Diabetes and obesity webinars launched by MoPH for healthcare professionals and researchers

The “Qatar Diabetes and Obesity Research Webinars Series” has been launched by the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH), Hamad Medical Corporation. It is a priority educational programme of the National Diabetes Strategy, 2016-2022, and Qatar National Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) Risk Factors Research Agenda. 

The accredited Continuing Professional Development (CPD) programme which is specifically aimed at healthcare practitioners and researchers, is delivered online fortnightly, and covers emerging as well as locally relevant research areas on diabetes and obesity. It is a one (1) year programme and includes twenty (20), one-hour sessions. 

The first four (4) Diabetes and Obesity Research webinars have already been successfully delivered; with more than 500 participants attending each session. The next webinar is scheduled in January 2023, after the FIFA World Cup, with an international speaker from the University of Leicester UK, who will talk about “Islet Cell Transplantation and Hypoglycemia”.

Prof. Shahrad Taheri, Chair of the Research Sub-Committee for the National Diabetes Strategy at the Ministry of Public Health and Professor of Medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar said that the “Qatar Diabetes and Obesity Research Webinars Series” program has been launched as part of a larger umbrella of activities designed to build the research ecosystem for implementation of National Diabetes Research Agenda, in the State of Qatar.  The webinars will be a strong foundation for research and clinical collaboration in key health areas for Qatar and have been made possible through the dedication of the Scientific and Planning Committee”.

Dr. Kholoud Al Mutawaa, Head of Non-Communicable Diseases, Diabetes Programme Lead at the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH), and Member of the National Diabetes Committee said “Promotion of knowledge sharing and collaboration for diabetes and obesity research, through CPD activities, is a priority for the Ministry of Public Health. Dr. Kholoud Al Mutawaa continued by describing the curriculum as a “unique online educational program delivered by esteemed local and international experts as speakers”.

Professor Abdul-Badi Abou-Samra, Co-Chair of the National Diabetes Committee and Director of the Qatar Metabolic Institute (QMI) highlighted that diabetes and obesity research capacity building is a long-term, complex process that requires the interplay of individual researchers, organizations, national and international research systems. The Diabetes and Obesity Research Webinar Series program has been launched to strengthen the research capacity by bringing the research community and healthcare professionals together to enhance the use of clinical research findings for improvement of clinical care”.