Doctors from all over the world gathered at a workshop organized by Weill Cornell Medicine – Qatar (WCM-Q) to explore multi-disciplinary approaches to preventing and treating infections in people with diabetes.

The three-day event, held at the Doha Hilton and hosted by WCM-Q with support from the Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF), brought together expert clinicians and researchers from institutions based in Qatar, the UK, Denmark, the US and elsewhere to share research findings and discuss avenues for future collaboration.

Bacterial and fungal infections are common in diabetes patients, particularly in the feet and lower limbs. In severe cases, infections may require amputation of the affected limb, and very severe infections can be fatal.

Giving the opening address, Dr. Shahrad Taheri, Chair of the event and Professor of Medicine at WCM-Q, said: “Infections are a very serious, yet much neglected complication of diabetes and it is therefore very encouraging to see so many of you here today to share your knowledge with one another. By taking a multidisciplinary approach to diabetes research and treatment we give ourselves the best chance of developing improved care of patients with diabetes, both in Qatar and the wider world.

“Thanks to the support of Qatar National Research Fund and other investment in biomedical research, Qatar is fast becoming one of the best places in the world to conduct diabetes research.”

The workshop, entitled ‘Infections in Patients with Diabetes Mellitus: Evolving Challenges for the 21st Century’ featured presentations, panel discussions and networking sessions aimed at reviewing current understanding of diabetes and identifying the research initiatives needed to satisfy unmet medical needs for diagnosis, treatment and prevention of infections in patients with diabetes.

Dr. Thenaa Khorsheed,
Acting Director/Program Manager of Biomedical and Health Sciences
at QNRF, gave a presentation about the role of QNRF in medical research in Qatar, which was one of 22 presentations given over the three days by representatives of institutions including Hamad Medical Corporation, Sidra Medical and Research Center, Copenhagen Diabetes Research Center (Denmark) and the Department of Public Health at the University of Birmingham, UK. Topics included treatment and prevention of foot infections in diabetes patients, the genetic basis of type-2 diabetes, and novel approaches to diagnosing diabetes, among many others.

Dr. Stephen Atkin, Professor of Medicine at WCM-Q, spoke about individualized therapy as an evolving practice in the treatment of type-2 diabetes. He said: “Type-2 diabetes is a very complex and difficult disease to treat and is made even more so because each patient is different. This means that individualized care is absolutely crucial to ensure that each patient achieves the very best health outcomes possible. By sharing knowledge at events such as this we can develop a collaborative approach to treatment that will help us to deliver the individualized care that patients with diabetes need.”

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