Status: Closed — this petition is no longer accepting signatures.
Final supporters
Most Cochrane members will have felt at best uneasy about the recent events in Cochrane. We also felt uncomfortable and wondered what caused our feelings. The biggest problem we felt was the lack of transparency. Who had been doing what? Who makes the decisions in Cochrane? What can I do as a member of a Cochrane Centre or a Review Group? Many questions were also triggered by the statement of the Governing Board that there will be ‘zero tolerance for bad behaviour’. We fear this will easily lead to ‘zero tolerance for different opinions’.
We are all members of Cochrane because we believe that evidence-based health care is an important asset for public health. Evidence that can be trusted is what we all want to create. We believe that the lack of transparency and trust which we experience at the moment is detrimental to Cochrane and we have to do something about it.
There are four major policy issues that we would like to improve.
- Create a culture of open discussion
- Refocus on the heart of Cochrane
- Increase the involvement of Cochrane members
- Find a better business model for Cochrane
Read the full text explaining these four points at: https://cochranemembers.org/.
When signing, please indicate in your comments if you are a Cochrane member and if you have additional concerns. Or if you disagree with this petition and don't want to sign it, please explain why by submitting a comment at: https://cochranemembers.org/.
By signing this petition we all want to express our support of these four points as key areas of development in Cochrane.
This action was initiated by:
- Jos Verbeek, Coordinating Editor, Cochrane Work
- Gerd Antes, former Director, Cochrane Germany
- Matteo Bruschettini, Director, Cochrane Sweden
- Jani Ruotsalainen, Managing Editor, Cochrane Work
- Chris Del Mar, Coordinating Editor, Cochrane Acute Respiratory Infections
- Mark Jones, Centre for Research in Evidence-Based Practice (CREBP), Bond University, Australia
- Caroline Struthers, UK EQUATOR Centre, University of Oxford
- Lotty Hooft, Director, Cochrane Netherlands
- Tianjing Li, Co-ordinating Editor, (US Satellite) Eyes and Vision
- Gerald Gartlehner, Director, Cochrane Austria
- Nicole Skoetz, Senior Editor, Cochrane Cancer
- Barbara Nußbaumer-Streit, Associate Director, Cochrane Austria
- Nancy Santesso, Deputy Director, Cochrane Canada
- Philipp Dahm, Coordinating Editor, Cochrane Urology
- Malgorzata Bala, Director, Cochrane Poland
- Joerg Meerpohl, Director, Cochrane Germany
More like this
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Petition for Vote of No Confidence in Royal College of Physicians Leadership
Updates
Reached 500 supporters
November 13, 2018
November 10, 2018
Seeing one hundred people come together to demand more transparency from our leadership has been overwhelming. I started this because I am tired of the silence and seeing so many of you join in proves we all care deeply about the future of this organization.
Reached 100 supporters
November 9, 2018
November 7, 2018
Seeing the momentum grow as we approach one hundred signatures proves so many of you share my exhaustion with the current lack of transparency. Please take a moment to send this link to a colleague in your Review Group so we can reach this milestone today.
221 Comments
I am a member of Cochrane hypertension group. I agree on the four points of development. Different opinions are necessary, always shown with respect. It should be clear what zero tolerance means
Not a member of Cochrane. A supporter of evidence based medicine. Deeply concerned about the way the issue was handled. More like a company with something to hide than an academic network committed to transparency.
"bad behaviour", what precisely does it mean ? Bad for business or bad for patients ??? Patients need to acknowledge the reality of uncertainty and the fact that our perceptions of what is really effective will change !!!
I fully support the four major policy issues. The culture changes within the organizational are vital to allow good work to emerge. An open access model is also necessary to be the top source of up to date evidence, as currently good evidence on health is lost behind a paywall or flooded by false information.
As a life long-severe asthmatic patient I deal with enough opacity. Cochrane WAS at least a touchstone for transparency and real evidence. Now I fear I have even less authentic sources
As a member of Cochrane Neurological Sciences field , I agree with the four points above reported Mariolina Congedo
Cochrane Germany
Share this petition
Share this petition to help it reach more people.
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Status: Closed — this petition is no longer accepting signatures.
Final supporters
Most Cochrane members will have felt at best uneasy about the recent events in Cochrane. We also felt uncomfortable and wondered what caused our feelings. The biggest problem we felt was the lack of transparency. Who had been doing what? Who makes the decisions in Cochrane? What can I do as a member of a Cochrane Centre or a Review Group? Many questions were also triggered by the statement of the Governing Board that there will be ‘zero tolerance for bad behaviour’. We fear this will easily lead to ‘zero tolerance for different opinions’.
We are all members of Cochrane because we believe that evidence-based health care is an important asset for public health. Evidence that can be trusted is what we all want to create. We believe that the lack of transparency and trust which we experience at the moment is detrimental to Cochrane and we have to do something about it.
There are four major policy issues that we would like to improve.
- Create a culture of open discussion
- Refocus on the heart of Cochrane
- Increase the involvement of Cochrane members
- Find a better business model for Cochrane
Read the full text explaining these four points at: https://cochranemembers.org/.
When signing, please indicate in your comments if you are a Cochrane member and if you have additional concerns. Or if you disagree with this petition and don't want to sign it, please explain why by submitting a comment at: https://cochranemembers.org/.
By signing this petition we all want to express our support of these four points as key areas of development in Cochrane.
This action was initiated by:
- Jos Verbeek, Coordinating Editor, Cochrane Work
- Gerd Antes, former Director, Cochrane Germany
- Matteo Bruschettini, Director, Cochrane Sweden
- Jani Ruotsalainen, Managing Editor, Cochrane Work
- Chris Del Mar, Coordinating Editor, Cochrane Acute Respiratory Infections
- Mark Jones, Centre for Research in Evidence-Based Practice (CREBP), Bond University, Australia
- Caroline Struthers, UK EQUATOR Centre, University of Oxford
- Lotty Hooft, Director, Cochrane Netherlands
- Tianjing Li, Co-ordinating Editor, (US Satellite) Eyes and Vision
- Gerald Gartlehner, Director, Cochrane Austria
- Nicole Skoetz, Senior Editor, Cochrane Cancer
- Barbara Nußbaumer-Streit, Associate Director, Cochrane Austria
- Nancy Santesso, Deputy Director, Cochrane Canada
- Philipp Dahm, Coordinating Editor, Cochrane Urology
- Malgorzata Bala, Director, Cochrane Poland
- Joerg Meerpohl, Director, Cochrane Germany
Updates
Reached 500 supporters
November 13, 2018
November 10, 2018
Seeing one hundred people come together to demand more transparency from our leadership has been overwhelming. I started this because I am tired of the silence and seeing so many of you join in proves we all care deeply about the future of this organization.
Reached 100 supporters
November 9, 2018
November 7, 2018
Seeing the momentum grow as we approach one hundred signatures proves so many of you share my exhaustion with the current lack of transparency. Please take a moment to send this link to a colleague in your Review Group so we can reach this milestone today.
221 Comments
I am a member, author and editor HepatoBiliary Group. I strongly support these four points. Thank you for this initiative. The Peter Gotzche expulsion has made evident an authoritarian drift.
I am a member of Cochrane hypertension group. I agree on the four points of development. Different opinions are necessary, always shown with respect. It should be clear what zero tolerance means
Not a member of Cochrane. A supporter of evidence based medicine. Deeply concerned about the way the issue was handled. More like a company with something to hide than an academic network committed to transparency.
"bad behaviour", what precisely does it mean ? Bad for business or bad for patients ??? Patients need to acknowledge the reality of uncertainty and the fact that our perceptions of what is really effective will change !!!
I fully support the four major policy issues. The culture changes within the organizational are vital to allow good work to emerge. An open access model is also necessary to be the top source of up to date evidence, as currently good evidence on health is lost behind a paywall or flooded by false information.
As a life long-severe asthmatic patient I deal with enough opacity. Cochrane WAS at least a touchstone for transparency and real evidence. Now I fear I have even less authentic sources
As a member of Cochrane Neurological Sciences field , I agree with the four points above reported Mariolina Congedo
Cochrane Germany
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I am a member, author and editor HepatoBiliary Group. I strongly support these four points. Thank you for this initiative. The Peter Gotzche expulsion has made evident an authoritarian drift.