Past Event
19 January 2025 - 23 January 2025,
Doha, Qatar
Partners: Qatar University, WHO EMRO and Gulf CDC
Organisers: Hadi Yassine (Qatar University) and Rebecca Cox (University of Bergen)
Participants 45 Qatar based students and 76 international participants from Bahrain, Germany, India, Iraq, Kenya, Kuwait, Malaysia, Norway, Russia and Saudi Arabia
ISIRV supported 44 international participants from Egypt, Iran, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia and Yemen.
Program offered an intensive program of world class keynote lectures offering insights into latest research on influenza, coronaviruses (SARS and MERS), and RSV with a strong focus on human, animal-/one health and outbreak/pandemic preparedness. Two expert panels with global leading experts discussed Academia–Industry in Biomedicine and mass gatherings. Three student oral and poster presentation sessions and a daily student recap of the previous day ensured good student interactions.
Faculty: leading regional and international experts provide keynote lectures and panel debates.
Excellent networking opportunities with ice breaker session, and a gala dinner encouraging informal networking and collaboration within the region. School received very positive feedback, and many students established new contacts within the region.
| Theme | Session/ Title | Speaker(s) & Affiliation |
| Day 1: 19 January 2025 | ||
| Cross-cutting Respiratory Viruses | Welcome Addresses | Aiman Mahmood Erbad (Qatar University (QU), Qatar) Asmaa Ali Al‑Thani (QU, Qatar) Hamad Eid Al‑Romaihi (Ministry of Public Health, Qatar) Rebecca J. Cox (University of Bergen, Norway) |
| Global & Regional Impact | Pasi Penttinen (Gulf CDC) | |
| Global Surveillance (EMRO) | Amal Barakat (WHO EMRO) | |
| Clinical Presentation & Diagnostics | Peter Coyle (Hamad Medical Corporation & QU, Qatar). | |
| Treatment of Severe Disease | Ali Hssain (Hamad General Hospital, Qatar) | |
| Correlates of Protection & Immuno‑Assays | Emanuele Montomoli (University of Siena & VisMederi, Italy) | |
| Environmental Surveillance | Khaled A. Mahmoud (QEERI, HBKU, Qatar) | |
| Academia–Industry in Biomedicine | Faleh T. Marino (QU; Qatar, McGill University, Canada) | |
| Panel Discussion | Emanuele Montomoli, Faleh Marino, Hassan Zaraket (Roche, UK) | |
| Day 2: 20 January 2025 | ||
| Influenza Virus | Seasonal & Pandemic Influenza | Maria Zambon (UK Health Security Agency, UK) |
| Viral Structure & Replication | Hadi Yassine (QU, Qatar) | |
| Influenza Antivirals | Hassan Zaraket (Roche; UK) | |
| Next-Gen Influenza Vaccines | Rebecca Cox (University of Bergen, Norway) | |
| Epidemiological Study Design | Sheena Sullivan (Monash University; Australia, WHO EMRO, ) | |
| Emerging Influenza Issues | Mark Tompkins (University of Georgia, USA) | |
| HPAI Avian Influenza | Rabeh El‑Shesheny (NRC, Egypt) | |
| Day 3: 21 January 2025 | ||
| RSV & SARS‑CoV‑2 | RSV Disease & Vaccines | Ultan Power (Queen’s University Belfast, UK) |
| SARS‑CoV‑2 Structure | Hadi Yassine (QU, Qatar) | |
| Antivirals for SARS‑CoV‑2 | Cameron Wolfe (Duke University, USA) | |
| Vaccine Efficacy & Epidemiology | Hiam Chemaitelly (Weill Cornell Medicine–Qatar) | |
| Day 4: 22 January 2025 | ||
| MERS & One Health | MERS from A to Z | Ziad Memish (King Saud Medical City, Saudi Arabia) |
| Panel on Mass Gatherings | Hamad Al‑Romaihi (Ministry of Public Health, Qatar) Ziad Memish (King Saud Medical City, Saudi Arabia) Maria Zambon (UKHSA, UK) | |
| One Health in EMR | Ghazi Kayali (Human Link, Lebanon) | |
| Animal-Human Interface | Erik Karlsson (Institut Pasteur du Cambodge, Cambodia) | |
| Day 5: 23 January 2025 | ||
| Epidemic Preparedness | Immunity at Human Interface | Sook‑San Wong (University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong) |
| One Health Challenges | Yasser Sanad (FHI 360; University of Arkansas, USA) | |
| Future Perspectives | Maria Zambon (UKHSA, UK) | |
| Closing Remarks | Hadi Yassine, Rebecca Cox, Maria Zambon | |
