Strengthening Research Capacity through Systematic Review & Meta-Analysis Workshop at Madurai Medical College
June 24, 2026 - June 25, 2026
The Technical Resource Centre (Centre for Evidence-Based Guidelines), ICMR–National Institute for Research in Tuberculosis (ICMR–NIRT), Chennai, successfully conducted a two-day Workshop on Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis on 24–25 June 2026 at Madurai Medical College, Madurai, Tamil Nadu.
The workshop was inaugurated by Dr. L. Arul Sundaresh Kumar, Dean, Government Rajaji Hospital & Madurai Medical College, who emphasized the significance of evidence-based approaches in healthcare and research. The keynote address was delivered by Dr. Muthukalingan Krishnan, Former Vice-Chancellor of Central University of Tamil Nadu and Madurai Kamaraj University, highlighting the critical role of research evidence in strengthening healthcare and informing policy decisions.
The programme brought together 43 participants, including researchers, faculty members, clinicians, public health professionals, postgraduate students and PhD scholars from leading academic, healthcare and research institutions across Tamil Nadu.
The workshop covered key aspects of systematic reviews, including evidence synthesis, formulation of research questions using PICO/PECO/SPIDER frameworks, protocol development and PROSPERO registration, literature searching, PRISMA 2020 guidelines, data extraction, risk of bias assessment, GRADE methodology, meta-analysis and the application of artificial intelligence in systematic reviews.
Interactive hands-on sessions provided participants with practical experience in developing research questions, designing search strategies, managing references and critically appraising scientific evidence.
Through this initiative, ICMR–NIRT reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening national capacity in evidence synthesis, fostering collaborative research and promoting the generation of high-quality evidence to support informed healthcare decision-making and improved public health outcomes.
