When reading papers and textbooks, the titular figures appear most repeatedly.
Sackett
Sackett was one of the founders of EBM. Contributions include several seminal RCTs showing that aspirin prevents stroke and heart attack and that carotid endarterectomy prevents stroke and death. Served as the PI for these and many other studies. Along with Guyatt, Sackett helped popularize the phrase and ideology of EBM. Awarded what is commonly referred to as the “little Nobel” in medicine, the Gairdner Foundation Wightman Award. He wrote the series on how to read medical literature, which I will continue reading, along with the seminal epidemiology textbook. He enjoyed reading Vonnegut.
Cochrane
Though Sackett is the name most commonly associated with EBM, Cochrane is widely considered the originator of the ideology because of his emphasis on the importance of RCTs. Contributions eventually led to the Cochrane Library of systematic reviews. This is considered the gold standard for medical evidence, often ranking above individual RCTs. He is best known for his 1971 book Effectiveness and Efficiency, which extolled the virtues of RCTs.
Feinstein
Feinstein did some work with rheumatic fever to prove that early detection prevents later cardiac complications. Wrote a couple of seminal textbooks, including an epidemiology and statistics textbook. Was also funded by the tobacco industry for some time, which remains a contentious topic.
Guyatt
Guyatt is one of the most cited scientists in the world. Along with Sackett and other authors, Guyatt wrote the Users’ Guides to the Medical Literature, published in JAMA. He also helped develop GRADE, which provides criteria that remain in use as standards for interpreting medical literature. GRADE is distinctly different from the CONSORT guidelines, which outline trial-design and disclosure requirements for RCTs. Also authored later editions of Clinical Epidemiology with Sackett, Tugwell, and Haynes.
Tugwell
Tugwell was one of the founders of the Cochrane Collaboration and one of the authors of the aforementioned textbook. Also served as editor in chief of the Journal of Clinical Epidemiology (JCE). He also worked with Guyatt on the GRADE guidelines.
Haynes
Haynes was the third author of the seminal textbook written with Sackett and Tugwell; Guyatt joined as an author later. Wrote a famous paper detailing the problem of incomplete evidence in the medical literature at the time. This was before Guyatt popularized the phrase.
Cook
Cook is known for her work on ICU and palliative-care practices. She also wrote part of the JAMA series on reading medical literature. Almost all of these professors come from McMaster University in Canada. Cook conducted landmark studies through the Canadian Critical Care Trials Group, which often involved multiple centers and improved ICU practice, as stated previously.
Jaeschke
Jaeschke formalized the minimal clinically important difference (MCID), which was an improvement over the endpoint used at the time. It distinguished statistical significance from clinical significance. He also helped develop the GRADE guidelines. Most of Jaeschke’s work revolved around the interpretation of medical literature rather than any single discovery.
Dickersin
Dickersin directed the US Cochrane Center for some time. Her work mostly involves documenting publication bias, specifically discrimination against negative trials, because missing evidence is a major source of bias. She also worked with Rennie on the registration of clinical trials, a heavily regimented proposal.
Glasziou
Glasziou was concerned about the multitude of clinically unusable articles being published because of incomplete descriptions of treatments and selective outcome reporting. He was also critical of the robotic, credulous nature of hospital protocols.
Gray
Gray founded the UK National Library for Health. Rather than working primarily with medical literature, Gray was more concerned with healthcare at the health-system level. As I read, I am realizing that I know very little about system-level healthcare.
Rennie
Rennie contributed to the CONSORT guidelines. He studied the peer-review process empirically, and, as such, his papers are highly influential in the medical literature. He also helped write the JAMA series.