We are pleased to announce that Mr. Ahmad Abu Helwa, MSc (Pharm) has accepted a formal offer to join us as a Research Assistant in the new Pharmaceutics and Polymeric Drug Delivery Research Laboratory (PPDDRL) that has recently been established in the College of Pharmacy. 

Mr. Abu Helwa completed a BSc in Pharmacy at University of Jordan in 2009, followed by MSc in Pharmaceutical Sciences with distinction at the University of Iowa, USA in 2011. Mr. Abu Helwa’s main specialty is Pharmaceutics with emphasis on the development and characterization of sustained release dosage forms. He worked as a research & teaching assistant at the Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan (2006-2009) and at the Department of Pharmaceutics & Translational Therapeutics at the University of Iowa, USA (2009-2011). Mr. Abu Helwa’s experience and contributions to the field were documented in peer reviewed publications, scientific reports and conferences abstracts. Mr. Abu Helwa has hands on experience in conducting experiments using analytical instruments, including HPLC, GC, FT-IR, UV and DSC. He has also an extensive experience in tablet formulation, dissolution testing, drug release modeling, spray drying process, spray congealing process and in vitro cytotoxicity assays.

Mr. Abu Helwa is the second Research Assistant to be appointed in the new state of the art PPDDRL lead by Dr. Husam Younes. The laboratory recently received US $2.3 M funding (3 grants) from Qatar Foundation National Priority Research Program to support research pertaining to the development and characterization of novel polymers for controlled/targeted drug delivery and tissue engineering applications.

Mr. Abu Helwa will be an active member of a research team of undergraduate and graduate students, research assistants and postdoctoral fellows in the PPDDR Laboratory. We welcome Mr. Abu Helwa to our team and have no doubt that his contributions will strengthen our goal of advancing pharmacy research and health outcomes in this country.

Welcome onboard, Mr. Abu Helwa!

The College of Pharmacy has participated in the 2nd Biomedical and Translational Research Symposium organized by Anti-Doping Lab Qatar (May 16 & 17, 2012) with a delegation from the faculty members Drs. Ashraf Khalil, Mohamed Izham and Shankar Munusamy. Dr. Ashraf delivered a presentation entitled “Pharmaceutical Sciences Research in the College of Pharmacy: An overview".

The two-day symposium included 19 speakers covering different topics from all over the world. A number of research related Qatari institutions with medical and educational backgrounds have participated in the event including Hamad Medical Corporation, Sidra, Shafallah Centre, Qatar National Research Fund, Qatar Foundation and Weill Cornell Medical College Qatar, among others. The symposium has also brought related organizations from outside Qatar, like the World Anti-Doping Laboratory, the Austrian Institute of Technology-Seibersdorf Laboratories, Lebanese University, Università del Sannio and others.

Faculty researchers Dr. Fatima Mraiche and Dr. Daoud Al Badriyeh were the recipients of two 2011AY Qatar University Research Grants totaling almost QAR 300,000.

Dr. Mraiche received her research grant for her project entitled "In Vitro Regulation of Na+/H+ Exchange Isoform 1 Activity and Expression in Cardiac Hypertrophy Through Inhibition of p90 Ribosomal S6 Kinase". This project focuses on investigation into the causes of heart failure. Heart failure is estimated to account for 29% of the yearly total mortality worldwide with approximately 16.7 million deaths per annum. According to the American Heart Association, an estimated 550,000 new cases of heart failure occur every year. Heart failure is recognized as a major public health burden in Qatar and is listed as national research priority. In 2002, ischemic heart disease was one of the leading causes of death in Qatar. The magnitude of the problem in Qatar and around the world necessitates research efforts aimed to better understand the complex pathways involved in the onset of heart failure, with the hope of identifying therapeutic targets for the early diagnosis, treatment and prevention. Through her research project, Dr. Mraiche will contribute to a better understanding the fundamental underlying mechanisms in the development of heart failure, particularly during pathological hypertrophy, likely holds the key for potentially effective heart failure management. The outcome of her research will allow her and other scientists, whether in Qatar or around the world, to initiate future studies and elaborate on our ideas, which will further advance our understanding of heart failure and its management. The project will also introduce state of the art techniques in Qatar such as the creation and use of adenoviruses for research purposes. She states that this type of research will be a very important building step in preparation for the Qatar Cardiovascular Research Centre and establishing Qatar as an important research hub. In addition, this type of research and breeding of scientists will also be important in paving the way for Qatar to achieve the highest international standards in biomedical research.

Dr. Al Badriyeh received his research grant for his project entitled "The Impact of a Structured Evidence-based Drug Selection Approach in Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) in Qatar". This project will be conducted with collaborators from HMC pharmacy and medical departments (Ms. Manal Zaidan, Dr. Michael Fahey, Dr. Abdullatif Al Khal) as well as the University of Jordan (Dr. Ibrahim Al-Abbadi). This project focuses on investigation into further improvements of the process of selecting life-saving medications for patients with cardiovascular and cancer diseases in the Qatar acute care hospital setting using an adaptation of a previously applied drug selection approach known as “Safe Therapeutic Economic Pharmaceutical Selection (STEPS)”. The study will target two classes of medications (angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) and colony stimulating factors (CSFs)) and will assess the benefits of applying a systematic selection approach at the large teaching hospital to ensure the best product is selected for use. If successful, this study is expected to lead to a more evidence-based interprofessional approach to medication formulary decision-making in the hospital setting, increase medication safety and ultimately reduce medication associated costs. Ultimately, Dr. Badriyeh hopes to see improved patient care outcomes resulting from this novel innovation. The unique project also represents a capacity-building exercise within Qatar that is in alignment with the national health strategy with a focus on health policy rather than direct patient care. As such, this project is an important complement to the balance of research being undertaken in this college and in Qatar.

The college is grateful to the Qatar University Office of Academic Research for selecting this health care research projects for funding and wishes the investigators success in their pursuit of new knowledge that directly contributes to the well being of the citizens of this country.

Dr Ahmed Awaisu attended and orally presented a research paper at the Geneva Health Forum 2012 (GHF 2012). He won a travel grant from the organizers to attend the conference. The conference was held at the International Conference Center of Geneva, Switzerland from 18 to 20 April, 2012. Over 1000 participants from different countries attended the forum. The theme of the GHF this year was “towards global access to health” with much emphasis on chronic diseases, especially the non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Overall, the forum reframed the global debate on access to healthcare by gathering multi-sectorial representation of front liners including researchers, healthcare professionals, social and community health workers, and policymakers. Strategies for translating research and policy into practice were highlighted by tapping on testimonies from experts and front liners.

For a copy of the presentation slides, visit the Presentations webpage.   

Assistant Professor Dr. Dalia Hamdy delivered an invited presentation at the CAS Department of Health Sciences (DHS) Aging and Health Forum. Dr. Hamdy's April 19, 2012 presentation was entitled "Aging and Drugs" in which she focussed on a variety of topics including geriatric prevalence statistics, the age/gender gap, impediments to safe use of medications in the elderly, inappropriate prescribing, medication non-adherence, the role of the pharmacist and related topics. Dr. Hamdy was joined by speakers from DHS, Hamad Medical Corporation, the Qatar Institution for Elderly Persons' Care, Supreme Council for Health and elsewhere. The program was sponsored by the Qatar National Food Security Program and was attended by registrants with a common interest in optimizing health in the geriatric patient.

For a copy of the presentation slides, visit the Presentations webpage.   

The College of Pharmacy hosted a student and faculty information session on April 19, 2012 to provide MSc program updates and answer questions to interested students and faculty in preparation for second application cycle for the novel program. Dean Jewesson and Dr. Mohamad Ibrahim hosted the event, with contributions from Drs. Sherief Khalifa, Ashraf Khalil, Fatima Mraiche, Shankar Munusamy, Dalia Hamdy and Husam Younes. Iman Abdel Aziz, the first MSc student accepted by the college also contributed to the event by describing her positive experiences in the program over the past 6 months.

The MSc program in the college is the first graduate degree program in a health science field in the country and has been in operation since September 2011. The graduate program now accepts applications from both BSc (Pharm) graduates and BSc graduates from other science programs including chemistry, biology, biomedical sciences, human nutrition, chemical engineering or related field. The program is designed to provide an opportunity for students to advance their knowledge, skills and attitudes in specific areas of interest within the pharmaceutical sciences. The program also prepares students for research, teaching and specialty positions requiring personnel with a strong background in these speciality areas. As the program only accepts a small number of students, the faculty:student ratio is exceptional and students will be well prepared with the research skills needed to carry out quality basic and applied studies to support the health-related research plans for this country. Graduate students specialize in one of the pharmaceutical sciences research focus areas including pharmacognosy, medicinal chemistry, pharmacology, pharmacokinetics and pharmaceutics. The scope of the degree will include any aspect of the discovery, development, analysis and use of medicines to improve health care and related outcomes.

This year the program will accept up to 7 graduate students into the program. Five PhD-trained pharmaceutical sciences faculty are prepared to act as research supervisors for these incoming students, and collaboration with off campus site partners including Qatar Pharma and the Anti-Doping Laboratory – Qatar is being sought. Scholarships are available and students are also eligible to work as Graduate Teaching Interns during their tenure in the program.

Interested applicants are encouraged to go to the college website or contact the college for further information. To view the presentation slides and/or video capture of the event, go to the following link.

The College of Pharmacy was pleased to host Rawda Bint Jassim high school students on the Qatar University campus on March 29, 2012 to promote a career in health care. Academic Advisor Ms. Ghada Al Kuwari delivered a presentation on “Top 10 Reasons To Be A Pharmacist” and provided information about the college, the teaching and learning facilities and admission requirements. The female students were introduced to the college “smart classrooms”, online course management software, lecture capture and the importance of technology in the delivery of pharmacy and health care. Ms. Rifqah Al-Ward, a recent graduate of the college also gave a presentation to the students about the unique community and hospital professional skills laboratories that the college uses to simulate the practice environment in order to better prepare the students for clinical responsibilities as a member of the interprofessional health care team. Two senior BSc (Pharm) students Raja Barazi and Arwa Hammuda also were on hand to answer student questions and to talk about their experience as a pharmacy student in the college.

While on campus, the students also visited the Department of Health Sciences to learn about the Biomedical Science and Human Nutrition programs offered at Qatar University.

College of Pharmacy (CPH) participated in the second annual College of North Atlantic – Qatar(CNA-Q) Clinical Skills Competition on March 28, 2012. In the spirit of collaboration and through the efforts of the Qatar Interprofessional Health Care Council, six teams of students from CNA-Q, Weill Cornell Medical College, University of Calgary – Qatar and Qatar University participated in the competition. Each team consisted of students from nine different programs at these institutions including respiratory therapy, environmental health, pharmacy technician, medical radiography, dental assistance, emergency medical services, nursing, medicine and pharmacy.

During the competition, students were presented with different clinical scenarios that were developed by the coordinators. The students were assessed individually and on their ability to work as a team to resolve a variety of clinical problems that they could expect to encounter in the health care setting. Six senior students from CPH participating in the competition this year including Reem Nakeeb, Muna Ismail, Ayat Hammad, Raja Barazi, Amna Fadul, and Amina Benilles. These students were assessed in terms of medication counseling and communication skills pertaining to oral anticoagulation therapy for deep vein thrombosis and the use of bronchodilator inhalers for asthmatic patients. Drs. Maguy El Hajj and Ahmed Awaisu contributed to the event by working with the CNA-Q organizing team, providing two of the clinical scenarios and assessment rubrics that were used during the competition, and acting as judges. Miss Rifqa Al Ward (QU CPH BSc graduate and now working in the college professional skills laboratories) contributed to the competition as a simulated patient. All CPH students did well in the clinical skills competition, Muna Ismail was ranked the top pharmacy student participant and Ayat Hammad's team was ranked the best team.

Interprofessional education is recognized by the World Health Organization as an initiative that can lead to improved collaborative health care and ultimately better patient outcomes in the community and hospital settings. In recognition of this, the health care degree programs in this country are working together for the benefit of the citizens of this country and to ensure we meet the goals of the Qatar National Health Strategy. (Al Jazeera TV video)

The college had yet another successful showing at the annual Dubai International Pharmaceuticals and Technologies Conference and Exhibition (DUPHAT; http://www.duphat.ae/) event this year. This 3-day scientific conference and exhibition is held under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum and attracts more than 10,000 participants from around the world including pharmacists, physicians, scientists, pharmaceutical manufacturers and academia.

This year the college was represented by Drs. Sherief Khalifa, Mohamad Ibrahim, Emily Black and Nadir Kheir. Also in attendance was Ms. Tammy King and four BSc (Pharm) students, Ghadeer Daghash, Sahar Selmi, Eman Remoden and Muna Al-Ismail.

Ms. King coordinated another well-received college exhibit and informational booth at the conference to promote our programs, the university and the country of Qatar. Student recruitment for the new MSc (Pharm) program this year was a primary focus, and the college fielded many questions from interested attendees from the region. The new MSc (Pharm) program is now accepting applications from non-pharmacy BSc holders and this will further increase the interest of this program to exceptional students from other science programs within and external to Qatar.

This year college faculty members and students presented nine research posters and delivered two research podium presentations. The college was also the recipient of two research awards including 4th Place (of 26 presentations) in the Student Oral Presentation competition (Eman Mohamed Remoden under the supervision of Dr.Sherief Khalifa) achieved ) and 7th Best (of 129 research posters) in the Thematic Pharmacy Student Poster (Ghadeer Daghash and Sahar Selmi under the supervison of Dr.Kerry Wilbur).

Our congratulations to the college faculty and students for another strong representation at this important scientific event this year. Well done!

For further information, go to the following links to view the posters and presentations. (photo gallery)

Qatar Pharmacy Undergraduate Society (QPhUS) recently held its 4th Annual Potluck event. "Potluck" refers to a meal at which each guest brings food that is then shared by all. Over 60 students, staff and faculty attended and brought dishes from their countries of origin. The college has a very diverse population and over 25 countries were represented this year.

The college is pleased to announce that Dr. Kerry Wilbur has successfully completed the requirements for a MSc in Public Health degree from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine's Distance Learning Programme which operates in collaboration with the University of London International Programmes. The 15 module, 180-credit program involved courses in epidemiology, health economics, financial management, principles of social research, analytical models for decision making, managing health policy, health promotion and statistics. All examinations were delivered at the British Council facilities in Doha. Dr. Wilbur completed the program over a 3-year period, and was also awarded a postgraduate diploma in public health part way through the program. Approximately 800 students worldwide are enrolled in this distance learning program while another 130 are actually located in London.

"Public health" refers what we do as a society to assure conditions that promote the good health of our citizens. The profession of pharmacy can play a major role in public health. Under the National Health Strategy, one public health initiative is to initiate an interprofessional practice model of chronic disease management to ensure continuity of care across all sectors of the health care system. Community pharmacists are a critical component of this interprofessional chronic disease management team and our college is working hard towards increasing the role of pharmacists in Qatar. This is being undertaken though the preparation of our students and professional development of existing pharmacists to better promote health improvement, wellness, and disease prevention in cooperation with patients, communities and the balance of the interprofessional health care provider team.

Our congratulations to Dr. Wilbur on being the first college faculty member to complete an additional degree while maintaing a full academic load. In addition to her responsibilities as a professor in the clinical pharmacy and practice section, Dr. Wilbur is the Director of the newly launched Doctor of Pharmacy program.

For more information about the MSc program, go to www.lshtm.ac.uk/php/. For more information about the Qatar University Doctor of Pharmacy Program, go to www.qu.edu.qa/pharmacy/program/PharmD_Program.php. 

The college participated in a joint presentation on the new HMC Academic Health System Initiative on February 22, 2012. This initiative will strengthen the relationship between the university and our partners at HMC, WCMC-Q, UC-Q, CNA-Q and Sidra. Details of the partnership were outlined by presenters QU College of Pharmacy Dean Prof Peter Jewesson, HMC Managing Director Dr Hanan Al-Kuwari, HMC Chief of Medical, Academic and Research Affairs Prof Edward Hillhouse, and College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) Associate Dean for Research Dr Mohamed Ahmedna. For further information, refer to the QU Campus Life article.

Five College of Pharmacy faculty members recently received research rewards under the Qatar University Research Award Program. The program aims at honoring the efforts of outstanding QU researchers who have published peer-reviewed research papers with journal impact factors above 1.0 . This innovative program aims to increase research productivity and the University's academic rank. The college members who received research rewards were Drs. Husam Younes, Kerry Wilbur, Maguy El Hajj, Dalia Hamdy, and Daoud Al Badriyeh. The research papers can be found by clicking on the member names. More information about the research reward program can be found here.

Qatar National Research Fund Undergraduate Research Experience Program (UREP) announced the results of its 11th grant cycle in February 2012. The College of Pharmacy received seven research grants and these were awarded to Drs. Maguy El Hajj , Ahmed Nadir Kheir, Fatima Mraiche, Ahmed Awaisu, Daoud Al-Badriyeh, Emily Black and Husam Younes. The projects focus on topics that are in alignment with the National Health Strategy and include cardiovascular disease causes and prevention, clinical pharmacist practices, generic medicines, optimizing pharmaceutical delivery and antibiotic stewardship. The college achieved a 70% application success rate for this cycle and this was the highest number of awards ever received. For more information about UREP, go here.

During the 2010 academic year, the college hosted Dr. Sara Al Dahir, its first USA Fulbright Scholar. Dr. Al Dahir had a full experience and made many positive teaching and research contributions during her time with the college. As described by Dr. Al Dahir, the experience was advantageous to both the award recipient and the hosting institution. Under the Fulbright Scholar or related programs, the college offers a unique opportunity for any qualified academic who can make a meaningful contribution to our program. Dr. Al Dahir is now a member of the college's "extended family", as we thoroughly enjoyed our time together and we wish her well in her professional and personal pursuits.

Dr. Al Dahir's letter to the American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education describing her experience can be viewed here.  

We are pleased to announce that Ms. Rifqa Al Ward, BSc in Pharmacy from Qatar University College of Pharmacy, has accepted to join our college as a part time Professional Skills Laboratory Technician to support the professional skills labs and SPEP rotations.

Rifqa received her Bachelor in pharmacy degree in 2011. During undergraduate years, Rifqa had the opportunity to have six months of training as a pharmacist in different pharmacy settings (as part of her SPEP rotations). Those included hospital, primary health clinics, and community settings. Additionally, she conducted two undergraduate research projects. The first one was about “Assessing community pharmacy characteristics in Qatar” and the second one was about “Palladium catalyzed synthesis of arylpiperazines using microwave irradiation”. Rifqa was in the College of Pharmacy QPhUS executive team for four years, as a class representative.

We are very happy to have Rifqa coming back to our college as a staff member, and we are sure that she will have a very important role in the success of the college.

Welcome onboard, Ms. Rifqa!

We are pleased to announce that Ms. Taqdess Mahroof, Bachelor in Science, has accepted a formal offer to join the College of Pharmacy as a Laboratory Technician to support the MSc program.

Taqdees received a Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree in Biotechnology and minor in Chemistry from Saint Cloud State University (SCSU), MN, USA in 2009. During her studies, Taqdess had the opportunity to conduct a research about anti-cancer activity of Ruthenium metal complexes with DNA. After graduation, she worked at Marshfield Food Safety LLC as a Laboratory Analyst.

We are very happy to have Taqdees joining us and we are sure that she will have a very important role in the success of the MSc program and ultimately the college.

Welcome onboard, Ms. Taqdees!

Six members of the college contributed to the third annual Qatar University Office of Faculty Instructional Development "OFID Days 3" event during February 13-15, 2012. Drs. Daoud Al Badriyeh, Fatima Mraiche, Nadir Kheir, Sherief Khalifa, Dalia Hamdy and Husam Younes delivered six successful presentations and facilitated workshops to fellow faculty during the 3-day event.

The college delivers an internationally-accredited curriculum that employs many innovative instructional methods aimed at improving learning outcomes. The faculty members were pleased to share some of their experiences with colleagues, and in turn learn from the experiences of others. The college has been an active participant of OFID Days since its inception in 2010, and we congratulate Dr. Dalal Moukarzel, Director, QU OFID on the organization of this important event.

To view the presentation slides of the faculty members, visit the Presentation webpage.

Five members of the college contributed to the first Qatar University Office of Faculty Instructional Development Edutech event on January 24, 2012. Drs. Dalia Hamdy, Maguy El Hajj, Nadir Kheir and Ms. Reem Al Mannai and Shaima Al Gharaibeh delivered three workshop presentations to fellow university faculty during the event.

The college delivers an internationally-accredited curriculum that employs the use of several technologies to enhance the educational experience and learning outcomes. The faculty members were pleased to share some of their experiences with our colleagues, and in turn learn from others. The college has been an active participant of OFID events since its inception, and we congratulate Dr. Dalal Moukarzel, Director, QU OFID on the organization of this new initiative.

To view the presentation slides of the faculty members, visit the Presentation webpage.

Dr. Fatima Mraiche, Assistant Professor of Pharmacology in the College of Pharmacy attended the recent Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) Medical Research Center Annual Research Day 2012 that was held on January 17, 2012 at the HMC Club and Hotel. Dr. Mraiche delivered a presentation entitled "Elevated Myocardial NA+/H+ exchanger isoform 1 induces cardiac hypertrophy and the Up-regulation of Osteopontin Gene Expression to a group of approximately 40 registrants. This presentation focused on research that Dr. Mraiche is undertaking to better understand the cellular mechanisms that lead to heart failure. 

Heart failure is one of the chronic diseases targeted by the 2011-2016 National Health Strategy. The strategy document specifically refers to the establishment of a proactive, interprofessional practice model of chronic disease management for heart failure and other chronic diseases and cites best practice examples from Alberta, Canada. Dr. Mraiche was a PhD student at the University of Alberta, Canada before arriving in Qatar in 2010 to join the college and continue her cardiac research in this country. Her research efforts will serve to help build Qatar's research capacity and the college's contributions towards better understanding and managing this devastating disease.

Dr. Mraiche also received a Blue Ribbon Award from symposium organizers for the best oral presentation at this event. Well done, Dr. Mraiche!

For a copy of the presentation slides, visit the Presentations webpage. 

The college hosted a short visit of over 23 Young Professional Institute (YPI) students from the University of Maryland and Colorado State University (USA) and local coordinators from Qatar Foundation on January 5, 2012. The college tour involved a visit to the pharmaceutics research labs of Dr. Husam Younes and his postdoc Dr. Mohammad Shaker. As arranged by college representative Tammy King, the students also met with Dean Peter Jewesson who provided them with a short overview of how the college was formed, its programs and links to education and practice in the USA and Canada, and about life in Qatar as a Canadian expat.

For additional information about the YPI, visit the Qatar Foundation website.
 

We are pleased to announce that Mr. Kyle Wilby, Pharm D candidate (June 2012) has accepted a formal offer to join the college as an Assistant Professor with a clinical cross-appointment to one of our institutional health care providers. This is the third of six such cross-appointments that we will be recruiting over the next year.

Kyle Wilby received his Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy from the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada in 2008. He then completed a hospital pharmacy residency at Vancouver Coastal Health and Providence Health Care in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada in 2009. Kyle will complete his Doctor of Pharmacy degree at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada with an expected graduation date of May 2012.

Kyle has experience in both hospital and community pharmacy settings and is actively practicing as a Clinical Pharmacist at Lion’s Gate Hospital in North Vancouver. He has extensive international experience working in Accra, Ghana for BaseCamp International Centers and has most recently completed internships in both Uganda and Qatar. He also acts as a clinical instructor for international health clerkships in Ghana for Canadian undergraduate pharmacy students.

Kyle has numerous peer-reviewed publications in the areas of infectious diseases, tropical medicine, critical care, clinical pharmacokinetics, and medication adherence. His primary clinical and research interests include pediatrics, gastroenterology, infectious diseases, and international health. He has delivered 14 invited podium presentations, received numerous student and research awards, and is an active member of many national and international professional organizations.

These clinical cross-appointment professors will play a vital role in the training of our BSc and PharmD students, as well as contributing to the advancement of pharmacy practice in this country. We are pleased that he has elected to join us in this exciting new portfolio.

Welcome onboard, Mr. Wilby. We look forward to having you join the team!