Qatar Biomedical Research Institute (QBRI), part of Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), hosted a series of events throughout November to raise diabetes awareness and encourage the community to adopt a lifestyle that promotes prevention of the disease. The drive follows a series of initiatives carried out in previous months by QBRI to increase the understanding of breast cancer and Alzheimer’s disease.
The diabetes awareness campaign, held in collaboration with the Qatar Diabetes Association (QDA), was well-timed with World Diabetes Day, recognised each year on November 14. Through the initiative, QBRI and QDA highlighted to the community the risk factors associated with the disease, health complications related to the condition, and how early screening can ensure healthy and improved long-term outcomes.
A ‘Join the Walk’ event held at Oxygen Park in Education City on November 9 provided an opportunity for participants to learn more about QBRI’s current and future areas of research in the field of diabetes.
Consecutively, an enjoyable and informative event took place at the Mall of Qatar on November 16, where visitors met with diabetes experts and researchers from the QBRI and QDA, who introduced attendees to the initiatives held in Qatar to tackle diabetes.
Dr Omar El-Agnaf, acting executive director at QBRI, said, “Diabetes is a global epidemic and one of several diseases that are high on Qatar’s healthcare agenda. The research conducted at our institute aims to improve the level of healthcare in Qatar and shed light on the importance of diabetes prevention, early detection and treatment."
On November 20, HBKU and the wider Qatar Foundation communities were invited to participate in a diabetes risk assessment session at the Researchery Building where they had their blood sugar levels and blood pressure tested, along with their height and weight.

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