Cochrane’s Governing Board has announced the appointment of Dr Karla Soares-Weiser as the organization’s new Chief Executive Officer.
Karla has been acting Chief Executive Officer since March 2025 and, before that, served as Cochrane’s Editor-in-Chief since 2019. During her time at Cochrane, she has led major advances in how the organization develops and publishes evidence syntheses. She oversaw the creation of Cochrane’s first scientific strategy and introduced substantial improvements to editorial workflows. Under her leadership, editorial processes were optimized, reducing the time to publish high-priority systematic reviews to deliver timely, reliable evidence for decision-making.
Karla states that she feels honored to take on the CEO role at Cochrane and that, in a rapidly changing world, the organization’s mission to produce trusted evidence is more critical than ever. She says she looks forward to advancing the organization, building on its reputation for quality and rigor while evolving quickly to meet the needs of today’s decision-makers. She adds that she is eager to work with partners and the global community, particularly in the Global South, to help create a system that is more dynamic, open, and equitable.
The Chair of the Governing Board, Dr Susan Phillips, notes that, on behalf of the Board, she is delighted to appoint Karla as Cochrane’s next Chief Executive Officer. Phillips says Karla has the vision, experience, and passion to lead Cochrane into a strong future and expresses enthusiasm about working with her to realize that vision. She adds that, under Karla’s leadership, Cochrane will prepare for the future by embedding equity throughout its work and ensuring decision-makers can access the right evidence at the right time.
Karla, a board-certified psychiatrist, brings more than three decades of experience in health care research and leadership. She holds a master’s degree in mental health epidemiology from the State University of Campinas, a doctorate in evidence-based medicine from the Federal University of São Paulo, and leadership certifications from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.
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