Special Topics in Evidence Synthesis Symposium
Join us online or in-person in Adelaide, Australia, for a Special Topics in Evidence Synthesis Symposium (26th November) and/or a Risk of Bias Workshop (November 27th) with global leaders in the field of systematic reviews and risk of bias. Take this opportunity to hear from the world's leading experts and meet and network with them at this event.
This will be a hybrid event, delivered in-person in Adelaide, Australia, and online via Zoom in ACST (Australian Central Standard Time).
Check the date and time in your region.
SPEAKERS
We are proud to present an exceptional lineup of world-renowned experts who will lead our Evidence Synthesis Symposium. Our speakers represent the pinnacle of scholarship in systematic reviews, meta-analysis, and evidence synthesis methodology. Speaker details are below.
PROGRAM
The preliminary programs (subject to change) are available here:
SPECIAL TOPICS IN EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS SYMPOSIUM
Wednesday 26 November 2025, 9:00am - 5:00pm
In-Person in Adelaide, Australia or Online
Cost: $350 + GST and booking fee ($300 if also attending Risk of Bias Workshop)
REGISTER NOW
RISK OF BIAS WORKSHOP
Thursday 27 November 2025, 9:00am - 5:00pm
In-Person in Adelaide, Australia or Online
Cost: $350 + GST and booking fee ($300 if also attending Evidence Synthesis Symposium)
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Professor Julian Higgins stands as one of the most influential voices in meta-analysis and systematic review methodology, whose groundbreaking work continues to set global standards for evidence evaluation.
Julian is Professor of Evidence Synthesis in the Population Health Sciences department of Bristol Medical School, where he co-directs the NIHR Bristol Evidence Synthesis Group and heads the Bristol Appraisal and Review of Research (BARR) group. He was previously Chair in Evidence Synthesis at the University of York, and Programme Leader at the MRC Biostatistics Unit in Cambridge, where he was also head of the UK Human Genome Epidemiology Network Coordinating Centre. Before these roles he worked at the medical schools of Imperial College London and of University College London.
Wide-ranging research interests span all areas of systematic review and meta-analysis. Julian has co-authored more than 60 applied systematic reviews and over 150 papers on review methodology. Among his methods contributions are: a Bayesian approach to network meta-analysis; the I-squared statistic to quantify inconsistency across studies in a meta-analysis; simple prediction intervals for random-effects meta-analysis; a general framework for individual participant data meta-analysis; a library of prior distributions for between-study variation in a meta-analysis; and risk-of-bias assessment tools for clinical trials and other study designs. He was a member of the development teams for the original PRISMA reporting guideline for systematic reviews and meta-analyses and the STROBE-MR reporting guidelines for Mendelian randomization studies, and co-led development of the STREGA reporting guideline for genetic association studies.
Julian was a founding trustee and is a past President of the Society for Research Synthesis Methodology. He has long been an active contributor to Cochrane, and is a former member of Cochrane's Steering Group, Editorial Board and Scientific Committee. He is currently co-convenor of the Cochrane Bias Methods Group and has co-edited the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions since 2003. He is also co-author of the Wiley 2009 textbook Introduction to Meta-analysis and co-editor of the 2022 3rd edition of Wiley textbook Systematic Reviews in Health Research: Meta-analysis in Context. He has more than 350 publications, which have attracted more than 350,000 citations. With a Google Scholar H-index over 175, Julian has been named as a Highly Cited Researcher each year since 2015.
Julian is a multiple winner of the Thomas C Chalmers Award from Cochrane. He was awarded the Frederick Mosteller Award for distinctive contributions to systematic reviewing from the Campbell Collaboration in 2010; the Ingram Olkin Award for distinguished lifetime achievement by the Society for Research Synthesis Methodology in 2016; and the Will Shadish Extraordinary Service Award by the Society for Research Synthesis Methodology in 2019. He was appointed an NIHR Senior Investigator in 2018.
Plenary Speakers:
Professor Georgia Salanti
Head of Evidence Synthesis Methods Research Group, University of Bern
Professor Georgia Salanti brings exceptional expertise in network meta-analysis and comparative effectiveness research, pushing the boundaries of how we synthesize complex treatment evidence. Georgia’s research focuses on the statistical modelling for evidence synthesis and the methodology of systematic reviews. She is particularly interested in publication bias issues, the impact of missing outcome data and network meta-analysis. Amongst many accolades, Georgia was elected President of the Society for Research Synthesis Methodology.
Associate Professor Matthew Page
Deputy Head of the Methods in Evidence Synthesis Unit at Monash University
Associate Professor Matthew Page offers world-class knowledge in systematic review methodology and reporting guidelines, playing a pivotal role in advancing the quality and transparency of evidence synthesis. Associate Professor Matthew Page is an NHMRC Emerging Leadership Investigator Fellow and Deputy Head of the Methods in Evidence Synthesis Unit at Monash University. His research focuses on improving the quality of systematic reviews of health and medical research. He co-led the development of the PRISMA 2020 statement, a highly cited reporting guideline for systematic reviews, and was a member of the core group who developed the RoB 2 tool for assessing risk of bias in randomized trials. He is co-chair of the PRISMA Executive and Cochrane Methods Executive. Matthew has led and collaborated on numerous systematic reviews, with his applied work informing methodological innovation.
Head of the Methods in Evidence Synthesis Unit at the School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University.
Professor Joanne (Jo) McKenzie is a Professor of Biostatistics, Head of the Methods in Evidence Synthesis Unit at Monash University, and co-directs the Melbourne Branch of the Australasian EQUATOR Centre. She leads a programme of research on methods for evidence synthesis, with some key areas of interest being methods to present and synthesize results when meta-analysis is not possible, statistical methods for analysing and meta-analysing results from interrupted time series studies, and the development of reporting guidelines for different evidence synthesis products. She co-led the PRISMA 2020 statement and co-chairs the PRISMA Executive. She is an active contributor to Cochrane, including being a Co-convenor of the Statistical Methods Group and an author of several chapters of the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions.
Head of School of Public Health, Director and co-founder (2001) of Adelaide Health Technology Assessment (AHTA)
Professor Merlin was the first Professor of Health Technology Assessment (HTA) in Australia, having worked in this sub-discipline of Public Health for over 25 years as an HTA methodologist and clinical epidemiologist. She has written over 200 systematic literature reviews, clinical practice guidelines, methods publications and health technology assessment reports. She is the Director and co-founder (2001) of Adelaide Health Technology Assessment (AHTA) at the University of Adelaide. In this role she leads a large and experienced team of researchers undertaking nationally significant applied research and evaluation activities on behalf of government and non-government agencies. This research directly informs health policy and clinical practice, including the funding of technologies on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme and through Medicare. In 2023 Professor Merlin and her team were commissioned to provide expert advice and evidence on HTA to the Australian Government Health Technology Assessment Policy and Methods Review. Also, at the University of Adelaide, Professor Merlin is Head of the School of Public Health and Deputy Executive Dean of the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences. She is Dean-elect of the School of Public Health at Adelaide University. The School of Public Health takes pride in offering high performance teaching and translational research across a number of public health areas including epidemiology and biostatistics, environmental and occupational health sciences, social and behavioural health sciences and healthy policy and health services. HTA is a policy science. Professor Merlin served as Chair of the Board of the International Network of Agencies for Health Technology Assessment (INAHTA) - a network of 50 not-for-profit and government HTA agencies across 30 countries - from 2020-2023 and is its longest serving Board member. She currently Chairs INAHTA's Nominating Committee and Co-Chairs the Scientific Programs Committee. She served as Chair of the English Editorial Board of the International HTA Glossary for 10 years and is now Co-Chair of the International Steering Committee. She is a founding member of Health Technology Assessment International (HTAi).
Adjunct Professor in the Department of Health Evidence and Impact at McMaster University.
Professor Maicon Falavigna is a medical doctor with a PhD in Epidemiology from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS) and Adjunct Professor in the Department of Health Evidence and Impact at McMaster University. For over 15 years, he has worked in clinical research, health technology assessment (HTA), systematic reviews, and clinical guideline development. He is currently Managing Partner at Inova Medical, where he leads strategic and technical consulting to support evidence-based decision-making in HTA, market access, and clinical research in Brazil, as well as initiatives applying artificial intelligence to HTA and medical auditing.
Co-Chair of Prevalence Estimates Reviews – Systematic Review Methodology Group
Dr Celina Borges Migliavaca holds a PhD in Epidemiology from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS). She is a founding member and current co-chair of the Prevalence Estimates Reviews – Systematic Review Methodology Group (PERSyst), a research group dedicated to developing and advancing methodologies for systematic reviews of prevalence. Currently, she is Managing Partner at Inova HTA, part of the Inova Medical Group, where she works in strategic and technical consulting to support evidence-based decision-making in health technology assessment and market access in Brazil.
Dr Cindy Stern
Program Manager Australian MND Guideline, Senior Research Fellow HESRI, Convenor Mixed Methods Evidence Synthesis Methodology Group
Dr Cindy Stern is a Senior Postdoctoral Research Fellow within Health Evidence Synthesis Recommendations and Impact (HESRI) in the School of Public Health. She is the Program Manager for the Australian Motor Neurone Disease (MND) Guideline. Dr Stern has actively contributed to the field of evidence-based health care for over two decades, largely in the area of evidence synthesis and methodology. Dr Stern is an experienced researcher having been involved in the conduct of diverse types of systematic reviews and evidence syntheses related to health and has been involved in numerous consultancy projects for organisations such as the Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation, Griffith University, the Minderoo Foundation, Royal Australian College of General Practitioners and the National Health and Medical Research Council. She currently sits on numerous advisory boards including the Evidence Synthesis Taxonomy Initiative and the Australian National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety (ANROWs) Evidence Portal Initiative. Dr Stern is the Deputy Editor-in-Chief of JBI Evidence Synthesis, an international peer-reviewed multidisciplinary health care journal that publishes reviews that follow methodology and methods developed by JBI. She also regularly peer reviews for other scholarly journals across the globe and is a member of the Committee of Publication Ethics (COPE). As such, she is interested in the science of publishing practices to improve the quality of scholarly research, known as Journalology. Dr Stern is a member of the JBI Mixed Methods Methodology Group and the JBI Umbrella Review Methodology Group, a member of the Adelaide GRADE (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation) Centre, and the JBI Predatory Publishing Practices Group; all of which are international groups that focus on enhancing the rigour and conduct of systematic reviews.
Dr Diana Buitrago-Garcia
Evidence synthesis specialist at the University Hospital Zurich
Dr Diana Buitrago-Garcia holds a PhD in Epidemiology from the University of Bern. She has been involved with Cochrane and the Ibero-American Cochrane Network since 2013. Her research focuses on developing methods for systematic reviews and systematic reviews of prevalence. She is an active member of the Prevalence Estimates Reviews – Systematic Review Methodology Group (PERSyst). She previously worked as a postdoctoral research fellow in the Department of Rheumatology at the University of Geneva, where she investigated the impact of trial registration and outcome reporting bias on randomized controlled trials in rheumatology. Currently, she is a researcher at the University Hospital Zurich, where her work focuses on developing methods to integrate artificial intelligence to improve sex and gender analysis in evidence synthesis.
Senior Research Fellow HESRI, Chair JBI Scoping Review Methodology Group, Chair Guidelines International Network Australia and New Zealand
Dr Danielle Pollock is a Senior Research Fellow at HESRI (Health Evidence Synthesis Recommendations and Impact). Dr Danielle Pollock is a lived experience researcher and methodologist with a strong belief in the importance of co-creation and engagement with knowledge users in guideline development and evidence synthesis projects. This is exemplified by her work in founding public engagement groups (such as the Australian Stillbirth for Awareness and Prevention organisation) and her work as a member of the MuSE (Multi-Stakeholder Engagement) Consortium, the JBI Knowledge Users Group, the Strategy for Patient Oriented Research Evidence Alliance and the Cochrane Coproduction Methods Group. Dr Pollock was elected Chair of the ANZ Guideline Network in 2023 and was an invited plenary speaker at the recent GIN conference in Glasgow. Dr Pollock is also an expert in diverse evidence synthesis types, including being a world leading expert in the conduct of scoping reviews, along with roles in qualitative evidence synthesis groups and mixed-methods methodological groups.
Professor Zachary Munn
Director, Health Evidence Synthesis, Recommendations and Impact, University of Adelaide, Director Adelaide GRADE Centre, Past-Chair Guidelines International Network
Professor Zachary Munn is an advocate for evidence-based healthcare and for ensuring policy and practice is based on the best available evidence. Professor Munn is the founding Director of Health Evidence Synthesis, Recommendations and Impact (HESRI) in the School of Public Health at the University of Adelaide; Head of the Evidence Synthesis Taxonomy Initiative (ESTI); Founding Director of the Adelaide GRADE Centre; past-Chair of the Guidelines International Network (GIN) and a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Investigator. He is a systematic review, evidence implementation and guideline development methodologist.
DISCOUNTS
- $100 total discount available on General Admission tickets when attending Special Topics in Evidence Synthesis Symposium and Risk of Bias Workshop (In-person or Online)
- 50% discount for students
ACCOMMODATION
There are many accommodation options to choose from in the Adelaide CBD.
ibis Adelaide | Hotels in Adelaide CBD | Accor Hotels Adelaide is offering a discounted rate for Special Topics in Evidence Synthesis Symposium travelers for stays between 23 and 26 November 2025.
Go to Book my stay and add Ibis Adelaide to the destination field, enter preferred dates and click search. Alternatively, contact the reservations team and mention Evidence Synthesis Symposium and Client Code SCP4555715.
FURTHER INFORMATION
If you or your organisation require an invoice to be sent, please email hesri@adelaide.edu.au, Subject: Invoice Required – Your Name.
Registrations Close Friday 21 November 2025 at 5.00 pm AEST (unless sold out prior).
Further training information including Zoom link will be emailed to all participants on Monday 24 November 2025.
Professional Development Certificates will be issued to Evidence Synthesis Symposium participants upon request.
Certificates will only be issued to all Risk of Bias Workshop participants who attend for the full day.
If you have any questions, please contact email hesri@adelaide.edu.au
We look forward to hosting you in Adelaide or online!