In 2021, we presented a new model for producing evidence synthesis to the Cochrane community, a model built to be sustainable, attractive to suitable funders and allowing us to flexibly respond to global health issues with timely synthesized evidence.

Many of you provided excellent feedback for which I’d sincerely like to thank you. Through the workshop series and the online survey we heard your acknowledgement of the need for change, your expectations and hopes for the future, but also your concerns about the new model.

The feedback we’ve received over the past few months is now summarised and available on the Future Cochrane site. You can also access the reports of this feedback here.

The feedback is also being incorporated into a business case that will be presented and discussed by the Governing Board in early February.

In March 2022, we will share the outcomes of the Board discussion with the Cochrane community and outline the next steps in developing the new model. We will rely on your continued engagement and commitment to develop a model that works for Cochrane and users of Cochrane’s evidence, and that ensures we can continue to deliver on our mission of producing trusted synthesized evidence, making it accessible to all, and advocating for its use.

Karla Soares-Weiser, Cochrane’s Editor in Chief
On behalf of the Evidence Production and Methods Directorate Senior Team

• Visit the Community Engagement Workshop series here

Dear Community members and friends,

Context
So much happens in a year. Last year, Cochrane responded quickly to the pandemic with rapid, living reviews – sharing the best evidence on key interventions and diagnostic tests to support the world in tackling this unprecedented challenge.  We made all of our Coronavirus (COVID-19) resources freely available, open access – which they remain today, including our COVID-19 Study Register which now has references to well over 100,000 studies. Our work has never been more important or relevant.

We find ourselves still living with the pandemic in 2021. The rollout of vaccines has been a great global achievement, but exacerbated health inequalities as the global north rolled out vaccinations, and the global south has been left behind.

2021 was the year we committed to full Open Access publishing by 2025, as part of making our evidence accessible, usable, and available to all. This is a vital step towards achieving our vision of “better health for all people”, and also reflects the fantastic drive towards open access across the publishing sector and particularly for peer reviewed research – core to our work and impact. This will have implications for our income and business model, and so we plan to diversify our income streams and our products.  

We were fortunate this year to receive over £17m funding from global funders to Cochrane groups globally. We look forward to continuing those relationships and working with them to do even more to improve health for all people. 

Transformation
In this context, we have launched a programme of transformation to ensure we maintain our relevance and pre-eminence into the future. Our ‘Strategy for Change’ describes our priorities for working in a changing environment through to 2023, building on the insight and feedback of the extraordinary Cochrane community, and the experience of the pandemic.   Cochrane Reviews are recognized internationally as a gold standard for high-quality, trusted health information. We do not accept commercial or conflicted funding, which is vital for us to generate authoritative and reliable information, working freely, unconstrained by commercial and financial interests. This makes it even more important that we adapt and change, and get fit for the future so we can not only survive but thrive into the future.

As part of that transformation programme, over the last three months the Cochrane community has discussed:

• How we can remain true to our values while adapting to challenges;
• How we remain the standard-setter for evidence synthesis; and
• How to change to ensure we produce timely, high-quality evidence that serves the different users of evidence.

Achievements
2021 has been another year of exceptional achievement for Cochrane.  Highlights include:

• The Impact Factor for the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews grew to 9.266.
• In 2021, 3100 authors prepared new and updated reviews by summarising evidence from over 10,000 included studies
• We made statements at two World Health Assemblies - advocating for the need of evidence synthesis in the response to COVID-19
• We hosted a major event - Cochrane Convenes: Preparing for and responding to global health emergencies: what have we learnt from COVID-19
• The Cochrane Library now has a total of 17 national and regional licenses, representing immediate full access for more than 500 million people.

See more of our achievements

Plans for 2022
Your contributions shaped the strategy for change and have offered valuable insights as we consider the future. They ensure we can together build a sustainable future and remain at the forefront of evidence synthesis. We will now be determining the direction of travel for how we produce evidence synthesis in future, and progressing implementation of this multi-year change programme. We continue to improve our process, structures and systems for evidence production to be able to respond quickly and reliably to user-needs, whilst demonstrating good research and publishing practice.

In 2022, we will be seeking new ways to generate income and be sustainable in the context of our commitment to Open Access, funding challenges and competition.  We will be recruiting a new Chief Executive, and a Director of Development to lead on fundraising.

We are hugely proud of our Cochrane Community whose collective energy, drive and enthusiasm make such a difference. Collaboration is our watchword and we work together to achieve our goals bringing together diverse interests, expertise, and geographies.  While there are challenges, we know it is more important than ever to share our evidence and contribute to a world of better health for all people.

Thank you for all you do. We are hugely optimistic about the future, and look forward to seeing you and working with you in 2022 and beyond.  All the best for the holidays and new year.

Tracey Howe, Co-chair

Catherine Marshall, Co-chair

Karla Soares-Weiser, Editor-in-Chief

Judith Brodie, Interim Chief Executive

The Cochrane Council welcomes Monserrat Conde, who was recently appointed as the Council member representing Cochrane Fields alongside Stefano Negrini, Council Co-Chair.

Monserrat is a Co-director and the Field Executive of Cochrane Campbell Global Ageing Partnership (CCGAP), where she is involved in evidence syntheses and leads knowledge translation projects such as the CCGAP Wikipedia project. As an early career researcher, she advocates for evidence-informed policies to foster age-inclusive societies.

Monserrat is currently a member of the WHO International Consortium on Evidence and Metrics for Healthy Ageing, developing consultancy work for the UN Decade of Healthy Ageing (2021-2030). Her professional background also encompasses senior roles in non-profit sectors and extensive experience in physiotherapy practice and higher education.

• Learn more about the Cochrane Council

The Anne Anderson Award recognizes a female member of Cochrane who has made a significant contribution to the enhancement and visibility of women's participation within Cochrane. The winner then designates the cash award to assist a woman from a low-resource setting with her Cochrane activities. Here the winner of the 2021 cash award reports back a year later.

The Anne Anderson Award is one of several prizes awarded annually (in 'normal times'). The goal of the Anne Anderson Award is to recognize and stimulate individuals contributing to the enhancement of women’s visibility and participation in Cochrane’s leadership. In the footsteps of Anne Anderson, many outstanding women continue to contribute and inspire other women to improve health knowledge for the good of their communities.

The Award recipient receives a plaque from Cochrane honouring her contributions (usually, this would happen at the annual Colloquium). She then designates the cash award of 3000 USD to assist a woman from a low-resource setting with her Cochrane activities, who should eventually provide a brief written report on how the funds have been used.

2021 Anne Anderson award winner, Jackie Ho nominated Wai Cheng to receive the award money.
Wai Cheng is a Paediatrician from Malaysia. We spoke to her to find out her plans for the prize money.

How will receiving the prize money help you personally?
It means I will be able to further develop my advocacy work to promote Kangaroo Care (KC) here in Malaysia. The Cochrane review, Kangaroo mother care to reduce morbidity and mortality in low birthweight infants, by Agustin Conde-Agudelo and colleagues shows that besides improving survival in preterm infants, it has other benefits. This is why WHO have endorsed it as an essential care. In spite of this we know that KC uptake in Malaysia has been generally low. It is for this reason that Kangaroo Mother Care Advocates Malaysia (KAMY), an advocacy group, is established in Malaysia and I am currently the secretary. So far, our work has been mainly in providing KC training to healthcare institutions and our members are all healthcare personnel. Due to lack of manpower, we have done little towards patient and public involvement in KC advocacy. Receiving the prize money means that I will be able develop a strategy to involve patients and the public in advocacy work.
 
What are your future plans?
I plan to set up a website to reach out to the public and engage someone with an interest to maintain it. Once the webpage is set up, I aim to identify people (patients and the public) to join and advocate KC with the aim of creating a demand for kangaroo care that pushes the healthcare system to support KC both during hospitalisation and at home, for preterm and term alike. We also hope to bring the public into KAMY to work together in implementing and sustaining KC practices in Malaysia.
 
What is your message to people thinking about submitting a nomination for the Anne Anderson Award?
I think that Jackie, the 2021 winner who nominated me to use the award money, is the perfect example of the type of person that should be nominated for the Anne Anderson Award. I truly appreciate that someone took the time and effort to nominate her. She is an advocate herself and even played a role helping me in the establishment of KAMY. She works to improve the lives of women who are around her and she has the contacts with people who can use the award money to improve the lives of others. In fact, with KC, I believe the money will not only save lives but will bring about improved healthcare for women and their babies in Malaysia.  

• To find out more about the Anne Anderson award, please visit https://community.cochrane.org/news/anne-anderson-prize-recognizing-enhancement-and-visibility-women-cochrane

Dear Colleagues,

Cochrane’s Central Executive Team offices will be closed from Friday 24th December 2021 and will reopen on Tuesday 4th January 2022.

During this period, out-of-office alerts will be activated – this includes for all IT support issues. We will be monitoring Cochrane platforms to reduce the chances of any unplanned or emergency downtime, but will not be responding to general queries. The technical support inbox will not be monitored.

If you note any issues with the Cochrane Library during this time, please contact Wiley directly by email: servicenow@wiley.com. Please ensure the subject line of your message includes the words ‘Cochrane Library’.

Although it will be possible to mark reviews and translations for publication during this time, please be advised that we will not be in a position to address problems with publication. Any high priority reviews that you intend to publish over this period should now wait until our offices reopen in January.  

For all external enquiries, please direct requests to pressoffice@cochrane.org

Please feel free to contact Cochrane Support at support@cochrane.org and one of the team will be in contact on their return from 4th January.

Our best wishes for a safe and happy holidays.

Cochrane Central Executive Team

The agenda for the Cochrane Council meeting to be held by videoconference on December 1 are now available to view online. The supporting papers can be viewed here

The Council aims to ensure that Cochrane Groups retain an effective voice in Cochrane’s leadership and strategic decision-making. The purpose of the Council is to provide:

• A forum for Cochrane Groups to consider high-level matters affecting Cochrane as a whole;
• A mechanism to raise matters and provide input to the Governing Board on behalf of Cochrane’s communities Groups; and
• A forum to consider matters at the request of the Board and inform Board deliberations.

Learn more about the Cochrane Council

Thank you to those who voted in the recent Governing Board election. Over 600 people cast their votes.  

We’re delighted to announce that the following candidates have been elected:

CHI, Yuan

GREEN, Sally (re-elected for a second term)

PARDO PARDO, Jordi (re-elected for a second term)

PERSAD, Emma

PIECHOTTA, Vanessa

Three elected candidates are 30 years old or younger and all were elected outright. The full vote count is available on the results page.

The Board is responsible for overseeing the development and implementation of Cochrane’s strategic direction. Learn more about the Governing Board on the Cochrane Community website.

For any questions, please contact Cochrane Support.

Dear Cochrane friends and colleagues,

We hope you are doing well, as this year begins to close, and that this message finds you and your loved ones safe and well.

Organizational and editorial updates

Cochrane Sustainable Healthcare joins forces with the BMJ to explore new ways to make health systems healthier. We’re very happy to share this new podcast series, which looks at initiatives to wind back the medical excess that is causing harm to people and the planet.

Cochrane Connects Recordings. We were so pleased to gather with the Cochrane Community on Tuesday, November 16, 2021. The Community heard updates on Cochrane's approach to Open Access, celebrated the 2021 Prize and Awards winners, and learned about the activities of the Cochrane Climate-Health Working Group. Recordings from the event are now available, and you can also view a summary of event statistics and evaluation survey responses. 

Cochrane seeks a Director of Development. As part of the Central Executive Team (CET) Restructure, we are now looking to recruit our first Director of Development, whose role will be to work with the global community to grow our fundraising income substantially in the coming years. As a member of the executive leadership team, they will lead the Development Directorate and establish a fundraising operation that works collaboratively to deliver significant global income growth. Learn more about this role, and please do share with your networks.

With our best wishes,

Karla Soares-Weiser
Editor in Chief, Cochrane Library

Judith Brodie
Interim CEO

On Tuesday, November 16, 2021, the Cochrane Community gathered together to hear updates on Cochrane's approach to Open Access, celebrate the 2021 Prize and Awards winners, and hear from representatives of the Cochrane Climate-Health Working Group. 

Recordings from the event are available below. Statistics of attendance at the event and a summary of the event evaluation survey responses can be found here.  

Welcome, Introduction, and Open Access

2021 Prizes and Awards

Cochrane Climate Health Working Group

This was the first in a series of free, online events open to everyone in Cochrane. Members will have the opportunity to meet colleagues, hear about and celebrate achievements from Cochrane Groups and take part in active discussions to help shape Cochrane's organizational priorities for 2021/2.

These 90 minute online events are planned throughout 2022 – the next event is planned for 15 February 2022. 

You can suggest future event topics by emailing: meetings@cochrane.org 

Cochrane has invested significant amounts of time and money into improving the author experience. We have also been raising methodological expectations, which makes it increasingly challenging to be an author of a Cochrane review. In 2019 an author survey focusing on author experience in three key areas was sent out: editorial experience; learning experience, and technology experience. Whilst there are other elements that are part of the experience of being a Cochrane author, we felt these were the most important factors for the organisation to explore. View the results from the 2019 Author Experience Survey. 

In 2021 we contacted authors who had published a Cochrane review in the last 2 years, so that we capture the views of authors since our last survey. View the 2021 Author Experience Survey results. Overall, the 2021 survey presents a positive picture for author satisfaction in Cochrane with many authors considering themselves highly satisfied or satisfied with the experience, and also considering the experience better than that of working with other journals. This is useful for us to know, but there is also a rich source of feedback that has accompanied the quantitative results and we will be working our way through that to understand how we can do better in future.

If you have any questions about this survey or wish to know more about any particular point, please contact Chris Champion, Head of People Services: cchampion@cochrane.org 

• 2019 Author Experience Survey
• 2021 Author Experience Survey