WCM-Q certificate course spreads the word about sound nutrition

Healthcare professionals from all over the world learned the latest information about the impact of diet on health when they attended Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar’s (WCM-Q) Certificate in Clinical Nutrition course. This was the third offering of the course.

Forty-eight doctors, nurses, pharmacists, researchers, dieticians and other healthcare professionals joined the four-day course, where they learned about a wide range of subjects including the role of nutritional supplements, the benefits and risks of various popular diets, ways to incorporate healthy nutritional practices in specific clinical situations and conditions, creating nutritional plans tailored to children, the elderly, and pregnant and lactating women, and the role of nutrition in the causation and management of chronic conditions such as obesity, cancer and diabetes.

The course, delivered by WCM-Q’s Institute for Population Health, involved 32 hours of on-site learning sessions such as workshops, lectures and Q&A sessions led by medical faculty and healthcare professionals from WCM-Q and other leading institutions, and an 18-hour 14-module online self-study unit. Upon successful completion of both elements participants were awarded the WCM-Q Certificate in Clinical Nutrition. The certificate program is a regular WCM-Q event that is offered once a year.

Dr. Ravinder Mamtani, Professor of Healthcare Policy and Research, and Dr. Sohaila Cheema, Assistant Professor of Healthcare Policy and Research and Director, Institute for Population Health, were the course directors of the certificate program.

Dr. Mamtani, who is also Senior Associate Dean for Population Health, Capacity Building and Student Affairs, said: “With the prevalence of obesity and lifestyle-related diseases such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease and hypertension on the rise globally, sound knowledge of nutrition has never been more important. This certificate program is a very effective vehicle for sharing the most up-to-date guidance on issues in nutrition and diet with healthcare professionals so that they can give their patients the very best advice possible to protect their health.”

The activity was accredited locally by the Qatar Council for Healthcare Practitioners-Accreditation Department (QCHP-AD) and internationally by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME).

Course participant Dr. Sumaiya Zobairi, a family medicine physician at Tadawi Medical Center in Doha, said: “The certificate program is a very effective way for me to refresh and update my knowledge of key issues in health and nutrition. The speakers are very well-qualified and I also found it extremely helpful to meet and speak with other healthcare professionals in attendance to share knowledge and experiences.”