Zachary Munn

 

 

Biography

A/Professor Zachary Munn is an advocate for evidence-based healthcare and for ensuring everyone receives the best care possible based on the best available evidence. He is the director of the Transfer Science program of the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI), and the JBI Adelaide GRADE Centre and a systematic review and guideline development methodologist.
A/Prof Zachary Munn is the Chair of the Guidelines International Network (GIN) Australia and New Zealand regional steering group and an active member of the GIN Tech group. He is a GIN Board Trustee and current Vice-Chair, chair of the GIN COVID-19 Taskforce, a Cochrane author, a member of the GRADE working group and project groups, and a member of the Living Systematic Reviews network. He is a current member of the NHMRC Synthesis and Translation of Research Evidence (SToRE) Advisory Group.

Although A/Prof Munn is involved in many systematic reviews and guideline projects, perhaps the most rewarding part of his role is the chance to work hands on with clinicians and health services to facilitate the implementation of evidence into practice, particularly in low resource and LMIC settings. Twitter: @ZacMunn Website: https://researchers.adelaide.edu.au/profile/zachary.munn

 

Vision statement for GIN

Trustworthy clinical guidelines are critical for the improvement of health outcomes for patients globally. The Guidelines International Network, as the preeminent international community of systematic reviewers and guideline developers, plays a pivotal role in facilitating access to guidelines, building communities of practice amongst guideline developers, and championing the need for robust clinical guidelines to inform healthcare.

I know from personal experience how involvement with GIN can open up your eyes to new information and advances in guideline development, and I would like to see all guideline developers internationally have a similar opportunity to receive this eye-opening experience. As such, my vision for GIN is to see an ever expanding network of guideline developers, particularly in Australia and New Zealand. In this way, more guideline developers will become exposed to the philosophy of GIN and have the ability to communicate with other organisations facing the challenges of creating methodologically robust but still practical and implementable clinical practice guidelines, in a timely fashion. As a member of GIN Tech, I am interested in how software and automation may play a role in this endeavour.

As GIN expands, it will be of increasing importance to turn our attention to low resource and LMIC settings, where the complex problems presented by the increasing burden of disease and lack of resources requires significant attention and consideration by the international guidelines community.