Doha – May 21, 2023: Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar (WCM-Q) held a two-day workshop to help healthcare professionals better diagnose and manage peripartum disorders. The workshop comes as part of the “Back to Basics for Clinicians Series.”

Titled “Peripartum Depression, Anxiety and Psychosis: An Outlook on Diagnosis and Management,” the workshop was designed to enable participants to recognize the risks posed by untreated peripartum disorders, demonstrate an understanding of how to identify and evaluate peripartum psychiatric illnesses, formulate a treatment plan for the management of these illnesses, and describe the intersection between psychosocial factors and peripartum psychiatric illnesses.

The workshop was held both online and in-person and was aimed at physicians, allied health practitioners, nurses, pharmacists, students, researchers, and educators.

Coordinated by the Division of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) at WCM-Q, the workshop was led by WCM-Q’s Dr. Nasrin Mesaeli, associate professor of biochemistry, and Dr. Zahra Naqvi, assistant professor of psychiatry.

Other speakers included Dr. Suhaila Ghuloum, senior consultant psychiatrist at Hamad Medical Corporation; Dr. Katherine Roberts, psychiatrist and psychotherapist at Contra Costa County Emergency Room California; Dr. Zainab Imam, division chief (acting) and medical students’ clerkship director at the Women’s Mental Health (WMH) Division, Department of Psychiatry, Sidra Medicine; Dr. Bernd Reichert, attending physician neonatology at Sidra Medicine; Dr. Sanabel Al-Akras, WCM-Q alumna and general psychiatrist and medical director at Al Sanabel Specialized Psychiatric Center; and Dr. Aicha Hind Rifai, assistant professor of clinical psychiatry at WCM-Q.

Dr. Mesaeli said: “Peripartum disorders can vary in prevalence, expression, co-morbidity, and presentation of illness and may be due to psychosocial factors or even biological factors. It is therefore important to equip healthcare professionals with current and up-to-date data that enables them to effectively evaluate, diagnose, and manage patients presenting symptoms of these illnesses.”

Deema Al Sheikhly, director of medical education and continuing professional development, and lecturer of education in medicine at WCM-Q, said: “We are delighted to bring together a team of expert psychiatrists, psychologists, and physicians to share their valuable insight into peripartum disorders. The workshop comes as part of our ongoing commitment to offer healthcare practitioners enriching educational opportunities that help further elevate patient care.” 

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).