About us
The Person Centred Care, Health Systems and Public Health Thematic Group is uniquely positioned to take forward evidence syntheses that addresses the complex issues that face health systems and public health around the world, by taking a person centred approach. The Thematic Group brings together expertise from Cochrane Effective Practice and Organisation of Care, Cochrane Consumers & Communications, and Cochrane Public Health, groups that have collaborated effectively for many years. The creation of this Thematic Group enables us to pool and further build on our individual areas of expertise in new collaborative ways.
A key focus of the Thematic Group will be to support the systematic uptake and integration of evidence-based interventions into health and public health systems to improve their impacts for individuals and communities globally. We will draw on a range of related disciplines encompassed by the partnering groups including person-centred care, health services research, behavioural and implementation sciences, stakeholder engagement and participatory methods, qualitative research, and quality improvement. This broad focus requires cross-disciplinary expertise as system level changes to promote better health and health care are influenced by multi-level factors including those related to consumers, providers, organizations, communities and the policy and social environments.
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) highlight the interconnectedness between health and public health systems and personal, social and environmental contexts. The Thematic Group will facilitate engagement with this cross-cutting agenda.
Team
![]() |
Simon Lewin – Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Norway |
![]() |
Rebecca Ryan – La Trobe University Australia |
![]() |
Sasha Shepperd – University of Oxford, United Kingdom |
![]() |
Luke Wolfenden – University of Newcastle, Australia |
Our Plans
To collaborate in providing leadership and expertise to support Cochrane’s production of priority syntheses on person-centred care, health and public health systems, and to work towards systems for health that are more effective, equitable and accessible for all.
Further specific objectives within the first 18 months are to:
- Develop and sustain a collaborative partnership to provide strategic leadership on evidence synthesis priorities and to provide content expertise within the scope of person-centred care, and health and public health systems.
- Engage with key stakeholders to identify future priority areas for syntheses and to disseminate Cochrane evidence and methods developed by the Group.
- Contribute to knowledge translation (KT) and evidence-informed decision making for person centred care, health and public health systems.
- Share and strengthen capacity within the Group on key and emerging synthesis and KT methods, including for reviews of effects and of qualitative evidence.
- Share and strengthen capacity with partners in the Global South
- Develop and produce evidence syntheses in priority areas covered by Thematic Group scope, where funding is available.
- Improve and share resources to support evidence synthesis in complex areas.
News
Contact us
Sasha Shepperd
sasha.shepperd@ndph.ox.ac.uk
Rebecca Ryan
r.ryan@latrobe.edu.au
Simon Lewin
simon.lewin@ntnu.no
Luke Wolfenden
luke.wolfenden@health.nsw.gov.au