Prof Holger Schunemann

As internist and clinical epidemiologist, Holger J. Schünemann holds the position of chair of the department of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics at McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada, considered the birthplace of evidence-based medicine and problem based learning (http://www.fhs.mcmaster.ca/ceb/inside_intro.htm). He graduated from the Medical School of Hannover, Germany, in 1993, and trained in epidemiology (Ph.D. in 2000), preventive medicine/public health and internal medicine at the Medical School of Hannover, Germany, and at the State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo, USA.

He authored over 300 peer reviewed publications, books and book chapters, many of them focusing on patient reported outcomes, clinical practice guideline methodology and systematic reviews. Among other instruments, he co-developed the self-administered standardized Chronic Respiratory Questionnaire (CRQ-SAS), a disease specific patient reported outcome measure for patients with respiratory disease.

With Dr. Gordon Guyatt and other colleagues he has performed a number of methodological studies that focus on the minimal important difference (MID) and the use of clinical marker states in the assessment of quality of life. He convenes the Applicability and Recommendations Method Group of the Cochrane Collaboration, is co-chair of the GRADE working group and has chaired various guideline expert panels at the World Health Organization.