The Cochrane Colloquium Plenary session to be held on Thursday, October 24 will explore the importance of methodological diversity in Cochrane. In line with the 2019 Cochrane Colloquium theme, “Embracing Diversity”, plenary speakers will address methods that are outside of Cochrane’s well-known reviews of intervention effects and diagnostic test accuracy.
 
Lisa Bero, PhD, professor at the University of Sydney, Australia, will reflect on the need for methods beyond effectiveness reviews in order to address relevant questions posed by policymakers in health systems. She will also discuss how well Cochrane is currently serving those audiences.

 
Jorge Barreto, PhD, researcher at The Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), Brasilia, Brazil, will reflect on the use of qualitative evidence (including qualitative evidence synthesis) in decision-making processes at different levels. He brings his perspective as current researcher in an important research institution and former policymaker at the Ministry of Health in Brazil.

 
Adrienne Stevens, PhD, Co-Convener of the Cochrane Rapid Reviews Methods group, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Canada, will reflect on the challenges for the production and use of rapid reviews in health decision-making and how Cochrane is currently addressing those challenges.

Jane Noyes, PhD, former co-Chair and current member of the Cochrane Methods Executive, and Professor of Health and Social Services Research and Child Health in the School of Health Sciences, Bangor University, UK, will discuss how the Methods Executive are incorporating diverse methods into their strategy for the future. 

To learn more about this and other Plenary Sessions during the Colloquium, visit: https://colloquium2019.cochrane.org/plenary-session-overview

To learn more about the Colloquium theme, “Embracing diversity”, visit: https://colloquium2019.cochrane.org/embracing-diversity