To celebrate International Women’s Day (8 March), we wanted to highlight the Anne Anderson Award, which recognizes a female member of Cochrane who has made a significant contribution to the enhancement and visibility of women's participation within Cochrane. The Anne Anderson Award is one of severally prizes awarded annually.

Who was Anne Anderson?
Anne Anderson was a contributor to the stream of thinking and effort that gave birth to evidence-based health care. A clinically qualified reproductive physiologist, Anne had an active interest in women’s health, co-editing the first edition of Women’s Problems in General Practice with Ann McPherson and contributed to Effectiveness and Satisfaction in Antenatal Care (1982), edited by Murray Enkin and Iain Chalmers. She was discussing with Marc Keirse and Iain Chalmers the possibility of co-editing a companion volume on elective birth, however her premature death from breast cancer in 1983 ended her involvement. Anne Anderson was 46 years old when she died. Iain Chalmers, Murray Enkin and Marc Keirse went on to publish Effective Care in Pregnancy and Childbirth (ECPC) in 1989, dedicating the book in part to Anne. ECPC, through its systematic approach to assessing the research literature, is widely acknowledged to have led to development of Cochrane (more about Anne Anderson: Wikipedia).

What’s the goal of the Anne Anderson Award?
The goal of the Anne Anderson Award is to recognize and stimulate individuals contributing to the enhancement of women’s visibility and participation in Cochrane’s leadership. In the footsteps of Anne Anderson, many outstanding women continue to contribute and inspire other women to improve health knowledge for the good of their communities.

Who are some of the past award winners?
2019: Tianjing Li
2018: Kay Dickersin
2017: Sally Green
2016: Nicky Cullum
2015: Lisa Bero
2014: Elizabeth Waters
2013: Cindy Farquhar
2011: Caroline Crowther

What are the prize winners awarded?
 The 2020 Award recipient will be announced at Cochrane Colloquium Toronto and receives a plaque from Cochrane honouring her contributions. The award recipient designates the cash award of $3000 USD to assist a woman from a low-resource setting with Cochrane activities; this will include how funds have been used to inform decision-making in a specific healthcare setting.

More information on the Anne Anderson Prize and how to nominate.