Four high school students triumph in WCM-Q “Healing Hands” essay contest
High school students who took part in the WCM-Q Healing Hands essay contest, alongside their parents and WCM-Q faculty and staff.
Four Qatari high school students won week-long research laboratory experiences at Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar (WCM-Q) when they triumphed in the college’s annual “Healing Hands” essay competition.
The winning students were Abrar Al-Khulaifi and Manayer Abdulaziz Al-Ansari of Vision International School, Hassan Nasser Al-Ansari of Qatar Academy Doha, and Sara Ali Ali of Qatar Academy Al Wakra. A further 13 high school students were recognized with honorable mention certificates.
The contest, which is run by the Office of Student Outreach and Educational Development at WCM-Q, is open to Qatari students in grades 9, 10 and 11. The program is designed to inspire young nationals to pursue careers in medicine and biomedical science; many previous winners and participants of the Healing Hands contest have gone on to join WCM-Q as students.
This year’s contest tasked the students with writing an 800-word essay on the topic, “The Humanities and the Future of Medicine in an Age of AI.” The essays of the four winners and those who received honorable mentions were noted for the originality of their ideas, their command of English, the soundness of their supporting arguments, and the coherent structure of their essays. The judges also acknowledged the generally high standard of all of the entries this year.
Each of the four winners received the WCM-Q Doctors of the Future Scholarship, which gave them the opportunity to spend a week gaining hands-on research experience in one of the college’s state-of-the-art core laboratories.
Manayer, one of the winning students, said: “The Doctors of the Future scholarship was a valuable and unforgettable experience. It was exciting to see how an advanced research laboratory operates and to learn about how scientific research contributes to medical discoveries, new treatments and improved patient care. It strengthened my understanding of the connection between research and medicine and reinforced my passion for becoming a doctor. I am very grateful for this inspiring opportunity.”
Noha Saleh, director of pre-medical administration, student outreach and educational development, said: “The high school students who participated greatly impressed us this year with the scope and ambition of their essays, their sophisticated use of English, and the thoroughness with which they analyzed their own ideas. I have no doubt that all who participated will make very strong candidates if they decide to apply to study medicine at WCM-Q in the near future.”
Dr. Rachid Bendriss, professor of English as a second language, assistant professor of education in medicine, and associate dean for foundation, student outreach and educational development programs, said: “The Healing Hands competition is an excellent way to encourage high school students to think deeply about the practice of medicine and, by extension, pursuing a rewarding career in the field. The quality of the essays demonstrated great potential among the participants, and we hope they will one day join WCM-Q to gain the skills and knowledge required to become world-class physicians, scientists and healthcare leaders.”
