Promoting wellness through public engagement

Luma Rayyan, student health, wellness and activity
coordinator, presents second-year medical student
Shereen Darwish with her prize.

Advice about how to follow a healthy lifestyle was dispensed at Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar (WCMC-Q) when more than 130 people attended the college’s annual Wellness Day event.

A total of 13 organizations from both within and outside WCMC-Q set up stalls at the college on Thursday, October 24 to give out useful tips on a wide range of health issues including family wellness, financial wellness, nutrition, traditional Middle Eastern medicine, music for health, children’s health and mental health. WCMC-Q’s Information Technology Services (ITS) division was in attendance to give advice on how to keep your computer healthy and how to use IT resources to meet your health goals, while free fruit was offered from a stall run by Qatar Foundation’s expert nutritionists.

Second-year med student Shereen Darwish and fourth-year Abdelaziz Farhat of the WCMC-Q Global Health Club supervised the mental health stall, which was provided in partnership with Hamad Medical Corporation’s Rumailah Hospital. Abdelaziz explained that public perceptions of mental health issues in the Gulf region could be a barrier to treatment.

“One of the biggest issues for people suffering from mental health issues in our region is the social stigma attached to this group of illnesses, which can make people reluctant to seek professional help.” he said. “The way to tackle this is to provide good education to the general public so that it is understood that mental health issues can be treated just like most other illnesses, and Wellness Day is a good opportunity to do this.”

Second-year pre-med student Faryal Malick has her height
and weight measured at the Wellness Day event.

Newly formed WCMC-Q student organization Beyond White Walls gave out information on community wellness and explained their charity work with institutions such as Qatar Charity and Best Buddies, which pairs young people with learning difficulties with a friend who can provide support and mentorship. Second-year pre-med student Fatima Al-Maadid, a member of Beyond White Walls, said: “We formed the organization a month ago because we want to help promote social responsibility and to give something back to the community.

“We want to raise awareness of the fact that life is about more than just each of us as an individual and that we all have civic and social responsibilities to look after one another.”

The highlight of Wellness Day was the prize draw for three bicycles, which were won by Shereen Darwish, Sharon Hollinsworth of WCMC-Q’s ITS division and catering supervisor Rodney Fernandez.

Luma Rayyan, WCMC-Q’s student health, wellness and activity coordinator, coordinated the event.

“Wellness Day aims to help people to live healthier lives by giving them the information and tools they need to do so,” she said. “Often, making only very small changes to our lifestyles can bring really significant health benefits.

“This year’s Wellness Day has been a great success thanks to the many organizations and individuals that gave their time and energy to take part for the benefit of the health of the community.”