Download Cochrane Heart Group US Satellite Training Trip Three members of

Cochrane Heart Group US Satellite Training Trip
Three members of Feinberg’s newly launched Cochrane Heart Group US
Satellite traveled to Baltimore, MD in July 2013 to attend the workshop, Developing a
Systematic Review, which was hosted by the US Cochrane Center at the Johns
Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Galter librarian Mark Berendsen, second
year internal medicine resident David McNamara, and second year medical school
student Amy Rogers represented the Heart Group. Although at various stages in
training and careers, the three members shared a common goal: to improve their skills
for conducting systematic reviews to promote the use of evidence-based practices in
health care. Their projects include:

Mark Berendsen: trials search coordinator duties within the satellite

David McNamara: implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) compared
with anti-arrhythmic drugs for patients with left ventricular systolic
dysfunction

Amy Rogers: strategies for improving acute coronary syndrome care
The three-day workshop, led by prominent leaders in systematic review research
including the US Cochrane Center director Dr. Kay Dickerson, guided review authors
through the development of a systematic review. Workshop attendees received handson instruction in using Cochrane statistical methods and software, critically appraising
original research studies, extracting data from original research, and analyzing,
presenting, and interpreting the results of meta-analyses. Breakout sessions provided
personal feedback on individual research questions. “The workshop was a great
opportunity to not only refine my systematic review development skills, but also meet
other like-minded individuals interested in promoting evidence-based health care,” said
medical student Amy Rogers. “It was truly inspiring to see the wide range of research
questions a Cochrane systematic review can help answer.”
The Cochrane Heart Group US Satellite will host its launch meeting in the
Department of Preventive Medicine on September 25, 2013 and will include speakers
from the Cochrane Heart Group primary office at the London School of Hygiene and
Tropical Medicine, the US Cochrane Center, the American Heart Association, among
others. To register, contact Anne Ehlinger ([email protected]).