In November, Carissa Etienne (Director of the Pan American Health Organization - PAHO) and Mark Wilson (CEO Cochrane) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen collaboration in the Americas and Caribbean. This is a great step in an already ongoing strong partnership.
Many Cochrane contributors and Cochrane groups have, throughout the years, provided training workshops, webinars, and expert advice to PAHO. Examples are Cochrane Canada’s webinar series; Cochrane contributors providing expert advice to PAHO’s Strategic Fund; or the many training activities organised by Cochrane Brasil and Cochrane Iberoamérica benefitting researchers and health decision makers in the region.
The collaboration now evolving between Cochrane and PAHO is meant to further strengthen and support these existing collaborations, while at the same time consider more long-term strategic organisational objectives of both partners and facilitate long term planning.
The MoU focuses on the intention of both partners to:
- align the production of Cochrane systematic reviews to PAHO’s health priorities;
- strengthen capacity for evidence-based decision making in the region; and
- strengthen knowledge translation activities.
The coming months are key to mobilise the resources needed and step-up our collaboration in the Americas to its full potential.
Julie Wood, Head of External Affairs and Communications, Cochrane (jwood@cochrane.org)
Sylvia de Haan, WHO Co-ordinator, Cochrane (sdehaan@cochrane.org)