Full marks for Pre-Med’s top teachers

April, 2012

WCMC-Q’s teachers received the recognition they deserved at the Pre-Medical Faculty Teaching Award Ceremony.

The awards, which are initiated and voted upon by students, saw certificates handed out to those who have made a lasting impression on the Pre-Med class.

The voting was based on four criteria; the teacher who had most inspired intellectual curiosity; the one from whom students had learned the most, the one who was most interested in their pupils; and the best overall teacher.

Votes were counted and the top secret results announced at a ceremony attended by WCMC-Q Dean, Dr. Javaid Sheikh.
In the Foundation Program, Dr. Rachid Bendriss came top with students commenting how he is “so excited and enthusiastic”.

For English writing, Dr. Krystyna Golkowska collected the most votes for the way she is “always dedicated to the students, praising their essays and suggesting ways of improvement in a nice way”.

The two top teachers in 1st Year Pre-Medical were Dr. Phyllis Griffard and Dr. Laith Abu Raddad.

Dr. Griffard was praised for the way she “strives to go beyond our textbooks to see the bigger picture and to apply what we learnt to scientific topics that challenge us mentally” while Dr. Raddad earned plaudits for “knowing what confuses students and making sure they all understand the day’s topic by the end of class”.

“Making the complexities in organic chemistry seem easy by explaining and reinforcing the basic concepts,” secured 2nd Year Pre-Medical teacher Dr. Kevin Smith a top spot along with his colleague Dr. Moncef Ladjimi who one student said “is extremely passionate about biochemistry and manages to help us see the beauty and perfection in practically every aspect of the course”.

Last, but certainly not least, the Teaching Assistant award went to Andrew Flye who, it was said, “often stays late (even after 11pm) to attend to the students' needs, dealing with more than ten students at a time the night before exams”.

Dr. Sheikh, who presented the certificates at the event, said it was testament to the teachers’ dedication that their students thought so much about them.
He said: “Everyone recognizes that all faculty members at WCMC-Q are truly committed to their students but not everyone can be honored and I’m sure these particular awards have a personal significance to the winners having been voted upon by the students themselves.”