New six-year integrated medical education program unveiled

November, 2014

Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar (WCMC-Q) has announced a restructuring of its curriculum that will see its premedical and medical programs integrated into one cohesive six-year medical education program.

As a result of this integration, students will no longer have to go through a separate admission process to make the transition from the two-year premedical program to the four-year medical program. Instead, a single admission process will determine entrance to a six-year medical education program and students will progress through the course according to advancement criteria, which include academic performance, professionalism and commitment to the profession of medicine.

Students who successfully complete the six-year program are awarded the Cornell University Doctor of Medicine degree – the same qualification awarded to Cornell students who complete their studies in the United States.

Dr. Javaid Sheikh, Dean of WCMC-Q, explained the benefits to students of the new, integrated program.,

He said: "This important innovation preserves the content, academic rigor and quality of our highly regarded premedical and medical programs, while providing additional flexibility to our students and at the same time advancing their preparedness for the medical profession.

"We are moving into a new era of both medicine and medical education, characterized by extremely rapid scientific development and increased specialization. As such, we have fine-tuned our curriculum in order to offer the highly individualized support and education required to produce doctors who are able to excel in the fast-moving, technologically advanced world of 21st century medicine."

One of the aims of the integrated program is to build upon and enhance WCMC-Q’s already strong reputation for producing medical graduates who are able to gain acceptance to post-graduation residency training programs at elite hospitals all over the world. WCMC-Q graduates have placed on residency programs at top-level institutions that include Johns Hopkins Hospital, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, Cleveland Clinic and Hamad Medical Corporation, among many others.

Students at WCMC-Q benefit from a wide network of academic and personal support mechanisms, which allow the college to offer a personalized education that meets the needs and interests of each individual.

Dr. Sheikh added: “We believe these measures will result in an extremely high level of academic performance and a high retention rate of students through the six-year program. This is a very exciting time for WCMC-Q and we are looking forward to seeing our next intake of students flourish on the new six-year medical program.”

Students who are applying now to the WCMC-Q premedical program will automatically be reviewed for admission to the new, integrated six-year curriculum. Additional details will be available soon on the WCMC-Q website.