WCM-Q workshop boosts health research in Qatar
Dr. Sohaila Cheema of WCM-Q explaining the key skills required to conduct high-quality healthcare research.
Healthcare professionals belonging to healthcare institutions and clinics from all over Qatar convened at Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar (WCM-Q) for a workshop explaining the key principles of health research.
Fifty physicians, dentists, pharmacists, nurses and other healthcare professionals attended the two-day workshop, which was designed to provide basic knowledge of epidemiological and biostatistical concepts to allow them to understand the evidence-based approach to healthcare and medical practice and interpret published research findings.
The event featured sessions led by WCM-Q faculty and staff on the design of research studies, biostatistics, ways to measure health and disease, clinical trials, screening in healthcare and many more topics.
Dr. Ravinder Mamtani, WCM-Q Vice Dean for Student Affairs-Admissions, Population Health and Lifestyle Medicine, said: “This event is a great way for healthcare professionals with an interest in conducting their own research to gain the necessary skills to get started. We believe the insights they will be able to gain from the workshop will contribute a great deal to the practice of evidence-based medicine and public health in Doha, which will subsequently lead to improved healthcare outcomes.”
Dr. Hassan Ahmed, a dentist with the Ministry of Interior Medical Service, was in attendance at the event: “I specialize in orthodontics and I’m very interested in conducting clinical research to discover which treatments work best for my patients. I have done some secondary research before but I wanted to learn some more research skills so I can start doing primary research and the workshop has been extremely useful in that regard.”
The workshop was coordinated and delivered by WCM-Q’s Institute for Population Health (IPH). The workshop sessions were led by WCM-Q faculty and staff, comprising Dr. Mamtani, Dr. Sohaila Cheema, Director, Institute for Population Health/Assistant Professor of Healthcare Policy and Research, Dr. Amit Abraham, Projects Specialist/Instructor of Healthcare Policy and Research, Dr. Karima Chaabna, Instructor of Healthcare Policy and Research/Population Health and Communication Specialist, and Ms. Sonia Chaabane, IPH Projects Specialist.
Dr. Cheema, also course director for the workshop said: “There is a great appetite among the healthcare community in Qatar to learn and practice evidence-based medicine. This requires that they are able to review published literature, critically appraise it and subsequently translate relevant evidence into medical practice. Our workshop provides them with the relevant information and practical skills to do all this. We are very happy to contribute towards building capacity among healthcare professionals in Qatar.”
The workshop, titled ‘Understanding Basics of Health Research’ 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).
