Medical Program Orientation 2004

The Class of 2008. (Not in the photograph: Aisha Yousuf.)
The Class of 2008. (Not in the photograph: Aisha Yousuf.)

The Class of 2008, observed Dean of WCMC-Q, Daniel R. Alonso, M.D., "is different from any other class I‘ve ever welcomed to medical school."

Dr. Alonso was speaking on the opening morning of Orientation for the Medical Program, on September 5th.

Addressing the sixteen members of this, the Inaugural Class of WCMC-Q, he went on to explain: "you will become the first home-grown doctors in Qatar - as Qatar has never had a medical school."

Upon graduation, the Class of 2008 will also be the first students ever to graduate from a branch of the Weill Cornell Medical College that is located outside the U.S. 14 of the students seated in Lecture Hall 2 - an ovoid-shaped lecture hall that is the "home" of the medical students - had successfully completed the Pre-medical Program at WCMC-Q. The 2 additional students entering the Medical Program with them had obtained undergraduate degrees at universities in the U.S. before coming to medical school in Qatar. All of them had gone through the same admission process, and met the same admission standards, as students entering Weill Cornell in New York City.

The Orientation provided an intensive four days of introductions: to faculty resident in Qatar, the curriculum, the different modes of learning (including problem-based learning and journal clubs) and the rules and regulations that must be followed.

There was instruction on lab safety and universal precautions, and a chance for the medical students to begin finding their way around a new gadget - the personal digital assistants (PDAs) issued to them on entry to the Medical Program, equipped with software to support their work.

The Director of the Medicine, Patients and Society I (MPS I) course, Dr. Wendy Terry, emphasized the importance of using the PDAs as an aid to keeping up-to-date with research, since knowledge in the biomedical field is constantly advancing.

Senior Associate Dean for Education, Dr. Elizabeth Alger, led an Orientation session for parents. The discussion covered a range of topics, from the structure of the curriculum, to the students‘ first experience of anatomical dissection, to the way in which they are evaluated. Dr. Alger noted the complex demands that medical students face, and she commented on the "critical importance" of their families in giving support as they go through the Medical Program. "The students have to be given opportunities for personal growth," she said.

Also active in the events were Dr. Suresh Tate, Professor of Biochemistry and Director of the first year Molecules, Genes and Cells course; Dr. Powers Peterson, Associate Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine; Dr. Nithila Isaac, Assistant Professor of Anatomy; Dr. Pablo Rodriguez del Pozo, Assistant Professor of Medical Ethics; Charles Paragg, Director of Student Affairs; and Betty Monfort, Registrar.

On the lighter side, there was a memorable evening under a starry night sky on the shores of the Inland Sea, a huge inlet surrounded by sand dunes in the south of Qatar - with a chance to try not just "dune-bashing" in 4x4s, but also camel rides; and a bowling evening at Doha‘s biggest mall, with faculty and students joining together in teams to vie for the top honors.

The events culminated in Opening Exercises on September 8th.

The Class of 2008