Far Away, But Right at Home at Weill Cornell-NY

Essay contest winners Nora Sawan Al Awam and Abdulaziz Majid Al
Malki at grand rounds with Dr. Ronald Crystal, chairman of the
Department of Genetic Medicine at WCMC in New York.

Chiefs’ rounds at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City can be a nerve-wracking experience. Residents present cases while their colleagues and senior physicians fire questions at them on the patient’s symptoms, diagnosis and prognosis. Sitting around a small table in a cramped conference room, there is nowhere to hide when faced with a question.

On 21 July, however, Nora Sawan Al Awam and Abdulaziz Majid Al Malki were perhaps slightly more nervous than anyone else in the room.

Nora, 17, and Abdulaziz, 16, both high school juniors from Doha, Qatar, are winners of the Doctors of The Future Scholarship, which included a trip to Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City for two weeks of invaluable experience in the laboratory and lecture hall. In addition to shadowing physicians and donning lab coats, goggles and gloves to work with cell culture, Nora and Abdulaziz sat in on a chiefs’ rounds session with Dr. Ronald Crystal, chairman of the Department of Genetic Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College, and Dr. Joseph T. Cooke, Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College.

“They showed us so much in such a short time,” said Nora Sawan Al
Awam, a junior at Doha College. "It was an amazing experience.”

“I don’t think when I was 17-years-old, I would have been able to go to another country and handle myself as admirably as these two young people have,” Dr. Crystal said. “Nora and Abdulaziz are extremely bright and full of potential. The opportunities they’ve been given as a reward for their hard work will go a long way toward guiding them in their pursuit of science and medicine.”

Entrants in the Doctors of the Future Scholarship Program wrote essays discussing the most pressing medical issues in their home countries. Abdulaziz wrote about how a sudden influx of wealth in Qatar has created an environment where “western diseases” such as obesity and hypertension are starting to flourish. Nora’s essay examined Doha’s transformation into one of the world’s busiest travel hubs and the potential for visitors to introduce new illnesses to the country.

After rounds, Dr. Cooke took the two visitors on a tour of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, highlighting new patient rooms on the top floors of the Greenberg Pavilion and the Medical Intensive Care Unit.

Earlier in the week, Nora and Abdulaziz learned basic laboratory skills, including pipetting and antiseptic techniques. Once familiarized with the lab, they were able to participate in ongoing experiments, including culturing cells and photographing the various stages of the cells’ growth.

“This is not stuff that normal high school kids get to do,” Abdulaziz said. “They showed us every part of the hospital and Medical College and we saw up close what real doctors and real scientists do. It was an amazing experience.”

The experience taught Abdulaziz and Nora basic laboratory skills and
gave them the opportunity to take part in several ongoing biomedical
experiments.

Before wrapping up their stay, Abdulaziz and Nora made a presentation to Dr. Crystal and his colleagues at the Genetics Therapies Meeting. There, the two students discussed their work on cell differentials and staining techniques that allow the researcher to determine how many of each type of cell they have. They also reported on their experiments with pulmonary diagnostics and lung function testing, as well as the screenings of several patients involved with clinical trials.

“They showed us so much in such a short time,” Nora said. “We were able to see all the different parts of a hospital, watching doctors work with patients, to medical students, to laboratories.”

“Programs like this are essential to helping young people become interested in a career in medicine and research,” said Dr. Crystal. “We have greatly enjoyed having Nora and Abdulaziz, and trust they will continue their work and education after they return home.”

Report by Joshua Hammann