Doha – November 12, 2022: The Division of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) at Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar (WCM-Q) hosted a series of webinars for healthcare professionals.

With the worldwide prevalence of dementia, a common pathological consequence of neurodegenerative diseases, expected to significantly rise over the coming years, WCM-Q launched a webinar series titled ‘Protein Misfolding Diseases and Neurodegeneration: From Experimental Approach to Clinical Therapy’ to keep healthcare professionals up to date with relevant advancements in the field. The course was directed by Dr. Ali Chaari, visiting assistant professor of biology at WCM-Q.

As part of the series, a session titled ‘The Molecular Basis of Neurodegenerative Diseases: From Bench to Bedside’ was presented by Professor Tiago Outeiro, director of the Department of Experimental Neurodegeneration and head of the lab Experimental Neurodegeneration, University Medical Center Göttingen, Germany. An additional session from the series titled ‘Disease Modification in Parkinson Disease: An Update’ was led by Dr. Angelo Antonini, professor of neurology and director of the Parkinson and Movement Disorders Unit and Study Center for Neurodegenerative Disease, University of Padua, Italy. 

CPD’s Biostatistics webinar series continued with a virtual workshop titled ‘Applied Biostatistics Using STATA.’ Presented by Dr. Ziyad R. Mahfoud, professor of research in population health sciences at WCM-Q, the webinar outlined the application of the univariable and multivariable statistical method for numeric and categorical outcomes using STATA, a statistical software. Dr. Mahfoud held an additional workshop under the heading ‘Understanding Survival Analysis’ to help healthcare professionals accurately interpret descriptive and inferential statistics related to time-to-event data.

As part of the ‘Intersection of Law and Medicine Series,’ a webinar titled ‘Ethical and Legal Considerations of Assisted Reproductive Technologies’ was directed by Dr. Thurayya Arayssi, vice dean for academic and curricular affairs at WCM-Q, and Dr. Barry Solaiman, assistant dean of students and assistant professor of law, Hamad Bin Khalifa University. The session examined international best practices concerning the use of ART in clinical practice, advances in male infertility and associated ethical concerns, legal and religious approaches governing the use of reproductive technologies in the Arabian Gulf, and Qatari legislation governing the use of reproductive technology and ART.

In addition to Dr. Arayssi and Dr. Solaiman, speakers included Dr. Johnny Awwad, executive chair of women’s services & division chief of reproductive medicine at Sidra Medicine, and professor of obstetrics & gynecology at the American University of Beirut Medical Center, Dr. Mohammed Ghaly, professor of Islam and biomedical ethics at College of Islamic Studies, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Dr. Ahmad Majzoub, consultant, department of Urology at Hamad Medical Corporation, and Professor Sonia Suter, The Kahan Family Research Professor of Law and founding director of the Health Law Initiative, The George Washington University. 

The latest installment of WCM-Q’s Grand Rounds Live Webinar Series titled ‘Aspirin Exacerbated Respiratory Disease’ was led by Dr. Julia W. Tripple, assistant professor of medicine, division director, and interim, Division of Allergy & Immunology, Department of Internal Medicine at The University of Texas Medical Branch. The webinar focused on the clinical features and pathophysiology of aspirin-exacerbated respiratory disease and the utility of aspirin desensitization in treating the disease.

Another Grand Rounds session titled ‘Bone Health in Breast Cancer: Update on Adjuvant and Antifracture Data with Antiresorptive Drugs’ was presented by Dr. Azeez Farooki, attending physician at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York. 

In Qatar, WCM-Q is accredited as a provider of continuing medical education by the Department of Healthcare Professions (DHP) of the Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) and is accredited internationally by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME).