Doha: Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) has announced the names of some key international speakers who form part of the core faculty at the upcoming 5th Qatar International Mental Health Conference, which will be held at the Westin Hotel in Doha on December 2 and 3.
“The Qatar International Mental Health Conference is the premier conference in the Arab World on this topic,” said Dr Suhaila Ghuloum, Senior Consultant Psychiatrist at HMC’s Mental Health Service and Chairperson of the Mental Health Conference. “This is the fifth event organised by HMC to promote learning and international best practice exchange among healthcare professionals with an interest in mental health in this region.”
Dr Ghuloum outlined the exciting new developments of the conference, which include wide ranging topics on various fields related to mental health and specialist care for children, adolescents, adults and older adults: “Mental health research is so essential and as yet underrepresented in this region and a core objective has been to encourage more research initiatives. This year’s programme features several oral sessions which will showcase the research and quality initiatives in Qatar and from the region; and our aim is to use the conference as a platform to explore and promote research collaborations.”
Professor Peter Woodruff, Chair of Psychiatry and Medical Director of the Mental Health Service at HMC, said: “Mental illness is common across the world and can have a major impact on people’s lives and those of their families. Research in understanding the causes of mental illnesses and the best ways to treat them is essential in order to provide the most appropriate up-to-date treatments and services. This conference will provide an opportunity for all those involved in helping people with mental illness to learn the latest developments in mental health research so as to apply that understanding in order to provide the best possible care for their patients”.
The lectures and workshops aimed at healthcare professionals will be delivered by experts from around the world.
Experts such as Dr Zeina Chemali, who is the Director of the Neuropsychiatry Clinics and Training in the Departments of Psychiatry and Neurology at Massachusetts General Hospital, will attend the conference. She is one of the few physicians in the US who is dually boarded in psychiatry and neurology.
Colm McDonald, Professor of Psychiatry at National University of Ireland, Galway and Consultant Psychiatrist, West Galway Mental Health Services has his clinical research programme in Ireland focused on investigating neurobiological and neuroimaging abnormalities associated with major psychotic and affective disorders, as well as health services research.
