“A 21st century clinician who cannot critically read a study is as unprepared as one who cannot take a blood pressure or examine the cardiovascular system”
P. Glasziou, A. Burls & R. Gilbert. The BMJ (2008)
Clinical Research & Evidence-Based Medicine Unit is actively seeking to train healthcare professionals in applying research findings to individual patients. Our primary focus is the acquisition of critical appraisal skills, yet we constantly strive to raise physicians’ awareness about the role of authority in meeting healthcare decisions.
We teach a number of courses in Evidence-Based Medicine including:
Promotion of critical appraisal skills and health literacy in schoolchildren NEW!
In collaboration with the German School of Thessaloniki | Partnered with the Informed Health Choices Group
The lay public is overwhelmed on a daily basis by information regarding health matters, nevertheless it lacks the necessary skills to assess the accuracy and scientific rigor of these claims. Especially, in the midst of the novel coronavirus pandemic the increasing popularity of conspiracy theories and all types of pseudo-science is worrisome.
Our team in collaboration with teachers of the German School of Thessaloniki has developed a novel educational programme for high school children that aims to promote the scientific way of thinking for health-related issues. Students will be trained in critical appraisal of health claims so that they can decide which of them are misleading or adequatelly supported by the available evidence and hence reach well-informed decisions about their health. The educational activity was originally developed by the Research Council of Norway and is endorsed by numerous schools around the world (https://informedhealthchoices.org/).
Ultimate goal of the educational programme is to use health claims as a starting point for the promotion of the scientific method across other fields beyond healthcare.
MSc in Medical Research Methodology
An one-year, blended (on-site and online) MSc on Medical Research Methodology, organised by the Medical School at Aristotle University Thessaloniki. Courses offered include Statistics, Data Mining, Bioethics, Basic Sciences and Clinical Research Methodology, Systematic Review and Meta-analysis, How to write a paper or grant proposal, Clinical Trials and Qualitative Research.
Click here to access the course website
Evidence-Based Medicine (Under-graduate)
The course is offered as an elective during the 8th (spring) semester to under-graduate medical students at the Department of Medicine, School of Health Sciences. Students are introduced to the fundamentals of Evidence-Based Medicine and practise their skills in critical appraisal of the medical literature. As of the academic year 2014-15 the course is offered online through the virtual learning environment Moodle, thereby introducing a novel principle in the teaching process of the Department of Medicine.
We would also be delighted to welcome international students who are completing part of their undergraduate studies at Aristotle University Thessaloniki (please contact us here).
Click here for the course information (in Greek)
If you have an institutional user account, click the icon below to access the e-class (in Greek).
Evidence-Based Medicine (Post-graduate)
This is a compulsory module offered to post-graduate students who wish to acquire an MSc Degree in Medical Research Methodology. The course is taught in the 1st (winter) semester and is run by Professors Dimitrios G. Goulis, Alexis Benos and Apostolos Tsapas. It includes lectures in which students familiarise with advanced concepts in seeking and using the evidence, and practical sessions aiming at the refinement of students’ critical appraisal skills.
Click here for the course information
Systematic review and meta-analysis (Post-graduate)
This is an elective module offered to post-graduate students who wish to acquire an MSc Degree in Medical Research Methodology. The course is taught in the 2nd (summer) semester and is run by Professor Apostolos Tsapas. It includes lectures in which students familiarise with concepts of systematic reviews and meta-analyses, and practical sessions aiming at the design and conduct of systematic reviews.
Click here for the course information (in Greek)
Continuing Medical Education: an evidence-based approach to common health problems
From resources of the Operational Program “Education and Lifelong Learning”, European Social Fund, National Strategic Reference Framework 2007-2013
This project was adressed to young clinical specialists at early stages of their career, who are content area experts on the one hand, but at the same time lacked the necessary skills to apply the fundamentals of Evidence-Based Medicine in their daily practice. The intensive carriculum comprised sessions on the understanding of basic tools in clinical research, and lectures by local clinical experts who approached common diseases through an evidence-based perspective.
Oxford-Thessaloniki Diabetes Forum
This three-day course for young diabetologists is jointly organised yearly by the Harris Manchester College at the University of Oxford, the Oxford Centre for Diabetes Endocrinology & Metabolism and the Clinical Research & Evidence-Based Medicine Unit of the Aristotle University Thessaloniki. The content focuses on the practice of evidence accumulation, retrieval and establishing appraisal techniques for research and clinical practice in diabetes.
Click here to access the Oxford-Thessaloniki Diabetes Forum website
Cochrane 2015 Mid-Year Meeting and Parallel Courses
Clinical Research and Evidence-Based Medicine Unit co-organised the Cochrane Mid-Year Meeting that was hosted in May 3-8, 2015 in Athens, Greece. In parallel with the meeting a number of independent courses and symposia were made available. The Cochrane Mid-Year Meeting was held under the auspice of the Department of Medicine, Aristotle University Thessaloniki, Greece.