Photography contest puts global health in the frame

March, 2014

The winners of a photography competition run by Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar (WCMC-Q) have been announced at an awards ceremony held at the college.

Organized by WCMC-Q’s Department of Global and Public Health, the competition invited students, staff and faculty from accredited colleges, universities and healthcare institutions across Qatar to submit photographs displaying an aspect of global health.

Two winners were announced, with first place taken by second-year WCMC-Q pre-medical student Nahel Tunio for her photograph depicting a child’s hand cradled in the hand of an adult, entitled “Holding Hands.” Second place was won by Luay Hussein, a mechanical engineering instructor from the College of the North Atlantic – Qatar, for his picture of an array of objects representing unhealthy lifestyle choices, entitled “Global Micro Decisions.”

Dr. Ravinder Mamtani, Associate Dean for Global and Public Health, said: “We were extremely impressed by the quality of the photographs we received and by the level of artistic expression displayed by the entrants. It is clear that a great deal of effort and thought went into the creation of these compositions, and that the entrants gave a lot of consideration to the serious issues and challenges that are suggested by our theme of global health.”

Participants were invited to submit one photograph each, accompanied by a narrative of less than 250 words describing the image and explaining the participant’s views on global health.

The entries were judged by a panel of members of the Global and Public Health team, on the basis of the quality, originality and relevance to the theme of both the photograph and the narrative.

The winners were presented with their prizes at the event on Sunday 16 March, with first place receiving an iPhone, and second place an iPad.

Nahel, who took her picture at an orphanage in Tanzania while on a WCMC-Q service trip to the country in August 2013, said: “The photo depicts that we need to come together and collaborate, and if we do that, we will be able to improve the global health situation around the world.”

Dr. Sohaila Cheema, Director of the Department of Global and Public Health, said: “We are very pleased with the response we got for the competition and are grateful to all participants who submitted their entries.  The competition theme is consistent with our belief that health is a shared responsibility and that all individuals are entitled to equitable healthcare worldwide. By hosting such contests we hope to increase awareness of global and public health issues, which are currently prevalent in Qatar and worldwide.”