**Cochrane** is a global, independent non-profit network of over 37,000 health researchers, professionals, patients, and volunteers who synthesize medical research into trusted systematic reviews to inform evidence-based health decisions.[1][7] Operating through 53 review groups worldwide, it produces high-quality evidence on hundreds of topics, prioritizing areas of greatest need to enhance healthcare equity and efficiency.[1][2] Founded in 1993 in Oxford, UK, as the Cochrane Collaboration under Iain Chalmers, the organization responded to Scottish epidemiologist Archie Cochrane's 1970s critique of medicine's "collective ignorance" about treatment effects.[1][2][3] Inspired by 1980s systematic reviews of pregnancy and childbirth trials—pioneered in works like *Effective Care in Pregnancy and Childbirth* (1989)—it formalized international teamwork to update reviews of randomized controlled trials (RCTs).[2][3][4] Ten core principles, including collaboration, bias minimization, and wide participation, have guided its growth since inception.[2] Key achievements include expanding from perinatal focus to broad health domains, establishing groups like the Cochrane Economics Methods Group (1998) and training reviewers in developing nations (2013).[1] By 2023, Cochrane celebrated 30 years, boasting networks like the U.S. Satellite (2019) that train users and influence policy.[4][6] Its reviews have reshaped evidence-based medicine, challenging outdated practices and promoting resource-efficient care.[5] Today, Cochrane remains vibrant, advocating for timely evidence amid critiques like Peter Gøtzsche's 2018 expulsion over alleged "commercial" shifts, which sparked governance debates.[1] As a charitable entity, it fosters open access and diversity, empowering stakeholders from clinicians to policymakers—making it a cornerstone of modern health innovation, where data drives decisions over anecdote.[7][8] (298 word