MENA PAIR Organizes Monthly Injury Seminars

MENA PAIR organizes a monthly injury seminar series with the aim of exposing trainees to various topics related to injury research and research methodologies. These seminars feature presentations by experts in the field, including faculty members of MENA PAIR, and a trainee.

The seminars cover a wide range of research areas and emerging topics including traumatic brain injury, pre-hospital trauma research, occupational injuries, injuries due to natural disasters and moral injury among humanitarian workers. The enriched and interactive discussions enhance students’ learning experience, helping the trainees to determine their research interests and progress in their research projects.

The Middle East and North Africa Program for Advanced Injury Research (MENA PAIR) hosted a workshop led by Dr. Michelle Bauer, a Behavioral Scientist at BC Children’s Hospital in Vancouver, and Dr. Samar Al-Hajj, Assistant Research Professor and Director of MENA PAIR, on October 5, 2023 at the American University of Beirut.

The workshop focused on empowering participants with practical strategies to employ child- and family-centered approaches in injury prevention efforts. Throughout the day, attendees gained valuable insights into understanding injury burdens, qualitative research methodologies, and inclusive engagement strategies while working on child- and family-centered research.

Participants engaged in hands-on activities and group discussions to enhance their critical and problem-solving skills and to learn how to construct strategies for working with children and families in research.

A 3-day Implementation Science Primer Workshop was held at the American University of Beirut (AUB) from June 13 to June 15, 2023. This training workshop enhanced the participants’ knowledge and skills in the field of implementation science through a comprehensive program of informative sessions and interactive activities.

This event, led by Drs. Fredrick Altice (Yale University), Tamar Kabakian, and Samar Al-Hajj (American University of Beirut), brought together a diverse group of 32 participants, including faculty members, research assistants, and students from local academic and research institutions in Lebanon, such as MENA PAIR, GEOHealth-MENA, AUB Faculty of Health Sciences, AUB Faculty of Nursing, and Balamand University.

The workshop facilitated meaningful discussions and provided valuable feedback from experts in the field, contributing to the participants' professional growth and the advancement of implementation science research.

Download the agenda for the Implementation Science workshop.

MENA PAIR collaborated with the International Blast Research Network (IBRN), and the University of Southampton (UK) to organize and host the 3rd IBRN workshop on March 29, 2023.

The event titled ‘Understanding Health Challenges, Responses, and Recovery’ concentrated on the health consequences of the 2020 Beirut Blast and mass-casualty explosive events, and investigated various topics including: blast injury, clinical guidelines, health system responses, disaster and emergency responses, and long-term health consequences.

Distinguished speakers from local and international hospitals and healthcare centers, including the American University of Beirut Medical Center, Lebanese American University, Order of Nurses, UNDP Risk Management Reduction, Lebanese Crisis Response Plan, and Lebanese Red Cross, shared their insights, challenges, lessons learned, and recommendations based on their experiences in managing the aftermath of the Beirut blast.

Through engaging presentations, interactive activities, and round-table discussions, participants shared their expertise related to the health system's response to the Beirut blast and proposed solutions to inform future healthcare preparedness planning and system reconstruction. The workshop's comprehensive nature facilitated the emergence of innovative research concepts and strengthened connections among professionals in the field, with the aim of enhancing healthcare system preparedness and resilience.

In collaboration with the British Colombia Injury Prevention and Research Unit (BCIPRU), the British Colombia Children's Hospital Research Institute, and the University of British Colombia (UBC), MENA PAIR organized the first 'Basics of Injury Prevention' workshop in Lebanon on March 9 and 10, 2023.

Dr. Ian Pike (UBC) and Dr. Shelina Babul (UBC) joined Dr. Samar Al-Hajj, MENA PAIR Founding Director, in providing attendees with an in-depth understanding of the theory and practice of injury prevention. Nearly 51 individuals registered to attend the workshop. Due to the interactive nature of the workshop, a selected number of 19 individuals were accepted into the workshop.

Trainees from NGOs (YASA and Doctors without Borders), Emergency Medical Services (Lebanese Red Cross and Civil Defense), physiotherapists, Emergency Department physicians, coaches, and researchers collaborated to identify and define a selected injury problem (road traffic injuries, pediatric burns, older adults falls, and ACL injury) and develop an intervention strategy based on an implementation and evaluation framework.

As part of the injury prevention workshop series organized by MENA PAIR and BCIRPU, Dr. Shelina Babul and Dr. Samar Al-Hajj conducted ‘ Concussion Recognition, Diagnosis, Treatment, and Management’ workshop on March 11, 2023.

The workshop introduced attendees to the award-winning Concussion Awareness Training Tool (CATT) modules that aim to standardize concussion recognition, diagnosis, treatment and management.

School nurses, coaches, physiotherapists, researchers, and physicians from over 20 institutions across Lebanon attended this training workshop to enhance their knowledge in concussion detection and management.

MENA PAIR, in collaboration with the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital (USA), YASA (Lebanon), and the National Road Safety Council (NRSC; Lebanon), conducted a series of informational and instructional workshops in four distinct areas across Lebanon (Nabatieh, Beirut, Tripoli and Tyre) in July 2022, to address the burden of pediatric road traffic injuries and improve the child passenger safety practices in Lebanon.

During each workshop, child vehicle safety restraints were distributed to 120 families. Attendees were then trained by a certified child passenger safety technician (Ms. Michelle Price) on the proper installation and use of their car and booster seats.