WPA designates Sidra Medicine Psychiatry as a Collaborating Center
QF entity becomes world’s first WPA Collaborating Center designated for women, children
SIDRA Medicine’s Department of Psychiatry has been designated as a Collaborating Center of the World Psychiatric Association (WPA) for child and adolescent psychiatry and in maternal and perinatal mental health.
The WPA is a global organisation representing 145 psychiatric societies in 121 countries and promotes collaborative work in psychiatry. WPA collaborating centres are institutions that have national, regional and international recognition as leaders in clinical care, research and teaching.
“I would like to congratulate Sidra Medicine for receiving this prestigious designation as a WPA Collaborating Center,” said Professor Afzal Javed, president of the World Psychiatric Association.
“It is my hope that the expertise from Sidra Medicine’s Department of Psychiatry will complement the WPA agenda of improving global mental health while also spearheading the efforts to improve the standards of mental health care. I am confident they will achieve this by advocacy and incorporating international guidelines for early identification and timely care to women, children and families in Qatar.”
Sidra Medicine now joins the ranks as one of the eight WPA Collaborating Centers around the world and the only one designated especially for women and children. It will partner with the WPA on a number of initiatives, including policymaking and advocacy, aiming to improve the care of women, children and families.
Professor Muhammed Waqar Azeem, inaugural chair of the Department of Psychiatry at Sidra Medicine, said: “I am very pleased that the WPA has recognised and honoured Sidra Medicine’s reputation in advancing cutting-edge research and health care and our work in advocacy, academia and the mental health care. I would also like to acknowledge the vital contributions of Dr Felice Watt, Dr Ahsan Nazeer and Dr Omar Mahmood, and their teams in making this designation possible for Sidra Medicine.”
“The collaboration with WPA will help improve the psychiatric care of children, adolescents and women in Qatar as well as at a regional level. It will also positively impact the advancement of the education and research efforts in this field as we share our insights, skills and expertise with our WPA peers globally. It is also worth mentioning that Sidra Medicine has the honour of having world’s first and only Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical
Education International (ACGME-I),” Prof Azeem said.
Dr Barbro Frid n, chief executive officer at Sidra Medicine, said: “Sidra Medicine’s child and adolescent psychiatry and maternal and perinatal mental health divisions are top tier services in Qatar. It is a huge honour for the Department of Psychiatry at our organisation to be recognised globally as a WPA Collaborating Center for children and women’s mental health. This is very much aligned with our organisation’s vision of being the beacon of learning, discovery and exceptional care, ranked among the top academic medical centres in the world.”
“The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health and the wellbeing of families is becoming increasingly evident, and this impact is likely to increase and endure longer than the pandemic itself. Opportunities such as this collaboration to engage internationally in research, development and the sharing of evidence-based treatments helps to strategically advance care without duplication of effort and for the benefit of all. Qatar is a highly multinational society, mirrored in the composition of Sidra Medicine staff and patients. Our collaboration with WPA echoes opportunities to learn from and benefit the advancement of mental healthcare across culturally and geographically diverse nations,” concluded Prof Azeem.