H E Sheikha Hind bint Hamad Al Thani, Vice-Chairperson and CEO of Qatar Foundation, with the graduating class of 2019 of Weill Cornell Medicine – Qatar’s (WCM-Q), at Sheraton Doha yesterday.
Doha: Academic achievements of Qatar’s newest doctors were celebrated at Weill Cornell Medicine – Qatar’s (WCM-Q) annual graduation ceremony held in the presence of H E Sheikha Hind bint Hamad Al Thani, Vice-Chairperson and CEO of Qatar Foundation, yesterday.
Forty-nine students received their US-accredited MD degrees and joined the alumni making total of 384 new doctors WCM-Q since the first graduation ceremony in 2008.
The graduation ceremony, held at Sheraton Doha, was attended by senior officials from the QF, the Ministry of Public Health and others.
“Becoming a physician is no easy task, and the Class of 2019 has demonstrated great commitment to their studies, intellectual curiosity and compassion for their patients. These qualities will develop as they progress through their careers and I look forward to seeing many of them working in hospitals in Qatar, healing the sick, sharing their wisdom with future generations and contributing to building the country’s world-class healthcare system in line with the goals of Qatar National Vision 2030,” said Dr Javaid Sheikh, Dean of WCM-Q.
“Everyone at WCM-Q is confident that these new doctors will be wonderful ambassadors for the college, for Qatar Foundation and for the entire nation, demonstrating Qatar’s commitment to unlocking human potential to the whole world,” he added.
Dr Javaid Sheikh, Dean of WCM-Q
The keynote speech of the graduation ceremony was delivered by Dr Aisha Yousuf, Medical Director of Reproductive Surgery at Sidra Medicine. She graduated from the inaugural class of 2008 from WCM-Q. Yousuf shared her inspiring journey from a student to the first physician who performed Robotic Hysterectomies and Myomectomies in Doha.
Dr Aisha Yousuf, Medical Director of Reproductive Surgery at Sidra Medicine
Student speaker and Class of 2019 graduate, Dr Moaz Abdelrehim, said: “It is truly an honor to be graduating alongside a group of doctors, but more importantly people, as caring as you are. To willingly wake up each morning in pursuit of a career that confronts suffering on a regular basis and demands substantial amounts of self-sacrifice is truly amazing. And now as we each go on to pursue our residencies or our research, our white coats will become longer and heavier because of the growing commitments and the self-sacrifice required by this profession.”
The Class 2019 of WCM-Q includes 12 Qatari, 26 men and 23 women. The new graduates from WCM-Q will embark on the next stage of their careers by taking residency positions at prestigious healthcare institutions in Qatar and the US. “I choose to study at WCM-Q as it gives me the opportunity to get world class education without leaving Doha. The journey at WCM-Q has been an phenomenal experience including mixed emotions, challenges, success and lots of hard work,” said Dr Khalid Albureshad, a Qatari graduate who intends to do a residency at Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) in pediatrics.
Dr Sara Hassen, another graduate, also echoed the words of Khalid and said the learning opportunity at WCM-Q gave her best opportunities. She intends to do her residency in internal medicine at HMC. “I decided to do the residency at HMC because I like the dedicated patient care culture here,” she said.
