After successfully completing the Clinical
Teaching Workshop, Dr Khaled Al Bader,
primary health care specialist and teacher in the
Family Medicine Residency Program at HMC,
received a congratulatory handshake from
Dr Daniel Alonso, WCMC-Q Dean.

The latest in a series of Clinical Teaching Workshops have been delivered by medical educators from WCMC-Q and Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC).

The result was a resounding success with 40 more WCMC-Q and HMC medical faculty strengthening their range of teaching skills during the two-day workshops held at the medical college recently. That means 140 faculty have now received the training over the course of this year.

It was the third Clinical Teaching workshop to be held at the medical college. An initiative of WCMC-Q and HMC, the program covers a range of educational activities designed to enhance the skills of doctors who teach medical students and residents in Qatar.

"It has been very exciting," said WCMC-Q's associate director of the Office of Education Development, Dr Elizabeth Alger.

"The course is very well structured and highly grounded in research and practical experience. It leaves participants with more tools in their tool boxes as educators. The participants are wonderful and there is a real feeling of being among a community of people who are committed to increasing their skills in medical education," she added.

Formerly the delivery of the workshops had been undertaken by guest facilitators but last February six faculty members from WCMC-Q and HMC undertook the month-long intensive Facilitator Training Course led by the Stanford Faculty Development Center. That training enabled the WCMC-Q and HMC faculty to train participants themselves.

The HMC facilitators included consultant in rheumatology and internal medicine, Dr Samar Al Emadi; assistant director of Medical Education, Dr Ismail Helmi, and director of Pediatric Emergency Centers and consultant and head of the Pediatric Pulmonology Section, Dr Ibrahim Janahi. Participants from WCMC-Q included associate director of the Office of Education Development, Dr Elizabeth Alger, professor of pediatrics, Dr Marcellina Mian and associate professor of neurology, Dr Leopold Streletz.

Two guest facilitators also led the course: senior staff physician in Pulmonary-Critical Care Medicine, Henry Ford Health System, Detroit, Dr John Buckley; and program director of Internal Medicine Training, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Dr Stephanie Call.

Both doctors were impressed by the 'overwhelming' commitment shown by the Clinical Teaching Facilitators and the enthusiasm shown by the participants. The guest facilitators had each previously spent time in Qatar during the facilitator training course in February and March.

"We were so impressed we just had to come back here. The commitment shown by Qatar to increase the standard of education in all fields is most impressive," said Dr Buckley.

"It (the Clinical Teaching Program developed by the Stanford Faculty Development Center) feeds very well into the Knowledge Based Economy and Society (KBE) which Qatar is developing, added Dr Call.