Joanne McKenzie is a Professor and Head of the Methods in Evidence Synthesis Unit at the School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University. In 2012 she was awarded a PhD in methodological issues in meta-analysis of randomised trials with continuous outcomes. She holds an NHMRC Investigator Grant (L1) and leads a programme of research on methods for evidence synthesis. In addition to the biostatistical and methodological research she undertakes, she has been a biostatistical collaborator on a large range of projects. The focus of these collaborations has been on evaluations of public health and health services interventions (using individually and cluster randomised trials, and interrupted time series designs) and systematic reviews. Previous appointments include Senior Research Fellow at Cochrane Australia; Research Fellow, Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, University of Otago, New Zealand (NZ); and, Project biostatistician for the NZ National Nutrition Survey, University of Otago. These appointments involved provision of statistical and design expertise.

Her specific research interests in evidence synthesis include examination of approaches for meta-analysing results from interrupted time series studies; methods for overviews of systematic reviews, including how to assess the certainty of evidence in overviews; methods for presenting and synthesising results when meta-analysis is not possible; methods to synthesise evidence from multiple treatments (also known as network meta-analysis); examination of bias in the systematic review process; and reporting of evidence synthesis products.

She is an active contributor to the Cochrane Collaboration, including being a Co-convenor of the Statistical Methods Group, a past member of the Methods Executive, and an author of several chapters of the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions. She is co-chair of the PRISMA Executive; a committee responsible for providing oversight and support for the development, updating and implementation of the PRISMA reporting guideline and its extensions. These guidelines provide recommendations for authors of systematic reviews on what they should report in their publications.

Jo holds a Doctor of Philosophy from Monash University, and a Master of Science, Post Graduate Diploma in Applied Statistics and Bachelor of Science from the University of Otago, New Zealand.

Jo supervises doctoral students who undertake general methods or statistical methods research in the areas of evidence synthesis or designs evaluating the effects of interventions. If you are interested in these areas, then please do get in touch.