Teamwork and Technology Major Themes at 2021 Endocrine Conference

The two-day virtual conference funded by KFAS offered researchers many opportunities to reflect on what’s driving the field of endocrine research

Throughout his career, Kuwaiti Dr. Zaidan Al-Mazidi has believed in the power of teamwork and embracing new technologies to transform the field of medicine and improve patient care. “These were some of the things we introduced at our last conference,” he said, referring to the September 2021 Endocrine Conference, which the Kuwait Society of Endocrinology organized with support from the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS).

Al-Mazidi is a pediatric endocrinologist with decades of experience in research and patient care. He now works at Al-Sabah Hospital and serves as head of the Kuwait Society for Endocrinology. He said that last year’s conference served as “education for the doctors” who attended it, including presenters from Kuwait, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia. Throughout the two-day event, presenters shared their research on topics including osteoporosis management, the use of growth hormone therapy, and treatments for male infertility. Al-Mazidi also gave a talk on one of his research projects, which explores growth hormone adherence in pediatric patients.

Some presentations also focused on medical technologies, like the cutting-edge artificial pancreas system. An artificial pancreas is a three-part system that mimics how a healthy pancreas controls blood sugar. This technology is designed to help people with Type 1 Diabetes, who usually have to maintain their blood glucose level by monitoring it and taking insulin via injection or an insulin pump several times each day. Instead, an artificial pancreas automatically monitors a person’s blood glucose level, calculates how much insulin they need, and delivers it.

وبينما يَعِدُ هذا الجهاز وغيره من المعدات الطبية عالية التقنية بخيارات علاجية جديدة للمرضى ومثيرة للاهتمام، قال المزيدي إن تقنيات أبسط، مثل برامج الاجتماعات عبر الفيديو التي جعلت المؤتمر عبر الإنترنت ممكنًا- تدفع بدورها التقدم في المجال الطبي. وأضاف: “كان الجميع في منازلهم، لكن تمكنا من عقد المؤتمر بوساطة هذه التكنولوجيا. تمكنا من تشارك معلوماتنا”. ووصف أجواء الحدث عبر الإنترنت بأنها كانت ممتازة.

بصفته رئيس الجمعية الكويتية لأمراض الغدد الصماء، كان المزيدي مسؤولاً أيضًا عن إلقاء الكلمة الختامية في المؤتمر، والتي قال إنه شدد فيها مرة أخرى على أهمية العمل الجماعي والتكنولوجيا. كما ذكّر زملاءه بأهمية أن يلتقوا معًا في المؤتمرات لمشاركة أبحاثهم. عن ذلك قال: “أخبرتهم أننا الآن أفضل من ذي قبل في فهم المشكلات التي تواجه مرضانا، والكيفية التي يمكننا بها تحسين عملنا”.

By Marianne Dhenin

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