The first Evidence Synthesis Ireland (ESI) Summer School occurred at the University of Galway, drawing over 85 attendees from Ireland and beyond.
Day 1 introduced participants to the fundamentals of evidence synthesis. Prof. Declan Devane set the stage with an overview of synthesis types and processes, followed by Dr. Linda Biesty’s session on formulating research questions. Dr. David Moher presented remotely on systematic review protocols and registration, and Kavita Kothari delivered a hands-on session on search strategies. Dr. KM Saif Ur Rahman concluded with a deep dive into study selection and screening.
Day 2 focused on data management and quantitative synthesis. Dr. Saif Ur Rahman led a practical session on data extraction, and Prof. Devane guided attendees through risk of bias assessment. Prof. Martin O’Donnell wrapped up with a session on meta-analysis, including software demos and result interpretation.
Day 3 explored synthesis methods and knowledge translation. Dr. Nuala Livingstone introduced the GRADE approach and GRADEpro, followed by Dr. Biesty’s presentation on qualitative synthesis and GRADE-CERQual. Prof. James Thomas joined remotely to discuss integrating quantitative and qualitative evidence, along with automation tools in evidence synthesis.
The Summer School closed with a thank you from Dr. Biesty, celebrating three days of interactive learning and collaboration in evidence synthesis.
