Are you a health professional, resident, or student looking to establish a career in academics or research? This hands-on, basic-level workshop is designed for individuals with little to no prior knowledge of systematic reviews (SR). Participants will move past theory and learn how to actively jumpstart their own research output.

To maximize collaboration and practical learning, participants will work in interactive groups of 4 using their own laptops, guiding them step-by-step through the entire process—from formulating a searchable question to structuring a final paper for journal submission.

Key Highlights & Bonus Value

• Jumpstart Your PortfolioAcquire a practical roadmap to independently initiate and execute a systematic review
• Exclusive InternshipsActive and motivated participants will have the unique opportunity to apply for open research positions and join ongoing systematic reviews being developed by the Oral Health Research (OHR) team
• CertificationCertificate of Competence will be awarded upon successful completion of the post-workshop interactive assessment

Workshop Schedule & Content Breakdown (4 Hours)

Hour 1: Formulating the Foundation	Introduction to the systematic review Developing a robust research question using the PICO framework Drafting a basic review protocol
Hour 2: Searching and Screening Literature	Building effective search strategies for health and medical databases Setting inclusion and exclusion criteria Practical screening exercise: Title and abstract screening
Hour 3: Data Extraction and Quality Assessment	Designing data extraction forms Introduction to critical appraisal and assessing risk of bias in published studies
Hour 4: Synthesis, Report Writing, and Next Steps	Qualitative synthesis and structured report writing basics Interactive Assessment: Final assessment for the Certificate of Competence Networking & OHR Internship Briefing: How to join existing OHR systematic review teams

Facilitator

Shaju Jacob Pulikkotil

Tenured Professor, Faculty of Dentistry

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Prof. Shaju Jacob Pulikkotil is a Tenured Science Professor at Rīga Stradiņš University (RSU), where he serves as the Lead for the Oral Health Research (OHR) Group. With over two decades of international academic and research leadership, including an extended tenure as an Associate Professor at the International Medical University (IMU) in Malaysia, Prof. Pulikkotil brings extensive global expertise in scientific leadership, curriculum development, and evidence-based medicine. He holds a PhD specializing in Periodontics, Epidemiology, and Biostatistics, a foundation that has fueled his extensive work in executing high-impact public and industry-funded research as a Principal Investigator. Beyond his primary research, he is deeply invested in academic mentorship, having successfully directed dental programs, developed core research policies, and guided numerous researchers from their foundational studies through to advanced doctoral degrees.

An accomplished and widely cited health scientist, Prof. Pulikkotil has a robust bibliometric track record with over 70 scientific publications indexed in Scopus, carrying an H-index of 24 and well over 1,800 citations. His methodology and publication expertise are highly distinguished in the arena of evidence-based healthcare; he was a key member of the core international teams that developed standardized guidelines for study designs in endodontic research. His own extensive portfolio features numerous high-impact, Q1-ranked systematic reviews and meta-analyses published in leading dental and microbiological journals. Prof. Pulikkotil regularly designs and facilitates targeted systematic review workshops globally, specializing in translating complex analytical methodologies into accessible, practical toolkits that empower early-career clinicians, health professionals, and students to jumpstart their research output and drive health policy.