THE Infectious Disease Epidemiology Group (IDEG) at Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar (WCM-Q) has recently been designated as World Health Organisation (WHO) Collaborating Center for Infectious Disease Epidemiology Analytics. It is the first of its kind in the Mediterranean region, which consists of 22 countries with a combined population of nearly 583 million people.
It is a milestone in the journey of WCM-Q, one of Qatar Foundation’s partner universities. The institution, established in Qatar on April 9, 2001, can be really proud of the excellent achievement as it has been elevated to the elite group of medical establishments of the world and the WCM-Q. The IDEG at WCM-Q, led by Dr. Laith Abu Raddad, Professor of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, has carried out over 100 studies on the epidemiology of viral hepatitis, HIV/Aids and sexually-transmitted diseases (STDs) in the region. The researches, most of which were funded by Qatar National Research Fund, have been instrumental in improving the understanding of the epidemiology of the diseases, with several of them being resulted in helping WHO formulate its public health policy and programmes for the region.
“Achieving WHO collaborating centre status is the fruit of relentless work done by the IDEG over the past decade,” said Professor Abu Raddad, adding: “This designation allows us to become a formal partner of an international collaborative network carrying out activities in support of WHO’s public health mission and programmes, and allows us to make a real tangible impact in the region’s fight against infectious diseases.”
Epidemiology, or in other words, the study and analysis of the distribution, patterns and determinants of health and disease conditions in a defined population, plays a vital role in managing public health as its helps in making policy decisions and evidence-based practice by identifying risk factors and targets for preventive healthcare. Epidemiology plays a part in controlling transmission, outbreak and surveillance of an illness, which are crucial factors in the protection of general population from any infectious disease.
The current COVID-19 pandemic is a proof of the importance of epidemiology, as experts are still struggling to fully understand the nature of the highly contagious infection. The way a pathogen affects people in different regions can be varied depending on lifestyle factors, environment and genetics of a certain population in a particular region. Hence, the analysis of a disease in a particular area is vital in identifying specific protocols and treatment methods for tackling it. The collaboration will offer WCM-Q students an invaluable opportunity to take part in practice-based projects and possibly be involved with WHO in implementing some of their programmes. The WHO designation is a shot in the arm for the students and the region.
