Speakers

Professor Paul Glasziou is the Director of the Institute for Evidence-Based Healthcare at Bond University. Former Director of the Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine at Oxford. Focuses on removing barriers to using research in clinical practice and maximizing the impact of research. Co-founder of the International Society for Evidence-based Health Care and the RACGP's Handbook of Non-Drug Interventions. Prolific author with over 600 peer-reviewed articles and 7 books. Notable for efforts to address the annual loss of over $85 billion from unpublished and unusable research.

Gordon Guyatt is a McMaster University Distinguished Professor. His work, focused on Evidence-based Medicine, has resulted in over 1,500 peer-reviewed publications cited over 175,000 times - making him one of the world’s 20 most cited researchers – and had a profound impact on medical practice worldwide.

John P.A. Ioannidis, MD, DSc is a Prominent Professor at Stanford University, specializing in Medicine, Epidemiology, Population Health, Biomedical Data Science, and Statistics. Co-Director of Meta-Research Innovation Center at Stanford (METRICS). Born in NYC, raised in Athens. Renowned for outstanding academic achievements, including ~700 invited lectures and numerous awards. A distinguished researcher with over 1,500 publications and an exceptionally high citation rate, ranking among the top most cited scientists globally. Inducted into prestigious academies and recipient of multiple honors and honorary doctorates. Significant contributions to research synthesis and clinical investigation. President- Elect of the Association of American Physicians.

Tanja Kuchenmüller is Unit Head for Research and Ethics Ecosystem Strengthening in the Science for Health Department at the World Health Organization. She leads WHO’s work to strengthen research and evidence ecosystems — from clinical trials and research governance to ethics, knowledge translation, and research uptake. In this role, she spearheads global initiatives to ensure that high-quality research is generated, governed, and used to inform policy and improve health outcomes. This includes leading WHO’s Evidence-informed Policy Network (EVIPNet), which supports countries in strengthening and institutionalizing their capacities to use evidence in decision-making, and co-developing innovative tools and frameworks that connect research, policy, and practice.

Hans Lund is professor at Section for Evidence-Based Practice at Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, Bergen, Norway. Hans Lund has been promoting and teached evidence-based practice for more than 25 years. Currently Hans Lund is chair of the European Union based COST Action EVBRES (see: evbres.eu) that promotes the use of an evidence-based approach when researchers are planning new research and when new results are interpreted in the context of existing evidence.

Victor M. Montori, MD (photo) is the Robert H. and Susan M. Rewoldt Professor of Medicine at Mayo Clinic. An endocrinologist, health services researcher, and care activist, Dr. Montori is the author of more than 780 peer-reviewed publications and is among the most cited researchers in clinical medicine and in social science. He is a recognized expert in evidence-based medicine, shared decision making, and minimally disruptive medicine. He is currently a Human Rights and Technology Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. He works in Rochester, Minnesota, USA at Mayo Clinic's KER Unit, to advance person-centered care for patients with diabetes and other chronic conditions. He is the author of the book Why We Revolt, and is leading a movement for careful and kind care for all.

David has been working in academia since 2000, with a focus on clinical care and evidence-based medicine since 2010. Upon completion of his PhD, he joined the Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine and his role is now divided between research, teaching and outreach activities.

Bianca Pilla is the Director of Global Relations at JBI, where she manages partnerships with 90+ Universities, NGOs and Health Facilities across 40+ countries, striving to improve healthcare quality and outcomes globally through Evidence-Based Healthcare, and a program of research focused on building equitable global health networks and science communication. Bianca is also the founder and Committee Chair for World Evidence-Based Healthcare Day, a global initiative established in 2020 that raises awareness of the need for better evidence to inform healthcare policy, practice and decision-making to improve health outcomes globally. Her expertise is in multi-stakeholder partnership development at global, national and community levels; inclusive science communication; policy development; and program evaluation. With a background in International Development, Bianca has led development programs with several NGOs across diverse fields, including tertiary and vocational education and training, community health, livelihoods, gender and disability in Afghanistan, Australia, India and Kenya in both development and emergency contexts.

Dr Karla Soares-Weiser is a global health care leader with extensive expertise in evidence-based health care. As the current Editor-in-Chief of Cochrane, she has spearheaded transformative changes in the development and publication of evidence syntheses and overseen the development of the first scientific strategy for the organization. Under her leadership, Cochrane has optimized its editorial processes, substantially reducing the time to publish high-priority systematic reviews crucial for addressing global health challenges.

A board-certified psychiatrist, Dr Soares-Weiser holds a master's degree in mental health epidemiology from the State University of Campinas, a doctorate in evidence-based medicine from the Federal University of São Paulo, and certifications in leadership from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management and fundraising principles from Indiana University. Her career, which spans over 30 years, is marked by significant contributions to health care research, including authoring 99 papers. Her tenure at Cochrane has been particularly notable for strategic adaptations during the COVID-19 pandemic, enhancing the organization's responsiveness and impact on health decisions worldwide.

In addition to her role at Cochrane, Dr Soares-Weiser has held academic positions in Brazil and Israel and founded a consultancy business focused on providing evidence synthesis services to government and non-profit sectors worldwide. She has contributed to numerous advisory boards and international initiatives, reflecting her dedication to advancing evidence-informed decision-making and policy advocacy across diverse global health landscapes. Fluent in Portuguese, English, Spanish, and Hebrew, Dr Soares-Weiser's diverse cultural and professional experiences enrich her contributions to global health care.

Dr. Andrea Tricco holds a MSc in Epidemiology and PhD in Population Health. She is a Scientist and the Executive Director of the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, St. Michael’s Hospital, Unity Health Toronto. She is an Associate Professor at the University of Toronto in the Dalla Lana School of Public Health & Institute of Health Policy, Management, and Evaluation. She is also an Adjunct and Associate Graduate Faculty with Faculty of Health Sciences at Ontario Tech University and the Co-Editor in Chief of the Journal of Clinical Epidemiology.

Her research interests are related to responding to decision-makers (including policy-makers, healthcare providers, and patient partners) through knowledge synthesis. Her research focuses on advancing the science of knowledge synthesis and she is leading research projects related to rapid reviews, network meta- analysis, and scoping reviews. She currently holds a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Knowledge Synthesis for Knowledge Users and has been recognized as one of the most highly cited researchers in the world.