WCM-Q’s Institute for Population Health marks a decade of achievement

The Institute for Population Health (IPH) at Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar (WCM-Q) celebrated its10th anniversary of advancing population health in Qatar, the wider region and beyond.

The IPH has taken a multi-faceted approach to enhance human health by supporting programmes that tackle non-communicable diseases - such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and obesity – and emerging challenges such as Covid-19, explained Dr Ravinder Mamtani, vice dean, Population Health and Lifestyle Medicine, who co-founded the IPH in 2011 under its original name of the Division of Global and Public Health.The IPH pursues this goal by conducting groundbreaking research and implementing evidence-based initiatives to promote healthy lifestyle habits , promoting road safety and encouraging personal hygiene practices. These measures are of critical importance because preventable lifestyle-related diseases are now the biggest cause of premature mortality worldwide and are of concern in the Gulf region. Dr Sohaila Cheema, assistant dean IPH, said: “We have always believed that health problems are best addressed by co-operative approaches, guided by scientific evidence and executed through community engagement. Ultimately, we aim to improve both longevity and quality of life for all members of the community, and to bridge research gaps where they exist. We are extremely gratified by the success we have enjoyed in these endeavors over the past ten years and heartened by the way the community groups we have engaged with have responded with such positivity.”Speaking at a ceremony to mark the 10th anniversary, Sheikh Dr Mohamed bin Hamad al-Thani, director of the Public Health Department at the Ministry of Public Health and associate professor of Clinical Population Health Sciences at WCM-Q, said: “I have closely followed your progress and achievements over the last decade and have been impressed by your commitment and devotion to promoting population health in Qatar and beyond. Initiatives tailored to the needs of our community have yielded tremendously positive results and it has been my pleasure to participate and contribute with you on many successful health programmes and activities.”Dr Javaid Sheikh, dean of WCM-Q, said: “ For 10 years they have worked with great imagination, energy and diligence to enhance the health of the population, both here in Qatar and beyond. I am certain the IPH will continue to thrive for many years into the future, helping to improve quality and length of life for all members of our global community.” The IPH goes into schools and local businesses and engages with community groups to share information and guidance about healthy lifestyles, as well as offering a wide variety of courses, seminars and workshops for healthcare professionals and researchers. For example, the IPH runs an innovative Certificate in Lifestyle Medicine programme, established in 2020. To date, the certificate programme has provided 130 healthcare professionals with evidence-based guidance on lifestyle medicine education to evaluate, prevent, treat, and reverse lifestyle-related diseases. The institute supports the International Board of Lifestyle Medicine (IBLM) in administering its examination, which has thus far allowed 35 physicians and other healthcare professionals to gain IBLM certification. The IPH also offers workshops on Understanding the Basics of Health Research, and an introduction to systematic reviews.In addition to Dr Mamtani and Dr Cheema, the IPH team comprises Dr Karima Chaabna, Dr Amit Abraham, Dr Ziyad Mahfoud, Raji Anand, Yasmeen Kalverts, Samaah Shaams Chalil, Anupama Jithesh, Maha Elnashar and Huda Abdelrahim.