Students spend summer in the labs

September, 2014

Twenty WCMC-Q students spent the summer gaining experience of biomedical research in Cornell laboratories in New York, Ithaca and Doha.

The Student Summer Research Program (SSRP) gives students who are interested in pursuing a career in research the opportunity to join a working laboratory and benefit from the mentorship of a leading researcher.

This summer, eight second-year pre-medical students spent their 10-week SSRP at Ithaca working with esteemed investigators such as Dr. Yung-Fu Chang, who studies the molecular biology of infectious diseases, and Dr. Robert Oswald, who studies the structure and function of neurotransmitter receptors at molecular level.

Meanwhile, four second-year pre-medical students undertook the program in Doha, where they joined the labs of Dr. Chris Triggle, who specializes in diabetes, glucose toxicity and microvascular disease; Dr. Shahinaz Bedri, whose research focuses on cardiovascular disease, breast cancer, gynecological cancers and the biomarkers of chronic disease; and Dr. Khalid Machaca, Associate Dean for Research, whose lab investigates calcium signaling pathways in relation to cellular development and differentiation.

The pre-medical students submitted progress reports about the projects they were working on, wrote an abstract and presented their findings with a research poster and a seminar.

Additionally, a parallel program saw eight first-year medical students spend eight weeks at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York, where they worked with highly regarded researchers such as Dr. Ronald Crystal, one of the world’s leading authorities in the field of gene and stem cell therapies, and Dr. Mark Dinkin, an expert in the field of neuro-ophthalmology.

Yassir Hussain, nationals training program coordinator at WCMC-Q, said: “Students who have an interest in research benefit immensely from spending several weeks in a real, working laboratory where they have the opportunity to learn from some of the most respected researchers in the world.

"The SSRP is a challenging and intensive program that provides an excellent introduction to a wide range of research skills, from practical bench work to report writing. It’s a great way to kick-start a career in research for these students."