Match Day joy for WCM-Q future doctors
This year, 10 WCM-Q students matched at Hamad Medical Corporation and 33 students matched with residency programs in the US.
WCM-Q final year medical students have matched with residency programs at some of the world’s most prestigious university hospitals.
The students, who will receive their MD degrees when they graduate in May this year, secured highly coveted places on residency training programs at elite-level healthcare institutions in Qatar and the United States, such as Hamad Medical Corporation, Case Western/University Hospital Cleveland, Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina, Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland and NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center.
The medical specialties the students will be pursuing once they have graduated are anesthesiology, dermatology, emergency medicine, internal medicine, neurology, obstetrics-gynecology, pathology, pediatrics, psychiatry and general surgery. They will join their residency programs in the fall.
Speaking at a ceremony held at the college to mark Match Day, Said Alnajjer, who matched with the general surgery residency program at Johns Hopkins Medicine, said: “I would never have been able to make it this far if it wasn’t for Qatar Foundation and the State of Qatar making it possible to get this kind of education here so that we could all achieve our potential. I really hope in the future to come back here and serve this country as it provided me with this opportunity.”
Match Day is a pivotal moment in any doctor’s career, with thousands of students in the US and all over the world vying for places on residency programs. The process, which is administered by the National Resident Matching Program in Washington, DC, is highly competitive - this year, a record 38,376 applicants competed for 35,185 positions.
This year, 10 WCM-Q students matched at Hamad Medical Corporation and 33 students matched with residency programs in the US.
Qatari national Shaikha Al-Thani matched with the general surgery residency program at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center. She said: “Let me thank my family and my friends for always giving me unconditional support - I cannot believe this day I finally here. Congratulations to everyone.”
Dr. Javaid Sheikh, dean of WCM-Q, gave thanks to the students’ friends and family members, WCM-Q faculty and staff, and to Qatar Foundation, for the generosity of their support for the students. He also paid tribute to the students for their hard work and dedication. He said: “My heartiest congratulations go to all of you for this wonderful achievement; you have done exceedingly well and all of us at WCM-Q are immensely proud of you. As you go out into the real world, remember us, and remember that we are always here to support you, whether you stay here in Qatar or if you go overseas.”