In 2016, the Michael G. DeGroote Cochrane Canada Centre formalized a move from the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI) to its original home of McMaster University – widely acknowledged as the home of evidence-based medicine.
The Centre supports Cochrane initiatives across the country by conducting education activities, functioning as the communications and knowledge brokering lead for Cochrane Canada, and advocating for the use of evidence in decision-making within Canada. It's activites are inked to the McMaster GRADE Centre, the McMaster WHO Collaborating Center for Infectious Diseases, Research Methods and Recommendations and the GIN-McMaster Guideline Certfication and Credentialing Program INGUIDE (INGUIDE.org).
Michael G. DeGroote Cochrane Canada Centre Team
Dr. Holger Schünemann is a professor in the Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact (HEI) - formerly the Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics - at McMaster University. His scientific work focuses on evidence synthesis, quality of life research and the presentation and development of healthcare recommendations spanning clinical medicine to public health.
As a key contributor to the revised methods for the World Health Organization (WHO) guideline development in 2006 and the Institute of Medicine statement on trustworthy guidelines in 2011, Dr. Schünemann co-led the reshaping of practice guideline development methodology. He has been an advisor to ministries of health, other governmental organizations and professional societies for their guideline programs. He is Co-chair of the GRADE working group, for which he coined the name and plays a vital role in disseminating its spirit of collaboration, openness and advancement of evidence assessment and the creation of better healthcare recommendations.
Dr. Nancy Santesso has been involved with and a strong supporter of the Cochrane Collaboration since 2002. In addition to her role as Deputy Director of Cochrane Canada, and editor of the Cochrane Consumers and Communication Review Group. She is a Registered Dietitian by background and Associate Professor in the Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence and Impact at McMaster University. There, in the Health Research Methods graduate program, she coordinates the systematic review course. She has also provided training in Cochrane systematic reviews for over more than a decade.
Since 2009, Dr. Santesso has been a member of the GRADE Working Group - a group dedicated to the rigorous development of clinical practice guidelines and the use of evidence from systematic reviews in guidelines. She has trained guideline developers and facilitated guideline panel meetings using the GRADE approach for the World Health Organization (WHO) and other professional organizations nationally and internationally. Her research interests include the engagement of patients and the public in evidence synthesis and use, and the communication of evidence to patients and the public as plain language summaries of systematic reviews and as patient versions of guidelines.
Faculty
Full Members
Holger Schünemann, Director
Nancy Santesso, Deputy Director
Kathryn Bennett
Joseph Beyene
Jan Brozek
Maureen Dobbins
Gordon Guyatt
Grigorios Leontiadis
Alfonso Iorio
Paul Moayyedi
Lehana Thabane
Feng Xie
Bram Rochwerg
Waleed Alhazzani
Lina Santaguida
Lawrence Mbuagbaw
Associate Members
Rebecca Anglin
Karin Dearness
Phillip J Devereaux
Fiona Smaill
Yuhong (Cathy) Yuan
Frances Tse
Mohammad Yaghoobi
Diana Schafali
Robby Nieuwlaat
Roman Jaeschke
Scientific Manager
Heather Travis, MA
Postdocs
Wojtek Wiercioch, PhD
Research Associate
Tamara Lotfi, MD, MPH
Research Coordinators
Stephanie Duda, MSc
Nisha Kapil, MD
Varna Valavil Punnapuzha, BDS, MPH
Ashley Motilall, MPH
Karla Solo, MSc
Research Assistants
Marisa Deodat, BSc
Samer Karam, MD, MSc
Shahab Sayfi, BSc
Maheen Raja, BSc, MSc(c)
Dana Green-Campbell, BSc
Coordination and administration
Sveta Withrow, CHRP
Melissa Weldon
