Specifications: Full Time, Fixed Term Maternity Cover until February 2021 with the possibility of an extension.
Salary: £30,000 - £35,000
Location: London
Application Closing Date: 5th April 2020

This role is an exciting opportunity to make a difference in the field of health care research. 

The Assistant Editor will support the editorial publishing team in daily publishing operations, editorial and publishing policy development, and setting the publishing strategy for Cochrane content.

Some of their responsibilities will include:

• Manage editorial workflows for Editorials from submission through to publication on the Cochrane Library, working with authors, editors, peer reviewers, and Cochrane’s publisher, to ensure that content is published on time and to a high standard
• Monitor comments received on Cochrane content (including Cochrane Reviews), support comment publication processes, and track progress against targets
• Use content management systems to edit and publish changes to public-facing websites (including the Cochrane Library and the Cochrane Editorial and Publishing Policy Resource)
• Assist with preparing, editing, and updating editorial and publishing policies and related guidance; and contribute to their integration within editorial workflows and systems
• Assist with research into areas of editorial and publishing policy and practice; this will include collating data (e.g. using surveys, querying databases, analysing metrics) and preparing reports related to editorial policies or published content for different audiences
• Publishing strategy: assist with strategic editorial developments, including the evaluation of new product development ideas; and contribute to the development of editorial enhancements to the Cochrane Library product

We are looking for a self-motivated and highly organised individual who is able to work effectively and collaboratively with a diverse range of contacts across the world.  The successful candidate will also have:

• Degree in relevant field or equivalent experience
• An understanding of the importance of systematic reviews to healthcare decision-making
• Previous experience in a similar editorial or publishing role
• An ability to develop and maintain working relationships with key stakeholders
• Strong organization and prioritization skills
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Proficient level IT skills, including but not limited to Word, Excel, and PowerPoint; and able to quickly adopt to different IT packages being used by the organization such as website content management systems (e.g. Drupal, Confluence)
• Ability to work methodically and accurately with attention to detail
• A pro-active approach to problem-solving

Cochrane is a global, independent network of health practitioners, researchers, patient advocates and others, responding to the challenge of making vast amounts of research evidence useful for informing decisions about health. We do this by synthesizing research findings to produce the best available evidence on what can work, what might harm and where more research is needed. Our work is recognised as the international gold standard for high quality, trusted information.

If you would like to apply for this position, please send a CV along with a supporting statement to recruitment@cochrane.org with “Assistant Editor” in the subject line.  The supporting statement should indicate why you are applying for the post, and how far you meet the requirements for the post outlined in the job description using specific examples.  List your experience, achievements, knowledge, personal qualities, and skills which you feel are relevant to the post.

• For further information, please download the full job description from here
• Deadline for applications: 5th April 2020 (12 midnight GMT)
• Interviews to be held on: W/C 20th April 2020 (TBC)

The revised policy, which we plan to implement in July 2020, includes stricter rules for financial interests and the consideration of non-financial interests. 

Cochrane is proud to release its revised Conflict of Interest policy for Cochrane Library Content today. The policy was created with the support of a project board made up of key stakeholders and conflict of interest experts from within and outside Cochrane, following a rigorous policy revision process that began in May 2018. It represents a key in promoting the integrity of Cochrane Library content.

Some key features of the revised and strengthened policy are: 

• Authors without conflicts of interest must make up at least two-thirds of the author team.
• Last as well as first authors must be entirely free of conflicts of interest.
• Authors of clinical studies that are funded by industry and are relevant to the topic of a review may not be the first or last author of a Cochrane Review. 
• Non-financial interests must be closely considered and declared by all Cochrane authors, but will not prevent people from creating Cochrane Library content. 

We are planning for the revised policy to come into effect in July 2020. All Cochrane Review titles registered after policy implementation must follow the revised policy, and the same is true for updates that begin after implementation.

We are working closely with our technology teams to ensure that our editorial systems are optimized to support implementation and uptake of the revised policy. Monthly updates on this progress and the implementation date will be provided on the Conflict of Interest policy page. 

Before the policy comes into effect, there will be opportunities for Cochrane Review Group (CRG) editorial team members, authors and other Cochrane members to learn about the policy and how it may affect their Cochrane activities. In addition, a Conflict of Interest Policy Implementation Team, led by Ruth Foxlee, is in place to support policy implementation. 

A new conflict of interest policy page  has been set up at conflictofinterest.cochrane.org to provide access to the both the revised (2020) and old (2014) policies. In addition, the following opportunities to learn more are available. 

• An online learning module will be developed, and other training resources will be available on the page as they are produced. 
• A webinar is being held on March 19, at 10:00 UTC, to introduce the policy and give people an opportunity to ask questions. This session will be focused specifically on the needs of CRG teams, and it will be recorded for those who are not able to attend.
• A community webinar is planned for June 10, and this will also be recorded. 
• Additional virtual training sessions will be scheduled going forward, given the cancellation of face-to-face meetings due to COVID-19.

Karla Soares-Weiser, Editor in Chief of the Cochrane Library, says: “With this Conflict of Interest policy, Cochrane is showing its commitment to independence, transparency, and integrity. This policy will minimize any impact that conflicts of interest could have on Cochrane systematic reviews. We are proud of this policy and its rigor, and know it reaffirms Cochrane’s role as an independent leader in evidence synthesis publishing.”

Catherine Marshall, co-chair of the Cochrane Governing Board says: “Cochrane holds a reputation as a trusted source of healthcare evidence, and with this comes the responsibility to ensure our policy on conflict of interests is robust. This updated policy strengthens and clarifies our expectations but also recognises the need for pragmatism in its implementation.”

Visit Cochrane’s Conflict of Interest page to read the revised policy.  

Read Karla Soares-Weiser’s BMJ Opinion piece about this policy.

Specifications: Part Time (0.6 FTE), 12 Month Fixed Term Contract (Secondment Opportunity Possible)
Salary: £50,000 FTE, £30,000 pro rata
Location: Flexible – Remote Working Possible
Application Closing Date: 29th March 2020

This role is an exciting opportunity to use your experience as a Support Officer to make a difference in the field of health care research. 

This role will provide high-level support to Cochrane’s Chief Executive Officer in managing the business of the Senior Management Team (SMT), Central Executive Team (CET) and wider Cochrane organization; and supporting the work of the Governance & Strategy, and External Affairs & Geographic Groups’ Support units within the Chief Executive’s Office.
The key areas of this role include:

1. Support to the CEO

• Provide general support to the CEO’s leadership and management of the Senior Management Team, Central Executive Team and overall organisation (including ensuring effective preparation and follow up of internal management and external stakeholder meetings).
• Working with the CEO and Executive Support Manager, manage development of the substantive agendas and follow up of Senior Management Team meetings.
• Lead and manage development of the substantive agendas and facilitate key SMT and CET meetings - including CET Webinars, SMT Away Days and the CET annual meeting.
• Undertake other project work, when requested to do so, by the CEO.
• Support the CEO and the communications staff within the Knowledge Translation Department in the preparation of CEO communications to internal and external audiences.
• Contribute to Cochrane’s planning and budgeting processes, and prepare and monitor CEO Office budgets on behalf of the CEO;
• Maintain a culture of dynamic, high-quality work which values attention to detail.

2. Support to CEOO Units
External Affairs & Geographic Groups’ Support Unit

• Support the Head of unit’s management of Cochrane’s Geographic Networks and Groups: including support to new and existing Networks; facilitating new Geographic Group registration processes; monitoring and supporting development of general management agreements; administering and supporting annual reporting (narrative and financial) of all Groups;

Governance & Strategy Unit

• Support the review of Cochrane’s Strategy to 2020; and development of its new strategy from January 2021 and the accompanying monitoring, evaluation and reporting processes and systems;
• Provide support to the team working on Cochrane’s next strategic plan, including project support and written communications (there is flexibility to become more involved as time allows)
• Provide ongoing project and communications support to the strategy team from 2021 onwards

We are looking for a self-motivated and highly organised individual who is able to work effectively and collaboratively with a diverse range of contacts across the world.  The successful candidate will also have:

• A degree (or equivalent experience).
• A full understanding of and commitment to Cochrane’s strategic aims.
• Experience of working within or contributing to Cochrane.
• Excellent written communication skills – including the ability to draft papers, prepare presentations and other documentation in clear, concise and accurate plain English to tight timescales.
• Proven analytical skills with the intellectual ability to assess complex documents and issues, commission and quality-assure papers and reports.
• Ability to work under pressure, make decisions and to solve problems. The post-holder must be able to deal with conflicting demands and prioritise work whilst ensuring that a high-quality service is provided and that deadlines are met.
• Excellent interpersonal skills are required as the role involves interaction with senior internal and external stakeholders.
• A high degree of discretion in handling and/or communicating sensitive and confidential issues and the ability to maintain confidentiality.

Cochrane is a global, independent network of health practitioners, researchers, patient advocates and others, responding to the challenge of making vast amounts of research evidence useful for informing decisions about health. We do this by synthesizing research findings to produce the best available evidence on what can work, what might harm and where more research is needed. Our work is recognised as the international gold standard for high quality, trusted information.

If you would like to apply for this position, please send a CV along with a supporting statement to recruitment@cochrane.org with “CEOO Support Officer” in the subject line.  The supporting statement should indicate why you are applying for the post, and how far you meet the requirements for the post outlined in the job description using specific examples.  List your experience, achievements, knowledge, personal qualities, and skills which you feel are relevant to the post.

• For further information, please download the full job description from here
• Deadline for applications: 29th March 2020 (12 midnight GMT)
• Interviews to be held on: From 17th April 2020 onwards

Specifications: Part Time (0.6 FTE), Permanent
Salary: £24,500 FTE, 14,700 pro rata
Location: Flexible – Preferably London or Freiburg
Application Closing Date: 29th March 2020

This role is an exciting opportunity to use your experience as an Administrative Assistant to make a difference in the field of health care research. 

The Administrative Assistant will provide effective and efficient administrative support to the Chief Executive Officer’s Office, primarily supporting the Governance and Strategy Unit and the External Affairs and Geographic Groups’ Support Unit.

The key areas of this role include:

1. Support to the Head of External Affairs & Geographic Groups’ Support:

• Scheduling quarterly meetings between the Head of Unit and Geographic Groups;
• Administrative/logistical support for Cochrane Geographic Network meetings (including US, China and India);
• Maintaining the fundraising database and other Excel databases;
• Maintaining Centres and Directors profiles on our membership database

2. Support to the management of Cochrane’s Governance, strategic planning, monitoring, evaluation and reporting Unit, including:

• Assisting the CEO Office’s governance support to the Cochrane Council and Executives;
• Organising in-person and online meetings or teleconferences, including co-ordinating agendas, circulating papers, organising refreshments and taking minutes;
• Maintaining administrative systems (databases/spreadsheets);
• Assisting the CEO Office’s governance support to the Cochrane Council and Executives.

3. Support to both Units:

• Diary support for the Head of Governance and Strategy Unit and the Head of External Affairs and Geographic Groups Unit, as required;
• Arranging travel and accommodation for the Heads of Units;
• Administration of the annual financial monitoring of all Cochrane Groups;
• Assisting with the production of PowerPoint presentations and other materials for use at meetings;
• Minute taking and following up on action points;
• Management of mailing lists related to the CEOO;
• Providing support to and cover for other administrative staff as and when required in order to ensure continuity of service;
• Undertaking other duties as necessary

We are looking for a self-motivated and highly organised individual who is able to work effectively and collaboratively with a diverse range of contacts across the world.  The successful candidate will also have:

• Previous experience of providing administrative support to a team, many of whom are remote workers;
• Experience in complex scheduling and diary management;
• Intermediate level IT skills, including Word, Excel and PowerPoint;
• Strong organization and prioritization skills;
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills;
• Excellent interpersonal skills;
• Professional telephone manner;
• Ability to work methodically and accurately;
• A flexible approach with the ability to respond quickly to issues as they arise;
• A pro-active approach to problem-solving;
• Awareness of handling confidential and sensitive information.

Cochrane is a global, independent network of health practitioners, researchers, patient advocates and others, responding to the challenge of making vast amounts of research evidence useful for informing decisions about health. We do this by synthesizing research findings to produce the best available evidence on what can work, what might harm and where more research is needed. Our work is recognised as the international gold standard for high quality, trusted information.

If you would like to apply for this position, please send a CV along with a supporting statement to recruitment@cochrane.org with “CEOO Administrative Assistant” in the subject line.  The supporting statement should indicate why you are applying for the post, and how far you meet the requirements for the post outlined in the job description using specific examples.  List your experience, achievements, knowledge, personal qualities, and skills which you feel are relevant to the post.

• For further information, please download the full job description from here
• Deadline for applications: 29th March 2020 (12 midnight GMT)
• Interviews to be held on: From 17th April 2020 onwards

Newly updated evidence published in the Cochrane Library today compares Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and clinically-related Twelve-Step Facilitation (TSF) programs with other treatments, such as cognitive behavioural therapy, to see if they help people who suffer from alcohol use disorders achieve sobriety or reduce the amount of alcohol that they consume.

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a prevalent, world-wide problem, and in some countries it is accelerating. ‘Alcoholics Anonymous’ (or AA for short) has been a popular treatment for alcohol use disorder for decades, but much debate has persisted on whether AA – and related 12-step clinical treatments designed to increase AA participation are effective.

AA are peer-led mutual-help groups. Twelve-step facilitation programs adopt some of the principles and techniques of AA and are delivered by clinicians. They are aimed at engaging people within AA during and after treatment for alcohol use disorder. Some of these programs follow a manual, so that the same treatment can be delivered at different times and places.

This Cochrane review looks at the effects of these programs on reducing alcohol consumption and the effects of heavy drinking (such as physical health, family, or employment problems), and enhancing long-term abstinence.  The authors of the review also examined whether AA and TSF programs reduce healthcare costs compared to other treatments.

The previous Cochrane review published in 2006 was based on the eight available studies including a few thousand participants. The quantity and quality of the research has increased substantially since then. Twenty-seven studies are now included in this updated Cochrane review, comprising 10,565 people. The studies included in this update examined a range of programs that differed in their approach and intensity, and these were compared against other programs and different treatments for alcohol use disorder.

The authors found high certainty evidence that clinically delivered and manualized TSF programs designed to increase AA participation can lead to higher rates of continuous abstinence over months and years, when compared to other active treatment approaches such as cognitive behavioural therapy. The evidence suggests that 42 % of participants participating in AA would remain completely abstinent one year later, compared to 35% of participants receiving other treatments including CBT. This effect is achieved largely by fostering increased AA participation beyond the end of the TSF program.

When compared to the other treatment approaches Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)-based programs may perform just as well at reducing drinking intensity, negative alcohol-related consequences and addiction severity.

Dr. John Kelly, Elizabeth R. Spallin Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and Director of the Massachusetts General Hospital Recovery Research Institute said, “Alcohol use disorder can be devastating for individuals and their families and it presents a significant, worldwide, costly public health problem. Alcoholics Anonymous is a well-known, free, mutual-help fellowship that helps people recover and improve their quality of life.  One important finding from this review was that it does matter what type of TSF intervention people receive - better organized and well-articulated clinical treatments have the best result. In other words, it is important for clinical programs and clinicians to use one of the proven manualized programs to maximize the benefits from AA participation.”

“In terms of healthcare costs, policy makers will be interested that four of the five economics studies we identified showed considerable cost-saving benefits for AA and related 12-step clinical programs designed to increase AA participation, indicating these programs could reduce healthcare costs substantially.”

• Full Citation: Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews: Kelly JF, Humphreys K, Ferri M. Alcoholics Anonymous and other 12-step programs for alcohol use disorder. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2020, Issue 3. Art. No.: CD012880
• Read interview with author, John Kelly
• For further information, contact pressoffice@cochrane.org
• Follow us on twitter @cochranecollab
  
  
  

The Cochrane Multiple Sclerosis and Rare Diseases of the Central Nervous System (CNS) is looking to appoint a joint Co-Ed to provide leadership of the Group alongside Dr Graziella Filippini who remains Co-Ed of the Group. The Editorial Base of the Group will move from its current base to the organization of the new Co-Ed.

The Multiple Sclerosis and Rare Diseases of the CNS is part of the Cochrane Mental Health and Neuroscience Network (MHN). This is an important opportunity to lead and shape the future development of a strategically important area of Cochrane’s healthcare evidence coverage. The Group portfolio of reviews includes 63 published reviews and 16 protocols.

We invite applications from individuals interested in a job share arrangement and preferentially based in Italy, because we are willing to maintain the Editorial Base of the Group in Italy. Applicants should be aware of the following requirements:

1.        The Co-ordinating Editor(s) must have:

• Experience of authoring Cochrane or alternative high-quality systematic reviews
• Clinical expertise and standing in the field of multiple sclerosis and rare diseases of the CNS
• Methodology expertise in the field of evidence synthesis, including risk of bias and GRADE assessments

2.        The following attributes are highly desirable

• Experience of editing Cochrane reviews or alternative high-quality systematic reviews
• Advanced methodological skills and knowledge
• Experience of multi-stakeholders engagement

3.        The new Co-ordinating Editor must work within the terms of the Collaboration Agreement that defines the responsibilities of Cochrane and the Cochrane Review Group. 

4.        The new Co-ordinating Editor(s) must actively engage with the MHN Network and adhere to the Network Strategic Plan.

For further information, please see the full role description, which sets out all of the responsibilities of the role.

Potential applicants should familiarise themselves with Cochrane’s commercial sponsorship and conflict of interest policy.

Individuals who are interested in exploring this opportunity are welcome to contact Karla Soares-Weiser, Editor-in-Chief (ksoares-weiser@cochrane.org) or Toby Lasserson, Deputy Editor (TLasserson@cochrane.org).

To apply, please send: (i) a letter of application detailing the responses to the numbered bullet points above; (ii) declarations of interest; and (iii) a short Curriculum Vitae to Karla Soares-Weiser.

Deadline for applications: 24th March 2020 (12 midnight GMT)

Details of interviews will be provided in the due course

A United States federal judge has ruled that a decision to exempt many clinical trials from a transparency policy is unlawful, and that the results of these studies must now be published.

The ruling is part of a strategic lawsuit brought by the Yale Media Freedom and Information Access and NYU Technology Law & Policy Clinics on behalf of Charles Seife and Dr Peter Lurie, with the support of the Yale Collaboration for Research Integrity and Transparency.

The Food and Drug Administration Amendments Act was enacted by Congress in 2007 to ensure that the results of clinical trials of drugs and medical devices would be publicly available via the ClinicalTrials.gov website.

However, the Food and Drug Administration, National Institutes of Health, and Department of Health and Human Services interpreted the law in a way which meant data from potentially hundreds of trials carried out between 2007 and 2017 were exempt. The ruling clarifies that results from these studies do indeed need to be published.

Cochrane relies on the availability of results from clinical trials to produce high quality and relevant systematic reviews. When trial results – whether positive, negative, or neutral – are not published, it is not possible to make truly evidence-informed decisions about healthcare, and people can be put at risk of harm.

• Read more about the case on the Yale Law School website
• Read the case ruling
• Visit the Cochrane US website

Specifications: Secondment contract; may also be open to suitable candidates not eligible for a secondment role, please contact us for additional information.
Hours: Part Time - approximately 3 days per week for 1 year. (Exact specification to be agreed with the individual and their institution)
Location: Remote
Application Closing Date: 22 March 2020

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced Cochrane Review Group (CRG) staff member to be involved in implementing Cochrane’s new Editorial Management System (EMS).

This role is open to anyone who has direct experience of working in a CRG and understands the editorial workflow in detail, such as a Managing Editor, Assistant Managing Editor or Editorial Assistant.

The main focus of this role is to be the key intermediary between the EMS project team and users of the system, especially Managing Editors, to ensure that they are involved, consulted, informed and trained as appropriate to ensure a smooth implementation of the new system.
The role of the Community Liaison Officer is to ensure that the transition to a new EMS is understood by our community; that users are prepared to adopt the new ways of working; and to provide feedback, advice and support on any required adjustments to processes, working practices, systems and support structures across the organization in order to achieve the benefits of a changing system.

About you

We are looking for a self-motivated and highly organised individual who is able to work effectively and collaboratively with a diverse range of contacts across the world. The successful candidates will also have:

• Current or recent experience of being a Managing Editor in a Cochrane Review Group
• Ability to clearly articulate project implementation plans to a variety of audiences through a variety of channels.
• Excellent listening skills
• Ability to establish and maintain strong relationships with colleagues and peers.
• Forward looking with a holistic approach
• Problem solving and root cause identification skills
• Able to work effectively at all levels in an organization
• Must be a team player and able to work collaboratively with others
• Familiarity with project management approaches, tools and phase of the project lifecycles
• Ability to motivate people to change.
• Experience in delivering training and support
• Self-motivated and results-oriented, with excellent organization and time management skills, including the ability to work to deadlines under limited supervision.
• Proven ability to manage multiple projects and work assignments.
• Willingness to travel to deliver face to face training to editorial bases as required.
• Willingness to commit to Cochrane’s mission and values.

About us

Cochrane is a global, independent network of health practitioners, researchers, patient advocates and others, responding to the challenge of making vast amounts of research evidence useful for informing decisions about health. We do this by synthesizing research findings to produce the best available evidence on what can work, what might harm and where more research is needed. Our work is recognised as the international gold standard for high quality, trusted information.

If you would like to apply for this position, please send a CV along with a supporting statement to recruitment@cochrane.org with “Community Liaison Officer” in the subject line.  The supporting statement should indicate why you are applying for the post, and how far you meet the requirements for the post outlined in the job description using specific examples.  List your experience, achievements, knowledge, personal qualities, and skills which you feel are relevant to the post.

• For further information, please download the full job description from here
• Deadline for applications: 22 March 2020 (12 midnight GMT)
• Interviews to be held: W/C 26 March 2020

Specifications: Full Time, Permanent 
Salary: £30,000
Location: London (preferably), Freiburg or Copenhagen
Application Closing Date: 24th March 2020 (At Midnight)

This role is an exciting opportunity to use your experience as a Project Support Officer to make a difference in the field of health care research. 

The Project Support Officer will provide project management support, co-ordination, and administrative support to the Head of IT Services and the ITS department.

The role’s responsibilities will include:

• Provide administrative support, as required, to the Head of IT Services and the ITS Management Team. For example: arranging meetings and webinars, drafting agendas, meeting notes and documentation, and booking travel.
• Draft communications for key ITS projects and technology initiatives.
• Contribute to and manage documentation relating to the Cochrane technology strategy.
• Coordinate projects with other Central Executive Team (CET) departments.
• To develop good working relationships and shared working practices with the administrative leads within the CET.
• Develop a strong working knowledge of Cochrane’s processes and technologies for editorial management and content production and delivery.
• Identify key activities, areas of over-lap and inter-dependencies between various projects, areas of work, and other Cochrane strategies as they relate to projects and programmes of work within ITS and across the Central Executive Team.
• Undertake any other duties that may be considered appropriate.

The successful candidate will have:

• University degree and experience in project management or project management support and/or equivalent experience in a similar role
• Knowledge of project management and collaboration tools (e.g., Confluence, Jira)
• Ability to multitask and prioritize work requirements
• Effective communicator at all levels within and outside the organization
• The ability to work efficiently and effectively with a geographically-dispersed department and organization
• Good understanding of organisational effectiveness and of identifying and helping to implement best practice
• Excellent written, presentation and verbal communication skills
• Excellent team player
• Is diligent with attention to detail
• Willingness to travel as required

Cochrane is a global, independent network of health practitioners, researchers, patient advocates and others, responding to the challenge of making vast amounts of research evidence useful for informing decisions about health. We do this by synthesizing research findings to produce the best available evidence on what can work, what might harm and where more research is needed. Our work is recognised as the international gold standard for high quality, trusted information.

If you would like to apply for this position, please send a CV along with a supporting statement to recruitment@cochrane.org with “Project Support Officer (ITS)” in the subject line.  The supporting statement should indicate why you are applying for the post, and how far you meet the requirements for the post outlined in the job description using specific examples.  List your experience, achievements, knowledge, personal qualities, and skills which you feel are relevant to the post.

• For further information, please download the full job description from here.
• Deadline for applications: 24 March 2020 (12 midnight GMT)
• Interviews to be held on: W/C 06 April 2020

Today Cochrane has released a new Special Collection: Coronavirus (COVID-19): Infection control and prevention measures.

This Cochrane Library Special Collection pulls together the Cochrane Reviews that are identified as most directly relevant to the prevention of infection.

It includes reviews that evaluate the effects of interventions referenced in the WHO interim guidance for the 2019 coronavirus outbreak (28 January 2020), as well as other potentially relevant reviews from three Cochrane Networks:  Cochrane Public Health and Health Systems; Cochrane Musculoskeletal, Oral, Skin and Sensory; and Cochrane Acute and Emergency Care.

This Special Collection is one of two collections on COVID-19. See also the companion Special Collection: Coronavirus (COVID-19): Evidence relevant to critical care.

This Special Collection will be updated to ensure it remains applicable as the situation changes, and as WHO guidance evolves. It will also draw on the knowledge of Cochrane groups in affected regions.

The 2019 Coronavirus outbreak was declared a global Public Health Emergency by the World Health Organization (WHO) on 30th January 2020. 
 
The WHO is now working closely with global experts, governments and partners to rapidly expand scientific knowledge on this new virus, to track the spread and virulence of the virus, and to provide advice to countries and individuals on measures to protect health and prevent the spread of this outbreak.

• Read the Special Collection: Coronavirus (COVID-19):  Infection control and prevention measures
• Find out more about Cochrane Public Health and Health Systems
• Find out more about Cochrane Musculoskeletal, Oral, Skin and Sensory
• Find out more about Cochrane Acute and Emergency Care.

The Early Career Professionals group aims to provide its members with opportunities to enhance their knowledge, skills, and expertise by providing a platform for international networking with early career professionals or other members in the Cochrane community.

This group has four main objectives, including international networking, representing trainees, active patient involvement, and knowledge translation. Upcoming activities include:

Wednesday 11 March 2020, 13:00 GMT - Online Meetup: Networking, to infinity and beyond. Meet other ECPs online and share and discuss tips for networking at conferences or other academic/professional environments. Information on how to join the meeting found here.

Wednesday 25 March 2020, 15:00 GMT - Cochrane's Early Career Professionals Journal Club - "Clinical replicability of rehabilitation interventions in randomized controlled trials reported in main journals is inadequate". Article available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31220570. Information on how to join the meeting found here

• Visit the Early Career Professionals Cochrane Group page on Cochrane Community
• Follow ECP on Twitter and Instagram with #CochraneEarlyCareer hashtag

Specifications: Full Time, Permanent 
Salary: £55,500 p.a. (approx. 495,000 DKK)
Location: Copenhagen, Denmark
Application Closing Date: 20th March 2020 (At Midnight)

Are you passionate about quality software? Do you have a drive to make a difference for health care world-wide? We are a global, independent organization that strives to inform health-care decisions every day. We gather and summarize the best evidence from research to help doctors, nurses, patients, carers, researchers, funders, and policymakers. We do not accept commercial or conflicted funding, and work to minimize risk of bias, in order to generate authoritative and reliable information.

“Cochrane summarizes the findings so people making important decisions – you, your doctor, the people who write medical guidelines – can use unbiased information to make difficult choices without having to read every study out there…” Sifting the evidence, The Guardian, 14 September 2016

Our development team is located in Copenhagen and supports the process of creating systematic reviews through a web-based application. We are a group of motivated, mission-driven people who are energized by working together. We care about our users, taking pride in delivering features which both ensure the quality of Cochrane systematic reviews and make review production easier and more efficient.

As our new test automation engineer, you'd be upgrading and building automated tests for our product, as well as leading our manual testing. Our goal is to maintain product development velocity while having confidence in the quality of our code. Our hope is that you can challenge our ways of working and pinpoint which tools would fit us best.

Who we’re after
We are primarily looking for someone motivated by the mission of Cochrane and of our development team – that is, someone who cares about facilitating improved evidence-based healthcare decisions. We would consider it a bonus if you have specific knowledge of Cochrane, evidence-based health care, systematic reviews, and/or the global health sector.

On a technical level, we are looking for an analytical and efficient problem solver that can challenge our product and the processes around it, with experience in designing and implementing both automated and manual test solutions for web applications in an Agile setting. Further details are in the job description.

We work in English.

What you'd be doing

• Working with a talented, passionate and collaborative agile team;
• Advocating cross-team to ensure quality-minded practices;
• Designing, implementing, and maintaining automatic and manual test solutions;
• Embracing emerging technologies and solutions to deliver maximal quality.

How to apply

Please send a CV and supporting statement to recruitment@cochrane.org with “Test Automation Engineer” in the subject line, by 20th March 2020.

The supporting statement should indicate why you are applying for the post, and how far you meet the requirements, using specific examples.

Note that we will assess applications as they are received, and therefore may fill the post before the deadline.

• For further information, please download the full job description from here
• Deadline for applications: 20 March 2020 (12 midnight GMT)

Stroke is a major cause of death and disability across the world, with many reviews from the Cochrane Stroke Group providing evidence on the effects of treatments and rehabilitation interventions. In November 2019, the Group published their update of their review of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and we asked lead author, Gillian Mead from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, to tell us more.

Stroke is a common cause of disability in the community. Although there have been major advances in the care of stroke patients over the last few years, many survivors are still left with physical disability, such as weakness down one side of the body, called hemiparesis, difficulty speaking, low mood, anxiety, fatigue, and memory and thinking problems. Therefore, we need better treatments to address stroke disability.

One possibility is the group of drugs called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (or SSRI for short). These have been used for many years to treat mood disorders in the general population and also after stroke. In 2011, a French trial showed that one of the SSRI, fluoxetine, improved recovery of arm weakness if given early after stroke, in people without mood problems.  We then performed a Cochrane review of all trials of SSRI given after stroke and found that SSRIs did seem to reduce disability. However, we could not be confident that the results were reliable, because many of the studies were small and had multiple sources of bias. On the positive side, we identified three large trials that were being planned, one from the UK, one from Sweden and one from Australasia. 

Generally, Cochrane Reviews should be updated when important new evidence becomes available. We knew that the UK trial (called FOCUS) was scheduled to be published in December 2018, and so we decided to update the review.

Our updated review found a total 63 trials recruiting more than 9000 stroke survivors within one year of their stroke.

However, only three of these trials, with 3249 participants with just over 3100 from FOCUS, were at low risk of bias and likely to provide robust findings on the effects of SSRIs. The participants in these three trials did not have to be depressed to enter the trial, and they were all recruited soon after their stroke. Our meta-analysis of their results showed that SSRIs did not affect disability score or dependency. The drugs reduced the risk of future depression but increased the risk of problems with the digestive system.

When we combined data from all the studies, irrespective of their risks of bias, there appeared to be a beneficial effect on recovery, but this was almost certainly because the studies at high risk of bias tended to give the positive results.

The review will be updated again after the large Swedish and Australasian trials are published in 2020.

• Read the Cochrane Review
• Listen to more Cochrane Podcasts
• Get Cochrane Podcasts on iTunes
• Visit the Cochrane Stroke Group website

A number of stipends and bursaries are available to help consumers and other attendees based in developing countries to attend Cochrane Colloquium Toronto 2020. This is our 27th annual flagship event and this year it will take place at The Westin Harbour Castle in Toronto, Canada, 4-7 October 2020.

Stipends and bursaries represent funding you can apply for, if you are eligible, that are intended to help cover registration and other expenses associated with attending the 2020 Colloquium.

Cochrane is providing stipends for:

1. Cochrane Consumers
2. individuals living in low-lower-middle, (LMIC) and upper-middle-income countries (UMIC)

The deadline for applying is Monday 18 May 2020 and winners will be notified in June

Find out whether you are eligible and how to apply

Cochrane is made up of 11,000 members and over 67,000 supporters come from more than 130 countries, worldwide. Our volunteers and contributors are researchers, health professionals, patients, carers, people passionate about improving health outcomes for everyone, everywhere.

Getting involved in Cochrane’s work means becoming part of a global community. The Cochrane International Mobility programme connects successful applicants with a placement in a host Cochrane Group, learning more about the production, use, and knowledge translation of Cochrane reviews. The prgramme offers opportunities for learning and training not only for participants but also for host staff.

In this series, we profile those that have participated in the Cochrane International Mobility Program and learn more about their experiences.

Name: Astrid Modiano Hedenmalm
Location: Lund, Sweden
Cochrane International Mobility location: Utrecht, Netherlands with Cochrane Netherlands

How did you first learn about Cochrane?
I did not have any involvement with Cochrane before Cochrane International Mobility (CIM) programme. I was looking for a supervisor to do my master thesis with, and I saw a post on social media by an older medical student at Lund University who was promoting Cochrane as well as his supervisor there. After some e-mailing with the student, I got in touch with his supervisor at Cochrane Sweden, and half a year later I did CIM in the Netherlands.

What was your experience with Cochrane International Mobility?
I basically did a smaller version of my masters thesis, which was a Diagnostic Test Accuracy (DTA) review. Instead of going through each step entirely, I did just a little bit of each step of the review and got tutoring along the way. I also joined in on things that were happening at the center, like listening to other people present their research, and I attended a conference that took place when I was there. Through CIM I made contacts who continued to help me out with my thesis through e-mails and teleconferences when I was back in Sweden.

What are you doing now in relation to your Cochrane International Mobility experience?
I have finished my thesis, and now we are in the process of editing it in order to submit a manuscript to a journal for publishing.

Do you have any words of advice to anyone conserving a Cochrane International Mobility experience?
If you are a medical student like me, and you mostly work clinically, I think you will get a lot out of this experience. As doctors, we will need to be updated on research in our fields, and for me this experience with CIM and writing my thesis with Cochrane has really improved my skills when it comes to critically appraising research.

The Cochrane Common Mental Disorders Group had published more than 180 reviews relevant to conditions such as anxiety and depression by the end of 2019. In December 2019, they added a review of whether pharmacist support can help people take their anti-depressants and we asked one of the authors, Jennifer Brown from the Centre for Reviews and Dissemination at the University of York in the UK, to tell us about the latest findings.

Many people who have depression are prescribed drugs, often called antidepressants, to help manage their condition, but it can take months for them to make a difference. It’s important, therefore, that people continue to take the drugs as prescribed, to give them the best chance of working. In most cases, their family doctor or GP supports them with this treatment to make sure they take the correct dose at the correct times and to watch out for side effects. However, in spite of this, some people struggle with their antidepressants and don’t take the drugs as prescribed, which can stop them from getting better or might even make their illness worse.

We’ve investigated whether an alternative approach improves this problem. We were interested in the effect of people receiving support with their antidepressants from a pharmacist or a pharmacy-based team, rather than their GP or another primary care provider. This approach is being used successfully for physical health conditions such as monitoring blood pressure and is sometimes called “pharmacy-based management”. It’s promising because, in countries such as the UK, pharmacies are more easily accessible than GP practices, pharmacists and their teams are likely to have more time than GPs, and they have the necessary knowledge about the different drugs people might be prescribed. There is also some evidence that people form a closer relationship with their pharmacist than with their GP.

In our review, we compared pharmacy-based management with active control (for example, special information leaflets) or treatment as usual, which would be the “normal” care delivered by GPs or nurses.  The moderate quality evidence we found, from more than 2200 adults in 12 studies, shows that there is no reason to believe that there is a difference in the reduction of the symptoms of depression between pharmacy-based management and treatment as usual. We also found no evidence of a difference between the acceptability of these two approaches to participants, given the similar number who left the trials early in the pharmacy-based management and treatment as usual groups, but there is uncertainty about this because of the low quality evidence for this outcome.

In summary, our review does not necessarily rule out a more active role for pharmacists in the treatment of people with depression. If additional support from pharmacists can reduce the time needed from GPs, without a detrimental effect on outcomes, this has important implications for cost-effectiveness. This would be important to assess in future research as we did not investigate this in our review. There is also a need for further research to establish which parts of the pharmacy-based management approach make it successful and why some models work better than others.

• Read the Cochrane Review
• Listen to more Cochrane Podcasts
• Get Cochrane Podcasts on iTunes
• Visit the Cochrane Common Mental Disorders website

 The Cochrane Eyes and Vision Group is looking to appoint one or more new Co-ordinating Editors to provide leadership of the Group. The Eyes and Vision Group is part of the Cochrane Musculoskeletal, Oral, Skin and Sensory ( MOSS) Network. This is an important opportunity to lead and shape the future development of a strategically important area of Cochrane’s healthcare evidence coverage. The Eyes and Vision Group portfolio of reviews includes 212 published reviews and 45 protocols.

We invite applications from individuals based anywhere in the world, from existing Cochrane Groups and from outside Cochrane, and also those interested in a job share arrangement. Applicants should be aware of the following requirements:

1. The Co-ordinating Editor(s) must have:

• Experience of authoring Cochrane or alternative high-quality systematic review
• Clinical expertise and standing in the field of eyes and vision
• Methodology expertise in the field of evidence synthesis, including risk of bias and GRADE assessments

2. The following attributes are highly desirable

• Experience of editing Cochrane reviews or alternative high-quality systematic review
• Advanced methodological skills and knowledge

3. The new Co-ordinating Editor(s) must work within the terms of the Collaboration Agreement that defines the responsibilities of Cochrane and the Cochrane Review Group. 

4. The new Co-ordinating Editor(s) must actively engage with the MOSS Network and adhere to the Network’s strategic plan.

For further information, please see the full role description, which sets out all of the responsibilities of the role.

Potential applicants should familiarise themselves with Cochrane’s commercial sponsorship and conflict of interest policy.

Individuals who are interested in exploring this opportunity are welcome to contact Karla Soares-Weiser, Editor-in-Chief (ksoares-weiser@cochrane.org) or Peter Tugwell, Senior Editor, MOSS Network (ptugwell@uottawa.ca).

To apply, please send a cover letter detailing the responses to the numbered bullet points above, and a short Curriculum Vitae to Karla Soares-Weiser (ksoares-weiser@cochrane.org).

Cochrane Bosnia and Herzegovina second scientific symposium took place on Friday January 17th in front of the full auditorium of the University of Mostar School of Medicine.

The theme of the  symposium was 'Cochrane for everyone' and it attracted huge interest from the media, medical students, and clinicians. Below is just a sample of some of the media coverage:

• Cochrane simpozij: Bolje donošenje odluka po vlastito zdravlje i zdravstvenu politiku
• Simpozij 'Cochrane za sve' okupio stručnjake iz BiH i Hrvatske
• Međunarodni znanstveni simpozij u Mostaru
• Održan 2. znanstveni BH Cochrane simpozij
• Znanstveni BH Cochrane simpozij „Cochrane za sve“
• Održan 2. BH Cochrane simpozij

 Co-directors of Cochrane Croatia, Irena Zakarija-Grković and Tina Poklepović Peričić presented the work of Cochrane, talked about the importance of evidence in medicine, and the role of Cochrane in improving clinical practice.

 Assist. prof. Goran Poropat from Medical School in Rijeka presented the design of Cochrane systematic reviews, the Cochrane review process, including the challenges during the process and he has a longtime experience authoring Cochrane reviews, both intervention and diagnostic test accuracy and takes great part in the editorial base of the Cochrane Hepatobiliary Group.

 The symposium in Mostar was useful in terms of promoting the work of Cochrane and its influence to all stakeholders within the health system, but it also allowed an opportunity to talk about further developing Cochrane network and building future collaboration between Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

• Visit the Cochrane Bosnia and Herzegovina website
• Find local and online Cochrane events and training opportunities

Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, Kadoorie Critical Care Research Centre, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford

Specifications: Full-time, fixed-term (12 months)
Salary: Grade 8: £41,526 - £49,553 p.a.
Application Closing Date: Monday 16 March 2020 12:00 noon

We are seeking a Senior Systematic Reviewer to join Oxford Trauma group, within the Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences (NDORMS) based at the Kadoorie Research Centre, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford. This is an exciting opportunity to join a dynamic team of collaborators from a number of groups.

As a Senior Systematic Reviewer, you will have an overall responsibility for the conduct and delivery of a suite of top quality, high profile Cochrane systematic reviews, working with a team of reviewers, statisticians and content experts. You will lead the reviewing component of the programme, including managing a grade 7 Systematic Reviewer and you will undertake meta-analyses and network meta-analyses, with the support from the project statistician. You will be responsible for writing and dissemination of Cochrane Reviews and Overviews, including major contribution to linked material for peer-reviewed publications.

You will hold a first degree (first or upper class second) in a health related or scientific discipline. You will have an extensive previous experience of delivering high quality systematic reviews (e.g. Cochrane Reviews or reviews for NICE or similar technology hub). Outstanding communication skills and ability to communicate results effectively to colleagues in any discipline as well as external collaborators, excellent IT literacy (RevMan, email, Microsoft Office) are essential. A higher degree in a health related or scientific discipline or equivalent professional experience, knowledge of GRAPEPro and other software for undertaking more complex meta-analyses (CMA, STATA, R, WinBugs, or SAS) are desirable.

This is a full-time, fixed-term (12 months) post.

You will be required to upload a CV and supporting statement as part of your online application.

• Contact Person HR Team, NDORMS    
• Vacancy ID 145370
• Contact Phone: 01865 737511    
• Closing Date & Time 16-Mar-2020 12:00
• Contact Email: hr@ndorms.ox.ac.uk
• Download the job description here