WHO Nutrition Guidance Expert Advisory Group (NUGAG) Subgroup on Policy Actions- December 2019

Dr. Elie Akl, the director of the AUB GRADE center, acted as a guideline methodologist for the Second meeting of the WHO Nutrition Guidance Expert Advisory Group (NUGAG) Subgroup on Policy Actions, held in Qingdao, China between 9- 13 December 2019.

Adaptation of the ASH VTE guidelines in the region

Along the 2019 Highlights of ASH meeting, ASH leadership organized a meeting with partner organizations from the region to discuss the potential for collaboration on the adaptation of the ASH VTE guidelines. Dr. Elie Akl, the AUB GRADE center director, presented about the experiences of guideline adaptation in the region, and provided an overview of the GRADE adolopment methodology. The collaborative project will be moving forward with the plan for the AUB GRADE center to provide the needed methodological support.

Cochrane's 30 under 30: Lara A Kahale

Ms. Lara Kahale, the coordinator of the AUB GRADE center, has been recognized by Cochrane on her work and contribution to the Collaboration. She was one of the first to be featured in a new series called Cochrane’s “30 under 30."  Here is the link to the full interview: https://www.cochrane.org/news/cochranes-30-under-30-lara-kahale

The AUB GRADE center coordinates the update of the American College of Rheumatology guidelines on the medical management of patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis

The American College of Rheumatology has selected the AUB GRADE center to lead the evidence synthesis for its upcoming 2020 guidelines on the medical management of patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis. The guidelines will be an update of the 2015 version and are expected to include 95 questions recommendation. The AUB GRADE center team will be coordinating the conduct of the systematic reviews and its director, Dr. Elie Akl, will act as the guideline methodologist for the project.

The AUB GRADE center delivers a workshop on the development and adaptation of clinical practice guideline in Lebanon (December 2018)

The AUB GRADE center conducted a two-day workshop entitled “Development and Adaptation of Practice Guidelines” on December 6 and 7 2018 at the American University of Beirut, Lebanon. The workshop was facilitated by Dr. Elie Akl, director of the AUB GRADE center, Dr. Assem Khamis, research fellow at the Clinical Research Institute in Lebanon, and Dr. Tamara Lotfi, coordinator of the Global Evidence Synthesis Initiative. Sixteen administrators, nurses, physicians, and researchers from multidisciplinary backgrounds participated in the workshop. They represented various universities and medical centers in Lebanon. The program included introduction to guidelines, the use of the GRADE methodology, and practical exercises using the online guideline development tool (GRADEPro).

The AUB GRADE center supports the Adolopment of the European Commission Initiative on Breast Cancer (ECIBC) Screening Guidelines for Tunisia

The AUB GRADE center has supported the Tunisian “Instance Nationale de l’Evaluation et de l’Accrediation en Santé” (INEAS) with the adolopment of the European Commission Initiative on Breast Cancer (ECIBC) Screening Guidelines for the Tunisian context. Dr. Elie Akl and Ms. Lara Kahale acted as the methodological co-chairs during the guideline meeting that was held in Tunis on the 20^th and 21^st of December 2018. Twelve experts including medical and surgical oncologists, gynecologists, family medicine, radiologists, and governmental representatives actively participated in the guideline meeting and drafted six recommendations. The guideline project was a collaborative effort between INEAS and the Tunisian Ministry of Health. It was supported by the European Commission Initiative and funded by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.

WHO guidelines on the use of fexinidazole in patients with Human African Trypanosomiasis

Dr. Elie Akl, the director of the AUB GRADE center, participated recently in the World Health Organization (WHO) department of Neglected Tropical Disease guidelines on the use of fexinidazole in patients with Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT). Dr. Akl acted as the GRADE methodologist and co-chair for the guideline.

HAT is a neglected tropical disease that occurs in sub-Saharan Africa, within the distributional limits of its vector, the tsetse fly. It caused devastating epidemics during the 20th century, but thanks to sustained and coordinated efforts over the past 15 years, the number of reported cases has fallen to historically low levels. Fexinidazole is an emerging therapeutic option for HAT that was recently approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA),

The WHO guideline development group meeting was held on 3-4 December 2018 in the WHO headquarters in Geneva.