Northern Cochrane Site

ICHR is the Northern network site for the Cochrane Collaboration, an international not-for-profit organization that seeks to improve healthcare decision-making globally through systematic reviews of the effects of healthcare interventions, published in The Cochrane Library.

The Northern Cochrane Site is committed to finding ways to promote the uptake and application of health evidence in northern regions. Within the CIHR team in circumpolar health, research the network site is funded to conduct reviews with adaptations for northern regions. A review of obesity interventions for youth is currently underway.

ICHR supports a pan-northern subscription to the Cochrane Library. Dr. Kami Kandola, Chief Public Health Officer of the NWT and Susan Chatwood, Director of ICHR are the co-representatives for the northern site.

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Cochrane Workshops

The Northern Cochrane Site conducts workshops with northern stakeholders which explore and promote applications of health evidence in northern regions. Most recently, a workshop entitled “Pathways to Knowledge, Pathways to Health Workshop” with Mark Buell, Roger Thomas, and Besha Blondin was conducted in partnership with the Canadian Cochrane Centre and National Aboriginal Health Organization at the 14th International Congress on Circumpolar Health, July 13, 2009. The workshop has been summarized below:

Pathways to Knowledge, Pathways to Health Workshop

The development of effective programs and policies requires access to, and the use of, the most complete information available. In the past, this was thought to be the most current or leading edge research or expert opinion. Currently, there is more and more recognition that to be truly balanced, complete, and potentially useful multiple sources of information require consideration. This session will discuss the links between research in policy and science, Indigenous science, and evidence based decision making. Some of the specific questions that will be considered include:

• What are the differences between traditional and Indigenous knowledge?
• What are Indigenous science and Indigenous knowledge methods?
• What are systematic reviews and how do they fit into western science?
• What is evidence-based decision making?
• Where can you find health information?
• What are the challenges in finding and accessing reliable information (traditional, Indigenous and non-traditional)?
• What are some of the protocols, ethics and responsibilities for accessing traditional knowledge?

In considering these questions, this session will explore how Indigenous, traditional, and western research can be used together to improve the health of people in the North.

This panel presentation will include various perspectives on knowledge development, communication, translation, and use, including a university-based researcher, a traditional knowledge expert, an Elder, and a health care provider.