Cochrane is delighted to announce the official launch of our first national Cochrane Network.
The new Brazilian Cochrane Network consists of the Brazilian Cochrane Centre (located at the Centro de Estudos em Medicina Baseada em Evidências e AvaliaçãoTecnologica em Saúde in São Paulo) and five new Affiliates, located in the cities of Fortaleza and João Pessoa (in the Northeast region of Brazil), in Belém (in the Amazon region), in Petrópolis (in the Southeastern region, near Rio de Janeiro) and in Muriaé (in the Central West region).
The Network will promote evidence-based decision making in health care in Brazil by supporting and training new Brazilian authors of Cochrane Reviews, as well as working with clinicians, professional associations, policy-makers, patients, and the media to encourage the dissemination and use of Cochrane evidence.
The Brazilian Cochrane Network is part of Cochrane, a global independent network of researchers, professionals, patients, carers and people interested in health. The Network will be co-ordinated and led by the Brazilian Cochrane Centre, which will offer methodological support, mentoring, and supervision to the Affiliates.
The Director of Cochrane Brazil, Dr. Alvaro Atallah, says this is a hugely exciting opportunity: “The launch of the first-ever Cochrane Network is very important, both to Brazil and globally. Producing and increasing the dissemination of the best available information on health care is critical for clinicians and patients everywhere in the world, including Brazil.”
Established in 1996 and celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, Cochrane Brazil (Centro Cochrane do Brasil) has supported authors from different regions of the country, and produced more than 300 Cochrane Reviews for the Brazilian Ministry of Health. Some of these author teams are now in a position to lead the production of Cochrane work in their own regions.
The new Brazilian Cochrane Network was agreed during a recent trip to São Paulo by Cochrane’s CEO Mark Wilson and Deputy Editor in Chief Karla Soares-Weiser. Wilson warmly welcomed today’s launch: “I am delighted we are announcing the first-ever single-country Cochrane Network which, by working closely together, will deepen and expand the scope, reach, and impact of Cochrane activities on health and healthcare decision making across Brazil. This is also an important announcement for global health research. The Network will promote recognition of studies conducted and published in Brazil and this will not only simply increase the access of evidence, but also promote sharing of clinical experiences across the country, and the world.”
One of the five Affiliate Coordinators, Florentino de Araujo Cardoso Filho from Fortaleza, Ceará, is proud to be a part of this Network. He said, ”Health care will have a very positive impact with the increased presence of Cochrane’s work in Brazil, because this is going to stimulate and focus our actions relating to the care of patients based on strong scientific evidence. Knowledge is evolving intensely and fast, and this is one of the main reasons why we need systematic reviews to evaluate healthcare interventions. The state of Ceará will benefit the most from this affiliation because it will be able to put together a team of the best qualified scientific professionals from the state.”
Affiliate Coordinator Dr. Luis Eduardo Fontes from Petrópolis, Rio de Janeiro, added, “It’s an honour to be invited to be part of this new Network. However, it is also a responsibility to be associated with Cochrane through Cochrane Brazil. The best part of this new partnership is to be able to collaborate on the production and dissemination of the best available evidence through Cochrane Reviews. This is an excellent opportunity for scientific growth, and gives us the chance to train students and a future generation that will develop high-quality research. Our chance to support health professionals in improving their decision making based on the best available evidence will support patient care.” Dr Fontes concluded, “This is an innovation for our region and we intend to collaborate in the dissemination of Cochrane Reviews and to continue supporting Cochrane to reach its 2020 strategic objectives.”
Cochrane Affiliates
UNVERSIDADE FEDERAL DA PARAIBA, coordinated by Dr. Andre Telis de Vilela Araujo
FACULDADE DE MEDICINA DE PETROPOLIS, coordinated by Dr. Luis Eduardo Fontes
UNIVERSIDADE ESTADUAL DO PARA, coordinated by Dr Regis Bruni Andriolo and Dr. Brenda Nazare Gomes Andriolo
CENTRO DE TRATAMENTO MULTIDISCIPLINAR EM ONCOLOGIA DO CEARA, coodinated by Dr Florentino de Araujo Cardoso Filho
FUNDACAO CRISTIANO VARELLA, coodinated by Dr Flavia Maria Ribeiro Vital
For more information on the work of Cochrane Brazil and the Network, please visit the Cochrane Brazil website.
For all media enquiries, please contact the Cochrane Press Office.