At Evidence Synthesis Ireland, our key values are collaboration and inclusion, quality and transparency, and learning and innovation. We want to ensure that equality, diversity, inclusion and accessibility (EDI and EDI-A) are intrinsic to all we do including workshops, webinars, Fellowships and our research. We acknowledge that this is a process, and it is a work-in-progress. We are open to feedback, learning, evaluation and improvement.
Under-served groups are unrepresented in health research despite an often higher disease burden and worse outcomes. This means the conclusions of evidence syntheses often cannot support healthcare decisions for those unrepresented in the data. We want to play our part in ensuring EDI in evidence synthesis. We want to deliver globally significant research with local relevance. Working with Trial Forge (lead), Cochrane and the Campbell Collaboration, we are developing a tool to operationalise the assessment of EDI in systematic reviews (PRO-EDI), which could help ensure that those conducting studies and evidence syntheses pay more attention to who is – and who isn’t – represented in research.
In line with the University of Galway EDI strategy, we want to ensure that our space is a place where all can thrive, so that we can all reap the benefits of a diverse community. Our Fellowship Programme, with a diverse cohort of individuals, contains access to dynamic mentorship and is a flexible programme that allows people to build capacity when and how it suits them. We will review assessment criteria for our Fellowship applications toward further promoting our use of inclusive metrics of success and impact.
Staff in ESI are committed to and actively working towards improving EDI and have formal representation on University of Galway’s College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences Equity Diversity and Wellbeing Committee, the School of Nursing and Midwifery’s Athena SWAN SAT, and PPI Ignite. Learning gained through these committees help inform the direction of ESI, but are separate entities and help to hold us to account, and drive change.
Embed EDI in ESI Training, Webinars, and Fellowships (e.g. topic and speaker selection).
Develop a tool to operationalise the assessment of EDI in systematic reviews
Lead a Fellowship programme for low-to-middle income countries (LMICs) (1 per year)
Valuing and promoting the practices of open science such as open resources, methods and data.
Develop a living ESI EDI Statement. Reflect, review & share progress with governance teams & stakeholders to inform future EDI developments
Improve access & accessibility to our events; including bursaries and concessionary places for underserved groups
Develop and monitor a framework to capture EDI data/metrics in ESI activities (e.g., gender, ethnicity, background, career stage, geographical location, in Fellowships, review topic and team, primary research team and participants etc).
Achieve gender balance across all ESI community involvement including on key decision-making bodies, including the executive committee, International Advisory Board, Fellowship mentors and peer-review.
Review our mentorship scheme and identify any equality, diversity or inclusion issues among our diverse cohort of Fellows and mentors
Reviewing assessment criteria for our Fellowship applications toward further promoting our use of inclusive metrics of success and impact.
ESI staff to participate and update in EDI training (e.g. Unconscious Bias, Disability Awareness, Intercultural Awareness and Communication, Transgender Awareness, Race Equality, Equal Opportunity and Discrimination).
Ensure annual standing item on EDI for ESI Strategy and Governance Meetings.
