Qatar students get early experience of medical school

Qatar Future Doctors, a free academic enrichment program by Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar, provided a unique opportunity for 22 high school students to experience medical school first hand.

Sara Hassan, MD and Noor Suleiman, MD, both WCMC-Q graduates from the class of 2009, coordinated the course and conducted some of the sessions. The interactive program included lectures, films, hands-on trainings, and exercises focused on didactic thinking and problem-based. Participants also received a full-day course in Basic Life Support conducted at Hamad Medical Corporation by HMC physicians.

"Qatar Future Doctors gives the students a taste of the study of medicine and relates it to issues that they see on a daily basis, but on a medical level," said Dr. Suleiman.

"The course activities focus on metabolic syndrome, which includes diabetes, hypertension, obesity, and high cholesterol. It's likely that many of the students have family members affected by these conditions, so they can relate to what we are talking about. In the future they can even play a role in helping prevent the lifestyle habits that contribute to such conditions," Dr. Suleiman added.

Mouayad Zaza, a 3rd year medical student and teaching assistant for the program, noted the participants' high level of interest and ability. "The students are all focused and very advanced for their grade level. They asked difficult questions - and answered them. I felt like they were my colleagues," he said.

Participants noted many reasons for their keen interest in medicine. For some, WCMCQ and a future in medicine already seem to be a family tradition. Noura Al-Jurdi, currently in 11th grade at the Al Bayan Educational Complex for Girls, has one brother in the second year of the WCMC-Q Medical Program and another beginning the Premedical Program in September.

Fahad Al-Marri, a Qatari in 11th grade at the Al Jamilayah Secondary School for Boys, best expressed the notion of service and dedication to the medical profession shared by the other participants. "I want to save lives, to help people, and to serve my country," he said.

"Qatar Future Doctors is part of WCMC-Q's efforts to help cultivate the talent of local students," said Noha Saleh, director of student recruitment. "By opening our doors to them, we can help prepare them for college and hopefully inspire them to consider careers in medicine and biomedical research."

WCMC-Q offers three summer programs free for selected applicants: Qatar Future Doctors, the Qatar Summer Math & Reading Talent Scholars (Q-SMARTS) and the WCMC-Q Pre-College Enrichment programs.