WCM-Q medical students complete educational trip to Jordan

Twelve first-year medical students from Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar (WCM-Q) visited the Kingdom of Jordan as part of the annual International Exchange Program (IEP).

Coordinated by the WCM-Q Division of Student Affairs, this year’s seven-day trip focused on culture, leadership, and community service. The students had the opportunity to volunteer at Darat Samir Shamma for the Elderly and Dar Al Ihsan orphanage, and visit some of Jordan’s most important historical and tourist sites, such as Downtown Amman, Petra, and the Dead Sea.

This year’s participating students included Ahmed El-Naas, Aisha Kafoud, Dana Al-Sayed, Hana Nishan, Maryam Al-Muhannadi, Mlaak Rob, Omar Hamad, Sarah Baig, Shadi Abdalla, Shrinidhi Rao, Sushanthi Anandaraja, and Zoya Salahuddin. The students were accompanied by WCM-Q’s Sarah Burshan, psychologist/learning support specialist and wellness counselor, and Amjad Abdo, events & student development specialist.

Dr. Sean Holroyd, associate dean for student affairs at WCM-Q, said: “We offer our students a truly exceptional and enriching learning experience that starts very early in their educational journey. This includes the unique opportunity to participate in gratifying community service projects.”

Ms. Faten Shunnar, director of student affairs at WCM-Q, said: “Our annual exchange trip is designed in such a way as to ensure that all our students get the most out of the experience. This year was particularly unique given that we decided to include more cultural and historical aspects to give students a more comprehensive understanding of the country they are visiting. We look forward to continuing to organize similar educational excursions.”

Commenting on her experience, one of the participating students, Aisha Kafoud, said: “We should not focus on what we can give when discussing community service. What we gain is almost always greater in meaning and value; I cannot even begin to describe how much I have gained. My experiences meeting everyone have changed how I approach my life and others, and I will be forever indebted to the people of Amman for showing me what genuine connection, strength, and love look like.”

Established in 2015, the IEP offers first-year medical students at WCM-Q the opportunity to learn about the education, population health, and clinical programs of different medical schools in the region. The program consists of an annual visit from a delegation of 10 regional medical schools to WCM-Q and a return visit by a WCM-Q delegation to one of the visiting medical schools.