POPULATION HEALTH RESEARCH
In this issue of the newsletter, we will be highlighting research being carried out by the Department of Population Health at DDI, led by Dr. Hessa Alkandari.
Department Overview – Population Health Research
Published on 01/07/2019
The Department of Population Health’s overall goal contributes to improved health and well-being of individuals living with diabetes, or at high risk of developing diabetes, in Kuwait. We focus on planning and implementing high quality research in close collaboration with the Ministry of Health (MOH) to provide evidence-based information for policy makers to translate into large-scale implementation programs. Traditionally, the department has had a strong focus on clinical research in vulnerable groups, in particular children with type 1 diabetes (T1D) and rare forms of diabetes (monogenic diabetes, sometimes referred to as MODY). During the last few years, we have expanded our research agenda to also focus on childhood obesity, pre-diabetes and type 2 diabetes (T2D) as well as gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) to address urgent public health needs in Kuwait.
The Department is led by Dr. Hessa Alkandari, a pediatric consultant, on secondment from MOH. In addition, four clinicians, specialized in pediatric endocrinology and/or diabetes are also seconded from MOH and Kuwait University (KU) (Drs. Dalia Al Abdulrazzaq, Doha Alhomaidah, Fahed Al Jasser and Doaa Khalifa) providing a strong clinical team working closely with a full-time senior scientist specialized in nutrition (Dr. Lena Davidsson), an epidemiologist on secondment from KU (Dr. Walid Al Ali) and two full-time research assistants (Ms. Sarah Qabazard and Ms. Fouzeyah Othman).
An initiative to create a National Diabetes Registry, spearheaded jointly by DDI and MOH, represents a major focus of our efforts to contribute to improved diabetes care in Kuwait and our close working relationship with MOH. This newsletter will highlight the ongoing work related to the development and implementation of a National Diabetes Registry in Kuwait.
