WCM-Q Webinars Share Key Medical Research Skills

Medical researchers across Qatar are benefitting from a wide range of instructional webinars offered by the Division of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) at Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar (WCM-Q).

Recent webinars offered by WCM-Q include a certificate program in medical data analysis, a seminar explaining how to determine sample sizes for clinical research, and two live biostatistics courses – one on methods for critically appraising randomized clinical trials and one providing key skills to understand biostatistics used in medical literature.

The webinars are designed to provide essential research skills to healthcare professionals to enable them to conduct high-quality research and make useful contributions to the body of medical knowledge in Qatar and beyond.

Deema Al-Sheikhly, Director of Medical Education and Continuing Professional Development at WCM-Q, said: “A part of our mission in the Division of Continuing Professional Development is to develop and disseminate best evidence-based practice and health education research. This supports researchers to make new discoveries about the most pressing health concerns facing Qatar and encourages productive collaborations on research projects.”

The most recent online events were the Biostatistics for Healthcare Practitioners Live Webinar Series, delivered by Dr. Ziyad Mahfoud, Associate Professor of Healthcare Policy and Research, which comprised two two-day events, one titled Understanding Biostatistics in the Medical Literature and the other Critical Appraisal of Randomized Clinical Trials. Dr. Mahfoud also delivered the two-day Certificate in the Analysis of Medical Data event, titled Introductory Applied Biostatistics for Health Care Professionals, and the one-day Sample Size Determination for Clinical Research webinar. The events have proven very popular, with a total of more than 160 attendees logging in to take part.

All of the events were 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).

Dr. Thurayya Arayssi, Senior Associate Dean for Medical Education and Continuing Professional Development, said: “We are extremely pleased that Dr. Mahfoud’s many years of experience as a researcher and educator continues to be of benefit to the healthcare and research community in Qatar through our online webinar series. More high-quality research will deliver more robust data for all, and that in turn will provide the basis for optimized patient care.”