There are more than 100 Cochrane reviews relevant to dementia, and these were added to in December 2024 with a new review of the accuracy of self-administered cognitive assessment tools for its detection. In this podcast, Podcast Editor for the Cochrane Library, Mike Clarke, talks with one of the authors, Fariha Naeem from Glasgow Royal Infirmary in Scotland, about the review and its findings.

There are more than 60 Cochrane Reviews relevant to multiple sclerosis and, one of these, a network meta-analysis of immunomodulators and immunosuppressants for progressive multiple sclerosis, was updated in September 2024. We asked one of the authors, Francesco Nonino from the Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna in Italy, to tell us about the condition and the latest evidence in this podcast.

In 2019, Cochrane published an amended version of the review 'Exercise therapy for chronic fatigue syndrome’ and, at that time, announced an intention to further update the review. Due to insufficient new research in the field and a lack of resources to oversee this work, the update will not be proceeding.

Any feedback on this decision should follow Cochrane’s established complaints process. Any correspondence sent directly to individuals at Cochrane will not be considered.

In 2019, Cochrane published an amended version of the review 'Exercise therapy for chronic fatigue syndrome’ and, at that time, announced an intention to further update the review. Due to insufficient new research in the field and a lack of resources to oversee this work, the update will not be proceeding.

Any feedback on this decision should follow Cochrane’s established complaints process. Any correspondence sent directly to individuals at Cochrane will not be considered.

Helping young people develop a healthy lifestyle could have long term implications for their health and wellbeing. In this podcast, Mia Parkinson, Cochrane Communications Officer, talks with Daniel Lee from the University of Newcastle in Callaghan, Australia, about the December 2024 update of the Cochrane review of ways to enhance the implementation of school-based policies or practices to improve diet and physical activity and reduce obesity, and the use of tobacco and alcohol.

Infectious diseases are a major cause of illness and death among older adults. Vaccines can prevent some of these diseases but the uptake of vaccination among older adults varies across settings and groups. Communication with their healthcare worker can help older people makes decisions about vaccination and this is explored in the July 2021 Cochrane qualitative evidence synthesis of healthcare workers’ perceptions and experiences of communicating with people over 50 about vaccination. In this podcast, two authors of this synthesis, Simon Lewin from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, and Claire Glenton from the Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, discuss why they did the review and what they found.

The Cochrane Heart Group’s reviews cover a very wide range of topics, including several relevant to cardiac surgery. In March 2024, their review of using prophylactic corticosteroids for cardiopulmonary bypass was updated. In this podcast, Carla Lucarelli from Imperial College London speaks with new lead author, Riccardo Abbasciano from the University of Leicester in the UK about this latest version of the review.

Cochrane is part of a new global consortium to develop new tools, powered by artificial intelligence (AI), to analyse and synthesise research evidence on the relationships between climate change and human health.

The consortium is supported by a £10.2 million grant from Wellcome over four years, led by the Berlin-based climate research institute MCC.

The DESTINY project will develop novel AI-driven tools to make evidence synthesis faster, more efficient and continuously updated. The tools aim to automate and streamline tasks such as detecting relevant individual studies, extracting and synthesising their respective findings and identifying overarching insights.

As an internationally-recognised leader in evidence synthesis for human health, Cochrane will help to apply our methodological expertise to the field of climate research. We will co-lead several work programmes with the Campbell Collaboration, who specialize in evidence synthesis for social research.

It will be vital to ensure that outputs from automated tools are responsible and robust, with human oversight offering safeguards and methodological expertise. Cochrane will co-lead this workstream with Campbell, defining standards for responsible AI use and producing best-practice guidance. We will also help to ensure that the technology can be used equitably across the world, working with our extensive global network and consortium partners to build and strengthen capacity.

“Climate change poses one of the greatest threats to human health, so this project is both vital and timely,” says Dr Karla Soares-Weiser, Editor-in-Chief of the Cochrane Library and co-Principal Investigator on the DESTINY project. “It has the potential to transform evidence synthesis for climate and health, equipping decision-makers with the evidence they need to make informed decisions. Climate change is a key research priority in Cochrane’s scientific strategy, while methodological innovation is one of our core commitments. The DESTINY project will enable us to further these goals in collaboration with partners across the world, all bringing our own strengths to deliver the best outcomes.”

The project takes place in the context of a wider investment into evidence synthesis infrastructure, with £54.2 million of funding announced in September from both Wellcome and the UK government. The DESTINY grant is a separate award focused on climate change and health, signalling Wellcome’s leadership in this area.

“Stopping climate change is critical for securing human health,” says Jan Minx, head of the MCC working group Applied Sustainability Science and principal investigator of the DESTINY project. “Policymakers need the best and most recent scientific evidence to support their decisions, but the ready-to-hand evidence is often anecdotal and outdated. This project is pushing the boundaries of what is possible by using the latest advances in AI. It will demonstrate that the scientific knowledge needed for health-centred climate action can be synthesised and provided almost instantly. Speed and scientific rigour can go hand in hand – this is key to efficiently solving the big issues of our time.”

The consortium partners are Cochrane, University College London, The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, the ACRES Center for Rapid Evidence Synthesis, Future Evidence Foundation, the African Synthesis Centre for Climate Change, Environment and Development, Effective Basic Services (eBase) Africa, the Campbell Collaboration. “Having a diverse community of partners will ensure equity and inclusion in global evidence infrastructures,” says Patrick Okwen, Co-Investigator from eBase Africa.

Cochrane is part of a new global consortium to develop new tools, powered by artificial intelligence (AI), to analyse and synthesise research evidence on the relationships between climate change and human health.

The consortium is supported by a £10.2 million grant from Wellcome over four years, led by the Berlin-based climate research institute MCC.

The DESTINY project will develop novel AI-driven tools to make evidence synthesis faster, more efficient and continuously updated. The tools aim to automate and streamline tasks such as detecting relevant individual studies, extracting and synthesising their respective findings and identifying overarching insights.

As an internationally-recognised leader in evidence synthesis for human health, Cochrane will help to apply our methodological expertise to the field of climate research. We will co-lead several work programmes with the Campbell Collaboration, who specialize in evidence synthesis for social research.

It will be vital to ensure that outputs from automated tools are responsible and robust, with human oversight offering safeguards and methodological expertise. Cochrane will co-lead this workstream with Campbell, defining standards for responsible AI use and producing best-practice guidance. We will also help to ensure that the technology can be used equitably across the world, working with our extensive global network and consortium partners to build and strengthen capacity.

“Climate change poses one of the greatest threats to human health, so this project is both vital and timely,” says Dr Karla Soares-Weiser, Editor-in-Chief of the Cochrane Library and co-Principal Investigator on the DESTINY project. “It has the potential to transform evidence synthesis for climate and health, equipping decision-makers with the evidence they need to make informed decisions. Climate change is a key research priority in Cochrane’s scientific strategy, while methodological innovation is one of our core commitments. The DESTINY project will enable us to further these goals in collaboration with partners across the world, all bringing our own strengths to deliver the best outcomes.”

The project takes place in the context of a wider investment into evidence synthesis infrastructure, with £54.2 million of funding announced in September from both Wellcome and the UK government. The DESTINY grant is a separate award focused on climate change and health, signalling Wellcome’s leadership in this area.

“Stopping climate change is critical for securing human health,” says Jan Minx, head of the MCC working group Applied Sustainability Science and principal investigator of the DESTINY project. “Policymakers need the best and most recent scientific evidence to support their decisions, but the ready-to-hand evidence is often anecdotal and outdated. This project is pushing the boundaries of what is possible by using the latest advances in AI. It will demonstrate that the scientific knowledge needed for health-centred climate action can be synthesised and provided almost instantly. Speed and scientific rigour can go hand in hand – this is key to efficiently solving the big issues of our time.”

The consortium partners are Cochrane, University College London, The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, the ACRES Center for Rapid Evidence Synthesis, Future Evidence Foundation, the African Synthesis Centre for Climate Change, Environment and Development, Effective Basic Services (eBase) Africa, the Campbell Collaboration. “Having a diverse community of partners will ensure equity and inclusion in global evidence infrastructures,” says Patrick Okwen, Co-Investigator from eBase Africa.

Title: Assistant Quality Assurance Editor
Specifications: Permanent – Full Time
Salary: £30,000 per annum
Location: (Remote) based in the UK, Germany or Denmark
Directorate: Evidence Production and Methods Directorate
Closing date: 17 December 2024

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.

As Assistant Quality Assurance Editor within Cochrane’s Editorial Department, you will provide support to the Quality Assurance Editor and Senior Quality Assurance Editor, to help them to assess whether protocols, reviews and updates submitted to Cochrane’s Central Editorial Service have met Cochrane’s methodological standards. The post holder will provide this support by gathering information on individual reviews (e.g., by performing initial checks on submitted reviews, identifying and accessing relevant papers, or performing consistency checks within the reviews), assisting with the write up of peer review reports, and helping the Quality Assurance Team to reach consensus on recommendations to make for each submission.

You will also be trained to conduct your own full assessments of protocols, reviews and updates submitted to Cochrane’s Central Editorial Service have met Cochrane’s methodological standards, with the possibility of moving up a level to the role of ‘Quality Assurance Editor’ at a future stage. 

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 organisation 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

•  For further information on the role and click “how to apply”.
• The deadline to receive your application is 17 December, 2024.
• 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

Title: Assistant Quality Assurance Editor
Specifications: Permanent – Full Time
Salary: £30,000 per annum
Location: (Remote) based in the UK, Germany or Denmark
Directorate: Evidence Production and Methods Directorate
Closing date: 17 December 2024

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.

As Assistant Quality Assurance Editor within Cochrane’s Editorial Department, you will provide support to the Quality Assurance Editor and Senior Quality Assurance Editor, to help them to assess whether protocols, reviews and updates submitted to Cochrane’s Central Editorial Service have met Cochrane’s methodological standards. The post holder will provide this support by gathering information on individual reviews (e.g., by performing initial checks on submitted reviews, identifying and accessing relevant papers, or performing consistency checks within the reviews), assisting with the write up of peer review reports, and helping the Quality Assurance Team to reach consensus on recommendations to make for each submission.

You will also be trained to conduct your own full assessments of protocols, reviews and updates submitted to Cochrane’s Central Editorial Service have met Cochrane’s methodological standards, with the possibility of moving up a level to the role of ‘Quality Assurance Editor’ at a future stage. 

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 organisation 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

•  For further information on the role and click “how to apply”.
• The deadline to receive your application is 17 December, 2024.
• 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