Cochrane has announced that Rupa Sarkar has joined the organization as Editor-in-Chief.
Sarkar was the Founding Editor in chief of The Lancet Digital Health, which she led from launch in 2018 to becoming a top-ranked journal in the field. Cochrane said this experience gave her a strong understanding of how AI and digital tools are changing the landscape of medical evidence and practice.
Cochrane CEO Karla Soares-Weiser said Sarkar brings more than 15 years of experience spanning scientific research and clinical practice and that this background would support Cochrane’s digital transformation. She said the organization aims to become more agile and responsive so that evidence can be delivered when it is needed and in forms that are easier to access. She added that Sarkar’s record in scientific publishing and research made her well placed to lead Cochrane through its next phase.
Sarkar is a molecular biologist with a PhD in Cancer Research and Stem Cell Regeneration from Imperial College London. She completed postdoctoral work at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York and later held editorial roles across Nature journals before launching The Lancet Digital Health.
Cochrane said Sarkar’s appointment comes at a time when the organization is focusing on digital transformation and on ensuring evidence remains rigorous, timely, and responsive to the needs of clinicians and patients. Sarkar said technology, when used ethically, can help scale impact and that the current moment presents an opportunity to make evidence more responsive while maintaining trust and rigor.
Throughout her career, Sarkar has also worked on equity, diversity, and inclusion. This has included work with the World Health Organization and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development on inclusive digital health standards, along with efforts to ensure editorial boards and research outputs reflect the global populations they serve.
She said equity must remain central to how evidence is synthesized and added that she looks forward to working with Cochrane’s global community to ensure the organization continues to serve people everywhere with transparency and integrity.
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