Child Health Research Committee In pursuing the HMC vision (health, education and research), the department of pediatrics and the HMC/SKI partnership project took a major initiative to establish a Child Health Research Committee (CHRC). The CHRC was established just over a year ago. Utilizing SickKids knowledge base and expertise in the area, the partnership aims to raise the profile and stature of child health research within HMC and the country by building capacity and sustainability.
To date, HMC/SKI collaborated to organize the First Annual Child Health Research Day in 2011. Researchers from HMC presented exciting data on conditions that were more common to Qatar than elsewhere, which may lead to early treatment and possibly prevention; the day was a success. The Second Annual Child Health Research Day was held in January 2012, it was organized by HMC researches with some support from SKI.
To increase research skills, capability, and develop high-quality research projects addressed to improving Child Health in Qatar, HMC/SKI organized a six-month training course for child health researchers. HMC/SKI, in collaboration with Qatar Foundation, Sidra, Shafallah, Weill Cornell Medical School in Qatar and other organizations, met in December 2011 to develop a National Child Health Strategy for Qatar.
Ongoing work includes fostering collaborative efforts between child health researchers towards the promotion of a National Ethics Board, which will review research projects, create job descriptions, clarify roles, and develop standards for research processes.
NICU Research Day The Neonatology Division, in line with the HMC initiative to establish and promote a world-class academic centre, has been fostering research to enhance delivery standards of evidence-based patient care. Progress to date includes the introduction of the Neonatal Fellowship Program, an increase in the number and quality of research projects and recruitment focused on education and research. Select research projects have been published in reputable peer-review journals, have been referenced internationally, and have been included in the most comprehensive systemic review databases, such as Cochran Library.
The 2nd Annual Neonatal Research Day was held on 7 March, 2012 and was well-attended, informative, and an all-around success! It was an all-day event, where research presentations ranged from experimental trails on “Noise Level of HFOV inside NICU” and retrospective studies on “Trends in Birth Prevalence of Gastroschesis” to case reports on “Congenital Scalp Myofibroma” and epidemiological studies on “Gestational Age-Specific Neonatal Survival in the State of Qatar”. Supporting academic research provides a substantive source of knowledge and primary resource in the refinement of clinical practice and quality improvement, which is essential to increasing the quality of patient-care. Fostering the culture of academic and evidence-based clinical approaches introduces new technology and modes of patient managements, and builds international recognition.
