Doha: Qatar will bring an international group of experts on biobanking, genomics, and personalised medicine from around the world, virtually in March to shed focus on precision medicine care and the lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 2nd IBCQ International Biobanking Conference 2021 will bring Qatar’s and international Biobanking community together to highlight their achievements and progress, according to Scientific and Education Manager and Acting Director, Qatar Biobank of Qatar Foundation, Dr. Nahla Maher Afifi (pictured).
“We see it as one of our critical roles as the first Biobank in the Middle East to help raise awareness of the newest technologies and trends in the global biobanking sector,” she told The Peninsula. The 2nd IBCQ International Biobanking Conference 2021 will be tackling global discussions around the theme: ‘Biobanking for precision care and lessons learned from global crises and pandemics’.
“The conference will highlight the national efforts exerted so far to fight the global pandemic and encourage sharing the best practices within the international biobanking community in fighting the current COVID-19 virus as well as discussing different responses to global pandemics and crises,” Dr. Afifi said. “The conference will also showcase the progress Qatar has made over the past few years in biobanking and genomics to a wider international audience,” Dr. Afifi added. Qatar Biobank is organising the conference in partnership with the European and Middle Eastern Society for Biopreservation and Biobanking (ESBB), supported by the International Society for Biological and Environmental Repositories (ISBER) and the Biobanking and BioMolecular Resources Research Infrastructure (BBMRI-ERIC). The conference will take place between March 8 and 10 in a virtual format.
According to Dr. Afifi, physicians, nurses, pharmacists, allied health professionals, scientists, researchers, academics and industry professionals involved in the field of biobanking, genomics or large research data management can attend the conference.
“They will have the chance to discuss the response to the COVID-19 pandemic from a local and international perspective and the different approaches highlighted and adopted by biobanks to ensure long term survival and sustainability to support precision medicine research,” said Dr. Afifi. The conference is a Category 1 - Accredited Group Learning Activity as defined by the Department of Healthcare Professions - Accreditation Section and is approved for 16.75 hours. Interested participants can register through www.ibcq2021.com
An attendance certificate will be issued on the completion of evaluation and feedback forms for each session attended. Also, CPD credits, up to 16.75 CPD points, will be awarded based on attendance recorded for each session.
