A total of 30 research proposals were showcased at the third Research and Innovation Ideas Symposium hosted recently by Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC)’s Surgical Services in collaboration with the Medical Research Centre.
Attended by more than 200 HMC staff members, the three-day symposium held at Hajar auditorium ‘showcased the research creativity, innovation and enthusiasm’ of clinicians and researchers from HMC’s surgical and perioperative sections.
The symposium was dedicated to the achievements of renowned Arab physician and surgeon Abu-Marwan Abdel-Malik Ibn Zuhr (1162-1093 AD). Ibn Zuhr was noted for his emphasis on a rational and empirical basis of medicine.
He was highly influential in the progress of surgery, enriching surgical and medical knowledge by describing many diseases and treatment innovations that had not been previously described.
“We hope that our symposium encourages a similar empirical and innovative approach to surgery and perioperative care among our colleagues. The role of research and innovation in our world is a critical one, and this symposium affirms HMC’s commitment to excellence in research as an academic health system,” said Dr Abdulla al-Ansari, HMC’s deputy chief medical officer, Surgical Services.
Participants from hospitals all over Qatar presented research proposals and debated their ideas with a panel of research and innovation experts from HMC, National Centre for Cancer Care and Research (NCCCR), Qatar University (QU)’s College of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar, Sidra Medical and Research Centre, University College London - UK, and Mansoura University - Egypt.
The speakers’ lectures covered a range of topics, including HMC’s research design, ethics and processes, intellectual property and technology transfer, and step-by-step advice on medical writing.
The expert panel critiqued the research submissions, providing constructive comments to enhance the scientific content, design and methodological approach of the proposals, and assisting participants to develop their full potential in terms of their research ideas and medical writing skills. Presenters also participated in one-on-one workshops on the third day of the symposium.
Among the submissions, five outstanding research proposals - submitted by various teams from the hepatobiliary and liver transplant surgery, paediatric surgery, bariatric surgery, general surgery and anesthesia specialties - received prizes for their quality and relevance. In addition, Hamad General Hospital’s paediatric surgery section won the “Best Specialty - HGH” award, while Al Wakra Hospital’s urology section won the “Best Specialty – Tertiary Hospitals” award, for having the most number of proposals submitted.
Prof Egon Toft, dean of QU’s College of Medicine, said: “The research presented at the symposium outlined several projects with clear international potential, and will definitely be published in internationally recognised scientific journals when completed.”
Prof Alexander Knuth, medical director and CEO of HMC’s NCCCR and chair of Cancer Services at HMC, commended the quality and variety of the research proposals that were presented at the symposium.
