Karen A. Robinson, PhD, conducts evidence syntheses and researches the use of evidence in decision-making. Within the Guidelines International Network (G-I-N), she has served on the steering committees of two groups (Tech and North America). For over 20 years, she has been an active member of Cochrane, contributing in various roles, including as a systematic review author and as an editor for two review groups, including the Methodology Review Group.
Dr. Robinson has participated on six National Academies panels reviewing evidence synthesis methods used for decision-making by U.S. agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Defense. She is Director of the Johns Hopkins University Evidence-based Practice Center (EPC) and serves within the EPC Program as an Associate Editor and member of the Methods Steering Committee. She is an editor of the James Lind Library, which uses material from history to illustrate the principles underlying fair tests of treatments and their development and application over time. She is a Board member of the Scientific Knowledge Accelerator Foundation (SKAF) which seeks to accelerate the development and dissemination of scientific knowledge by making science computable.
She coined the term “evidence-based research” in her dissertation, which reported meta-research examining the use of prior research in new studies. Evidence-based research is the use of existing evidence to ensure that new studies address meaningful questions in a valid, efficient, and accessible manner. Dr. Robinson is a founding steering group member and current Chair of the Evidence-Based Research Network (EBR Network). The network promotes the transparent and systematic use of evidence to inform decisions about research.
Dr. Robinson is a Professor in the Department of Medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (Division of General Internal Medicine and the Biomedical Informatics and Data Science [BIDS] Section), with joint appointments in the Department of Epidemiology and the Department of Health Policy and Management at the university’s Bloomberg School of Public Health.