In line with its mission/pursuit to present students and faculty with quintessential knowledge and skills for success in their personal and professional lives, the Community College of Qatar (CCQ) invited Prof. Ziyad Hijazi, Director of the Sidra Cardiac Program at Sidra Medicine, to deliver a lecture titled ‘Interventional Therapies for Congenital & Structural Heart Disease: State of The Art’ at the College’s C-Ring Campus.
The event was held as part of the Math & Science Department Lecture Series, which features a number of science-centered lectures presented to the college community throughout the academic year.
During this lecture, Prof. Ziyad Hijazi – who also serves as Chair of the Pediatrics Department at Weill Cornell Medicine and the Editor-In-Chief at the Journal of Structural Heart Disease – discussed the various forms of congenital heart disease (CHD) and how they are managed using Transcatheter Therapies.
According to the professor, catheter therapy has emerged as an excellent alternative to open heart surgery for patients with congenital heart disease, which holds promising prospects given that there are more adults with CHD alive today than children. In the same context, Prof. Ziyad also touched briefly on patients with structural heart disease. The renowned Cardiologist also highlighted the important role of education in developing young leaders in the medical field across the globe, whose expertise can benefit a larger population and create a lasting legacy for their communities.
Commenting on the occasion, CCQ’s Department Chair of Math and Science Dr. Sabah Al-Naimi said:
“The Math & Science Department’s Lecture Series is meant to bring the latest knowledge in math and science-related disciplines to the college community and all stakeholders. Every year, we focus on the most important and relevant topics pertaining to the latest research and discoveries in those fields, and we invite renowned experts and eminent professors to discuss those findings with the audience. In general, this program is intended to increase our students’ as well as the public’s involvement with science, technology, and education. This semester, we are pleased to host Prof. Ziyad Hijazi, who is a respected professor in the medical field, to talk about what interventional therapies can achieve for congenital & structural heart disease patients, especially in light of the rate of CHD occurrence at birth, which is currently estimated at around 1% of newborns.”
The Math & Science Department’s lecture series was launched by CCQ’s Mathematics and Science Department to acquaint students, faculty members, and researchers with the latest scientific achievements and activities. The series provides attendees with an opportunity to explore an astonishing and broad range of topics with scientific value, including biological and medical sciences, theoretical and applied physics, chemical sciences, as well as mathematics and its applications. The program is held once or twice a semester, and consists of a one-hour featured lecture that ends with an open discussion, in which audience members are encouraged to ask questions and interact with the guest speaker.
The series also comes in the wider framework of CCQ’s ongoing efforts to engage students in well-balanced co-curricular and extra-curricular activities, initiatives and events that enrich their college life and complement their academic journey, while providing quality student-centered education to the nation’s younger generations.
