WCM-Q webinars boost community wellness

Childhood epilepsy, urinary incontinence and metabolic health were the topics of three live webinars hosted by Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar’s (WCM-Q) Health and YOU: Community Wellness Series.

The webinars, organized by WCM-Q’s Institute for Population Health (IPH), are designed to provide the general public with verified information and evidence-based advice about the common health issues facing communities.

Guest speaker Dr. Hala Mohamed Moussa, a pediatric neurologist at Sinai Hospital of Baltimore, presented a webinar titled, ‘Epilepsy in Kids: Breaking Down Barriers, Building Understanding.’ In the discussion, Dr. Moussa—an alumna of WCM-Q—provided a broad overview of childhood epilepsy, which included advice on how to recognize seizures, plus information about diagnosis, treatment options, daily life considerations, and ways to reduce stigma to support affected children and families.

A subsequent session, titled, ‘The Unspoken Topic: Urinary Incontinence in Women - Why It Happens and What You Can Do,’ was presented by Sidra Medicine and Hamad Medical Corporation’s (HMC) Dr. Bothina Al-Mulla, obstetrics and gynecology physician and fellow in urogynecology, pelvic floor medicine, and reconstructive surgery. Dr. Al-Mulla, also a WCM-Q alumna, explained that urinary leakage is common and treatable. Her session explained the different forms of urinary incompetence, causes, lifestyle strategies, pelvic floor support, and treatment options, plus guidance on when to seek medical care.

Another session, presented by Dr. Tariq Chukir, assistant professor of medicine at WCM-Q and endocrinologist at HMC and Sidra, was titled, ‘Metabolic Health in Ramadan.’ Dr. Chukir, another WCM-Q alum, explained how fasting affects metabolic health, paying special attention to obesity and diabetes management during Ramadan. The session also offered practical behavioral strategies to help individuals optimize their metabolic health while fasting.

Dr. Sohaila Cheema, associate professor of clinical population health sciences and assistant dean at IPH, said: “At the IPH, we believe that health literacy is a key pillar of community health. We are therefore very pleased that our Health and YOU webinar series, which is fully open to the public, continues to attract a wide audience of community members who are proactive in their approach to wellness and self-care.”

Dr. Ravinder Mamtani, professor of population health sciences and vice dean for population health and lifestyle medicine and professor of medicine at the Center for Global Health, said: “We are very grateful that we were able to draw upon the expertise of three outstanding WCM-Q alumni to deliver these extremely useful evidence-based webinar sessions to support the health and wellbeing of the community.”