Frontiers in Medicine published a study on Palestinian patients with Thalassemia that was conducted by undergraduate students in the program of Medical Laboratory at Al-Quds University.
Entitled “Health Status of Patients with β-thalassemia in the West Bank”, the study was co-authored by Reem Dweik, Tamara Abu Mohr, Isra’ Adyabi, Salam Wararsneh, Shatha Abdeen, and it was supervised by Dr. Rania Abu Seir.
Dr. Abu Seir expressed her pleasure and pride in working with the authors, praising Al-Quds University for the crucial role it plays in promoting scientific research by cooperating with national and international institutions to train its students and enable them to publish in high-ranking scientific journals.
The study tackled thalassemia, which is one of the common genetic diseases in the Mediterranean region, and it aimed to assess the health status of patients by looking at the results of laboratory tests that were conducted in between 2017-2018.
Regarding the findings of the study, Reem Dweik stated, “The results highlight the need for comprehensive assessment protocols and evidence-based practices as they are crucial for the reduction of β-thalassemia-associated morbidity and mortality”. She hopes that “this research will pave the way for better management of the health status of patients in the coming few years.”
Tamara Abu Mohr applauded Al-Quds University for assisting the publication of the study through the continuous encouragement of colleagues and the facilitation of field visits to Palestinian hospitals and other institutions to collect data.
“Our experience of working as one team was successful and enjoyable. It reinforced the principles of cooperation and participation and enabled us to resolve differences and come to consensus on a certain logical point of view”, noted Esra’ Adyabi.
According to Salam Warasneh, their research experience will help her professionally and scientifically when she graduates. “It is an opportunity that prepares students to participate in conferences and expand their network of contacts with new specialists and workers in the field, which allows them to contribute scientifically and make a real change.”
It is worth noting that this research was presented at a number of local and international conferences, including the European Association of Hematology Conference 2019, the second research conference for undergraduate students that was organized by the Deanship of Scientific Research at Al-Quds University in 2019, the Lancet Palestinian Health Alliance 11th Conference , the Annual Conference of the Palestinian Society For Biological Sciences in 2021, and the 11th International Palestinian Conference on Laboratory Medicine in 2021.
