Dr Per Olav Vandvik Dr Per Olav Vandvik is a hospital-based internist and health research methodologist based in Oslo, Norway. He is also Professor of Medicine at the University of Oslo. His academic interests focus on evidence synthesis, appraisal, guideline methodology, dissemination, access and use at the point of care, to enhance evidence-based practice and shared decision-making.     Dr Vandvik is co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of the MAGIC Evidence Ecosystem Foundation (MAGIC), a non-profit organization supporting development of digitally structured guidelines, evidence summaries and decision aids to clinicians and patients through the MAGIC online authoring and publication platform (www.magicapp.org). On behalf of MAGIC he also co-steers the BMJ Rapid Recommendations, an international collaboration with the BMJ to accelerate evidence into practice through trustworthy recommendations. Within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and infodemic, Dr. Vandvik and MAGIC are devoted to providing solutions to critical challenges with clinical practice guidelines, through trustworthy and living evidence and guidance. Under the leadership of Dr.Vandvik, MAGIC provides methodological support, MAGICapp and BMJ Rapid Recommendations for the WHO living guideline on COVID-19 drugs. Dr. Vandvik has been a Trustee of the Board for the Guideline International Network (G-I-N) from 2014 to 2020 and has recently led their Webinar committee resulting in 4 presentations focused on the COVID-19 pandemic. He is also co-chair of the Working Group for Guidelines and HTA in COVID-END that involves more than 60 partner organisations.
	A/Prof Andy Parrish Associate Professor Internal Medicine Walter Sisulu University, and Honorary Associate Professor Internal Medicine/Clinical Pharmacology UCT. Co-chair of National Essential Medicines List Committee, Chair of NEMLC Covid Committee. Interests include EBM and knowledge translation.
	Ms Mia Malan Mia Malan is the founding editor-in-chief of the Bhekisisa Centre for Health Journalism. She has 25 years of journalism and institution-building experience in legacy media and digital native publications, working in newsrooms and at media development organisations in Johannesburg, Nairobi and Washington, DC. Malan has won over 20 African journalism awards. Most recently she received the Excellence in Public Health Award at the 4th Bring Her Up: Women of Firsts Awards ceremony hosted by the Charlotte Mannya-Maxeke Institute. She is a former Knight International Journalism fellow of the International Centre for Journalists and a Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism fellow at Oxford University. Malan serves on the council of the South African National Editors' Forum.
	Ms Zahiera Adam Ms Zahiera Adam (BHARM, Dip Clin Pharm Prac, MSc Health Inform, MBA) is a pharmacist with a 20 year professional career history focused on clinical, medicines policy and governance aspects of medicines. Following completion of her undergraduate studies at WITS University, Zahiera practiced for 11 years as a clinical pharmacist in the UK with special interests in formulary management, medicines information, clinical governance and health informatics. During her time in the UK, she worked towards postgraduate qualifications including a MBA from London Business School, following which a two year stretch in the financial services sector in South Africa cemented much of the theory covered at business school. In 2014 she entered managed care working for a couple of leading organisations within the private healthcare sector. Zahiera has also served a three year term (2018-2020) as a member of the Pricing Committee for medicines. She is currently a Senior Manager within the Health Policy Unit at Medscheme and a Director of the PTCMA (Pharmaceutical & Technology Management Association), a non-profit focused on continued professional development and healthcare education.
	Dr Sara Cooper Dr Cooper is Senior Scientist in Cochrane South Africa at the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) and Honorary researcher in the Division of Social & Behavioural Sciences in the School of Public Health at the University of Cape Town (UCT). Sara has a PhD in medical sociology from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and a Master’s in Public Health from the University of Cape Town. Her research interests include the application and explanatory potential of social science theories and methodologies within public health research, policy and practice, and how qualitative health research can be both ‘critical’ and ‘applied’. Her previous research focused on these issues in the realm of long-term chronic illnesses, particularly mental illness. Her most current research is exploring these issues in the fields of vaccination research and qualitative evidence synthesis. Sara is on the editorial board of Critical Public Health and teaches and supervises students in Critical Public Health theory and methods at UCT.
	Dr Bey-Marrie Schmidt Dr Schmidt is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Public Health, University of the Western Cape. She has training in anthropology and epidemiology. Bey’s expertise are in qualitative and quantitative systematic reviews of public health and health system interventions, and implementation science and knowledge translation methods that can bridge research evidence into health policy and practice.
	Dr Michael McCaul Michael, PhD, MSc Clin Epi, BTech EMC, is a clinical epidemiologist and emergency care clinician by background. As a senior lecturer in Epidemiology and Biostatistics at Stellenbosch University, much of his works involves postgraduate teaching, research synthesis, knowledge translation and biostatistical consulting. His interests include meta-epidemiological research, evidence synthesis and guideline development. Michael has experience in conducting systematic reviews and has contributed as a guideline methodologist in various topics, including for the World Health Organisation. Michael co-coordinates the MSc Clin Epi programme and convenes various postgraduate modules and short courses. Michael is a section editor for AFJEM, member of the SA GRADE Network and G-I-N. In his spare time, Michael enjoys gaming and trying to convince his daughter that he is not a rideable dinosaur.
	Dr Chinwe Juliana Iwu-Jaja Dr Iwu-Jaja is a Public Health researcher with skills in evidence syntheses including systematic reviews, scoping reviews, rapid reviews, and policy briefs. She has interests in infectious disease epidemiology, vaccine implementation research and antimicrobial resistance and has published extensively in these areas. In the past year, she has been involved in developing policy briefs on priority topics in Africa, especially on COVID-19. She is also involved in evidence-based science communication and community engagement using social media platforms.
	Dr Duduzile Ndwandwe Dr Ndwandwe (Ph.D., Master of Advanced Studies in Vaccinology, MSc Bacterial genetics, BSc H, BSc) is a Vaccinologist at Cochrane South Africa. A project leader for the Clinical Trials Registry portfolio (Pan African Clinical Trials Registry (PACTR) and South African National Clinical Trials Registry (SANCTR)). Dr Ndwandwe has a PhD in Molecular Mycobacteriology received from the University of the Witwatersrand at Molecular Mycobacteriology Research Unit (MMRU), an extra-mural research Unit of the South African Medical Research Council.  She also leads the vaccine implementation research portfolio of the Unit in which she conducts primary and secondary research on vaccine-related topics. Her previous work had been on implementing various HIV prevention clinical trials in South Africa and currently engages with critical stakeholders National and regionally in efforts to promote transparency of evidence generated in the conduct of clinical trials. Dr Ndwandwe has published over  50 peer-reviewed articles in high-impact factor journals.  She serves on various global and national working groups for COVID-19 research networks and vaccine-related topics. Additionally, Dr Ndwandwe is involved in community engagement projects and knowledge sharing, where she serves as a non-executive director and board chair of Eh! Woza is a non-profit organization that seeks to advance community engagement on relevant public health issues such as COVID-19.
	Dr Tamara Kredo Dr Kredo is a specialist in clinical pharmacology and holds the position of senior specialist scientist at the Cochrane South Africa, South African Medical Research Council. Kredo has a special interest in evidence-informed healthcare decision-making, rational therapeutics and clinical practice guidelines. She is involved in work about the quality and content of clinical practice guidelines in southern Africa. She is also currently involved in conducting reviews on various COVID-19 treatments informing national guidelines for the South African Department of Health. She has fulfilled several leadership roles including being Deputy Director of the Centre; co-directing Cochrane Africa, and as co-lead of SA GRADE Network. She has been on several strategic and advisory committees including acting as organising committee chair of the Global Evidence Summit in 2017. In 2020 she was elected as a Board member to Cochrane’s Governing Board.
	Prof Eleanor Ochodo Eleanor Ochodo-Opondo leads the Evidence for Health Research Group at the Centre for Global Health Research at the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI). She is also an Associate Professor Extraordinary of Clinical Epidemiology at Stellenbosch University, South Africa. Her research revolves around evidence-informed health care and diagnostic test evaluation. She was part of the technical working group that led to the establishment of Cochrane Kenya within the Knowledge Management unit at KEMRI. She is an academic editor with the Cochrane Infectious Diseases Group) and is on the editorial boards of journals, PLOS One and PLOS Global Health. She has served as a methodologist/systematic reviewer to the WHO informing guidance on Covid-19 and diagnostic testing for TB and HIV. She was awarded the prestigious 2019 UK MRC/DFID African Research Leader award and 2020 UK NIHR developmental award to advance the science of evidence synthesis and research translation in Kenya in collaboration with Stellenbosch University and Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine.
	Dr Karla Soares-Weiser Karla Soares-Weiser, MD, PhD, MSc, is the editor-in-chief of the Cochrane Library, one of the most reputable sources of best evidence worldwide. A board-certified clinician, she also has a doctorate in evidence-based health care and has been working in this field since 1997. She is the author of over 60 Systematic Reviews, including 33 Cochrane Reviews. She has held numerous positions in Cochrane Groups, including the Iberoamerican and UK Cochrane Centres, where she provided training in systematic review production. Outside Cochrane, Dr. Soares-Weiser has held academic faculty positions in Brazil and Israel and established her own consultancy business providing evidence synthesis services to government agencies and not-for-profit organizations. As editor-in-chief, Dr. Soares-Weiser is responsible for ensuring that the Cochrane Library meets its strategic goals of supporting health care decision-making by consistently publishing timely, high-priority, high-quality reviews and responding to the needs of its many users.
	Prof Charles Shey Wiysonge Prof Wiysonge is the Director of Cochrane South Africa at the South African Medical Research Council, an Extraordinary Professor of Global Health at Stellenbosch University, and an Honorary Professor of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the University of Cape Town, in South Africa. Charles chairs the Vaccine Hesitancy Working Group of the South African National Advisory Group on Immunisation and is a member of the African Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety, the WHO Expert Working Group on Measuring Behavioural and Social Drivers of Vaccination, and numerous national and international advisory committees on vaccination and evidence-based health care. A substantial proportion of Charles’ current research focuses on vaccine uptake and hesitancy in Africa.
	Prof Martin Meremikwu Prof Martin M. Meremikwu is the Director of Cochrane Nigeria and a tenured professor of Paediatrics and Child Health at the College of Medical Sciences University of Calabar in Cross River State, Nigeria where he also leads the clinical trials and evidence-based healthcare programme of the Institute of Tropical Diseases Research and Prevention. He holds a specialist fellowship of the Faculty of Paediatrics of the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria and is a Fellow of Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, United Kingdom. He teaches disease control, clinical trials, research ethics, evidence-based healthcare, and research synthesis in postgraduate programs and as short courses. He pioneered the Cross River Health and Demographic System which became an INDEPTH member site in 2013. He is the current Chair of the Nigerian National TB/HIV Technical Working Group, served as Editor in the Cochrane infectious Diseases Group and was awarded the Kenneth Warren Prize for excellence in developing Cochrane systematic reviews in 2009.
	Prof Lawrence Mbuagbaw Dr Mbuagbaw is an associate professor of research methods at McMaster University where he teaches courses in biostatistics and randomized trials; an associate professor extraordinary of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at Stellenbosch University; and research methods scientist in the Research Institute of St Joseph’s Health Care Hamilton (SJHH) where he provides methodological and statistical support for other researchers as the Director of the Biostatistics Unit. He also the co-Director of Cochrane Cameroon and co-Lead of the Francophone Hub of Cochrane Africa. He has authored over 200 peer-reviewed publications and technical reports for national and international institutions. His research interests are infectious diseases, mother and child health, mHealth, health systems strengthening and the intersection of these fields.
	Ms Solange Durao Solange is a Senior scientist at Cochrane South Africa, South African Medical Research Council, co-Director of Cochrane Nutrition and of Cochrane Africa. She holds a Masters in Public Health (specializing in epidemiology) and a BSc in Dietetics. She has experience in conducting Cochrane systematic reviews and evidence synthesis methods research, has been involved in priority setting projects and in guideline development work with the World Health Organization. Solange is a contact editor for Cochrane Public Health. She also has experience in building capacity to do and use reviews to inform healthcare decision-making. Her interests include research synthesis addressing public health nutrition issues and building capacity to use and conduct systematic reviews in the African
	Mr Ameer Hohlfeld Ameer Steven-Jorg Hohlfeld is the coordinator of Cochrane Africa, a network of four hubs situated across the sub-Saharan African region. He conducts systematic reviews and teaches evidence-based health care at Stellenbosch University and the University of Cape Town. Furthermore, Ameer recently joined the Pan African Clinical Trials Registry team based at Cochrane South Africa. Ameer obtained a Master’s degree in Public Health specializing in epidemiology at the University of Cape Town. Whilst also working in the public service (Department of Health) of the Western Cape, from 2010 until April 2016 as a physiotherapist. His experience with working in the public health sector has given him the chance to work as a Street level bureaucrat with marginalised communities. Thus, giving him a basic understanding of the needs of both patients and clinicians in the public sector.
	Dr Edison Mavundza Dr Mavundza is a Postdoctoral researcher at Cochrane South Africa, a research unit of the South African Medical Research Council. He hold a Ph.D in Ethnobotany from the University of Kwazulu-Natal. Dr Mavundza’s previous research work focused on malaria vector control and medicinal plants.  He is currently conducting qualitative and quantitative systematic reviews on vaccines. His research interests are efficacy and safety of vaccines, and vaccine hesitancy. Dr Mavundza has authored 14 peer-reviewed publications.
	Ms Lindi Mathebula Ms Mathebula (MSc Clinical Epidemioogy, BTech Pharmaceutical science, BSc Honors in Physiology and Environmental health, and BSc in Molecular and Life sciences) is a project Manager for the Clinical Trials Registry portfolio (Pan African Clinical Trials Registry (PACTR) and South African National Clinical Trials Registry (SANCTR). Ms Mathebula received her Masters in Clinical Epidemiology from the University of Stellenbosch through the support of the Cochrane Unit of the South African Medical Research Council. She has worked in the Western Cape Provincial Department of Health where she was involved in programs such as the Expandend Programme on Immunisation (EPI) and COVID-19 operational and logistics programmes. Ms Mathebula has authored and co-authored several peer-reviewed publicaions in high-impact factor journals. Her research interest includes work on vaccine-preventable diseases and mapping clinical trial activities.