Joanne McKenzie

Joanne McKenzie is an Associate Professor in the Biostatistics Unit at the School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University. In 2012 she was awarded a PhD in methodological issues in meta-analysis of randomised trials with continuous outcomes. She has holds an NHMRC Career Development Fellowship and leads a programme of research on methods for evidence synthesis within the Biostatistics Unit. In addition to the biostatistical and methodological research she undertakes, she has been a biostatistical collaborator on a large range of projects. The focus of these collaborations has been on evaluations of public health and health services interventions (using individually and cluster randomised trials, and interrupted time series designs) and systematic reviews. Previous appointments include Senior Research Fellow at Cochrane Australia; Research Fellow, Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, University of Otago, New Zealand (NZ); and, Project biostatistician for the NZ National Nutrition Survey, University of Otago. These appointments involved provision of statistical and design expertise.

Her specific research interests in evidence synthesis include examination of approaches for meta-analysing results from interrupted time series studies; methods for overviews of systematic reviews, including how to assess the certainty of evidence in overviews; methods for presenting and synthesising results when meta-analysis is not possible; methods to synthesise evidence from multiple treatments (also known as network meta-analysis); and examination of bias in the systematic review process. She is an active contributor to Cochrane, including being a Co-convenor of the Statistical Methods Group, Co-chair of the Methods Executive, and an author of several chapters of the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions.

In addition to her research interests in evidence synthesis, Jo is involved in research examining statistical, bias and reporting issues in multi-stage cluster randomised trials.

Jo holds a Doctor of Philosophy from Monash University, and a Master of Science, Post Graduate Diploma in Applied Statistics and Bachelor of Science from the University of Otago, New Zealand.

Jo supervises doctoral students who undertake general methods or statistical methods research in the areas of evidence synthesis or designs evaluating the effects of interventions. If you are interested in these areas, then please do get in touch.