Joint graduation in New York for Qatar’s newest doctors

June, 2013

Qatar’s newest doctors celebrated their success for second time as they took part in graduation at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York.

In all 30 out of 35 of WCMC-Q’s were able to make the trip to the States, giving them the chance to forge new friendships and experience the Weill Cornell family in its entirety.

The event was held on May 30 at Carnegie Hall for graduates of WCMC-NY, the Graduate School of Medical Sciences and WCMC-Q.

Cornell University President David Skorton was in attendance as were the deans of the three colleges.

Dr. Laurie Glimcher, the Stephen and Suzanne Weiss Dean of Weill Cornell Medical College in New York told those collecting their degrees: "As medicine changes, you are the next generation of discoverers.

"It is your role — indeed your obligation — to seek new ways of doing things, to innovate and to discover. You are the future of global medicine. But I think you're even more than that. I think you might just be the future, period. If change is coming as fast as they say it is, we need leaders in all fields of endeavor who have qualities beyond the ordinary."

Speaking after the event, Dr. Javaid Sheikh, Dean of WCMC-Q, said it was of huge significance that the colleges held a joint graduation.

He said: “We may be separated by thousands of miles but there is much that joins us. The students of both Weill Cornell Medical College in New York and in Qatar are some of the most talented young people in the world. Their careers will be spent helping Mankind – either in the fields of research or in medical practice. They each have so much in common with one another and it is right that we celebrate together.”

The event had been preceded the night before by the graduation dinner. Held at the Metropolitan Club, it was a chance for WCMC-Q’s Class of 2013 to mix informally with their peers from the other side of the world as well as faculty and staff from all of the colleges.