Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) participated in the biennial WISH 2020 conference that took place between November 15 and 19, discussed the most pressing issues facing global healthcare systems today as an official partner.

Under the theme ‘One World, Our Health’, the event brought together the world’s best leading thinkers and practitioners and covered topics related to climate change and health, COVID-19, digital mental health, immunology, infectious disease, and much more.

HBKU made an extensive contribution to the 10 core research topics and issues discussed. Dr. Paul Thornalley, Director at Qatar Biomedical Research Institute Diabetes Research Center (QBRI), chaired a session titled 'Emerging Diagnostics, Repurposed Therapeutics, and Prophylactics for COVID-19' on November 16.

Moreover, Dr. Georges Nemer, a Professor at the College of Health and Life Sciences, participated in a discussion on cancer care.

The following day, Dr. Dena Al Thani, Assistant Professor at the College of Science and Engineering, contributed to an expert forum panel on mental health and digital technology. Dr. Ahmed Elmagarmid, Executive Director of Qatar Computing Research Institute, joined a discussion on cybersecurity and healthcare later that day.

November 18 saw Dr. Omar El-Agnaf, Executive Director of QBRI, participating in a session on dementia. Dr. Fouad Alshaban, Senior Scientist, QBRI, gave a talk on the Effect of COVID-19 on Autism Spectrum Disorder, presenting preliminary findings of a research project done in collaboration with Qatar Autism Society and WISH.

On the same day, Dr. Mohammed Ghaly, Professor at the College of Islamic Studies’ Research Center for Islamic Legislation and Ethics, co-chaired a forum on infertility and Islamic ethics. He discussed the findings and policy recommendations of a new report Islamic Ethics and Infertility Treatment, which he co-authored. 

Aside from the main sessions, Dr. Majbour was among the 30 winners from 11 countries for the WISH 2020 two Innovation Award competitions ‘Spark’ and ‘Booster.’ QABY, a rising biotech start-up represented by Dr. Majbour, was among the Spark winners. The initiative aims to translate healthcare innovations from academia to industry, supporting an applied knowledge-based economy.

In keeping with many events around the world, WISH was a fully immersive virtual summit and also featured an interactive Innovation Hub where HBKU showcased its cutting-edge technology solutions for healthcare.

For more information on HBKU’s initiatives, please visit www.hbku.edu.qa

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