Qatari doctor seeks to break new ground in lymphoma research THE first female Qatari to be Western-trained and complete two fellowship progammes in cytopathology and lymphoproliferative disorders from the McGill University, Montreal, Canada, Dr Einas al-Kuwari said she would conduct several research studies, which would assist in advancing medical practice in the country. Though Dr al-Kuwari is only two weeks old in the Hamad Medical Corporation’s laboratory as an anatomical pathologist, she seemed ambitious and convinced about her decisions to go into research work. “I intend to focus attention on conducting more research in order to break new grounds in the prognosis and treatment of both cancerous and non-cancerous cases in Qatar, because I believe that focus was not much on research in the practice of medicine here,” she observed, adding that her focus would be mainly on a lymph nodes disease called ‘lymphoma’. She was of the view that the proceeds of her research efforts would bring about suggestions for new treatment of diseases that could be relatively cheaper than present rates. Dr al-Kuwari who finished the fellowship in cytopathology on June 30 last year and on lymphoproliferative disorders on June 30, 2008, told Gulf Times that right from school her interest has been ‘lymphoma’. “I got the inspiration from one of my lecturers, who is himself a pathologist. He always nudged us on to study hard and he was always discussing lymphoma,” she said. “Lymphomas are malignant cell infiltrations. It is also the general term for cancers that develop in the lymphatic system, which is part of the body’s immune defence system. The cause of most lymphomas is unknown. Some occur in individuals taking drugs to suppress their immune system,” she explained. The budding doctor who graduated as an anatomical pathologist from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, in 2006, was very enthusiastic about her planned research programme and hoped to work with her colleagues in the research efforts. “I believe that the field of research in medicine is still not yet fully explored and I hope that some of my colleagues would be willing to come on board because I am sure that during the process, we would stumble on many vital information that could lead to new exciting topics as well,” she said. At the moment, she assists the HMC in cytology – study of cells – to determine cases and suitable treatments for patients, but she is also very interested in conducting more clinical pathology. “As much as I love my job, I still want to explore more and acquire new knowledge and skills by attending courses and conferences and, in fact, I may be attending a conference coming up in Greece later this year,” she indicated. Apart from having many professional qualifications, including Fellow at College of American Pathologists, and a long list of continuing medical education trainings, she also paints at her leisure. GT

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