Cochrane Heart, Stroke and Circulation Thematic Group Celebrates Grant Success

The Cochrane Heart, Stroke and Circulation Thematic Group has recently been awarded a pivotal grant from the Academy of Medical Sciences. The grant will enhance the group's efforts by facilitating the production of further grant applications to fund its global plan for evidence synthesis activities.

One of the grant's primary goals is to ensure broad thematic coverage, with a special focus on including participation from low and middle-income countries (LMICs). Gillian Mead one of the Groups’ co-leads, explained the positive impact of obtaining the funding, saying: "We are currently going through our membership list and mapping these to geographical areas. This will enable us to identify gaps and help fill those gaps."

“This grant will enable us to identify gaps in participation from LMICs and help fill those gaps."

Gillian Mead, Co-Lead of Cochrane’s Heart, Stroke and Circulation Thematic Group

This initiative is part of the group's broader effort to integrate diverse perspectives and experiences into their research, particularly those of individuals living with vascular diseases. Gillian continued: “This grant will allow us to develop a structure for our group, identify any geographical gaps in membership, and produce grant applications to support the work of the group going forward.”

The grant is also set to support a diverse mix of clinicians and researchers at different stages of their careers. "After we have looked at geographical spread, we will then look at the skills mix and career stage, seeking to identify gaps to fill.” This approach underscores the group's commitment to fostering a comprehensive and inclusive research environment. A highlight of the group’s upcoming activities is the Global Evidence Summit in Prague, where they plan to host a workshop focusing on polyvascular disease.

Funding remains a critical aspect of the group's activities, and the grant aims to underpin this through the development of four new grant applications. Looking toward the future, the long-term impacts anticipated through the work enabled by this grant include global coverage of group members (with a focus on equality, diversity, and inclusion), establishing an organisational/management structure for the thematic group and securing funding for specific projects. "Our goal is not just to achieve these objectives but to create a sustainable framework that can support the ongoing development of interventions and diagnostic tests for vascular conditions." Gillian concluded.

"Our goal is not just to achieve these objectives but to create a sustainable framework that can support the ongoing development of interventions and diagnostic tests for vascular conditions."

Congratulations to Gillian and the whole team. The Cochrane Heart, Stroke and Circulation group's grant success will help the group in their fight against cardiovascular diseases, promising to advance research, collaboration, and inclusivity within the field.

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