National Child Health Research Strategy: National Genetics Research Workshop
Following the recommendations from the December 2011 National Child Health Research Strategy Workshop to conduct national workshops on specific research topics related to child health, a National Genetics Research Workshop was held on 4 December, 2012. This workshop brought together genetic researchers from around the country including the Qatar Foundation, Supreme Health Council, Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar, Sidra Medical and Research Centre and Shafallah Medical and Genetics Center. The objectives of the workshop were to:
- Foster the continued development of a collaborative community of genetics/genomics researchers in the State of Qatar, with a particular focus on child health
- Develop an integrated vision (basic science, clinical research, population based research and supporting infrastructure) for genetics/genomic research in Qatar
The morning session began with a keynote talk by Head of the Program in Genetics and Genome Biology at the SickKids Research Institute, Dr. Stephen Meyn. It was followed by talks by some of the organizations represented at the workshop, with a focus on describing the genetic research activity at that institution, the infrastructure available and the collaborations in place. The afternoon focused on discussion of how best to foster collaboration moving forward, and on what the opportunities for Qatar were in terms of developing a larger collaborative vision for genetics research.
Afternoon discussion focused on picking up on some of the issues/opportunities identified through the morning’s presentations and subsequent discussion, participants were asked to focus on opportunities to further develop collaborative research capacity in the afternoon. It was suggested the discussion could focus in four areas, arising from the morning presentations:
- Training opportunities, to deepen collaboration
- Infrastructure – both equipment and human infrastructure
- Collaborations taking place and how to deepen these
Seizing opportunities for genetic research – FORGE and DECODE the opportunity the biobank presents
Workshop Outcomes:
While the day was a success in bringing together members of the genetic research community, it was clear that to further develop collaborative, regular research meetings they need to be organized by the community. It was suggested that regular meetings in either a journal club format or research presentations would promote collaboration and cooperation. More work needs to be done to maximize the genetic research advantages that could be arise from the proposed new national biobank.
A future workshop is being planned for September 2013 on the topic of 'Injury Prevention in Childhood'.
