Dr Kerry Dwan

Honorary Senior Lecturer in Evidence Synthesis

Kerry has a BSc (HONS) in Mathematics from The University of Liverpool, an MSc in Medical Statistics from Lancaster University, and a PhD from The University of Liverpool with her thesis entitled “Outcome reporting bias in meta-analysis”. Kerry then worked at The University of Liverpool as a Trial Statistician and as a Research Associate for the Cochrane Cystic Fibrosis and Genetic Disorders group and the Liverpool Reviews and Implementation Group. In 2015, Kerry moved to Cochrane’s Central Executive Team where she worked as a Statistical Editor. From 2019, she set up and led Cochrane’s Method Support Unit for 3 years. Kerry then worked as a Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Reviews and Dissemination at The University of York until she joined LSTM Department of Clinical Sciences in May 2023 as a Senior Lecturer in Evidence Synthesis. Kerry returned to the Centre for Reviews and Dissemination at The University of York in November 2024.

Research

The focus of my work and research is to improve the quality of systematic reviews and medical research, specifically in relation to reporting of methods, selective reporting of outcomes and analyses and also the application of complex systematic review methods.

PhD students

Dr Ashma Krishan: The impact of including incorrectly analysed time to event data in meta-analysis (The University of Liverpool, 2021)

Dr Marty Chaplin: Improving meta-analyses of pharmacogenetic studies (The University of Liverpool, 2021)

Dr Tilly Fox: Innovative applications of systematic review methods: flexibility in an evolving field (Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, 2024)

Sam Rowe: Post - discharge mortality for adults admitted with Sepsis in sub-Saharan Africa (Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine)

Sulaiman Lakoh: Chronic multimorbid diseases among sepsis patients and survivors in sub-Saharan Africa (Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine)

Celso Monjane: Sepsis definitions to inform the sepsis case definition that will be used in the HDSS annual round and verbal autopsies (Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine)

Priscilla Haguma: Sepsis mortality in sub-Saharan Africa (Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine)

Mihaela Ivosevic: Planning meta-analyses for systematic reviews (University of Southern Denmark)

Other relevant expertise, professional memberships 

Senior Editor at Systematic Reviews Journal
Associate Editor at BMJ-EBM
Statistical Editor at Cochrane Evidence Synthesis and Methods

Selected publications

  • Dwan K, Fox T, Lutje V, Lavender T, Mills TA. Perineal techniques during the second stage of labour for reducing perineal trauma and postpartum complications. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2024, Issue 10. Art. No.: CD016148. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD016148.  

    Flemyng E, Moore THM, Boutron I, Higgins JPT, Hróbjartsson A, Nejstgaard CH, Dwan K. Using Risk of Bias 2 to assess results from randomised controlled trials: guidance from Cochrane. BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine Published Online First: 24 January 2023. doi: 10.1136/bmjebm-2022-112102

    Wang R, Dwan K, Showell MG, van Wely M, Mol BW, Askie L, Seidler AL. Reporting of Cochrane systematic review protocols with network meta-analyses – a scoping review. Research Synthesis Methods 2022: 13 (2); 164-175

    Minozzi S, Dwan K, Borrelli F, Filippini G. Reliability of the revised Cochrane risk-of-bias tool for randomised trials (RoB 2) improves with the use of implementation instruction. J Clin Epidemiol 2021 Sep 16;S0895-4356(21)00307-3. doi: 10.1016/j.jclinepi.2021.09.021.

    Dwan K, Li T, Altman DG, Elbourne D. CONSORT 2010 statement: extension to randomised crossover trials. BMJ 2019; 366: l4378.