The Cochrane Rehabilitation, Functioning, and Disability Thematic Group (CochraneRehab) is among the leading forces in advancing research, refining clinical practices, and enhancing functioning outcomes and quality of life of people with disabling health conditions.
About us
Worldwide, more than two billion individuals have conditions that could benefit from rehabilitation. This includes more than one billion people with disabilities who face significant barriers to participation and inclusion into society, and accessing healthcare.
Our vision
Our vision is a world where the best available evidence informs rehabilitation, treatment, and health policy and systems decisions regarding the health and functioning of people experiencing disability.
Our mission
Our mission is to support the improvement of the health and functioning of people experiencing disability with a global perspective across professions, cultures, languages and economic resources by:
- enhancing evidence production and synthesis, particularly in rehabilitation, also by introducing functioning as the third health indicator alongside mortality and morbidity
- facilitating evidence implementation through knowledge translation, including education and training
- promoting evidence-based practices integrating evidence with professional expertise and patient values.
Central to our mission is answering pressing clinical questions of importance to people with disabling conditions through high-quality research. This includes improving methodologies to enable a comprehensive view of functioning - a crucial health indicator supported by the World Health Organization (WHO) to complement mortality and morbidity, enriching our understanding of health outcomes. CochraneRehab draws on the expertise of various Cochrane Fields and Review Groups expanded globally by adding other research units.
Our Thematic Group is focused on improving the evidence in the field through methodological studies, knowledge translation activities, including dissemination, and the production of high-quality systematic reviews and overviews of reviews that synthesise the answers to the complex needs of individuals experiencing disabilities and requiring rehabilitation. The ultimate goal is to create a robust knowledge base to support effective rehabilitation and other healthcare interventions for individuals with various disabling health conditions and people with disabilities across all settings and phases of care, from acute to chronic.
Our work promotes global health equity and inclusion. It supports global initiatives such as WHO's Rehabilitation 2030, which emphasises rehabilitation as an integral component of Universal Health Coverage and addresses Sustainable Development Goals according to the 2023 World Health Assembly resolution on 'Strengthening rehabilitation in health systems'.
Through these efforts, we aim to improve individual health outcomes and build a world where every individual, regardless of their capacity, has access to the rehabilitation interventions that they need for a fulfilling life.
Our team
Stefano Negrini, Director, Cochrane Rehabilitation. Department of Biomedical, Surgical and Dental Sciences, University of Milan, Italy
Antioquia University
- Luz Helena Lugo-Agudelo, Chair. Rehabilitation in Health Research Group, School of Medicine, University of Antioquia, Medellin, Colombia
- Ana-Maria Posada Borrero, Vice-Chair. School of Medicine, University of Antioquia, Medellin, Colombia
CERC, Humanitas University
- Chiara Arienti, Chair. Clinical Epidemiology Research Center (CERC), Humanitas University, Milan, Italy
- Holger Schünemann, Vice-Chair. Clinical Epidemiology Research Center (CERC), Humanitas University
Cologne University
- Sascha Köpke, Chair. Institute of Nursing Science, Medical Faculty, University of Cologne, Germany
Complementary Medicine Field
- L. Susan Wieland, Chair. Cochrane Complementary Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Maryland, United States
- Holger Cramer, Vice-Chair. Cochrane Complementary Medicine, University of Tübingen, Germany
Florence University
- Gianni Virgili, Chair. Cochrane Eyes and Vision, University of Florence, Italy
Galeazzi Sant’Ambrogio Research Hospital
- Carlotte Kiekens, Chair. Cochrane Rehabilitation, Laboratory of Evidence Based Rehabilitation, IRCCS Galeazzi Sant’Ambrogio Hospital, Milan, Italy
- Claudio Cordani, Vice-Chair. PhD student, University of Milan, Italy
IDRR, OntarioTech University
- Pierre Côté, Chair. Institute for Disability and Rehabilitation Research (IDRR), Faculty of Health Sciences, Ontario Tech University, Toronto, Canada
- Carolina Cancelliere, Vice-Chair. Institute for Disability and Rehabilitation Research and Faculty of Health Sciences, Ontario Tech University, Oshawa, Canada
Lucerne University
- Sara Rubinelli, Chair. Center for Rehabilitation in Global Health Systems (WHO CC), Faculty of Health Sciences and Medicine, University of Lucerne, Switzerland
Carla Sabariego, Vice-Chair. Center for Rehabilitation in Global Health Systems (WHO CC), Faculty of Health Sciences and Medicine, University of Lucerne, Switzerland
Marche Polytechnic University
- Maria Gabriella Ceravolo, Chair. Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, Politecnica delle Marche University, Ancona, Italy
- Marianna Capecci, Vice-Chair. Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, Politecnica delle Marche, University, Ancona, Italy
Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg
- Thorsten Meyer-Feil, Chair. Institute for Rehabilitation Medicine, School of Medicine, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany
- Gabriele Meyer, Vice-Chair. Institute for Health and Nursing Science, School of Medicine, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany
Milan University
- Stefano Negrini, Director. Cochrane Rehabilitation, Department of Biomedical, Surgical and Dental Sciences, University of Milan, Italy
- Irene Battel, Post-doc researcher, University of Milan, Italy
Neurological Sciences Field
- Teresa Anna Cantisani, Chair. Cochrane Neurological Sciences, Perugia, Italy
- Maria Grazia Celani, Vice-Chair. Cochrane Neurological Sciences, Azienda Ospedaliera di Perugia, Italy
Sydney
- Lisa Harvey, Chair. John Walsh Centre for Rehabilitation Research, University of Sydney, Australia
- Joanne Glinsky, Vice-Chair. John Walsh Centre for Rehabilitation Research, Sydney School of Health Sciences, Australia
UMSS Seville University
- Javier Martinez-Calderon, Chair. Department of Physiotherapy, University of Seville, Spain. CTS 1110: Understanding Movement and Self in health from Science (UMSS) Research Group, Andalusia, Spain.
- Cristina García-Muñoz, Vice-Chair. Loyola University, Andalusia, Spain. CTS 1110: Understanding Movement and Self in health from Science (UMSS) Research Group, Andalusia, Spain.
University of Jordan
- Rawan AlHeresh, Chair. School of Rehabilitation Sciences & Public Health Institute, University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan
- Ziad Hawemdeh, Vice-Chair. School of Medicine, University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan
Vanvitelli University
- Francesca Gimigliano, Chair. Department of Mental and Physical Health and Preventive Medicine, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Naples, Italy
- Sara Liguori, Vice-Chair. Department of Medical and Surgical Specialties and Dentistry, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Naples, Italy
Our plans
Our strategic objectives are designed to ensure that Cochrane's evidence synthesis in rehabilitation, functioning and disability is relevant, timely, and impactful. We are concentrating on several critical areas:
- Facilitating collaboration: We will facilitate collaboration among researchers, healthcare professionals, people experiencing disabilities and other stakeholders to dismantle silos, reduce research waste, and optimize resources. We will support them in prioritizing topics that significantly impact patient outcomes.
- Impact: We aim to make a positive difference in rehabilitation, functioning, and disability care by developing sophisticated methodologies to improve primary studies and evidence synthesis in the field; identifying knowledge gaps and setting priorities to ensure our evidence synthesis is highly impactful; and making essential Cochrane reviews accessible worldwide in this area. Knowledge translation is a major pillar of our Thematic Group, building on the extensive activities of the member Cochrane Fields. We will ensure the dissemination of review content to all relevant audiences and intermediaries in different formats and languages.
- Training and education: CochraneRehab will play a role in training researchers and enhancing capabilities, with a special focus on low- and middle-income countries. We will help coordinate a network of professionals to support emerging researchers and improve global health outcomes in this area.
- Publish reviews that meet the challenges in this field: We are committed to producing and disseminating high-quality systematic reviews and overviews of reviews in all areas related to rehabilitation, functioning and disability. Our reviews will focus on timely and effective rehabilitation interventions that significantly improve the quality of life of people experiencing disabilities, addressing both chronic and acute needs. Particular attention will be given to health policy and systems research, as requested by the recent WHA76 resolution on 'Strengthening rehabilitation in health systems'.
Newsletter
You can read about news and events around our activity in our regular Cochrane Rehabilitation Newsletter.
You can also subscribe to the newsletter via this link.
Contact us
For more information about our work or to become involved with the Cochrane Thematic Group in Rehabilitation, Functioning and Disability, please email us.
