WCMC-Q in the spotlight at international health conference

December, 2013

WCMC-Q played a central role at the World Innovation Summit for Health, taking part in a panel session about obesity, launching a new international health journal and hosting a stand in the exhibition hall.

Dr. Javaid Sheikh, dean of WCMC-Q, represented the college on the obesity panel, sharing the stage with experts from around the world.

Dr. Sheikh gave an overview of the college’s Sahtak Awalan – Your Health First campaign, briefing delegates about the calorie-counting app and the recent project which saw greenhouses installed in various elementary schools so the children could grow their own fruit and vegetables.

He also spoke about medical education and how the training of doctors could influence obesity in society. He told the audience that traditional medical training focused on diseases, but obesity could not be successfully treated this way due to its multi-faceted nature. To combat this he explained that WCMC-Q students were also given training in behavioral science and the social determinants of health. This allowed them to deliver healthcare in different ways, for example offering advice about diet, exercise and environmental factors rather than focusing on single issues.

Dr. Sheikh finished by explaining how WCMC-Q was also involved in obesity research through the genetic screening of groups of overweight and slim people.

The WISH conference was also used to launch a new, peer-reviewed international health journal. Published on the QScience platform in a collaboration between WCMC-Q and Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Journals (BQFJ), Innovations in Global Medical and Health Education is co-edited by Dr. Sheikh and Dr. Victor Dzau, chancellor for health affairs for Duke University and president and CEO of Duke University Health System.

Innovations in Global Medical and Health Education is an open-access, international education journal that is dedicated to keeping medical healthcare educators, physicians, healthcare professionals and students abreast of issues related to global medical and health education. All content in the journal will be free to read on the web and authors retain copyright on their works.

Dr. Sheikh said: “We believe that we are in the beginning phase of a major movement toward globalization of medical and health education. By providing a platform for a healthy debate about the achievements, challenges, and innovations in global medical and health education, this journal intends to be in the vanguard of this paradigmatic shift.”

Innovations in Global Medical and Health Education will also engage global opinion leaders in policy-making endeavors relevant to global medical and health education. The journal aims to stimulate consistent debate about innovations in global education.

Arend Küster, managing director of BQFJ, added: “As the world’s population grows, so do its healthcare needs, and we are very pleased to be able to help spread knowledge about how to educate those in charge of our care. It is critically important that innovations in medical and health education are available to all, so this journal’s open access policy is a big plus for aspiring medics, nurses, health-givers, and those who teach them, all over the world. This partnership between QScience and Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar will have wide-ranging impact for many years to come.”

The WISH conference was also the perfect opportunity to highlight WCMC-Q’s Sahtak Awalan campaign. A stand was erected in the ‘Innovations’ exhibition arena, allowing health delegates and media representatives from around the world to discover the work that is being done in Qatar to change behavior and attitudes and improve the health of the nation.

The stand was manned by employees from the Department of Government and Public Affairs, who answered questions and distributed literature and information about the campaign.