The
three-day 6th Surgical Research and Innovation Ideas Symposium hosted
by Hamad Medical Corporation’s (HMC) Department of Surgery and Medical
Research Center was attended by over 400 staff from HMC along with other
participants from Qatar’s healthcare, academic, and research
communities. It showcased the creativity, innovation, and enthusiasm of
research clinicians across HMC’s surgical and perioperative units.
The
event allowed clinical perioperative staff across different specialties
to think unconventionally, building complementing research ideas and
using new perspectives to generate ideas that are scrutinized before
being tested in real life.
On behalf of Dr. Abdulla Al Ansari,
Acting Chief Medical Officer for HMC, the symposium was opened by the
Medical Director of Al Wakra Hospital and Vice Chairman of Surgery, Dr.
Sabah Al Kadhi. Commenting on the event, he said: “The 6th Surgical
Research Symposium builds on the success of previous surgical symposia.
It has become an excellent venue for sharing knowledge and fostering
scientific and ethically strong research initiatives that will benefit
effective, evidence-based, and compassionate patient care and contribute
to the well-being of Qatar’s population.”
Participants from
hospitals across Qatar presented and then debated their research
proposals with an invited panel of international and local research and
innovation experts from the University of Hong Kong, Weill Cornell
Medicine in Qatar, Sidra Medicine, and HMC. Participants heard from
speakers who discussed several relevant topics, including the evolution
from an idea into a research proposal, challenges to clinical research
in Qatar, and publication issues faced by authors.
Professor
David Sigalet, Chief of Surgery at Sidra Medicine commented that he was
very impressed with the initiative taken by HMC’s Department of Surgery.
He congratulated the organizers on an excellent initiative, stating:
“This type of research symposium is critical for the growth of academic
surgery in Qatar. The breadth of study and the energy of the surgeons
presenting is incredible; our job as mentors is to support their
growth.”
The invited panel scrutinized the research submissions,
provided constructive comments, and guided participants to develop the
full potential of their research ideas and medical writing skills.
Presenters also participated in one-on-one in-depth workshops.
Professor
Shahrad Taheri, Professor of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine in Qatar,
commented that the symposium demonstrates the enthusiasm of HMC’s
clinical teams in identifying and developing the best evidence to
improve patient care. “The breadth and quality of research ideas were
impressive and have been improving steadily over the last few years. I
see great scope for future successful collaborations between HMC’s
Department of Surgery and other healthcare and research organizations in
Qatar.”
After the symposium, three promising research protocols
from the orthopedic and general surgery subsections were awarded cash
prizes. Two further research protocols from urology and orthopedic
surgery were acknowledged as honorable mentions.
