8:30 – Start
Framing research questions
Small group project work

10:30 – Coffee Break
Selecting a knowledge syntheses type
Independent project work with mentoring

12:00 – Lunch
Pitfalls and lessons learned: An author’s panel
Identifying and selecting literature

2:30 – Coffee Break
Introducing Realist Reviews
Small group project work

4:30 – Dinner / evening on your own

For this interactive workshop, participants should come prepared with an open mind and a willingness to engage in hands-on learning.

It’s essential to bring a laptop or tablet for working on your knowledge synthesis project and accessing workshop materials.

You may also want to bring any relevant resources or preliminary ideas for your own knowledge synthesis work, as this will help you actively apply the concepts and methods discussed.

At the end of this interactive workshop, you will walk away with a variety of valuable products:

A Draft Knowledge Synthesis Protocol – You will have developed a tangible, real-world knowledge synthesis protocol, ready for further refinement and future implementation.

Practical Tools & Templates – You’ll receive templates and tools for conducting various types of knowledge synthesis (scoping, systematic, realist), as well as for reporting findings in ways that optimize knowledge translation.

Personalized Feedback – You’ll gain constructive feedback from world-class faculty and peers, enhancing your approach to knowledge synthesis and providing guidance on how to refine your project.

Resource Guide – A curated set of resources, including recommended readings, tools, and best practices, to continue your learning journey after the workshop ends.

Networking Connections – Meaningful connections with like-minded professionals, including potential collaborators and mentors, who share your passion for knowledge synthesis and translation.

Insights into Future Trends – An understanding of emerging trends in knowledge synthesis, giving you a forward-looking perspective that will keep you at the forefront of the field.

Dr. H. Carrie Chen is a pediatrician, Professor of Health Systems Science, and the Associate Dean for Medical Education Research and Scholarship at the Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine. Her work has focused on workplace-based learning and assessment, entrustable professional activities as a competency-based education framework, and trust and equity in the learning environment. She also serves as an Associate Editor for Advances in Health Sciences Education and previously co-led with Arianne Teherani, one of the Best Evidence in Medical Education Coordinating Centers, globally known for developing synthesis methods for best evidence for health professions education. She has helped deliver faculty development internationally and across multiple health professions to support others in their ability to advance excellence in health professions education through scholarship and innovation.

​​Dr. Michael Gottlieb is a Professor of Emergency Medicine and Vice Chair of Research at Rush University Medical Center. He co-created the Academic Life in Emergency Medicine (ALiEM) Faculty Incubator and is the Director of Learner Assessment and Program Evaluation for the SAEM Advanced Research Methodology Evaluation and Design in Medical Education program. He has authored over 600 peer-reviewed publications and received over $20 million in grant funding. He is an editor for nine journals, with a specialized focus in evidence synthesis, including systematic and scoping reviews.

Dr. Renate Kahlke is Assistant Professor of Medicine and Scientist at the McMaster Education Research, Innovation and Theory Centre at McMaster University. Her work seeks to explore the impact of social and organizational systems on changemaking among healthcare professionals and trainees. She has significant expertise in qualitative knowledge syntheses. She has extensively used and published methodological guidance on critical/narrative reviews. She has also engaged with qualitative integrative reviews, including a complex a methodological review synthesizing the literature on diverse qualitative research interview approaches across multiple fields. Dr. Kahlke holds grants from across major funding agencies, including recognition for her integrative review work at the Society of Directors of Research in Medical Education.

Dr. Lauren Maggio is Professor of Medical Education at the University of Illinois Chicago College of Medicine and the Director of Research for the Department of Medical Education. Trained as a medical librarian, Lauren blends her background in information science and doctorate in medical education to conduct research exploring the creation, dissemination, and use of medical information. Lauren has led multiple knowledge syntheses using a variety of methodologies, which have been published in Academic Medicine, Medical Education, and Perspectives on Medical Education. She currently serves as the Editor-in-Chief of the journal MedEdPORTAL.

Dr. Karen Mattick is Professor of Medical Education at the University of Exeter in South West England and leads a Health Professions Education & Wellbeing research group.  The research projects she has been involved in have often involved evidence syntheses, including realist syntheses (e.g. the IMPACT realist review, Care Under Pressure 1 and Care Under Pressure 2).  Karen is also President of the Association for the Study of Medical Education, Deputy Editor for the journal Medical Education, and Member of the NIHR Health and Social Care Delivery Research (HSDR) Funding Committee. Her work has been recognized through various awards, such as ASME President’s Medal winner 2022 and Honorary Fellow of the Academy of Medical Educators.

Dr. Arianne Teherani is Professor of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine. She is the Founding Co-Director of the University of California, Center for Climate Health and Equity, and Director for Program Evaluation and Education Continuous Quality Improvement for the School of Medicine. Arianne’s research advances equity, social justice, and climate solutions in health sciences education. She has served and led leadership roles in multiple organizations, including the Association of American Medical Colleges, the American Educational Research Association, and the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine. For a decade Arianne served as Deputy Editor for the Journal of General Internal Medicine (JGIM). hanShe served as Associate Editor for the “Climate Change and Health Education” special issue of Frontiers in Public Health. Arianne co-led, with Carrie Chen, the Best Evidence in Medical Education Coordinating Center, one of the International Association for Health Professions Education’s sixteen globally recognized centers known for developing synthesis methods for best evidence for health professions education. Arianne’s research has been featured in venues such as National Public Radio, KTVU, Market Watch, and the Huffington Post. Arianne mentors scholars worldwide to lead impactful, translation-ready work in the educational and social sciences within health.

Dr. Aliki Thomas is an occupational therapist, Associate Professor in the School of Physical Occupational Therapy (SPOT), cross appointed scientist at McGill’s Institute of Health Sciences Education (IHSE) and researcher at the Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Rehabilitation. She holds a Canada Research Chair in Education, Practice and Policy for Evidence-Based Healthcare and leads an internationally recognized research program that addresses the underutilization of scientific findings in practice.  The goal of her research is to bring key stakeholders from education, practice and health policy to synergistically co-develop, implement, and test innovative strategies that will lead to equitable, person-centred, and evidence-informed rehabilitation services.