Doha – August 20, 2024: A workshop provided by the Institute for Population Health (IPH) of Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar (WCM-Q) successfully trained 49 healthcare professionals in the fundamentals of health research.

The two-day workshop, which was designed and delivered by the IPH's population health research experts, combined didactic sessions and interactive Q&A activities to equip the participants with foundational skills and knowledge to enable them to become familiar with the core concepts of epidemiology and biostatistics used in research.

Titled, 'Understanding Basics of Health Research,' the first day of the workshop explained key concepts, such as the terminology of healthcare research, metrics for measuring health, disease and mortality rates , 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, and methods for understanding and interpreting research.

The learning sessions were led by four distinguished speakers from the IPH with special expertise in healthcare research: 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, assistant dean for the Institute for Population Health, and course director; Dr. Karima Chaabna, assistant professor of clinical population health sciences and manager, population health research; and Dr. Amit Abraham, assistant professor of clinical population health sciences and assistant director of the IPH.

Dr. Cheema said: 'We believe understanding basic epidemiology and biostatistics used in published literature is crucial for healthcare professionals to make informed, evidence-based decisions in clinical practice, leading to improved patient outcomes and population health. We are extremely gratified that several healthcare professionals joined us to learn these key skills and knowledge and very pleased that they engaged with great enthusiasm during the workshop.'