In this instalment of the 'Meet the Editor' series, we talk with CIDG Editor Dr Michael Eisenhut. Dr Eisenhut has published papers on a broad range of subjects, including tuberculosis, malaria, HIV, respiratory syncytial virus bronchiolitis, the pathophysiology of inflammation, sepsis, and meningitis, and several systematic reviews. He is Associate Editor for Cochrane Clinical Answers. He has been the paediatric representative within the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guideline development group of the UK, updating the guideline on tuberculosis.

Could you describe where you currently work and what you do there?

I work as a consultant paediatrician at the Luton & Dunstable University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. I work there on the wards and in outpatient clinics looking after unwell children with a wide variety of conditions as a general paediatrician. I also run the tuberculosis service for children in the counties Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, and Buckinghamshire with dedicated clinics and a nurse specialist. I am running clinics for children with HIV infection and newborns born to mothers with HIV infection. I am running a service for children with metabolic disease and I am the clinician designated for the care of children with eating disorders. I am a regular teacher for medical students of University College London, lead for paediatric research in the Trust which includes being chief investigator of research projects relating to infections, immunology, and inflammation and principal investigator of national double blind randomised controlled trials and observational studies relating to renal diseases and HIV infection and representative for the Clinical Audit and Effectiveness Committee.

What is a typical day for you?  

There is no typical day.

What prompted you to work in this area?

It is very regarding to improve children’s lives.

What are the major challenges that still remain in your field?

As yet incurable brain disorders. Dealing with parents with personality disorders.

How did you first hear about Cochrane?

From a Tanzanian paediatric junior doctor in 2004, with whom I subsequently did a Cochrane Review.

What is the most rewarding aspect of being involved with Cochrane?

Helping to generate solid evidence on which medical practice is based and generating questions for future research.

Who (or what) has been the biggest influence on your career to date?

My interest in paediatric infectious diseases.

Please list three words you would associate with Cochrane.

Objectivity, transparence, and communication.

What do you do in your spare time?

Fitness training, taekwondo, reading science and philosophy, and writing scientific articles.

The CIDG editorial base is located at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine in Liverpool, UK. The CIDG is led by Professor Paul Garner (Co-ordinating Editor). Over 600 authors from some 52 countries contribute to the preparation of the Cochrane Reviews. They are supported by an international team of Editors, each with topic or methodological expertise. 

The CIDG’s main areas of work are on determination of the effects of interventions on the prevention or treatment infectious diseases of relevance to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly malaria, tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, and neglected tropical diseases. The aims of the CIDG are to impact on policy and research in tropical diseases through the production of high quality and relevant systematic reviews, and to lead developments in review quality improvement and effective dissemination of findings.