Middle and high school students flock to WCM-Q Medicine Unlimited event

Middle and high school students from all over Qatar and the wider region attended ‘Medicine Unlimited’, the flagship student recruitment and outreach event of Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar (WCM-Q).

More than 400 students and family members visited WCM-Q to tour the college’s state-of-the-art facilities, meet current students, faculty, researchers and staff, and engage with hands-on simulations of the workings of genes, molecules and the human body.

Medicine Unlimited is designed to give middle and high school students a glimpse of the world of science and medicine, as well as the chance to explore whether a career as a healthcare professional, and training on WCM-Q’s world-class Six-Year Medical Program, would be a good fit for them.

The exceptionally well-attended event saw students and their families fill WCM-Q’s South and North Halls and interact directly with senior faculty and students at 19 stalls covering subjects such as human anatomy, student research, global and public health, pediatrics, clinical skills, writing skills, the WCM-Q Distributed eLibrary and the basic sciences of biology, chemistry and physics. There were also stalls providing information about the WCM-Q Foundation Program, the admissions procedure, the Your Health First – Sahtak Awalan public health campaign, and environmental health and safety.

The event also featured a welcome address to prospective students and their families by Ms. Noha Saleh, Director of Student Recruitment and Outreach at WCM-Q, in a giant tent erected in the WCM-Q grounds. In addition, each student visitor received a ‘student passport’ to be stamped at each stall they visited to gain entry to a raffle and there was a quiz on the information contained in the various demonstrations, with prizes awarded to the winners. Faculty also took part in the event by providing talks and hands-on experiences, including Dr. Amine Rakab, Assistant Professor of Medicine and Assistant Dean for Clinical Learning, who explained the details of the medical curriculum to students, and Dr. Ameed Raouf , Associate Professor of Anatomy in Radiology, who demonstrated the use of anatomage tables. Dr. James Roach, Associate Professor of Chemistry, explained chemical reactions with a series of visually impressive demonstrations.

Dr. Rachid Bendriss, Assistant Dean Student Recruitment, Outreach and Foundation at WCM-Q, said: “Medicine Unlimited brings an incredible buzz to WCM-Q and this year’s event was no exception. The prospective students showed amazing enthusiasm for learning about science and medicine through our many interactive simulations and demonstrations. The event captures the sheer excitement of scientific discovery and the power of knowledge and is a source of great inspiration for students and their families. We look forward to receiving many applications to join WCM-Q’s renowned medical program from students who visited us today.”

Students at the event learned that WCM-Q awards its graduates a U.S.-accredited M.D. degree, and is the only university outside the United States to do so. The college’s recently introduced Six-Year Medical Program comprises a two-year Premedical Curriculum and a four-year Medical Curriculum, and also provides many opportunities for students to engage in biomedical research projects.

Prospective students can also opt for WMC-Q’s year-long foundation program, which gives students a thorough grounding in English, math and the basic sciences to prepare them for the Six-Year Medical Program. WCM-Q graduates have excellent career prospects and an extremely strong record of gaining entry to residency programs at elite teaching hospitals in the U.S. and Qatar, including New York Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Yale New-Haven Hospital in Connecticut and Hamad Medical Corporation, among many others. 

Students interested in applying to WCM-Q can learn more by visiting http://qatar-weill.cornell.edu/prospective-students/overview