Cochrane is a global independent network of researchers, professionals, and people interested in health, including healthcare consumers. Cochrane's healthcare consumers are made up from a wide range of people, including patients (or people with personal experience of a healthcare condition), health and social care service users, care-givers and family members. Also included are people who represent or are advocates for patients and carers. What unites them all is their search for high quality, unbiased information about health conditions and treatments.

Consumer involvement is vital to Cochrane’s work as it:

(i)    promotes transparency, accountability and trust in the way that research is produced;
(ii)    results in evidence that addresses consumers’ needs, reduces waste in research, improves the translation of research into policy and practice, and ultimately leads to improved benefits for health systems and outcomes for patients;
(iii)    is consistent with current health research approaches and is expected or mandated by our funders, partners and consumers. 

Read more about the Statement of Principles for Consumer Involvement in Cochrane on the Cochrane Consumers Network website. 

We are pleased to announce the 12 successful titles from the fourth Cochrane Review Support Programme (CRSP) funding round.

1. Adverse events in patients taking macrolide antibiotics versus placebo for any indication (Cochrane Acute Respiratory Infections)
2. Cognitive behaviour therapy versus standard care for schizophrenia (Cochrane Schizophrenia)
3. Continence outcomes in pelvic organ prolapse surgery (Cochrane Gynaecology and Fertility)
4. Fluoride toothpastes of different concentrations for preventing dental caries (Cochrane Oral Health)
5. Methods of consumer involvement in developing healthcare policy and research, clinical practice guidelines and patient information material (Cochrane Consumers and Communication)
6. Mobile phone based interventions for improving adherence to medication prescribed for the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease (Cochrane Heart)
7. Peri-operative interventions in pelvic organ prolapse surgery (Cochrane Gynaecology and Fertility)
8. Saline irrigation for allergic rhinitis (Cochrane ENT)
9. Selective noradrenaline re-uptake-inhibitors (SNRIs) for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in adults (Cochrane Developmental, Psychosocial and Learning Problems)
10. Surgery for women with posterior compartment prolapse (Cochrane Gynaecology and Fertility)
11. Treatment for lupus nephritis (Cochrane Kidney and Transplant)
12. Very early versus delayed mobilisation after stroke (Cochrane Stroke)

We received 17 applications (19 reviews) from 13 groups. To evaluate the applications we convened an international assessment panel comprising nine Cochrane contributors and consumers of Cochrane Reviews, who generously shared their time and expertise:

Dr Corrado Barbui, WHO Collaborating Centre for Research and Training in Mental Health and Service Evaluation, Department of Neuroscience, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, Section of Psychiatry, University of Verona, Verona, Italy

Dr Urbà González, Unit of Dermatology, CLĺNICA GO&FER, Barcelona, Spain

Prof Sally Green, Australasian Cochrane Centre, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia

Dr Richard Lehman, Hightown Surgery, Oxford, UK

Prof Ashraf F Nabhan, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt

Dr Susan Norris, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland

Dr Mbah P Okwen, Centre for the Development of Best Practices in Health, Yaoundé Central Hospital, Yaoundé, Cameroon

Dr Sera Tort, Cochrane Editorial Unit, London, UK

Dr Ronaldo Zonta, Secretary of Health of Florianópolis, Florianópolis, Brazil

The next funding round will open in September 2017 and will be advertised via the usual Cochrane communication channels.

Dear Community colleagues,

Last week I shared the news that Cochrane’s Editor in Chief, David Tovey, needed to undergo urgent coronary bypass surgery.

I’m pleased to pass on that David’s surgery took place on Monday and has gone well. We have heard that David is resting comfortably in hospital, and the prognosis is good for a full recovery.

David is a hugely respected and admired colleague, and our thoughts continue to be with him, and his family, in the coming days and weeks. Many of you, of course, will want to send personal messages and well-wishes to David directly; please may we ask that you do this through David’s Executive Assistant, Hilary Simmonds, who will ensure he receives them all in due course.

As you will appreciate, this means that David will be on leave for at least the next three months.

Since last week we have been working to put in place interim arrangements to cover his absence. David’s Deputy, Karla Soares-Weiser, will be Acting Editor in Chief and together with Cochrane’s Senior Management Team and the Central Editorial Team have finalized the changes to principal editorial and other project management and accountabilities. Here is an overview of these key areas together with the designated project lead, who can provide further information:

• CRG Structure and Function Review: Karla Soares-Weiser and Martin Burton.
• Content Strategy: Karla Soares-Weiser and Chris Champion.
• Enhanced Cochrane Library: Mark Wilson and Harriet MacLehose.
• Policy Development: Karla Soares-Weiser and Harriet MacLehose.
• CEU screening of reviews: Toby Lasserson.
• Methods coordination: Jackie Chandler and Miranda Cumpston.
• Cochrane Reviews complaints and issues: Karla Soares-Weiser.
• Review Support Programme and COI Audit and Funding Arbiter Support: Ruth Foxlee.
• Project Transform Executive and Covidence Project Board: Chris Champion.
• KT working project/PLS project: Julie Wood.

Furthermore, should you have any questions or concerns in regards to a specific piece of work or project not addressed above, please feel free to email Hilary Simmonds and we will respond as swiftly as possible.

We will keep you informed as to David’s recovery over the coming weeks, and may I extend my personal thanks and gratitude for your continued support during this time.

With my very best wishes

Mark
 

Mark G. Wilson
Chief Executive Officer

Deadline for submitting nominations: 20 June 2017

• Two internal members
• Three external members
• One Co-Chair

Do you want to help shape Cochrane’s strategic direction and build your leadership profile?

Cochrane exists so that healthcare decisions get better. Over the past 20 years we have helped to transform the way health decisions are made. We do this by identifying, appraising, and synthesizing individual research findings to produce the best available evidence on what can work, what might harm, and where more research is needed. We are widely acknowledged as one of the world’s leading organizations in the health sector, with a reputation for producing high-quality, credible information to inform health decision-making. But we want to achieve more – and our Strategy to 2020 aims to put Cochrane evidence at the heart of health decision-making all over the world.

We now invite you to apply to help lead the organization to 2020 and beyond.

Due to the expiry of current terms of existing Governing Board members, we are seeking to elect two (2) internal members from the Cochrane community; appoint three (3) external members; and appoint one (1) Co-Chair to replace Lisa Bero, who is stepping down from her post after four years of outstanding service on the Board. The new Co-Chair will work with current Co-Chair, Cindy Farquhar.

You must have strong leadership skills, vision, and expertise, and be able to play a pivotal role in Cochrane’s future success. You will bring high levels of personal integrity to the role and a commitment to working in a multi-cultural, geographically diverse organization. You must be able to challenge and debate constructively, whilst exemplifying mutual trust and respect for other Board members. Candidates who have not served at a board/director level before are welcome to apply.

The deadline for nominations is the end of your day on Tuesday 20 June 2017.

For more information and details of how to nominate, please visit the Cochrane Community Board Elections page.

The Cochrane Council was established in November 2016 as part of Cochrane’s governance restructure, to ensure that Cochrane Groups retain an effective voice in Cochrane’s leadership and strategic decision-making. The Council met for the first time at the Cochrane Mid-Year Meeting in Geneva, April 2017, and will be meeting again by teleconference on 28 June 2017.  

The Council values input from members of the Cochrane community, and we invite all contributors to submit agenda items for discussion. Matters raised should be of wide relevance to all Cochrane’s Groups and contributors. To contact the Council, please see contact details for your representative, or contact the Council directly. Please send your submissions by the end of your working day Friday, 23 June.

Cochrane is delighted to announce that Cochrane Croatia has been recognized for its outstanding achievements in promoting evidence-based decision-making in health care by being awarded full, independent Centre status.

The Centre consists of longstanding, dedicated Cochrane enthusiasts located at the University of Split School of Medicine, where it is part of the Croatian Centre for Global Health.

Cochrane Croatia will continue to promote evidence-based decision making in health care in Croatia and the region by supporting and training new authors of Cochrane Reviews, as well as working with clinicians, professional associations, policy-makers, patients, and the media to encourage the dissemination and use of Cochrane evidence.

Read the full Press Release on Cochrane.org 

Visit the Cochrane Croatia website

Early bird registration for the Summit closes this Friday, 7 July (23:59 SAST). Don’t miss out on the 11% discount!

Trying to make a decision about attending the first-ever Global Evidence Summit before early bird registration ends 7 July? Find out more about what's on the programme - plenaries, speakers, discussion topics, and other events - on the Global Evidence Summit site.

Global Evidence Summit
13-16 September 2017
Cape Town, South Africa
https://www.globalevidencesummit.org/

Cochrane Japan has been recognized for its outstanding achievements in promoting evidence-based decision-making in health care by moving from a Cochrane Associate Centre to being awarded full, independent Centre status.

The Centre consists of longstanding, dedicated Cochrane enthusiasts located at the National Centre for Child Health and Development (NCCHD) in Tokyo, Japan.

Cochrane Japan, part of Cochrane since 2014, will continue to promote evidence-based decision making in health care in Japan by supporting and training new authors of Cochrane Reviews, as well as working with clinicians, professional associations, policy-makers, patients, and the media to encourage the dissemination and use of Cochrane evidence.

• Read more about the launch to a full Centre on Cochrane.org
• Visit the Cochrane Japan website

Please find below the main decisions made by the Cochrane Governing Board (previously known as Steering Group) at its meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, April 5-7. If you have any questions about these decisions, please contact a member of the Board.

The Board:

• approved the Cochrane Knowledge Translation (KT) framework. Next steps will be for the Central Executive to develop the KT implementation plan.
• approved the Cochrane Review Group Structure and Function Transformation Programme Sustainability Report; and asked the working group to carry on with its work. More information on this will be announced in the coming months.
• approved the Fields Structure and Function paper (except for a proposed name change to Fields, which will be decided later); and requested that the CET work with Fields to develop an operational plan and continue to explore different models for Fields to take on review production.
• approved membership thresholds with a few modifications to the requirements for membership.
• approved the funding request to assist the Australian satellite groups with strategic support funding.
• approved the recommended changes to the electoral procedures for the Governing Board, with the additional qualification that all official communications be under the scope of the promotion policy and should only be used to encourage members to vote, with no references to specific candidates. The new policies on canvassing and candidate promotion will be added to the Governing Board membership policy and electoral procedures. Nominations for the next round of Board members will open in the next three weeks.
• approved the recommendation from the Finance, Audit & Investment Committee that trustee roles within Cochrane remain unremunerated except under exceptional circumstances.
• approved the establishment of the three new Cochrane Centres in Austria, Croatia and Japan (all three were previously Associate Centres).
• reviewed the latest financial monitoring report of Groups. In future, Groups who fail to complete the financial reports six months’ after the deadline will be deregistered.
• asked the Funding Arbiter to undertake a new audit of compliance in circa 12 months’ time
• agreed the proposed changes to the CEU review screening programme.
• approved the 2016 Trustees Report & Financial Statements

The Agenda and open access papers can be found here. The full Minutes will be available soon.

The next Governing Board face-to-face meeting is 10-12 September 2017 in Cape Town, South Africa.

12 April 2017