WCM-Q workshops boosts biostatistical research in Qatar
Participants at the WCM-Q biostatistics for healthcare professionals workshop listen to a session led by Dr. Ziyad Mahfoud, WCM-Q associate professor of healthcare policy and research.
A series of workshops run by Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar showed healthcare professionals from several institutions how to use computer software to analyze data by applying advanced biostatistical techniques to enhance the quality of their research projects.
The three-workshop series, offered at beginner, intermediate and advanced levels, demonstrated how to organize, analyze and interpret medical data collected for research projects with maximum efficiency, helping them to gain the most useful insights possible from their investigations. Participants who completed all three workshops and passed a test at the end of each one received the Certificate of Analysis in Medical Data.
Coordinated by WCM-Q’s Division of Continuing Profession Development (CPD), the workshops were aimed at physicians, nurses, dentists, pharmacists, allied health professionals, students, researchers and educators. Participants were shown how to use software platforms that offer advanced hypothesis testing, trend analysis, forecasting and predictive analytics. The participants also used the analytical software to work through a number of case studies to gain hands-on experience.
Dr. Ziyad Mahfoud, associate professor of healthcare policy and research at WCM-Q, was one of the course leaders of the workshops and the main expert speaker at the events. He said: “In the era of big data and shortage of biostatistical support, researchers who are able to efficiently use statistical software to apply advanced statistical analysis methods can derive extremely rich and meaningful insights from their research projects. The workshops are an extremely important step to increase research output from healthcare professionals in Qatar. The participants not only showed great enthusiasm but were also able to master the skills we demonstrated, so we were very pleased with the outcome of the activity.”
WCM-Q facilitators at the workshops supported the learners to help them understand the concepts discussed and to use the software. The facilitation team comprised Deema Al-Sheikhly, Soha Dargham, Padmakumari Sarada, Syed Latifi and Mark Healy.
Dr. Thurayya Arayssi, senior associate dean for medical education and continuing professional development at WCM-Q, said: “This workshop series was carefully designed to equip researchers across several different health and educational professions with some really useful tools to help them get the most from the data they collect, giving them the chance to draw the most useful conclusions from their work. This has the potential to translate into better healthcare outcomes for patients in the long-term, as well as adding to the body of knowledge available to the scientific community.”
The three activities, titled Introductory, Intermediate and Advanced Applied Biostatistics for Health Care Professionals, were accredited locally by the Qatar Council for Healthcare Practitioners-Accreditation Department (QCHP-AD) and internationally by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME).