The event aims to highlight innovations and advances in mental health and promote collaboration among healthcare professionals.
The Qatar International Mental Health Conference, scheduled to take place in Doha from 25-27 May will serve as a platform for the exchange of experiences, knowledge, and research in the field of mental health.
Organised by the Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), the conference aims to bring together renowned clinicians, scientists, and researchers in the mental health domain, to offer a unique educational forum for healthcare professionals, including doctors, nurses, and allied health professionals working in and with mental health.
The conference has been locally organised with a focus on regional and international audiences under the theme “Mental Health for All: Innovations, challenges and spearheading change regionally.”
According to Dr. Majid Alabdulla, the Chairman and Medical Director of Mental Health Services at HMC, the event will highlight the latest innovations and advances in mental health, and bring together diverse disciplines in a shared learning environment.
Delegates attending the conference can expect a platform for networking and collaboration.
The Assistant Executive Director of Clinical Service Development and head of the mental health helpline at HMC, Katja Warwick-Smith, emphasised the importance of investing in learning about improvements in treatments, sharing experiences of what patients want, and advancing well-being promotion and prevention of mental health.
“When one in four people have to deal with some form of mental health problem, it is essential that we invest in learning about improvements in treatments and share experiences of what patients want,” she said.
“This conference will showcase local, regional, and international speakers who will share their knowledge and their expertise on a wide range of topics addressing not just the advancements in treatment for mental health problems but also in wellbeing promotion and prevention of mental health.”
The conference will feature local, regional, and international experts, including renowned professors of Exercise and Obesity, Carnegie School of Sport, Leeds Beckett University in the UK, and Prof Paul Gately, who will deliver a keynote speech on the Impact of obesity on well-being across life. Registrar at Royal College of Psychiatrists, UK, Dr. Trudi Seneviratne, will speak on ‘Woman’s Mental Health.’
In addition, the event will include one day of intensive workshop sessions followed by two days of plenary sessions, and oral and poster presentations.
While most of the conference will be held in English, a few intensive workshop sessions will be offered in Arabic on the first day.
Senior Consultant Psychiatrist at HMC’s Mental Health Services, Dr. Zerak Al Salihy, described the conference as an exceptional opportunity to participate in plenary sessions and innovative workshops, offering knowledge enrichment and networking opportunities.