25 November 2019, Doha, Qatar:     Sidra Medicine today officially launched the 3rd Annual Congress of Current Understanding in Diabetes, Obesity, and Related Syndromes (CUDOS), held at the Qatar National Convention Centre. 

This year’s event focuses on pediatric precision medicine, genomics and clinical research, as well as the care and treatment of children and young people with diabetes, obesity, and related syndromes. During the Congress that will run until 26 November, Sidra Medicine will highlight the latest treatments methods and their recently founded management procedures.

Day one of the congress, witnessed the opening event featuring keynote speeches by H.E Jassim Rashid AlBuenain, the Secretary General of the Qatar Olympic Committee; Dr. Elias Zerhouni, President of Global Research & Development at Sanofi and member of the board of governors at Sidra Medicine and Dr. Abdulwahab Almusleh, Advisor Consultant to the Minister of Public Health and CHAIR of the World Cup 2022 Healthcare Program. Guests and delegates were welcomed by a special a musical feature by the “Maias Alyamani with Maqam ensemble” members of the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra, followed by a traditional Arda brought to you by the Qatar Center for culture and heritage

Following the opening address, the first session titled “The Early Onset Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes”, highlighting how genetic causes of obesity are recognized and leading the way to personalized approaches to treatment. The second session came under the title “Surgical Treatment of Obesity in Youth” and discussed how bariatric surgery in adolescents is finding support for the treatment of early metabolic disease. The third and fourth sessions focused on children’s lifestyle to avoid overweight and obese youth, and the importance of planning for the future to control and minimize the effect of discussed diseases on the young generations.

Dr. Ammira-Sarah Akil, Sidra Medicine Principal Investigator and Chairperson of CUDOS Congress 2019, said: “We are excited to welcome all the attendees of CUDOS 2019. This year we have a record number of participants which demonstrates how the Congress is growing in size and value including a large number of local and international speakers, scholars, and practitioners, who will enrich the scientific content with their ideas and thoughts.” 

Key international speakers at CUDOS 2019 include Prof. Thomas H. Inge from University of Colorado; Prof. Peymane Adab from the University of Birmingham; and Prof. Sadaf Farooqi from University of Cambridge. 

Speaking at the conference, Dr. Sadaf Farooqi. Professor, Cambridge Wellcome Trust Principal Research fellow from the University of Cambridge, whose topic the Causes and Consequences of Childhood-Onset Obesity: Insights from Genetics said: “It is important to meet colleagues from around the world at conferences like the CUDOS Congress in Qatar. Qatar is experiencing a rise in childhood obesity, which is becoming much more common globally. While environmental factors have played a major role in the rise of childhood obesity, genes are also an important factor.

This is particularly in the case of some children who gain a lot of weight at a young age. This is why it is important for those with severe obesity who are very young to be tested for genetic causes.”

With a concentrated schedule of pre-Congress workshops, CUDOS 2019 has been accredited as a Group Learning Activity (Category 1) for 46 hours by the Qatar Council for Healthcare Practitioners and also includes Interprofessional Continuing Education (IPCE) credits for learning and change.

Professor Ziyad Hijazi, Co-chair of Sidra Medicine’s CUDOS Congress 2019, said: “Our clinicians and researchers will be presenting case studies and research in precision-led programs in pulmonology, child and adolescent mental health, epilepsy, cancer immuno-genomics and developmental disorders. The Congress is an excellent learning experience for specialists and practitioners.”

CUDOS 2019 is by organized by Sidra Medicine with partners including Qatar National Tourism Council; Qatar Airways, Hamad Medical Corporation, and the Gulf Heart Association. The congress was also supported by Hamad Bin Khalifa University, the Qatar Metabolic Institute, the National Obesity Centre, Qatar University, and Weil Cornell Medicine in Qatar.