A total of 33 high school students spent a week at Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar (WCM-Q) discovering careers in medicine during the winter session of the Qatar Medical Explorer Programme (QMEP).Offered by the Office of Student Outreach & Educational Development, QMEP provides a snapshot of life as a student at WCM-Q and detailed information about careers in medicine. The programme is open to grade 10 and 11 students who have demonstrated academic excellence and a particular aptitude for the sciences and mathematics.During QMEP, the participants experienced a series of sessions designed to accurately reproduce the experiences of current WCM-Q students, with classes in biology, chemistry, anatomy, surgery, and research.There was a presentation on the life of a practising physician by a member of the WCM-Q faculty, plus opportunities to meet admissions officers, icebreaker sessions, and a mock admissions interview to help the students prepare for applying to college.The students also experienced practical classes in WCM-Q’s state-of-the-art Clinical Skills and Simulation Lab, before giving an oral presentation of a research project to their peers and WCM-Q faculty on the penultimate day of the programme. On the evening of final day, the high school students were invited to join current WCM-Q students, faculty and staff for International Night, which celebrates the cultural diversity of the college community.Noha Saleh, director of premedical administration, student outreach and educational development, said: "We are very happy to provide this chance for students to explore WCM-Q and we are certain that a great many of this year’s cohort left feeling very inspired about pursuing a career in medicine.”WCM-Q also runs QMEP sessions in the summer to provide more opportunities for students to explore careers in medicine. Entry to the programme is based upon academic performance and nominations from high school counsellors and teachers.Dr Rachid Bendriss, professor of English as a second language, assistant professor of education in medicine, and associate dean for foundation, student outreach and educational development programmes, said: "We hope that many of the inquisitive, intelligent and hardworking students who visited us during this session of QMEP will choose to join WCM-Q and go on to serve their communities as physicians, researchers, and educators.”
March 16, 2025 | 11:40 PM