Qatari students win Doctor of the Future Scholarships to visit Cornell

Four talented young Qatari high school students are to visit New York after winning study scholarships in the Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar Healing Hands essay competition.

The winning students were presented with fully-funded, two-week scholarships after a panel of experts at WCM-Q judged their essays on the theme of ‘Technology in Medicine: Promise and Peril’ the best of a large field of high quality submissions.

This year’s Healing Hands winners are Aljohara Salem Al-Marri (Al-Eman Independent School for Girls), Fatima Mohammed Al-Naimi (International School of London-Qatar), Jassim Ahmed Al-Mansoori (The English Modern School) and Imaneh Qaedi (Al-Eman Independent School for Girls).

During the summer the winners will travel to Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City where they will visit state-of-the-art research laboratories, hear lectures about the latest advances in medical science from some of the world’s most accomplished professors, and experience life at a busy, thriving medical school. WCM-Q funds the trip for each of the winners and a chaperone to accompany them.

The winners were announced at a ceremony held at WCM-Q, at which certificates of participation were awarded to all students who took part, while a further 6 students received honorable mentions for the high standard of their essays.

Dr. Marco Ameduri, associate dean for pre-medical education, warmly congratulated all of the participants. He said:

“We are truly gratified that so many Qatari students took part in Healing Hands and we were extremely impressed by the thoughtfulness and quality of your essays. Your words showed us just how inspired each of you is by the prospect of serving your community by studying at WCM-Q to become an excellent physician.

“Indeed, the very high standard of the essays made selecting the four winners a difficult task, so every student who reached the final stage of the competition deserves to feel very proud. I hope this success will encourage you all to continue to pursue your interest in science and medicine, and to one day return to us so that we can help you to realize your potential.”

Now in its ninth year, the annual Healing Hands contest is organized by WCM-Q’s Student Recruitment and Outreach office, part of the Division of Pre-medical Education, with the aim of giving promising Qatari high school students the chance to explore the possibilities of a career in medicine. As well as spending time at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City, the students will attend lectures at Cornell University at Ithaca in upstate New York.

Winner Jassim Al-Mansoori, aged 16, is in Grade 11 at the English Modern School. He said:

“I am really excited and happy to have won and to be going to New York. I’m really pleased that they liked my essay and I’m looking forward to experiencing the culture and the university life at Cornell. It’s a world-class university and I feel very thankful that I have this chance.”

The panel chose the winners based on the excellent quality of their essays, the originality of their ideas, and the solutions they presented to potential challenges caused by the adoption of new technologies in the medical field in Qatar.

Winner Fatima Al-Naimi, aged 16, is in Grade 11 at the International School of London-Qatar. She said:

“I honestly feel exhilarated to have won and I can’t quite believe it. At this stage I’m not one hundred percent sure what career I want to pursue, but I really enjoy biology as a subject and I hope that visiting Cornell will help me decide if a career in medicine could be the right path for me.”

Dr. Rachid Bendriss, assistant dean for student recruitment, outreach and foundation programs, said:

“Reading through the essays provided great insights into how these young creative minds might impact the future of healthcare and the medical profession in Qatar, and how they aspire to influence their communities through the proper use of technology in medicine.

“We are also so excited that many independent and international schools have participated by encouraging students to submit their entries. Through the Healing Hands scholarship program, WCM-Q continues to inspire young Qatari students to pursue a career in medicine and contribute to realizing the vision of Qatar.”

WCM-Q Healing Hands Essay Competition 2016

Winners: Aljohara Salem Al-Marri (Al-Eman Independent School for Girls), Fatima Mohammed Al-Naimi (International School of London-Qatar), Jassim Ahmed Al-Mansoori (The English Modern School), Imaneh Qaedi (Al-Eman Independent School for Girls).

Honorable mentions:

Mohammed Khalid AlKuwari (Qatar Academy), Aisha Yousef AlJaber (Amna Bint Wahab Indpendent School for Girls), Bashayer Hmmaid Al Mansour (Al-Resala Independent School for Girls), Saad Salah Bahzad (Al Jazeera Academy), AlHanoof Hamad AlJalahman (Qatar Academy), Sheikha Mohammed Almannai (Al-Resala Independent School for Girls).