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WCM-Q awarded highest ACCME standard for continuing professional education

Dr. Javaid Sheikh, Dean of WCM-Q, joined members of the Continuing Professional Development team and other staff to celebrate the accreditation success.
Dr. Javaid Sheikh, Dean of WCM-Q, joined members of the Continuing Professional Development team and other staff to celebrate the accreditation success.

Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar (WCM-Q) has been awarded the highest level of accreditation for the provision of continuing medical education to physicians by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) – recognized as the leading accreditation body in the US.

WCM-Q’s CME/CPD program was initially accredited by the ACCME in 2016, becoming one of the first medical education colleges in the world outside the US to receive such accreditation, which confers the rights and responsibility to designate AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ (American Medical Association Physician's Recognition Award).

Now, following an exhaustive assessment of its CME/CPD program, WCM-Q has been granted Accreditation with Commendation by the ACCME. Such was the quality of the CPD activities offered by WCM-Q that the ACCME conferred accreditation for six years rather than the usual four-year term. The new ACCME Accreditation with Commendation extends WCM-Q’s accreditation period until November 2024.

Dr. Graham McMahon, MD, MMSc, President and CEO of the ACCME, said: “Congratulations to Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar for earning Accreditation with Commendation, the highest level of accreditation conferred by the ACCME. With this achievement, WCM-Q demonstrates leadership, innovation, and creativity in CME and shows that education measurably improves clinician performance. By leveraging the power of education, WCM-Q promotes team-based care, population health, community collaboration, and clinicians’ communication skills. I commend WCM-Q’s commitment to continuous improvement in its own program and to advancing the field of CME through research and scholarship. We look forward to continuing to work together to optimize the performance of clinicians in Qatar and to support healthcare improvement for the patients and communities they serve.” Dr. Sheikh said that being awarded accreditation with commendation by the ACCME was "a truly special and significant achievement."

WCM-Q’s CME/CPD program also recently received renewed accreditation for a period of five years from Qatar Council for Healthcare Practitioners-Accreditation Department (QCHP-AD). This dual accreditation gives physicians practicing in Qatar the opportunity to keep their knowledge and skills up-to-date while simultaneously earning credits to allow them to maintain their medical licenses, both in Qatar and in the US.

A culture of high-quality CME/CPD is regarded as an essential part of any modern healthcare system because it provides rigorous standards of best practice for physicians which are continually updated to keep pace with developments in medical science. WCM-Q develops a wide variety of learning opportunities such as workshops, seminars, certificate programs and lectures for members of the healthcare community in Qatar, both within and beyond WCM-Q.

Dr. Thurayya Arayssi, Senior Associate Dean for Medical Education and Continuing Professional Development at WCM-Q said: “Our dual accreditation is very important to us because it underlines our commitment to help to continuously enhance healthcare at both local and international level. Although our program is relatively young, we felt confident that the quality of our offering met the new and more rigorous set of ACCME commendation standards. I offer my most sincere thanks to Dean Javaid Sheikh and my other WCM-Q colleagues Deema Al-Sheikhly, Laudy Mattar and the rest of their team, and all the other faculty and staff involved in ensuring our program meets the highest standards. This success would not have been possible without their contributions. ”

When WCM-Q was awarded a two-year provisional accreditation term in 2016 it was one of just three institutions outside of the US to receive such accreditation.

 Dr. Javaid Sheikh, Dean of WCM-Q, said: “To earn the highest level of accreditation from the ACCME, which is widely recognized as the world’s leading medical accreditation body, is a truly special and significant achievement. I offer my warmest congratulations to our Division of Continuing Professional Development for their hard work and unwavering commitment to excellence, which enables WCM-Q to honor its pledge to help bring the very highest standards of medical care and clinical performance to Qatar.”

Dr. Javaid Sheikh, Dean of WCM-Q, flanked by Dr. Thurayya Arayssi (left) and Deema Al-Sheikhly, celebrating the college’s accreditation success.