Interprofessional Education Department

Section Head of the Interprofessional Education Program, Heath Sector

Dr Alla El-Awaisi, Assistant Dean for Student Affairs, College of Pharmacy. Dr Alla received her Master of Pharmacy degree from Strathclyde University in Glasgow (UK), MSc in Prescribing Science from the Robert Gordon University (UK), and PhD in Interprofessional Education and Collaborative Practice from the same university. She is an experienced academic administrator possessing creativity, innovation, and dedication to her field. Prior to her academic career, she practiced pharmacy in Scotland for more than 9 years. She is the founding chair of the Interprofessional Education Committee since 2014 and has led successful IPE initiatives locally and internationally, including leading the First Middle Eastern Conference in Interprofessional Education and Collaborative Practice in December 2015. Her research expertise lies in interprofessional education and collaborative practice, pharmacy education, and pharmacy practice. She has published numerous articles in peer-reviewed journals.

Interprofessional Education Pre-Clinical Specialist:

Ms. Aya El Hage holds a BS in Environmental Health (2014), and a Master’s degree in Public Health (MPH) with a concentration in Health Management and Policy (2016) from the American University of Beirut, Lebanon. Before joining QU, she worked as a public health officer with the World Health Organization (WHO) at the Ministry of Public Health in Lebanon for one year.

She coordinated all activities related to Covid-19 in addition to managing the Epidemic Intelligence from Open Sources (EIOS) events, aiming to detect and prevent health threats. She previously worked as a research assistant at the Department of Otorhinolaryngology at the American University of Beirut Medical Center for 4 years, resulting in a wide experience in research and several publications.

Interprofessional Education Clinical Specialist:

Ms. Sawsan AlMukdad is the Interprofessional Education (IPE) Clinical Specialist at Qatar University (QU). Previously, she was a Research Specialist at Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar, where she focused on epidemiological research, particularly in infectious diseases, using advanced methods and statistical techniques. Her research has been published in notable journals like the New England Journal of Medicine and Nature Medicine. She holds a master’s degree with distinction from Qatar University’s College of Pharmacy (2020) and a bachelor’s degree from the same institution (2018), with achievements including the Qatar University Honors program and the Emir of Qatar’s Scholarship for Academic Excellence. During her studies, she was involved in research and received the Graduate Sponsorship Research Award and the Science and Engineering TAD Boot Camp Award. Additionally, she led the IPE Student Association for three years, organizing various events.

College Representatives

QU College of Pharmacy Lead Representative:

Ms. Myriam Jihad Jaam is an MSc (Pharm) graduate who successfully graduated with distinction in June 2017. She completed her BSc degree in Pharmacy at the College of Pharmacy, Qatar University in 2015, after which she immediately enrolled in the MSc program. Myriam received a scholarship during her graduate studies and worked as a Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) while completing her MSc project. During this time, she was the student representative in the IPEC and was the founder and president of the IPE Student Association. While president, Ms. Myriam organized a number of events and participated in the ATBH conference held in Oxford, representing the Student Association. Ms. Myriam is currently working as a Teaching Assistant in the College of Pharmacy and is actively involved in facilitating IPE events.

QU College of Health Sciences Lead Representatives:

Department of Public Health:

Dr Lily O’Hara, MPH, PhD, LMAHPA, is Associate Professor of Public Health at Qatar University. She is a public health educator and practitioner with extensive experience in Australia, UAE, and Qatar.

She has worked on community, workplace, and school-based programs addressing a broad range of health and wellbeing issues. Her research focuses on methods to assess holistic health and wellbeing, analyzing current public health approaches to body weight, and developing ethical, evidence-based, salutogenic public health initiatives using the social justice-based Health at Every Size approach.

Her research also focuses on developing the ethical and technical competencies of the health promotion workforce. She is the Chair of the Interprofessional Education Committee in the College of Health Sciences.

Department of Human Nutrition:

Ms. Grace Attieh is a Teaching Assistant in the Human Nutrition Department, College of Health Sciences at Qatar University. She holds a Master’s Degree in Human Nutrition.

Ms. Attieh was a Head Dietitian in an accredited hospital and worked for 10 years as a food safety inspector and ISO 22000 lead auditor. Ms. Grace Attieh is a licensed dietitian and a certified tutor by Highfield, a leading company in Food Safety.

Department of Biomedical Science:

Dr. Sawsan Said, Ph.D., Molecular Biology-Genetics and Biotechnology Program.

She has rich and extensive experience with a subset of B cells, namely Regulatory B cells in mice models, as well as expertise in molecular immunology techniques, bioinformatics, experimental animal use, and microbiology.

Department of Physical Therapy

Ms. Jennifer Allen is a Lecturer in the Department of Rehabilitation Science (DRS) Physiotherapy program in the College of Health Sciences at Qatar University (QU). Her research interests involve global health, mental health, vulnerable populations, exercise, leadership, and coaching. She has published articles related to cultural humility, physical activity and aerobic capacity in patients with Parkinson’s disease, and rehabilitation in patients with dementia following hip fractures. She has presented at numerous Canadian Physiotherapy Association (CPA) and World Physiotherapy congresses. She is a Past Chair of the Global Health Division of the CPA and received a CPA Centennial Medal of Distinction in 2021.

She has worked in Canada, Mexico, Nepal, Kuwait, and Iraq, and is currently a Physiotherapist Delegate for the Canadian Red Cross Emergency Response Unit (ERU). She is also a member of the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent (IFRC) ERU Rehabilitation Technical Working Group and represents the QU DRS Physiotherapy program within the Environmental Physiotherapy Association. She leads the Qatar University Department of Rehabilitation Science Physiotherapy program Outreach Committee, supporting and guiding students in leading various outreach initiatives within and outside of Qatar University. She is also actively involved in the Interprofessional Education Committee and the Health Professions Education Research Group.

QU College of Medicine Lead Representative:

Ms. Asma Syed is an epidemiologist who graduated from the MPH program at Qatar University. She is an active member involved in NPRP projects at the Department of Population Medicine, College of Medicine, Qatar University. She has gained excellent experience in conducting systematic reviews and meta-analyses, network meta-analyses, and quality assessments of peer-reviewed articles using the MASTER scale. Additionally, she has contributed to various teaching-related tasks related to biostatistics and coordinated MSR projects at the College of Medicine, QU. She has also had great opportunities to deliver research skills at prestigious organizations such as the World Innovation Summit for Health, QF, and the Health Protection and Communicable Diseases Division, MOPH.

QU College of Dental Medicine Lead Representative:

Dr. Aala is an Assistant Professor at the College of Dental Medicine. She is the College Lead for Continuous Professional Development (CPD) and a faculty educational mentor. She is instrumental in building the dental curriculum, the simulation laboratory program, and formulating the assessment strategy for the College of Dental Medicine. Dr. Aala completed her Dental Masters at the University of Bristol, UK. She was the Director of the pre-clinical dental laboratories/program at Bristol Dental School, leading on assessments and program development and implementation. Moreover, she was the Final Year Clinical Program Lead. As the International Collaboration Advisor, her aim was to strengthen relations with stakeholders worldwide. Dr. Aala is an assessment lead for the Royal College of Surgeons of England and a Fellow of the Faculty of Dental Trainers of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, UK. She has received multiple teaching awards. Her research interests lie in the areas of dental material science and dental education.

Weill Cornel Medicine- Qatar Lead Representative:

Dr. Stella Major MBBS FRCGP CHSE, Associate Professor of Family Medicine in Clinical Medicine, Patient Care, and Physicianship Unit Lead, Director of the Clinical Skills & Simulation Lab (CSSL), Division of Medical Education. Dr. Stella obtained her MBBS in 1990 and specialized in General Practice, obtaining membership of the Royal College of General Practice (MRCGP). She practices in London and in Doha. Since 1996, she has held positions as educator, researcher, and leader at the American University of Beirut, United Arab Emirates University, and Imperial College School of Medicine. In 2011, in recognition of her excellence in teaching, research, and leadership, she became a Fellow (FRCGP). Her scholarly interests include enhancing clinical and communication skills in the clinical setting, communication across cultures and languages, clinical skills acquisition through simulation-based learning, and leading interprofessional education and collaborative practice initiatives at WCM-Q. Her areas of interest also include education, patient safety, and women's health.

University of Calgary in Qatar Lead Representative:

Dr. Kristi Yassine is an Assistant Professor (Teaching) from the Faculty of Nursing at the University of Calgary in Qatar. She serves as the Chair of the UCQ Interprofessional Education Committee and an IPEC representative.

University of Doha for Science and Technology Lead Representative:

Mr. Norman Wong, Pharmacy Technician Lead Instructor, School of Health Sciences.

Mr. Norman is a Canadian licensed pharmacist with the Alberta College of Pharmacists. He holds a BSc in Psychology from the University of Calgary and a BSc in Pharmacy from the University of Alberta in Edmonton, AB. He has 10 years of Canadian hospital pharmacy experience, 6 years in UAE hospitals, and 4 months in China, before joining CNA-Q. He is currently the lead instructor in his eighth year with the program. Mr. Wong is also a member of the Canadian Society of Health-System Pharmacists and the Canadian Pharmacy Technician Association.

Interprofessional Education Student Association President

Dr. Jawaher Z. A. Baraka has been passionate about medicine and medical sciences since childhood. From preparatory school onward, she committed herself not only to theoretical learning but also to enhancing her skills and gaining practical experience through extracurricular activities.

She has attended numerous workshops, moderated events, and actively participated in conferences and educational programs. As the president of the IPE Association, she aims to inspire healthcare students to engage in such enriching activities. She believes that a good healthcare provider must also be a capable leader, a continuous learner, and a dedicated collaborator.

IPE Comittee Members