Chris Silagy

Before his death in 2001, Chris Silagy initiated a fund to recognise contributions to The Cochrane Collaboration in ways that are often insufficiently recognised. For example, by providing administration, management, Colloquium organisation, communication and motivation – in short, the ‘glue’ that helps to keep the organisation together. This Prize is awarded at every Cochrane Colloquium to an individual (or organisation) who has made an extraordinary contribution to the work of the Collaboration.

The Prize consists of 1000 Australian dollars and a certificate; also, expenses for attending the Colloquium are met by The Cochrane Collaboration. The recipient of this Prize is selected based on nominations proposed by a peer and seconded by two others, accompanied by a 400-word supporting document. The selection criteria for the Prize are that the nominee should have made:

• an extraordinary contribution to The Cochrane Collaboration;
• a contribution that exceeds the expectations of their employment;
• a contribution to the Collaboration that would not be recognised outside the scope of this Prize (publication of a piece of research work or a systematic review falls outside the scope of this Prize as such work qualifies for other awards and methods of recognition);
• the nominee is identified by their peers as consistently contributing to a spirit of collaboration.

Previous Chris Silagy Prize recipients

2002 Jini Hetherington, Cochrane Collaboration Secretariat
2003 Gill Gyte, Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Group
2004 Sonja Henderson, Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Group
2005 Janet Wale, Cochrane Consumer Network
2006 Monica Kjeldstrøm, Nordic Cochrane Centre