Interprofessional.global, the World Confederation for Interprofessional Practice and Education hasconfirmed that Doha will host the tenth edition of the All Together Better Health (ATBH) conference in 2020, bringing the biennial event to the Middle East for the first time. The conference is expected to gather more than 500 health and social care professionals, medical educators, policy makers, students as well as health service users from around the globe for a three-day program which addresses global health challenges against the backdrop of Qatar’s state-of-the-art education and health facilities.

Dr. Johanna Dahlberg, Chair of Interprofessional.global commented, “The confederation, with representations across the globe, welcomes the exciting opportunity for Qatar University (QU) to host the conference and recognises the development of interprofessional practice and education in the Middle East.”

Dr. Egon Steen Toft, VP for Medical &Health Sciences at QU said, “Qatar University is proud to have landed this global congress in Qatar. It was a fierce competition and only accomplished thanks to the support from Qatar Tourism Authority, the dedicated work of our team internally headed by Alla AlAwaisi and the contribution of our outreach teams. The congress will give the newly formed QU Health international recognition.”

This will not be the first time QU demonstrates its commitment to interprofessional leadership: in 2015, QU hosted the first Interprofessional Education Symposium followed by the First Middle Eastern Conference in Interprofessional Education and Collaborative Practice with the theme: New Frontiers in Healthcare Education.

Dr Alla El-Awaisi, College of Pharmacy Assistant Dean for Student Affairs and QU Health Chair of the Interprofessional Education Committeecommented, “We are very much looking forward to organising this global conference and creating opportunities for the participants to relate IPE and collaborative practice to global strategies for health and health care and promote an interprofessional culture in both academic and practice settings.”

The bid to host ATBH in Qatar was led by Qatar University (QU) and supported by Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) as part of its efforts to attract global conferences and events to Qatar. This is the second successful bid the two organisations have collaborated on, following the bid which secured the International Conference on Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Regional Development, which will be hosted in October 2018.

Ahmed Al-Obaidli, Director of Exhibitions at QTA commented, “Attracting business events is a key part of Qatar’s tourism sector strategy, especially as business visitors create a notable impact on the local economy.” He added, “We are pleased to have supported Qatar University throughout the bidding process by helping them to showcase Qatar’s unique capabilities, and are committed to continue helping them to host a memorable event in 2020.”

Qatar continues to be a premium business events destination thanks to its ease of access, particularly with more than 80 nationalities now able to enter the country visa free. In addition to world-class venues and meeting facilities, the country’s hospitality sector offers the best guest experience in the Middle East region, according to the Olery Guest Experience in the Middle East Report for the years 2016, 2017 and 2018.

During the closing ceremony of the 2018 edition, QU representative Dr Alla El-Awaisi delivered a presentation to the delegatesintroducing Qatar as host country for the next edition of ATBH. The 2018 edition of the biennial ATBH conference was held in Auckland, New Zealand between 3 and 6 September. At the upcoming edition, QU representatives delivered a presentation to the delegates introducing Qatar as host country for the next edition of ATBH. First held in London in 1997, ATBH conferences have met in Vancouver, London, Stockholm, Sydney, Kobe, Pittsburgh and Oxford.

About Interprofessional.global
Interprofessional.global is the World Confederation for Interprofessional Practice and Education. Regional interprofessional networks affiliated with the confederation are from the Americas, USA, Canada, UK, Europe, Africa, India, Southeast Asia and the Pacific rim, Japan and Australasia.

The aim of Interprofessional.global is to promote, support and sustain networks of interprofessional education (IPE) and collaborative practice, and to establish and maintain communication between these networks. The aim of IPE is to foster effective collaborative practice, and the ultimate goal is to have better health and social care, aiming at improved quality of life for patients and service users. Through the member networks and the organisation’s biennial global conference, All Together Better Health, we promote knowledge about interprofessional practice and education.
For more information visit www.interprofessional.glabal or email info@interprofessional.global.

About Qatar University
Qatar University is one of the leading institutions of academic and research excellence in the GCC region. It provides high quality undergraduate and graduate programs that prepare competent graduates, primed to shape the future of Qatar. The organization’s strong relationship with Qatari society is reflected in its community service efforts and in its vibrant research portfolio that addresses relevant local and regional challenges, advances national goals towards a knowledge-based economy, and contributes actively to the needs and aspirations of the society. Website: www.qu.edu.qa

About Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA)
Qatar Tourism Authority’s mission is to firmly establish Qatar on the global map as a place where cultural authenticity meets modernity, and where people of the world come together to experience unique offerings in culture, sports, business and family entertainment.

In 2014, QTA launched the Qatar National Tourism Sector Strategy (QNTSS), which seeks to diversify the country’s tourism offering and increase the sector’s contribution to Qatar’s economy by 2030. In 2017, the Next Chapter of QNTSS was launched, charting the next five years (2017-2023) of the tourism sector’s growth.

Since launching QNTSS, Qatar has welcomed over 10 million visitors. The economic impact of the tourism sector in Qatar is becoming increasingly visible with 2016 estimates showing a total (direct and indirect) contribution to Qatar’s GDP of 6.7%.www.visitqatar.qa
@QTACorporate

For further information, please contact QTA’s Press Office on:
+974 4499 7882 or +974 3392 4466 | pressoffice@visitqatar.qa