Cochrane UK is delighted to be hosting the 25th Cochrane Colloquium, at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre in Scotland, from 16th to 18th September 2018.

For the first time at a Cochrane Colloquium, we will be taking the conversation #BeyondTheRoom. Beyond the Room is a digital conference service, started in 2016 by André Tomlin from the Mental Elf. Its aim is to increase the reach and impact of health events by live tweeting and podcasting from them, to involve people virtually and facilitate a much more democratic conversation (www.beyondtheroom.net). 

André explains:

“Our #BeyondTheRoom service helps health events reach the right audience. All too often, conversations at conferences are dominated by just a few voices. We open up the discussion to everyone who wants to be involved, but also work hard before the event to create a buzz and start to explore some of the key conference themes.”

The #BeyondTheRoom team will include André (@Mental_Elf) and his colleague Douglas Badenoch (@DBadenoch), Sarah Chapman (@SarahChapman30; Cochrane UK's Knowledge Broker) and Selena Ryan-Vig (@CochraneUK; Cochrane UK's Communications & Engagement Officer).

Cochrane UK is also funding four individuals to join the team, including accommodation and registration for the duration of the conference as well as contributions towards travel expenses. We invited applications from patients and other healthcare consumers, students (of any discipline, with an interest in health evidence), and health professionals/allied health professionals. We were inundated with 120 excellent applications and are delighted to introduce the four successful candidates:

• Casey Quinlan (@MightyCasey)
• Jack Leahy (@TheJackLeahy)
• Kit Byatt (@Laconic_doc)
• Sally Crowe (@sally_crowe)