New WCM-Q course addresses evolving healthcare landscape

Doha - March 3, 2026: The Institute for Population Health (IPH) at Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar (WCM-Q) recently launched a certificate course to support healthcare professionals in adapting to the evolving health and wellbeing landscape.

Titled 'Smart Health for a Changing World: Trends and Tools,' the three-day course was inaugurated by Dr. Javaid Sheikh, dean of WCM-Q, in the presence of more than 20 registered attendees from Qatar and Saudi Arabia, as well as WCM-Q faculty. 

The course provides integrated knowledge that connects traditional healthcare and public health principles with emerging technologies and global health trends. It explores the evolving healthcare landscape through foundational principles of health and disease, disease burden, evidence-based practice, innovations and emerging trends such as lifestyle medicine, artificial intelligence and planetary health to prepare for the future of healthcare.

The program was delivered through seminars, didactic lectures, interactive discussions and online learning to encourage a proactive, learner-centered approach and critical thinking. 

Course directors and speakers from WCM-Q included Dr. Ravinder Mamtani, professor of population health sciences and vice dean for population health and lifestyle medicine, and professor of medicine at the Center for Global Health; and Dr. Sohaila Cheema, associate professor of clinical population health sciences and assistant dean for the IPH.

They were joined by additional faculty members from WCM-Q, including Dr. Alaa Abd-Alrazaq, assistant professor; Dr. Amit Abraham, assistant professor of clinical population health sciences and assistant director of the IPH; Dr. Arfan Ahmed, assistant professor of research in population health sciences at the AI Center for Precision Health; Dr. Karima Chaabna, assistant professor of clinical population health sciences and manager of population health research at the IPH; Dr. Maha Elnashar, lecturer in population health sciences and director of the Center for Cultural Competence in Healthcare at the IPH; Dr. Raji Anand, senior administrative manager at the IPH; and Dr. Sonia Chaabane, instructor in population health sciences and senior specialist in population health research at the IPH.

Dr. Mamtani said: 'As health systems face increasing complexity, from emerging diseases to technological disruption, there is a critical need for upskilling healthcare professionals in areas that bridge traditional public health and healthcare principles with modern innovations. This helps ensure health professionals are equipped to adapt to the rapidly evolving healthcare environment.' 

Dr. Cheema said: 'The course fosters a holistic and forward-thinking mindset essential for practice in today's dynamic health environment. It enables participants to recognize the full array of factors that affect the health of communities and learn how better health outcomes can be achieved.'

The program is designed for healthcare professionals, including physicians, nurses, dentists, pharmacists, allied health professionals, educators, researchers, administrators and others. The course is accredited locally by the Ministry of Public Health's Department of Healthcare Professions - Accreditation Section, and internationally by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME).