We are very sorry to be saying goodbye to our information specialist, Dr Douglas Grindlay, who will be leaving us at the end of March after 17 enjoyable years working together.
Sadly, this means that our CEBD Evidence Updates emails will now have to cease.
I know many of you have really valued the work Douglas has done at the Centre of Evidence Based Dermatology, but without funding from our University or NHS Trust for this role, there is nobody at our Centre who can keep it up.
The maps of systematic reviews on major skin diseases on the CEBD website are also no longer being updated, and we will be archiving our CEBD Coronavirus Dermatology Resource by the end of March. However, we do hope to keep our Skin of Colour Resource going somehow.
If you want to search for relevant systematic reviews, Douglas recommends the Epistemonikos database, https://www.epistemonikos.org/, as it is very comprehensive and easy to search.
Let me tell you a little more about Douglas’s contribution to our CEBD. Douglas first joined the CEBD 17 years ago, when he set up and compiled the former National electronic Library for Health (NeLH) Skin Disorders Specialist Library, with me as Clinical Lead. Many colleagues in the dermatology community will remember the NeLH with affection until NICE took it over.
Over the last six years, Douglas has set up and compiled our CEBD Evidence Updates service, which has grown to an amazing 1644 subscribers from over 60 countries worldwide. Douglas also produced our maps of systematic reviews by topic, and in the last year he set up our CEBD Coronavirus Dermatology Resource, which has been receiving a very high number of page views. Douglas has also contributed to numerous systematic reviews as information specialist and as a valued author. Over the years Douglas has provided expert teaching for research students and dermatology trainees on database searching and information skills, both within the University of Nottingham and for external organisations. His skills, experience and unique input will be greatly missed. Douglas will also be greatly missed as a great team player, colleague and friend.
We would all like to thank Douglas for his wonderful contributions to evidence-based dermatology, and wish him much happiness in the future.