About REFLECT

The History of REFLECT

The REFLECT Statement began with a six member steering committee was responsible for the development of the revised CONSORT statement. This group of six members was formed in March 2008 and we responsible for identifying funding and preparing of the meeting and subsequently to the consensus meeting preparing the documents for publication and promotion of REFLECT.

Funding was received from the USDA Food Safety and Response Network (Grant 2005-35212-15287), National Pork Board; Laboratory for Foodborne Zoonoses (Public Health Agency of Canada), Applied Public Health Research Chair program sponsored by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research's Institute of Population and Public Health and the Public Health Agency of Canada, The Association for Veterinary Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, and The American Meat Institute Foundation. Sufficient funds were obtained to pay for all expenses for the participants at the consensus meeting. Sufficient money was not obtained to fund travel costs for all participants; therefore, some participants funded their own travel and the source of these funds was not identified.

A two-day consensus meeting was held on November 18-19, 2008, in Chicago, Ill, USA. Twenty-four experts were invited and 20 accepted, but one subsequently was unable to attend. Of the six steering-committee members, five attended. The meeting was attended by 24 experts (19 invitees and five steering -committee members), as well as a postdoctoral fellow working for one of the steering-committee members (JMS) and one record keeper. The 24 experts included biostatisticians, epidemiologists, food-safety researchers, and livestock-production specialists. Some participants had multiple areas of expertise.

At the meeting, the group discussed and voted on the modifications of the CONSORT statement that are the REFLECT Statement. Authorship of REFLECT Statement was mainly conducted by the steering committee. After drafting the documents, the meeting participants were sent the documents for comment. Those members who contributed comments to the drafts etc after the meeting were also included as authors.

The People of REFLECT

Steering Committee

The steering committee members are A.M. O'Connor*, J. M. Sargeant, I. A. Gardner, J. S. Dickson, M. E. Torrence and P. Bennett Many people contributed in many ways to the REFLECT Statement. The steering committee remains active in the working and promoting the REFLECT statement.

Co-Authors

The REFLECT Statement: Methods and processes of creating reporting guidelines for randomized control trials for livestock and food safety

A. M. O'Connor*, J. M. Sargeant, I. A. Gardner, J. S. Dickson, M. E. Torrence, and consensus meeting participants: C. E. Dewey, I. R. Dohoo, R. B. Evans, J. T. Gray, M. Greiner, G. Keefe, S. L. Lefebvre, P. S. Morley, A. Ramirez, W. Sischo, D. R. Smith, K. Snedeker, J. Sofos, M. P. Ward, R. Wills

The REFLECT Statement: Reporting guidelines for randomized control trials in livestock and food safety: explanation and elaboration

J. M. Sargeant^1*, A. M. O'Connor², I A. Gardner³, J. S. Dickson⁴, M. E. Torrence⁵ and consensus meeting participants: I.R. Dohoo⁶, S. L. Lefebvre⁷, P. S. Morley⁸, A. Ramirez², K. Snedeker¹

Consensus Meeting Participants

Robert L. Buchanan (University of Maryland, Center for Food Safety & Security Systems, 0119 Symons Hall, College Park, MD 20742); Cate E. Dewey (Department of Population Medicine, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada); James S. Dickson (Iowa State University, Department of Animal Science, 215F Meat Laboratory, Ames, IA 50011); Ian R. Dohoo (Department of Health Management, Atlantic Veterinary College, University of Prince Edward Island., Charlottetown, PEI C1A 4P3, Canada); Richard B. Evans (1008 W. Hazelwood Drive, College of Veterinary Medicine/LAC, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61802); Brian Fergen (Center for Veterinary Biologics, APHIS, USD, Ames, IA 50010); Ian A. Gardner (Department of Medicine and Epidemiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA 95616); Jeffery T. Gray (Department of Microbiology, 3200 Grand Avenue, Des Moines University, Des Moines, IA 50312); Mattias Greiner (Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, Alt-Marienfelde 17-21, Berlin, Germany D-12277 ); Greg Keefe (Dairy Health Management, 550 University Avenue, Atlantic Veterinary College University of Prince Edward Island, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island C1A 4P3, Canada); Kelly Lechtenberg (Oakland Mercy Hospital, 601 East 2nd Street, Oakland, NE 68045); Sandra L. Lefebvre (American Veterinary Medical Association, 1931 North Meacham Road Suite 100, Schaumburg, IL 60173); Paul S. Morley (Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523-1678); Annette M. O'Connor (Veterinary Diagnostic and Production Animal Med, Veterinary Medicine Research Institute Building 4, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011); Alex Ramirez (Veterinary Diagnostic and Production Animal Medicine, 2231 Lloyd Veterinary Medicine Center, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011); Bradley J. Rauch (VM Quality Milk Production Svc, 22 Thornwood Drive, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853); Susan C. Read (Laboratory for Foodbourne Zoonoses, 110 Stone Road West, Public Health Agency of Canada, Guelph, ON N1G 3W4, Canada); Jan M. Sargeant (Centre for Public Health and Zoonoses, and Department of Population Medicine, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada); William Sischo (Veterinary Clinical Sciences, PO Box 647060, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164-7060); David R. Smith (Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, PO Box 830905, Lincoln, NE 68583); Kate Snedeker (Post-doctoral fellow, Centre for Public Health and Zoonoses, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada,); John N. Sofos (Colorado State University, Department of Animal Sciences, 1171 Campus Delivery, Fort Collins, CO 80523-1171); Mary E. Torrence (USDA-ARS, GWCC- 4-2194, 5601 Sunnyside Avenue, Beltsville, MD 20870); Michael P. Ward (Faculty of Veterinary Science, The University of Sydney, NSW, Australia 2006); Robert W. Wills (Department of Pathobiology and Population Medicine, 240 Wise Center Drive, PO Box 6100, Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine, MS 39762-6100); and an un-named US government official.