Mastering the Art of Evidence Synthesis: A Workshop on Systematic Reviews

Take a deep dive into the world of systematic reviews in this two-day interactive workshop! Designed for researchers and practitioners from disciplines including medicine, public health, and psychology, this workshop will walk you through the steps to craft a meticulous review protocol based on best practices in evidence-based decision-making. With hands-on practice, you’ll master the art of developing protocols tailored to your research questions and build the skills to conduct meta-analysis using real datasets. The workshop offers a thorough theoretical foundation and practical skills.

Workshop will be led by Mohsen Malekinejad, MD, MPH, DrPH, a UCSF faculty member in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics and the Institute for Global Health Sciences with 15 years of experience teaching and conducting systematic reviews.

For UCSF Students
Please note: you will not receive a grade or continuing education units for the completion of only this workshop. If you are a matriculated UCSF student and want to receive credit, please consider registering for GH213 through the Master’s in Global Health program.

Conducting a high-quality systematic review requires specialized knowledge and skills, considerable resources, and dedication. This two-day workshop equips participants with a solid theoretical foundation and practical experience in all aspects of performing a systematic review.

Over the past twenty years, systematic reviews have become more prevalent among researchers and practitioners in medicine, public health, psychology, social science and health economics. Recognized as the benchmark of evidence-based decision-making, systematic reviews allow researchers to systematically compile, synthesize and evaluate evidence to assess intervention effectiveness, determine disease prevalence, assess intervention effectiveness or diagnostic accuracy, and map qualitative evidence. Participants will learn how to craft systematic review protocols based on a research question they have developed.

At the end of the workshop, participants will be able to:

  • Explain the need for systematic reviews and meta-analyses
  • Formulate a research question using the Population, Intervention, Comparator, Outcome framework
  • Understand key elements of a systematic review protocol
  • Understand the methods and steps for:
    • comprehensively searching the scientific literature
    • identifying relevant studies and extracting data
    • conducting a meta-analysis of quantitative data
  • Understand statistical heterogeneity and how it can affect interpretation of results
  • Describe key risks of bias affecting epidemiological data and apply common tools for assessing the risk of bias
  • Describe key components of leading methodologies for assessing the quality of systematic review evidence
  • Understand the principles of how to report systematic reviews

Registration fees

Important note: UCSF-affiliated trainees and students who are matriculated in one of the UCSF professional schools, graduate programs, or concurrent enrollment in a UCSF-sponsored residency or postdoctoral fellowship program may register. Please be advised workshop fees are assessed apart from, and in addition to, regular tuition and fees paid to the home campus. Students will need approval and funding from their home campus/department to cover workshop fees. Payment for workshop fees will not be accepted from students. Only campus fund sources are allowable to pay for UCSF student enrollment in individual courses and workshops.

For UCSF–affiliated trainees who are interested in taking this workshopfor credit:

For UCSF–affiliated trainees (no credit):

  • By November 15: $600
  • By December 15: $650
  • After December 15: $700

For UCSF faculty, academic personnel, and staff and full-time registered students at another institution:

  • By November 15: $800
  • By December 15: $850
  • After December 15: $900

For all other learners:

  • By November 15: $1,000
  • By December 15: $1,100
  • After December 15: $1200

Please note:

  • Registration fee excludes food and accommodations
  • A limited number of scholarships for financial hardship are available. Please get in touch with Cesar Mendez at cesar.mendezlizarraga@ucsf.edu for more information.
  • Course capacity: 25 students (excluding Master’s and Doctoral program students)

Mohsen Malekinejad, MD, MPH, DrPH, is an associate professor of epidemiology, biostatistics, and global health at UCSF. He has 15 years of teaching experience in various levels of graduate and postgraduate courses and workshops in epidemiology, systematic reviews and meta-analysis, public health surveillance, methods of sampling of hard-to-reach populations, and scientific grant writing. He has published over 20 systematic reviews on adverse childhood experiences, substance use and harm reduction, infectious diseases, sampling methods for hard-to-reach populations, disease surveillance, and translational research.

Erin Barker, MLIS, has 18 years of experience in library science, knowledge management and data engineering. Barker has collaborated on systematic reviews with Malekinejad since 2012, addressing topics including HIV prevention, treatment and transmission, as well as childhood adversities and resilience. A librarian by training, Barker is an expert in search strategy development and data governance.

Cesar Mendez MD, MS, MPH, is a technical lead at IGHS. His implementation and research portfolio are currently focused on increasing access to healthcare among migrants at the US-Mexico Border and pandemic preparedness. He is also a course professor of epidemiology and medical sociology in Mexico.

Eligibility

Graduate students, clinicians, trainees and research professionals in the health sciences and allied fields.

Requirements

Those with prior knowledge of epidemiology will benefit the most from this workshop. Participants are required to develop a specific research question in a related field before the workshop.

  • 1-hour of free consultation on your systematic review project methods with experts ($220 value)
  • Discounted registration fee for subsequent advanced systematic review workshops
  • Access to open-source tools developed by workshop organizers that will facilitate the execution of your systematic review projects
  • Learning about networks of professionals and experts in evidence-based medicine at UCSF and beyond
  • No textbook or paid resources are required. All course content will be provided to participants as a slide deck.

Seats are limited and will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis.

Register for Workshop

Questions?

Please contact the workshop coordinator, Cesar Mendez, at cesar.mendezlizarraga@ucsf.edu

Workshop Dates

  • January 16, 2025
    8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
  • January 17, 2025
    8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.