UB Librarians Participate in Evidence Synthesis Training Workshop

by DENISE WOLFE 

A two-day Evidence Synthesis Training Workshop brought together University at Buffalo librarians from across disciplines to deepen their knowledge of systematic and scoping review methodology. Held June 16–17 in Abbott Library and sponsored by the UB Libraries, the workshop was tailored for liaison librarians in the Health Sciences, Science and Engineering, Law, and Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences.

Leila Ledbetter and Steph Hendren, Research and Education Librarians at Duke University’s Medical Center Library & Archives, led the training. Both are nationally recognized experts in evidence synthesis and have extensive experience supporting and co-authoring reviews.

Ledbetter has co-authored more than 70 systematic and scoping reviews and currently serves on the Systematic Review Services Specialization Committee of the Medical Library Association. She has also served as the Chair for the Medical Library Association’s Systematic Review Caucus.

Hendren, co-author on more than 30 systematic and scoping reviews, has also published two book chapters related to searching and systematic review methodology and co-developed the Quality Assessment and Risk of Bias Repository. Additionally, she is a co-teacher for the Medical Library Association’s webinar “Guiding Teams Through Risk of Bias Tools in Systematic Reviews.”

The workshop, organized by Liz Stellrecht with input from Michelle Zafron, Molly Maloney and Nell Aronoff, focused on universal principles of evidence synthesis, including systematic searching, the librarian’s role on review teams, and navigating group dynamics. Stellrecht, Maloney and Aronoff joined the instructors in a closing panel discussion to share their own experiences supporting review teams at UB.

Previously, librarians seeking formal evidence synthesis training had to travel to other institutions. Hosting the workshop on campus reflects both the UB Libraries’ growing expertise and the increasing demand for this work beyond the health sciences.

By bringing in experienced trainers and supporting cross-disciplinary skill development, the libraries aim to strengthen librarian partnerships with faculty researchers and enhance UB’s contributions to evidence-based scholarship.

Special thanks to Jason Bachert for his assistance in executing the workshop logistics.