WCM-Q connects with global health education community in Basel

Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar (WCM-Q) deepened connections with the global community of healthcare educators as the college participated in the International Association for Health Professions Education (AMEE) annual conference for the first time.

The conference, held this year in Basel, Switzerland, is one of the leading global gatherings of educators, researchers, and professionals dedicated to health professions education, bringing together more than 3,000 participants from all over the world.

WCM-Q faculty attended with staff from the college’s Division of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) to convene with other health education professionals, discuss innovations in the field, and evaluate the impact of educational efforts on learners, patients, and society. The CPD division also hosted a booth in the conference’s exhibition area to promote WCM-Q, its medical education programs, research activities, and its wide range of continuing medical education courses, certificates, and workshops for physicians and other healthcare professionals.

WCM-Q was a silver sponsor of the conference, further promoting the college and its activities to the global health education community.

All WCM-Q CPD activities provide high-quality professional development opportunities for physicians and other healthcare professionals based on identified needs and the latest scientific and medical developments that will increase competence, enhance performance in practice and lead to improved healthcare for patients. In addition, WCM-Q activities are accredited locally in Qatar by the Ministry of Public Health’s Department of Healthcare Professions – Accreditation Section and internationally by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME).

In recent years, the Division of CPD has been expanding its geographical scope, with increasing numbers of healthcare professionals from outside of Qatar taking part in WCM-Q CPD courses, either by accessing them remotely or visiting Qatar to take part.

Deema Al-Sheikhly, director of medical education and continuing professional development, was in attendance at the conference. She said: “The AMEE annual conference was an excellent opportunity for us to both promote WCM-Q overseas as an elite medical school and to highlight that we  also provide world-class continuing medical education activities, which are available to healthcare professionals all over the world. We are now reaching out to a global audience and establishing Qatar as a global center for world-class continuing medical education activities.”

Also in attendance was Laudy Mattar, manager, continuing professional development. As an active member of the AMEE CPD Committee, Ms. Mattar collaborated with other committee members to ensure they are able to meet the goal of advancing the quality and efficacy of continuing professional development opportunities, and to build further engagement with the international community of health educators who are active within the AMEE movement.

Two WCM-Q faculty members appeared on stage at the conference: Dr. Mai Mahmoud, associate professor of teaching in medicine & assistant dean for faculty affairs, gave a presentation on the subject of medical residents’ experiences with group biases in medical team decision-making; and Dr. Douglas Bovell, professor of physiology and biophysics, moderated a session on the subject of learning support, which featured presenters from around the world, including a representative of Qatar’s Primary Health Care Corporation.

Dr. Thurayya Arayssi, professor of clinical medicine & vice dean for academic and curricular affairs, said: “We are extremely happy for WCM-Q to have had a presence in Basel to connect with the global community of health professions educators and further our mission of enhancing healthcare outcomes for patients in Qatar, the wider region, and beyond.”