Clinicians and researchers from Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) and other organisations in Qatar gathered recently to exchange research ideas and gain new knowledge at the third Research Forum.
Organised by HMC’s Medical Research Centre, the event is conducted regularly as part of efforts to foster a strong research culture and promote the development of high-quality research at HMC and in Qatar.
HMC researchers represented the majority of the third Research Forum’s 142 delegates, with additional attendees from Qatar University, Sidra Medical and Research Center, Weill Cornell Medicine in Qatar and Hamad Bin Khalifa University.  
The meeting addressed current research on infectious diseases undertaken by researchers in HMC and affiliated biomedical institutes in Qatar. Dr Abdullatif al-Khal, senior consultant and deputy chief medical officer of HMC welcomed the participants.
Prof Ibrahim Janahi, HMC’s executive director of research said: “The Research Forum provides a platform for those interested in research to exchange expertise and research knowledge. Research is vital to achieving HMC’s vision for healthcare in Qatar. Research enables the development of new and improved treatments and helps our healthcare teams to deliver the safest, most effective and most compassionate care to our patients.”
Researchers from HMC and Qatar University presented their studies during the forum. Research topics included streptococcus anginosus infections, H1N1 influenza, candidiasis or yeast infections, hepatitis C, food-borne diseases, tuberculosis, pseudomonas aeruginosa cystic fibrosis, and a study on increasing immunogenicity of influenza and human immunodeficiency virus vaccines.
The Research Forum consists of two main segments to guide researchers and share research work across HMC. The first is “Bring your research” a segment where the Research Support Committee provides advice and guidance for researchers on any aspect of clinical, public health, biomedical, molecular and basic science research.
The second segment is “Present your research” which provides an opportunity for biomedicine researchers in Qatar to present their ongoing or published research around the central clinical or research topic for each assembly, with the third assembly focusing on infectious disease.