Patient-Centred Progress at HRCCOC 2025
When the High-Risk and Critical Care Obstetrics Conference (HRCCOC 2025) convened in Doha, more than 600 clinicians and researchers from across the Middle East, Europe, and the Far East gathered with a shared purpose: to strengthen care for the most complex pregnancies. At the centre of the program was Rohan D’Souza, associate professor in the Departments of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, invited as one of two keynote speakers.
His lecture, “A Core Outcome Set and Reporting Checklist – the first step towards harmonisation of global research on critically ill obstetric patients,” argued that progress cannot be sustained without a common framework. Fragmented definitions, inconsistent reporting, and the failure to incorporate patient-important outcomes in research, he warned, obscure learning. Shared outcomes and standards, by contrast, allow knowledge to travel across borders and give clinical teams the tools to act on it.
That message ran through each of his contributions to the conference. Over two days, D’Souza delivered four further lectures – on multidisciplinary teamwork, global disparities in maternal health research, innovations in reporting severe morbidity, and a departmental lecture on pregnancy and obesity at Hamad Medical Corporation. Each talk built on the last, moving from method to practice, from research language to clinical reality.
The visit was also a catalyst for new collaborations. D’Souza toured Hamad’s state-of-the-art facilities and met with hospital leadership to explore creating a local fellowship in high-risk pregnancy, alongside opportunities for joint research and fellowship exchange with Canada. These discussions pointed to the same ambition that shaped the conference itself: building capacity so that patient-centred care can be delivered consistently, even in the most critical circumstances.
Reflecting on the experience, D’Souza said: “What left the strongest impression was not only the exceptional hospitality, but the learners themselves – keen, curious, and deeply engaged. The generosity of our hosts created an environment where complex challenges could be explored with openness and ambition.”
As HRCCOC 2025 concluded, the sense of momentum remained. Planning has already begun for the next conference in two years, where D’Souza will serve on the organising committee. His involvement signals not just continuity but a growing role in shaping how the global community responds to the most urgent challenges in maternal health.
Doha offered more than dialogue. It showed what can be achieved when evidence is aligned, expertise is shared, and care is anchored in the needs of patients whose pregnancies carry the highest risk.