By Ruth Stewart and Laurenz Langer Members of ACE’s Evidence Synthesis Team When I (Ruth) first learnt about systematic reviews it was in an undergraduate lecture on research methods. We were learning about randomised controlled trial methodology and those who work to synthesise the lessons within them. My lecturer referred to systematic [...]
By the ACE Team Image: Everyday Health What is the question we are thinking about? Marijuana, reefer, pot, weed, dagga, maui-wowie, mbanje, Mr Giggles, herb, smoke, grass, Mary Jane, Malawi Gold, the bubonic chronic, flower, and even broccoli (alas!) – whichever tickles your fancy – are all lingo for cannabis, a drug that has for [...]
By Laurenz Langer On 1st August, the Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation (DPME) in South Africa hosted a 1-day event* to discuss mechanisms to support the use of evidence. Supported by the Africa Evidence Network, the Department brought together over 50 government decision-makers from nine departments including the Department of Public Service and [...]
By ACE team Image credit: Experiential What is the question we are thinking about? In the workplace, we often find ourselves navigating hierarchies of management, and interacting with other people. Undoubtedly, being a collaborator in the modern workplace is an essential skillset. At the same time, teams are not always created with cohesion in mind. [...]
By ACE team Photo credit: Shutterstock What is the question we are thinking about? Stress is a natural physical and mental reaction to life experiences. But taken too far, all life’s stresses can impact on our mental health and sense of well being. We’ve all felt it. Anything from everyday responsibilities like work and family [...]
By Promise Nduku Africa Centre for Evidence (ACE) attends the synthesisers meeting, held in Cape Town at the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) on the 15th of June 2018. This meeting featured presentations from four organisations involved in evidence synthesis in South Africa and open discussions on potential synergies [...]
What is the question we are thinking about? One Sunday evening, as I was browsing through the local newspaper, a story caught my eye. No more homework for learners in some schools, the headline shouted from the page. As a caregiver to a young child, this headline got me thinking and googling. I found [...]
By Laurenz Langer[1] The theory of evidence-informed decision-making (EIDM) is beautiful, elegant, and convincing. But, while really helpful to guide thinking on EIDM, so far has proven rather unhelpful to guide the practice of using evidence, in particular its institutionalisation. I will offer here three key issues with the current theory of EIDM that I believe [...]
[This post was originally published by the University of Johannesburg on April 19, 2018.] The Africa Centre for Evidence (ACE) in the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Johannesburg (UJ) is delighted to welcome two new members of staff – Prof Sandy Oliver from University College London (UCL) in the United Kingdom and Prof John Lavis from McMaster University in Canada [...]
By ACE team We all regularly have questions that come up in our everyday lives that we don’t necessarily have answers for, such as should you vaccinate your baby, does school homework really enhance your children’s learning, how can you eat healthier, why should you recycle waste, or does using less water really make [...]