WCMC-Q a Strong Presence at First Qatar Foundation Research Forum

Amna Al-Khuzaei, a first-year student at WCMC-Q, was one of four
award winners at the Qatar Foundation Research Form.

To celebrate the accomplishments of researchers in Qatar and the relationship between Qatar Foundation and its partners, the Foundation recently held its first research forum at the Sheraton in Doha. Her Highness Sheikha Mozah Bint Nasser Al Missned, chairperson of Qatar Foundation, introduced the event, which featured a talk by iconic astronaut Buzz Aldrin.

Leaders, senior investigators and students from WCMC-Q gave talks and displayed posters at the event—illuminating the college’s growing research division and range of studies involving nearly 50 prestigious, international laboratory partnerships.

Dr. Javaid Sheikh, dean of WCMC-Q, gave a speech entitled “Developing a Center of Excellence in Biomedical Research” in which he described WCMC-Q’s strategy for attracting and supporting world-class researchers and moving their findings out into the community.

“The core of our strategy is bench to bedside to community,” he said. “Starting with fundamental research, we’ll look at clinical applications and then from the findings begin to inform the public policy to change people’s behavior and impact the health of the Qatari population in a very broad fashion."

Second-year medical student, Zena Ghazala explains
her research poster on metal toxicity to a forum
attendant.

WCMC-Q student investigator, Amna Al-Khuzaei was one of four students to win an award at the research forum, for her presentation of findings related to cell duplication in mammals. She received a trophy and certificate for her contribution to research on “Initial investigation of ubiquitination pathway in mammalian meiosis.”

Dr. Sheikh explains how WCMC-Q is
contributing to the vision of a
knowledge-based society in Qatar.

“We are extremely grateful for the opportunity to conduct vital research at the frontiers of the biomedical field with continued support from Qatar Foundation,” said Dr. Khaled Machaca, associate dean for research at WCMC-Q, who gave a presentation on “Building a Biomedical Research Center in Qatar.”

“A forum like this, with awards that encourage scientists in Qatar to excel in cutting-edge research, represents one of the many ways that the research community in Qatar, under the leadership of Qatar Foundation, is striving toward the goal of establishing a productive research infrastructure in Doha, including improved health care in the region,” Dr. Machaca continued.

The forum drew seasoned investigators and students working in the areas of biomedical science; energy and environment; computing; and art, social sciences, humanities and religious studies, who fielded questions about their research posters and gave presentations to audience members and judges.

Highlighting specific areas of WCMC-Q’s research program, Dr. Arash Rafii Tabrizi, assistant professor of genetic medicine at WCMC-Q, spoke on stem cell research, and Dr. Ronald Crystal, chairman of the department of genetic medicine at WCMC in New York, gave a presentation on population genetic structure of the people of Qatar.

“In a small but very consistent way, we are contributing to her highness’s dream of creating a knowledge-based society by producing physicians and also a biomedical workforce,” Dr. Sheikh said.

By Emily Alp