INDIANAPOLIS, IN – On September 9th, 2024, Cochrane announced the formation of a new Maternal, Newborn and Child (MNC) Health Thematic Group. Indiana University School of Medicine’s David Haas, MD, was named the group’s deputy director.
Haas is the Vice-Chair for Research in the IU School of Medicine Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Haas will partner with the thematic group’s director, Jeanne-Marie Guise, MD, MPH, MBA at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School. Together, they are responsible for helping to convene, organize and prioritize Cochrane’s activities surrounding MNC health.
Cochrane is “an independent, diverse, global organization that collaborates to produce trusted synthesized evidence, make it accessible to all and advocate for its use.” The organization gathers evidence, produces trusted evidence, advocates for evidence and informs health and care decisions.
Haas has been involved with Cochrane since 2002. He began as a Contact Editor for the Pregnancy and Childbirth Group and later became the Co-Director of the US Satellite of that group. “This crucial area of Cochrane evidence encompasses the largest number of systematic reviews in the Cochrane Library. These reviews are key informers of practice guidelines worldwide,” Haas notes.
Answering the Thematic Group Proposal call was a natural progression for Guise and Haas, who have collaborated for several years through the US Cochrane Satellite and the US Cochrane Network. The MNC Thematic Group will serve as a focal point for research, community and global health policy in this area. The group will facilitate the development and dissemination of new MNC health evidence synthesis.
The application strategically included 17 other key people around the globe. At the recent Global Evidence Summit in Prague, an open-interest meeting brought in another 27 interdisciplinary experts interested in being a part of this exciting convening group.
Haas noted, “We were blown away by the wellspring of international and diverse support and interest in this area, which is key to several World Health Organization’s Sustainable Development Goals. We are excited and honored to help lead Cochrane’s efforts in this area.”
Historically, experts in public health, medicine, research and library science have participated in Cochrane thematic groups. Researchers and professionals interested in participating in the MCN Thematic Group can contact Haas at dahaas@iu.edu.