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Four high schoolers win New York research trip in WCM-Q essay contest

The winners of WCM-Q’s Healing Hands essay contest for high school students were announced at an award ceremony held at the college. From left: Dr. Mohamud Verjee, Lulwa Al-Hareth Al-Khater, Alanoud Mohammed Al-Aqeedi, Dr. Marco Ameduri, Dr. Rachid Bendriss, Jawaher Rashid Al-Sulaiti, Shaikha Mohammed Al-Amri, and keynote speaker Dr. Deepak Kaura.
The winners of WCM-Q’s Healing Hands essay contest for high school students were announced at an award ceremony held at the college. From left: Dr. Mohamud Verjee, Lulwa Al-Hareth Al-Khater, Alanoud Mohammed Al-Aqeedi, Dr. Marco Ameduri, Dr. Rachid Bendriss, Jawaher Rashid Al-Sulaiti, Shaikha Mohammed Al-Amri, and keynote speaker Dr. Deepak Kaura.

Four talented high school students are jetting off to New York on a two-week research experience courtesy of Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar’s (WCM-Q) Healing Hands essay contest.

The students, who were judged to have written the best essays on the theme of artificial intelligence in medicine, will each now receive a two-week, fully-funded scholarship to Weill Cornell Medicine in New York and Cornell University in Ithaca, upstate New York. They will have the chance to work in Weill Cornell Medicine’s world-class biomedical research laboratories, attend lectures with faculty, and visit NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital.

The winning students of the 2018 Healing Hands essay contest are: Alanoud Mohammed Al-Aqeedi of Qatar Academy; Jawaher Rashid Al-Sulaiti of American School of Doha; Lulwa Al-Hareth Al-Khater of Vision International School; and Shaikha Mohammed Al-Amri of Al-Eman Independent School for Girls. The winners were presented with certificates at an award ceremony held at the college. The scholarship award also covers travel for a family member to accompany the winning student.

Winning student Jawaher Al-Sulaiti said: “I feel just inexplicably happy and excited to be going to New York. It will be my first time going there and to be able to see the labs at WCM in New York is like a dream, I am still in shock.

“I have a really strong interest in biology in general and specifically in biomedical research so I am interested in medicine as it will allow me to pursue these interests while helping other people. Winning this contest is incredible for me and I am very grateful for this wonderful opportunity.”

Healing Hands is an annual competition run by the office of student recruitment and outreach at WCM-Q. It is designed to encourage high school students with an interest in science to think critically about topical issues in modern medicine, and also to consider applying to WCM-Q to study to become a doctor. This year, students were also tasked with producing a PowerPoint presentation to accompany their essay.

The event also presented certificates of participation to 6 students, while 11 students received honorable mentions for producing essays that were of an extremely high standard.

Noha Saleh, director of student recruitment and outreach at WCM-Q, said: “The winning students have the chance to visit one of the world’s very best medical colleges and I am sure they will be truly inspired by their experience. The standard this year was very high so I also feel certain that all who entered have gained a great deal by expanding their horizons and producing great pieces of work. I hope that each of you will continue to pursue your passion for medicine and will consider joining us here at WCM-Q in the near future.”

Jawaher Al-Sulaiti of American School of Doha, one of four winners of WCM-Q’s Healing Hands essay contest, with Dr. Marco Ameduri, left, and Dr. Rachid Bendriss.