Health Informatics Association of Qatar (HIAQ): Building a Digital Health Ecosystem.

Qatar's digital health initiatives are growing through the development of research capacity, innovative technologies, and academic programs to serve the national health needs of the country. The digital health community of Qatar lacks the adequate representation of a professional body to serve the needs of the community. The purpose of this paper is to develop a strategic framework for the Health Informatics Association of Qatar (HIAQ) and present the preliminary findings of this effort. We utilized a multi-stage mixed methods approach in the development of HIAQ's strategic framework. We first reviewed the relevant literature, interviewed key stakeholders within the region, validated our findings with local stakeholders, and adapted the strategic directions to conform with Qatari laws. We present the purpose, organizational structure, vision, mission, and aims of HIAQ. Future work will engage the digital health community to further refine and adapt HIAQ's strategic direction to serve the local needs of Qatar.