Public Health agenda

Day one | Monday, 21 June 2021

Focus: COVID-19 Pandemic: Basic concepts and consequences, prevention, and control of COVID-19

09:30 | Opening remarks
Dr Ahmed Mandil, Coordinator: Research & Innovation, Science, Information & Dissemination, WHO/EMRO, Cairo, Egypt (In-person)
Dr Tom Loney, Associate Professor: Public Health and Epidemiology, College of Medicine, Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences (MBRU), Dubai, UAE (In-person)

09:45 | Opening keynote lecture: Overview of COVID-19 pandemic in the region: opportunities to strengthen health systems for emergency, response and UHC
Dr Rana A. Hajjeh, Director, Program Management (DPM), WHO/EMRO, Cairo, Egypt (In-person)

Session 1:

Moderator: Dr Tom Loney, Associate Professor: Public Health and Epidemiology, College of Medicine, Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences (MBRU), Dubai, UAE

10:15 | SARS-CoV-2: virological update
Professor Norbert Nowotny, Professor of Virology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria, Visiting Professor, College of Medicine, Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences (MBRU), Dubai, UAE (In-person)

10:45 | Coffee break

Session 2:

Moderator: Dr Ahmed Mandil, Coordinator: Research & Innovation, Science, Information & Dissemination, WHO/EMRO, Cairo, Egypt

11:15 | Fireside Chat: Emergency preparedness, response and recovery
Dr Mehul Mehta, Chief Medical Officer, Albright Stonebridge Group, Boston, USA (Remote)
Dr Ashish Jha, Dean, Brown University School of Public Health, Senior Advisor, Albright Stonebridge Group, Boston, USA (Remote)

12:00 | RNA Vaccines – a new era of therapeutics
Professor Sarfaraz Niazi, Professor, University of Illinois, College of Pharmacy, Illinois, USA (Remote)

12:30 | Research and innovation in COVID-19 response
Dr Ahmed Mandil, Coordinator: Research & Innovation, Science, Information & Dissemination, WHO/EMRO, Cairo, Egypt (In-person)

13:00 | Lunch break

Session 3:

Moderator: Dr Tom Loney, Associate Professor: Public Health and Epidemiology, College of Medicine, Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences (MBRU), Dubai, UAE

15:00 | Recent emergence of infectious diseases of epidemics/pandemics
Professor Abhay Chowdhary, Infectious Diseases, Microbiology for Public Health, Professor and Head of Microbiology, School of Medicine, Dy Patil University, Navi Mumbai, India (Remote)

15:30 | Stay ready for pandemic: lessons learnt from COVID-19
Dr Hari Prasad, President, Apollo Hospitals, Chennai, India (Remote)

16:00 | Health and patient education during outbreaks
Souheila Zouhair Ali Hassan, Corporate Senior Health Education Officer, Corporate Nursing & Allied Health, Abu Dhabi Health Services Company – SEHA, Abu Dhabi, UAE (In-person)

16:30 | Q&A

16:45 | End of day one

Day two | Tuesday, 22 June 2021

Day two focus: COVID-19 management, prospects, and effect on populations

Session 4:

Moderator: Dr Ahmed Mandil, Coordinator: Research & Innovation, Science, Information & Dissemination, WHO/EMRO, Cairo, Egypt

09:20 | Management of COVID-19: reality and future prospects
Professor Dr Maha El Rabbat, Professor Public Health, DG/WHO Special Envoy on COVID-19, Former Minister of Health and Population, Cairo, Egypt (In-person)

09:50 | Digital health and innovation in pandemic response
Professor Najeeb Al-Shorbaji, President, Middle East and North Africa Association of Health Informatics, Amman, Jordan (In-person)

10:20 | Mental health and psychosocial support in the context of COVID-19
Dr Khalid Saeed, Regional Advisor Mental Health, Neurological and Substance Use Disorders, Office for the Eastern Mediterranean Region, WHO, Cairo, Egypt (In-person)

10:50 | Q&A

11:00 | Coffee break

Session 5:

Moderator: Dr Tom Loney, Associate Professor: Public Health and Epidemiology, College of Medicine, Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences (MBRU), Dubai, UAE

11:30 | Care for special groups during COVID-19
Dr Omniyat Al Hajeri, Community Health, Sector Director, Department of Health, Abu Dhabi, UAE (Remote)

12:00 | How did social and political conflicts affect the morbidity and mortality patterns of the COVID-19 pandemic in Arab countries
Professor Nasser Yassin, Associate Professor, Faculty of Health Sciences, Chair, Department of Health Management and Policy, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon (Remote)

12:40 | Q&A

13:00 | Lunch break

Session 6:

Moderator: Dr Ahmed Mandil, Coordinator: Research & Innovation, Science, Information & Dissemination, WHO/EMRO, Cairo, Egypt

14:30 | Effects of the pandemic on Arab women and children
Dr Haifa Madi, Public Health and Advisor, Ministry of Health and Prevention, Abu Dhabi, UAE (In-person)

15:00 | Exposure to Environmental Tobacco Smoke During Pregnancy: The Mutaba’ahStudy
Dr Tom Loney, Associate Professor: Public Health and Epidemiology, College of Medicine, Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences (MBRU), Dubai, UAE (In-person)

15:30 | Panel Discussion: Infection control and employees’ safety during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Challenges, mitigation & way forward
Panelists:
HE Dr Farida Al Hosani, Executive Director of Infectious Diseases Sector, Abu Dhabi Public Health Sector, Official Spokesperson for Health Sector in the UAE
Akram Khalid Alahmad, Acting Director of Nursing, Nursing Department, Rashid Hospital, Dubai Health Authority, Dubai, UAE
Dr Malathi Arshanapalai, Group Chief Quality Officer, Aster DM Healthcare, Dubai, UAE
Roman Poludnev, General Manager (GM) Safety and Productivity Solutions (SPS) – Middle East, Russia, Turkey and Africa (MERTA), Honeywell, Dubai, UAE

16:30 | Closing remarks

16:40 |  End of conference