Achievers University kicked off a three-day Introduction to Cochrane Systematic Review and Evidence-Based Medicine Workshop on Tuesday, 25th March 2025. The workshop attracted 22 participants, including faculty members, researchers, and healthcare professionals from Achievers University, Owo as well as other institutions across the Southwest, South-South, and Northern regions of Nigeria.
Cochrane Nigeria, renowned for its expertise in systematic review methodology and evidence-based healthcare, facilitated the workshop. While highlighting the focus of the workshop, the Southwest Co-Director of Cochrane Nigeria and one of the facilitators of the workshop, Dr Sola Okusanya from the University of Lagos emphasized that the aim of the Cochrane workshop is to equip participants with the knowledge required to conduct systematic reviews and meta-analyses in line with international best practices. He added that the workshop would provide step-by-step guidance on developing and registering systematic review protocols, thereby offering the necessary skills to generate high-quality, evidence-based research that informs clinical and policy decisions. According to him, the training would cover nine key modules, including fundamentals of evidence-based healthcare and systematic reviewing, developing a focused and answerable research question, and defining inclusion/exclusion criteria for systematic reviews, among others.
Welcoming participants to the workshop, the Director of the Centre for Research, Innovation, and Linkages, who also serves as the Dean of the Faculty of Medical Laboratory Science of Achievers University, Professor Olabisi Oduwole, expressed gratitude to Cochrane Nigeria for selecting Achievers University as the host institution. She appreciated the University management, ably led by the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Omolola Irinoye, noting the University’s unwavering support in the hosting of the workshop. She acknowledged that it was a gesture to strengthening the research-driven academic environment, thereby positioning the University as one of the leading institutions for medical and health sciences education in Nigeria. Professor Oduwole, therefore, urged participants to fully engage with the training, minimize distractions, and leverage the workshop’s resources to enhance their research skills. Other facilitators of the 3-day workshop were Dr Segun Bello of the University of Ibadan and Professor Olabisi Oduwole.
