Posted 20 October 2021 by Ella Flemyng (Methods Implementation Manager)

Over 400 people from across the world joined us for the 2021 Cochrane Methods Symposium this October, which was dedicated to public health evidence synthesis and complex interventions. Chaired by members of the Cochrane Methods Executive and with speakers from across the Methods Groups and Review Groups, the sessions shared methodological developments, best practice and new approaches.

A huge thank you to all who were involved, including the Chairs and speakers (all listed below), the Methods Executive (who developed the theme and topics), and Cochrane Training.

For those who missed the sessions, we’ve collated the recordings below for you to browse at your own leisure. There is also a list of other activities from across Cochrane relevant to public health evidence synthesis that you might also be interested in. 

Session 1: Evidence synthesis in public health: what we have learnt

This was a two-hour session on 12 October 2021 with a series of presentations and Q&A. Chaired by Joanne McKenzie and Carl Moons (Cochrane Methods Executive).

Click on the presentation titles below to watch the recordings. 

Introduction to the session	Presentation 1: The importance of preparing for evidence synthesis in public health Download slides: [PDF]	Presentation 2: Planning for and using non-randomised studies of interventions in public health evidence synthesis Download slides: [PDF]
Karla Soares-Weiser Cochrane, Israel	Eva Rehfuess Ludwig-Maximilians University Munich, Germany	Hugh Waddington London International Development Centre, UK
Presentation 3: Planning for and using qualitative evidence in public health evidence synthesis Download slides: [PDF]	Presentation 4: Developing evidence maps to identify equity issues that could inform the design of a complex public health review Download slides: [PDF]	Presentation 5: Planning for and using modelling studies in public health evidence synthesis Download slides: [PDF]
Kate Flemming University of York, UK Andrew Booth University of Sheffield, UK	Ashrita Saran Campbell South Asia, India	Carlos Canelo-Aybar Cochrane Iberoamericano, Spain
Panel discussion and questions

Session 2: Evidence synthesis in public health: challenges and opportunities

This was a two-hour session on 18 October 2021 with a series of presentations and Q&A. Chaired by Jane Noyes and Sarah Nevitt (Cochrane Methods Executive).

Click on the presentation titles below to watch the recordings. 

Introduction to the session	Presentation 1:  Describing complex interventions for evidence synthesis Download slides: [PDF]	Presentation 2: Using different types of evidence to inform guideline development Download slides: [PDF]
Lisa Bero University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, USA	James Thomas EPPI-Centre Reviews Facility for the Department of Health, UK	Elie Akl American University of Beirut, Lebanon

Presentation 3:  Communicating synthesised complex public health evidence to decision makers and end users Download slides: [PDF]	Panel discussion and questions
Nancy Santesso McMaster University, Canada	Chairs and presenters

Other activities across Cochrane include:

• Special Methods Support Unit web clinic: including different study designs and evidence: for Cochrane staff and authors on 11 November 2021
• Learning Live webinar series on qualitative evidence synthesis: monthly webinars start from 28 October 2021
• Guidance for systematic review authors on how to consider the individual and the population perspective: one-hour webinar 
• Tackling methodological challenges in public health reviews: five methods projects to address common challenges faced by Cochrane staff and authors

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