Doha - May 16, 2006: Healthcare professionals from across Qatar gained a deeper understanding of the fundamentals of healthcare research at a two-day workshop run by the Institute for Population Health (IPH) at Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar (WCM-Q). 

Titled 'Understanding Basics of Health Research,' the workshop combined interactive activities and didactic sessions to provide participants with foundational skills and knowledge of core epidemiology and biostatistics concepts used in research.

The first day of the workshop explored key concepts, such as the terminology of healthcare research, metrics for measuring health and disease, biostatistical concepts, population sampling and probability, and the basics of study design. The second day included sessions on the basics of prophylactic and therapeutic trials, clinical trial design, testing for statistical significance, the value of screening in public health, evidence-based healthcare, and methods for understanding and interpreting research.

The sessions were designed and delivered by the IPH's population health research experts, including Dr. Ravinder Mamtani, professor of population health sciences, professor of medicine (Center for Global Health), and vice dean for population health and lifestyle medicine; Dr. Sohaila Cheema, associate professor of clinical population health sciences and assistant dean for the IPH; Dr. Karima Chaabna, assistant professor of clinical population health sciences and manager of population health research at the IPH; and Dr. Amit Abraham, assistant professor of clinical population health sciences and assistant director of the IPH.

The workshop was attended by physicians, nurses, pharmacists, dentists, allied health practitioners, researchers, educators, and administrators.

The course is accredited in Qatar by the Department of Healthcare Professions-Accreditation Section (DHP-AS) of the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) and internationally by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME).