constantine Gatsonis) in 2004, continuing even after retirement till she resigned in 2023. Petra has been instrumental in the development of methods for systematic reviews and meta-analyses of diagnostic test accuracy and the well cited meta-analysis chapter of Cochrane’s Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Diagnostic Test Accuracy.

Petra has been a statistical editor for Cochrane Kidney and Transplant (previously Cochrane Renal Group) since 2004 and has continued in this role. She was also an active editor in the Cochrane Diagnostic Test Accuracy (DTA) Editorial Team from its inception in 2008 till 2023. Petra is a very warm and welcoming colleague, supporting and nurturing the development of junior colleagues (including both Prof Yemisi Takwoingi and Dr Mariska Leeflang, current SDTMG co-convenors), and always happy to invite overseas colleagues to Sydney and to her home. In true Cochrane spirit, Petra has been generous with her time and fostered an environment of collaboration and inclusion, inspiring and empowering those around her to strive for excellence"

Yemisi Takwoingi and Mariska Leeflang

Fergus Macbeth 

"As a good enthusiast of evidence-based medicine and someone who has fully embodied Cochrane principles, Fergus has made an extraordinary contribution to Cochrane, far beyond what was expected of his role as Co-ordinating Editor of the Lung Cancer Group for over twenty years. Making the most of his equanimous approach, he worked with the Cochrane Council as Co-Chair for some years and was also co-Funding arbiter, revising the Conflict-of-Interest policy. He also contributed to the Cochrane Cancer Alliance and has authored and peer-reviewed many Cochrane Reviews. Beyond his outstanding contribution, his sensitive attitude towards other languages and cultures and his genuine willingness to help people learn and grow are excellent qualities that he’s shared during his contributions to Cochrane."

Sera Tort and Angela Webster

"Fergus made an exceptional, long-standing contribution to Cochrane’s work and leadership which started back in 1997 when he attended the Proposal Meeting for the Lung Cancer Group organised by Xavier Bonfil in 1997. When the Lung Cancer Group was set up in 1998, he joined as Criticism Editor and took on the role of Joint Co-ordinating Editor in October 2004 when Xavier Bonfil stood down. He continued in this role when the group was transferred to France in 2013. Not only has Fergus spent almost 19 years promoting and sustaining the development of the Lung Cancer Group (in some difficult times with lack of resources and uncertainty about its future) but in 2016 also took on further leadership positions in Cochrane. First when he was appointed Joint Funding Arbiter with Angela Webster and then when he was elected to the new Cochrane Council and was elected by the Council to be the first Co-Chair at the inaugural meeting during Geneva Colloquium.

Deeply attached to Cochrane commitment to independence, transparency, and integrity, he was Joint author of report on COI policy in 2019 and contributed to the first draft of the revised CoI policy in 2020. His kindness and generosity has always been precious to the group and working with him was just so easy and natural. Fergus attended his last colloquium in September, we could not let him go without telling him how thankful we are for his tremendous contribution to the Lung Cancer Group and to Cochrane in general and how we will miss him."

Corynne Marchal and Tom Treasure

Chris Mavergames

"I started my career at Cochrane in 2006 as part of the Web Team working on editing and updating cochrane.org. I was very quickly taken in by the mission and the content of the organisation and desired to do as much as I could to further the development of Cochrane Reviews and the dissemination of Cochrane evidence.

Over the next few years, I took on more responsibility in the IT, software, and data areas of Cochrane's work culminating in becoming the organisation's first Head of Informatics and CIO, with overall responsibility for the technology infrastructure. During this formative time, I co-authored a Cochrane Review as well and was a co-author in 2013 on Cochrane's 'Strategy to 2020' along with the Senior Management Team. In 2016, along with a stellar team of folks across the CET and the community, I lead a team that obtained a $1.2 million dollar grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to further Cochrane's data curation infrastructure. During the COVID pandemic, I worked with a multidisciplinary team to secure funding to build the Cochrane COVID-19 Study Register and to contribute to Cochrane's response to this crisis.

In all my years at Cochrane, it was the people that made doing this important work so special. Dedicated, inspirational people who drove me to learn more, do more, and achieve more to further evidence production and dissemination for the good of all people. And, the Colloquia and meetings were some of the most inspired (and fun!) events I have ever attended. I made lifelong friends and collaborators and I tried to do my part to lead in the critical areas of technology and data for Cochrane. I am humbled and thrilled to receive this Emeritus award in recognition of these contributions. Thank you!"

Ann Merete Møller

"The first time I heard about the Cochrane Collaboration was in 1997, during a themed day in the department where I was working as a trainee anaesthetist. We were visited by someone from the surgical department who was involved with the Cochrane Collaboration. After presenting on the topic, he mentioned that only a few medical specialties were yet to be represented. Without fully considering the scope of the work involved, a small group of us thought, “Let’s see if we can form such a group.” We received significant support from our then head of department, Tom Pedersen, who later became deeply involved with the group himself over the years. We began preparations, attending conferences around the world to promote the project and trying to recruit interested professionals from the fields of anaesthesia, perioperative medicine, and intensive care. We also applied for funding and eventually secured enough to proceed with the initial steps that led to our acceptance as a review group by the Cochrane Collaboration's board in the spring of 2000.

The Cochrane Anaesthesia Review Group was now a reality, and thanks to the Nordic Cochrane Centre, we secured government funding from Denmark. We continued to apply for additional resources, and in time, we were able to hire both a managing editor and a trial search coordinator. What followed were many years of hard work, with me serving as coordinating editor alongside Nathan Pace from Utah, USA. Throughout the years, we produced a large number of reviews and participated in many initiatives introduced by the Cochrane Collaboration. Among our early efforts was a prioritisation analysis to identify the clinical areas most in need of systematic reviews. Additionally, we worked continuously on knowledge transfer throughout this period.

In 2018, at the request of the Cochrane Collaboration, we were divided into two groups: Cochrane Anaesthesia and Cochrane Emergency and Critical Care. Nathan and I took the opportunity to step down from our roles as coordinating editors and become regular content editors. Two of our most dedicated editors, Andrew Smith for Cochrane Anaesthesia and Harald Herkner for Cochrane Emergency and Critical Care, took over our positions. However, I retained the role of finance editor, a position I have held since the beginning.

When the new Cochrane structure was introduced, we formed a thematic group, which includes the two original groups as well as the First Aid Field in Belgium and the Prehospital Field in France. Additionally, we incorporated topics related to injuries within our group. The thematic group was officially approved by the Cochrane board at the recent Global Summit meeting, and I am excited about continuing this work into the future."

Nathan Pace 

 "Professor Nathan Pace is a retired American anesthesiologist but still active statistician, whose extensive contributions to Cochrane Anaesthesia and Cochrane Emergency and Critical Care date back to the group's inception in 2000. Nathan initially served as the sole statistical editor, providing feedback on all protocols and reviews until 2006. Nathan became the senior statistical editor in 2009 and was later appointed joint Coordinating Editor in 2011, serving in this role for seven years.

Nathan exemplifies Cochrane's values of global collaboration, teamwork, transparency, and mentorship. He has been a unwavering advocate for incorporating outcomes that are meaningful to end users and applying the latest methodologies (such as GRADE and ROB2) to reviews. His dedication includes mentoring young authors and providing statistical support to multiple Cochrane groups. Nathan has also contributed to Cochrane's guidelines, including the Cochrane Handbook and various review standards.

In addition to his editorial leadership, Nathan has been involved with the Cochrane MARS Working Group, the Cochrane Coordinating Editors' Executive, and the 2013 Cochrane Workshops Committee. He is an active member of the Cochrane Statistical Methods Group and has authored influential reviews. Nathan's career has left a lasting impact on Cochrane and the broader evidence-based research community.

Nathan is a highly valued member of our Editorial Board, and on behalf of the entire board, we congratulate him on this well-deserved award”.

Professor Andrew Smith, Coordinating Editor, Cochrane Anaesthesia, Lancaster University
Professor Harald Herkner, Coordinating Editor, Cochrane Emergency and Critical Care, Medical University of Vienna

 

Nandi Siegfried 

"In the late 1990s I was working as registrar in a hospital in Sydney, Australia. My consultant tasked me with conducting a literature review and handed me an armful of papers to read, appraise and synthesize. The high attrition rate in the trials worried me, but I had no tools to address this when interpreting the trial findings. Fortunately a nursing colleague suggested I get in touch with the Cochrane Collaboration. I was delighted when Clive Adams, Co-ordinating Editor of the Cochrane Schizophrenia Group, immediately invited me to join a review team working on the very same topic. He knew little about me and less about my nascent abilities but welcomed me enthusiastically nonetheless. It was this founding Cochrane principle of building on enthusiasm which I have never forgotten and have always tried to follow when engaging with potential new authors.

We conducted the first iteration of that review through the postal services with hundreds of pages of search results sent across the ocean. The process ignited my wish to deepen my understanding of epidemiology, and I enrolled in a part-time Masters of Public Health at Sydney University. There I was fortunate to meet Les Irwig and Davina Ghersi, both early adopters of Cochrane. Over twenty years later that review is still updated regularly and I have drawn in many of my colleagues as team members along the way. It is a truly global review.

When I later returned to South Africa, I joined the South African Cochrane Centre (SACC) which had recently been established at the South African Medical Research Council, headed up by Jimmy Volmink. Together with our hard-working colleagues we spent the next 10 years raising awareness of evidence-based healthcare and training reviewers across sub-Saharan Africa. At the time Cochrane reviews were not indexed in PubMed, and we met a lot of resistance from clinical colleagues and policymakers which I must admit has not entirely disappeared. It wasn’t a natural career step as it is now, but we definitely had a sense that we were involved in something bigger than ourselves which kept us going.

A professional highlight, without a doubt, was establishing the Cochrane HIV/AIDS Mentoring Programme in partnership with George Rutherford and Gail Kennedy of the Cochrane HIV/AIDS Review Group based at UCSF in California. George and Gail had identified that there were few Cochrane HIV/AIDS reviews relevant to the African setting and my SACC colleague, Joy Oliver, and I recognised that review authors in our region required intensive mentoring in methods skills, software use, and writing assistance. We set out to provide this by linking experienced authors with novice reviewers and built up to 47 review authors from six African countries. The Programme was built on the principles of harnessing enthusiasm and enabling wide participation in the work of Cochrane. I must credit George and Gail for their commitment to an equitable partnership and thank Joy who was the real engine of the Programme. Joy’s passion for consumer involvement encouraged us to consider how to engage more equitably with HIV-focused advocacy organizations.

I enjoyed my earlier methodological work, alongside Martie Muller and Jon Deeks, on pooling data from observational studies, and have welcomed the opportunity to participate in Cochrane methodology development in subsequent years. An exciting creative project involved designing an evidence-based reproductive healthcare boardgame funded by the World Health Organization (WHO), which is still in use today. Obtaining WHO Primary Registry status for the Pan-African Clinical Trials Registry was hard work but with the support of the European and Developing Country Clinical Trial Partnership and dedicated staff, the registry has now registered close to 4000 trials.

Other highlights include celebrating Sir Iain Chalmers’ graduation as an honorary Fellow of the South African College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology in 2001 - I was thrilled to attend the graduation dinner with him. Watching staff members from the SACC and the Mentoring Programme rise to great heights in their careers has been inspiring – these include Tamara Kredo, Charles Wiysonge, Taryn Young, Lawrence Mbuagbaw and Vivek Naranbhai.

I have been extraordinarily privileged to work alongside two long-time Cochrane contributors, Jimmy Volmink and Mike Clarke. After 20 years, Jimmy continues to urge me to aim higher and Mike has the extraordinary ability to intuitively understand when to encourage me to make my voice heard. These are precious gifts. And without Cochrane, I never would have met Jini Hetherington, Sally Hopewell, Nancy Owens, Don Operario, Lisa Askie, Belen Dofitas and Yanina Sguaserro all of whom shared office space, provided safe haven and offered friendship to me and my family when we relocated to Oxford for three years.

The impact of Cochrane in driving quality healthcare has been immense in my region. Of course, we don’t have results from an RCT to prove this, but I would argue that a pre-post analysis would suffice. In the field of HIV specifically, results from systematic reviews, often those developed by Cochrane teams, have informed global policy in prevention, treatment and care, and driven the research agenda forwards. We also see evidence of Cochrane’s impact in the uptake of GRADE for guidelines development by the World Health Organization. It is gratifying to see reviews informing guidelines in the knowledge translation ecosystem.

Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated that there is still a role for Cochrane in synthesizing findings, evaluating risk of bias, and communicating these to the public. Many of my scientifically-trained colleagues seemed to forget the most basic principles of epidemiology and allowed urgency to muddle their thinking at the time. We need to guard against this in future pandemics and learn from our mistakes.
Conducting a Cochrane review is committing to a way of life and thinking critically about risk of bias will permeate every facet of your being. For those who share the same desire to produce high-quality impactful reviews which matter to people in need of healthcare, participating in Cochrane can be highly satisfying work. Sadly, barriers to participation remain mostly related to language, geography, and residual colonial thinking. I would urge Cochrane members, new and old, to raise their voices so that these concerns can be aired openly, and hopefully galvanise Cochrane to provide equitable, safe and nurturing spaces for all."

“We are delighted that Nandi Siegfried has been awarded the Cochrane Emeritus award, recognizing her vast contributions of the past decades. We have experienced firsthand her leadership at Cochrane South Africa, co-coordinating the Cochrane HIV satellite editorial base at the height of the HIV pandemic, heading the HIV Mentoring Programme, and conducting practice changing reviews show her considerable contribution to the field.  In parallel, Nandi was developing and advancing methods for Cochrane reviews, and championing the cause for clinical trial registration. She led the formal recognition of the Pan African Clinical Trial Registry as a WHO primary register, thus creating a platform to foster transparency and collaboration on the African continent. Nandi has been a champion for Cochrane in Africa and globally. We thank and congratulate Nandi on this wonderful achievement!”

Tamara Kredo and Jordi Pardo

Prathap Tharyan

 "Few people encapsulate the ethos of Cochrane more than Prathap, and we’re delighted his contribution has been recognised with this Emeritus Award. Prathap’s energy and generosity of spirit was instrumental in setting up the Cochrane network in South Asia and securing a national licence to the Cochrane Library for India. For many years he tirelessly criss-crossed the region, training authors and encouraging the next generation of Cochrane leaders. And Prathap’s vocal talents were just as extraordinary – his rendition of REM's Losing my Religion (with lyrics about RevMan) at the Stavanger Colloquium remains an enduring memory 20 years on. Congratulations on a well-deserved Award."

Steve McDonald and Sally Green

Mario Tristan

Mario Tristan is a leader and EBM enthusiast who has always inspired a great passion for Cochrane. He founded the Central American and Spanish Caribbean Cochrane Centre and promoted the creation of centres across the region. Mario cares about people, especially early career researchers from Latin America. His profound and long standing social sensitivity has been very remarkable for the Iberoamerican Network. He is also an early adopter of new technologies and methods, an inspiration for younger generations to stay up-to-date and current. 

Eva Madrid and Juan Franco

Christopher Williams

As a founding member of Cochrane and for the following 20 years, Chris Williams made a significant contribution to the work and ethos of the Cochrane Collaboration in his role as Co-ordinating Editor of Cochrane Gynaecological, Neuro-oncology and Orphan Cancers, and in the wider organisation. This was particularly evident in the early years when he was instrumental in organising the Colloquium and other Cochrane meetings. He was also an excellent mentor, advocating the development of colleagues in systematic review methodology.

Under the guidance of Ian Chalmers, Chris Williams instigated the setting up of the Gynaecological Cancer Group. His expertise in rare cancers then led to the Group adopting a much wider scope to include neuro-oncology and aspects of care of cancer patients not relating to cancer of a specific site, as well as reviews dedicated to psychosocial interventions and rehabilitation.

Gail Quinn and Clare Jess

Hywel Williams 

"How did I get involved with Cochrane? Simple – it was Sir Iain Chalmers. When I was finishing off my dermatology training and doing a PhD in epidemiology at St. John’s Dermatology Centre in London, I read an editorial in the BMJ by Iain about getting to grips with Archie Cochrane’s agenda. It stopped me in my tracks. I wrote a letter to Iain. Next thing I know, he invited me down to Cochrane Head Office in Oxford and I spent a whole day there. I found myself walking out with a box of letters from other interested people in starting a Cochrane Skin Group. That was it. I wrote to them all and contacted many others. It took a while to firm up our plans, and in 1996 we had our exploratory meeting which Iain kindly attended, and we were off. You can find all our key timelines here.

My personal highlights are working together with people from all over the world – no hierarchy. Also, working with patient contributors like Maxine Whitton who ended up leading the Cochrane review on vitiligo – a condition associated with loss of pigmentation that can affect people with dark skin profoundly. Our internal editorial team was a joy to work with – really committed people who were key in producing high quality reviews. We had a real sense of an international community in Cochrane and we were all on first name terms. We had an excellent team of editors committed to the principles of EBM. Our old motto was “the truth is out there”. I also learnt a lot from the Colloquia – fantastic workshops from people like David Moher, Barney Reeves and Jonathan Sterne. It also gave me a lot of satisfaction to hand over the co-ordinating editor role after 21 years to Bob Boyle from Imperial and Robert Dellavalle from Denver – both loyal, fair and knowledgeable systematic reviewers with great organisational and people skills.

The greatest impact Cochrane has had on evidence-based healthcare in dermatology was to shake up the world on the need for independent randomised controlled trials with active comparators – not the 23rd placebo controlled study of a new expensive drug. In fact, Cochrane Skin played a vital role in identifying uncertainties that were then picked up by the UK Dermatology Clinical Trials Network and funded by external bodies such as the NIHR. Several national trials have been completed as a result on vitiligo, pemphigoid, cellulitis, warts, eczema, basal cell carcinoma and acne. Some of the reviews also produced clear messages such as the lack of value in sentinel node biopsy and lymphadenectomy for melanoma – which was rapidly going down the evaluation bypass, or the lack of evidence for the painful ritual of freezing warts on the feet with liquid nitrogen. Most of all, it was the culture change that had the greatest impact so that dermatology colleagues started to think more about the value of undertaking systematic rather than traditional narrative reviews, and the need to try and base clinical practice on the best external evidence where possible

My advice to someone interested in getting involved in Cochrane would be to follow your heart. Jump in. Even if your review does not end up with a clear answer, concentrate on identifying the key priorities for future research. You will learn so much with the fantastic training materials now on offer. Most of all it is all about the lovely people you will meet. Collaborate, collaborate and collaborate and break down the normal professional boundaries that sometimes restrict our ability to help others."

Lifetime members

Individuals at all levels of the organization who have made an exceptional, long-standing commitment to Cochrane's work.

Linda Clare

"Professor Clare was a contact editor for the Cochrane Dementia and Cognitive Impairment Group from 2004 to 2021. For much of that time, she was the Group’s only contact editor with specific expertise in non-pharmacological treatments and she therefore played a huge role in supporting an expanding portfolio of reviews in that area. The editorial team and many author teams reaped the benefits of her topic and methodological knowledge, judgement and wisdom, with a massive impact on the quality of the reviews produced. She also led author teams for reviews on some key topics, and introduced the Group to many enthusiastic young researchers who took on roles as authors and later editors. She was a wonderful support to successive co-ordinating and managing editors in the Dementia Group. She was (is!) a great collaborator with a clarity around her subject area that she always communicated succinctly and accessibly."

Sue Marcus and Jenny McCleery

Leon Flicker

"Professor Flicker was a mainstay of the editorial board of the Cochrane Dementia and Cognitive Improvement Group since its inception in 1995. For 28 years, he has been an enormous support to a succession of co-ordinating and managing editors, providing content and methodological expertise and invaluable strategic advice, as well as general encouragement. He has been the contact editor for numerous reviews and never turns down a request for advice and assistance. He has been closely involved in numerous initiatives within the group, including the early adoption of DTA methods and the adaptation of the STARD tool for dementia studies. He has promoted Cochrane evidence in many fora and has brought many collaborators to the group. His great sense of humour and uncomplicated approach belie the massive intellect and expertise that have been at the heart of his contribution to our group.

It has been a privilege and a pleasure to work with and learn from him." 

 Sue Marcus and Jenny McCleery

Patricia Graves

"Patricia started working with the Cochrane Infectious Diseases Group (CIDG) around 1996 to work on the malaria vaccines review, through Paul Garner. It was at the time of the trials of the first malaria vaccine Spf66 and there was a lot of confusion about whether it had sufficient efficacy or not. She’s made an extraordinary contribution to CIDG, and as a CIDG Editor and author has played a key role in shaping the CIDG malaria and vector control portfolio to ensure focus on high-impact, timely Cochrane Reviews and updates.  Whilst she stepped down as a CIDG Editor in June 2023, she remains a CIDG Specialist Advisor."

Deirdre Walshe and Tilly Fox

Peter Herbison

"When Adrian Grant set up the Cochrane Incontinence Group in 1995 he asked a colleague of mine, Don Wilson, if he would like to be an editor. Don and Adrian had collaborated in the past. Don said that he would happily join as long as I was also made an editor. Don wanted someone who was aware of the statistical and technical issues with him, and Adrian was pleased to have me. I was aware of the Collaboration and was very happy to join. Also, in Dunedin at that time was Jean Hay-Smith who had written reviews for the Pregnancy and Childbirth group and was to become a PhD student supervised by Don and myself. She had already been asked to be an editor of the incontinence group. So it was great to have three of us working together.

There are many personal highlights during my time at Cochrane... Publication of my first author Cochrane Review (Weighted vaginal cones for urinary incontinence), meeting people in person who I had looked up to, such as Doug Altman. Another highlight for me was going to Colloquiums where everyone was so supportive, not the competitive nature of some medical conferences I had been to. I also really valued learning that weighted averages were not as simple as they sound.

The impact of Cochrane is huge. When asked what the most important advances in healthcare have been, evidence based medicine is always in the top few mentioned. Cochrane has been instrumental in the evidence based medicine field by providing the best evidence about the success of treatments. People involved with the Collaboration have also led projects that look at how to produce the best evidence, and how to summarise that evidence. Examples are showing the importance of hiding the allocation in randomised trials, and network meta-analysis, which provides more clinically useful evidence than head-to-head comparisons.

If you are interested in getting involved in Cochrane, I would say do it. Writing a review teaches you a lot more than deeper understanding about a treatments and conditions — it also teaches a lot about science. If you don’t feel up to contributing to a review there are a lot of other ways to get involved."

"We would like to offer our heartfelt congratulations to Prof Peter Herbison on receiving a well deserved lifetime membership award. We nominated Peter for this award as he has been involved with Cochrane for over 20 years and has assisted 11 different methods and review groups over this time. He was a member of the statistical methods group and statistical editor for both the Bone, Joint and Muscle and the Incontinence groups. In addition to this he has co-authored over 24 Cochrane reviews. Peter has been invaluable to Cochrane New Zealand supporting New Zealanders authoring Cochrane reviews and has always been willing to give up his time to teach statistics to budding Cochrane authors, on Cochrane workshops. His teaching technique is always highly appreciated as he is able to communicate complex statistical theories in easy to understand language. He thoroughly deserves this recognition for all of the skills he has unselfishly shared over the years."

Assoc Prof Vanessa Jordan and Prof Cindy Farquhar

Anne Lethaby 

"I had a passion for evidence-based research and got a job with the Cochrane Gynaecology and Fertility group in 1996 as a systematic reviewer, not long after this group was established. The Co-ordinating Editor, Cindy Farquhar (a gynaecologist from New Zealand) had attended a course in Oxford with the original movers and shakers of Cochrane. Her passion and commitment were infectious.

My personal highlights of my involvement with Cochrane were the strong sense of collaboration and support from our own group plus others (including lots of fun!), the passion and search for constant improvement of the product offered and the challenges to always do better.

In some cases, systematic review findings have overturned established and not particularly evidence-based practices (often to the chagrin of established healthcare practitioners). It is virtually impossible for an active healthcare practitioner to keep abreast of all the new developments in research and continue to improve his/her practice without the comprehensively developed systematic reviews that summarise all available evidence to date.

Since Cochrane came on the scene, we find ourselves in an internet age where it is easy to have information overload and it is difficult for the consumer of health information to know how to separate out the wheat from the chaff. The quality of the information that we receive from multiple sources can cause major disruption, conflict and polarisation of society (as evidenced by extreme views during the Covid pandemic). With respect to information on health, Cochrane offers a systematic and transparent process based entirely on evidence (as well as values and preferences) and points the way towards reducing uncertainty and improving health outcomes.

Cochrane offers the chance to get involved with groups that offer support, help and advice to those interested in evidence-based systematic reviews in the field of medicine. There is a strong sense of collegiality and fairness, encouragement to continually improve and inspiration in the work required. The strong backup of volunteers underscores the importance of the vision."

"We would like to offer our heartfelt congratulations to Anne Lethaby on receiving a well deserved lifetime membership award. We nominated Anne as she has worked with Cochrane for over 25 years and during this time has made an extraordinary contribution to Cochrane as a whole. She has authored 32 Cochrane reviews for 11 different Cochrane review groups and has been an editor for both the Sexually Transmitted Infections group and the Cochrane Gynaecology and Fertility group. Anne is also a talented and engaging teacher and has taken part in many workshop teaching systematic reviewer methodology. She is also a peer reviewer for four groups and in recent years has also helped out centrally by conducting copy editing for the Cochrane editorial unit. Anne’s contributions, as many and as varied as they are, are always of the highest quality. She is always generous with her time and expertise to anyone she comes into contact with and we feel she exemplifies the principles of Cochrane."

Assoc Prof Vanessa Jordan and Prof Cindy Farquhar

Fiona Rowe

"Fiona started her work with Cochrane as an author in 2007 on the Botulinum toxin for the treatment of strabismus review, which was first published in 2009. This review had its 4th version published as an update earlier this year. Fiona has been an author on a total of five different Cochrane reviews.

In addition to being an author she became the lead orthoptic editor for the Cochrane Eyes and Vision group in 2013 until this year.

She has built up a number of collaborations including researchers, clinicians and patient and public representatives. This includes the VISable patient and public involvement group which she has facilitated for over 10 years. Fiona has worked tirelessly to change the face of visual impairment after acquired brain injury, providing evidence for clinical practice, raising awareness and developing countless research studies and publications on the subject.

She spends a considerable amount of time promoting unmet needs, campaigning for change and presenting her research findings. She has an admirable and exceptional ability to convey her knowledge, share ideas, promote her work and communicate her ideas."
Lauren Hepworth and Claire Howard

Karen Steingart 

"Karen has been the most meticulous and, at the same time, author-friendly peer reviewer, colleague, and editor you could wish for. Her generosity of spirit and fostering of collaboration between people and institutions in completion of high-impact, timely Cochrane Reviews means she truly represents Cochrane values. She has been a Cochrane Infectious Diseases Group (CIDG) and Cochrane Diagnostic Test Accuracy (DTA) Editor and Screening and Diagnostic Tests Methods Group (SDTMG) member for many years. Karen is also co-author of a chapter in the recently published Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Diagnostic Test Accuracy and also contributed to the Handbook as a peer reviewer.

Karen became active with the CIDG in 2011, leading a Cochrane DTA review of Xpert MTB/RIF for tuberculosis. In total, Karen has authored over 10 CIDG Cochrane Review titles (and kept them updated in a timely manner and responsive to WHO guideline needs). She started in the Cochrane DTA Editorial Team to learn from us about how diagnostic reviews work and what important pitfalls are, but very soon the roles of teacher and student reversed. Also, in the dynamics between the DTA Editorial Team and other groups, Karen could be very culture sensitive and always helped to find a solution that was acceptable to everyone.

Karen has a personal interest in mentoring junior investigators, especially researchers from low-income and middle-income countries, and this is evident in the Cochrane review teams she has assembled over the years. She is also strongly committed to mentorship and helping women develop careers in science."

Yemisi Takwoingi and Mariska Leeflang

Maoling Wei

"Maoling is one of the Chinese pioneers of Cochrane China Centre and the field of evidence-based medicine in China. Dated back to 1998, she started to work on the support of the establishment of Cochrane China Centre (formerly, Chinese Cochrane Centre) at West China University of Medical Science, with the support from the Ministry of Health of People's Republic of China, which was later formally registered at Cochrane Collaboration in 1999.

As the one of the earliest advocates and witnesses of the development of Cochrane in China, Maoling has made an significant contribution to increase Cochrane’s awareness, impact, trust, and engagement in China. Maoling was devoted to the education and dissemination of Cochrane and evidence-based medicine by compiling the textbooks and teaching materials, providing trainings, translations, convening conferences, workshops and networks in China, which made more and more Chinese students, clinicians and researchers start to contribute to Cochrane as authors, editors, and peer reviewers.

Since 1999, she coordinated the hand search of Chinese RCTs in 192 Chinese journals published since 1950 for the Cochrane Register of Studies (CRS) for Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL). Without funding, she appealed many Chinese clinicians and medical students volunteering to participate in this work, which disseminated the spirit of Cochrane and collaboration in many hospitals in China. Most of the clinicians and students she mentored has now become key academic leaders at hospitals and universities in China and the spirit of Cochrane is being carried forward generation by generation."

Yuan Chi and Jianping Liu

• Learn about how you can join Cochrane
• Nominate a Cochrane Colleague

 

Thursday, November 14, 2024

Cochrane's flagship event, the Cochrane Colloquium, brings together individuals with an interest in the use of evidence in healthcare decision-making to learn, collaborate, and network. This includes patients, caregivers, and advocates, whom Cochrane refers to as consumers. Cochrane has a long history of involving consumers in our work, including in our colloquia. We are thrilled that the Cochrane London Colloquium happening in September 2023 will be a Patients Included event.

We spoke with Sarah Chapman and Richard Morley, Co-chairs of the Patients Included Advisory Board, to learn more about the Colloquium's certification as a Patients Included event.

Can you tell us a bit about yourselves?
Sarah: “I work at Cochrane UK, sharing Cochrane evidence through our blog Evidently Cochrane and on social media in ways that make it easy for people to understand and use it. I also have a personal blog, From Ear To Eternity, where I write about my cochlear implant journey, and about life with hearing loss.”

Richard: “Hello. I’m Cochrane’s Consumer Engagement Officer. I work for Cochrane’s Central Executive Team. I’m based in York, UK but work globally. I work to engage and involve consumers as users of our evidence and in the work of Cochrane. That includes our growing international community of consumers and I’d like to invite anyone who is interested in health evidence to join our Cochrane Consumer Network and learn more about our work.”

Richard, Can you start by telling us a bit about patients, caregivers and public involvement at Cochrane?
“Cochrane uses the term "consumers" to refer to individuals with personal experience of a healthcare condition, including patients, caregivers, and family members. They are users of our health evidence. Throughout our history, Cochrane has actively involved consumers to participate in our governance, author and peer reviewer teams, as well as numerous advisory groups. At Cochrane, we recognize that consumer involvement enriches our work and we remain committed to including them and enhancing their understanding of evidence-based healthcare.”

Sarah, What does a ‘Patient Included’ event mean?
“Put simply, it means that patients are at the heart of the event; they are involved in planning and delivering it.  The Patients Included Conference Charter gives a framework for how to do this. The five points of the Charter relate to the active participation of consumers in the design, planning and delivery of the event; funding and expenses; accommodating disability requirements; and facilitating virtual access where possible. In 2018, our Colloquium adopted the Patients Included Charter for the first time and we felt it made for a great experience for everyone. We are using what we learned from that event, as well as bringing in fresh expertise through our Patients Included Advisory Board as we prepare for Cochrane London 2023.”

Richard, how have you worked with the local hosts to ensure that the conference is accessible to consumers from diverse backgrounds?
“Sarah and I co-chair the Patients Included Advisory Board. The members advise on aspects of the inclusion of consumers in the planning and delivery of the Colloquium, in accordance with the Patients Included Conference Charter. The Consumer Network Executive has also fed into the preparations.

Cochrane has also set aside £25,000 to provide stipends for consumers, and reduced rates, to support consumers from diverse backgrounds to attend the conference. Applications have closed now and we’ll be getting in touch with people towards the end of May with the results. Cochrane UK will fund two consumers living in the UK to attend Cochrane London, and applications are open until 12th June."

Sarah, what kind of things are being planned to help with accessibility and the consumer experience?
“Many things that consumers have raised as being important are being taken into consideration, from physical aspects of the venue to the presentation of scientific content. For example, we will have a ‘Take a break’ area that is away from the main hustle of the event that will be a space to recharge. We are working with a research team to implement the latest evidence on accessibility to the conference, from increasing the number of seating options to proving accessible poster templates. We will also have live transcription for the plenary sessions, which is a great help not just to people with hearing loss but also to those for whom English is not their first language.”

Richard, can you tell us about specific sessions or activities geared towards consumers?
“We’re planning lots of ways to support consumers at the Colloquium, as Sarah says. There will be a buddying system for consumers attending, a WhatsApp group, two meeting especially for consumers: one to prepare them for the conference, and a second to discuss issues of interest to volunteering in Cochrane.

There will also be much in the formal content of the Colloquium for consumers. The conference theme is ‘Forward together for trusted evidence’ with content covering producing trusted evidence, advocating for trusted evidence, informing health and care decisions and co-production and working together. These are all really important for topics for users and co-producers of evidence.

The full programme sessions will soon be announced. I know there will be a plenary devoted entirely to engagement and involvement, a Special Session about improving the evidence for, and practice co-production, and a “Consumers 101” workshop for those researchers and patients who want to be involved in producing evidence.”

Sarah, what are some of the benefits of involving consumers in conferences like the Cochrane Colloquium?“Having consumers involved promotes transparency, accountability, and trust in the way that research is produced. It also makes for a much richer conference experience for everyone, as we discovered at our first Patients Included event; more enjoyable, more inspiring and more relevant! “

Finally, what are you most excited about for this year's Cochrane Colloquium?
Sarah: “I can’t wait to welcome everyone to London – both familiar and new faces. It’s been five years since our last conference and we will be coming together in a changed world and challenging times, when producing trustworthy, relevant evidence seems more important than ever. While remote working is rightly here to stay, an in-person event provides a great opportunity to work creatively together, to be inspired and to gain some fresh perspectives. Bring it on!”

Richard: “I’m really excited to be meeting in person. This hasn’t happened properly since the Edinburgh conference. It will be so lovely to gather together with at least some of our community of volunteers, face to face at last. The Patients Included element ensures that we can have many meaningful discussions about evidence, and working together, and make plans for the future. Roll on September!”

• Learn more about the Cochrane Colloquium, 4-6 September 2023

Tuesday, May 2, 2023