Staff Reporter
MARKING a first for Qatar, 20 female students have commenced the first professional year of their five-year pharmacy degree programme at Qatar University (QU). “We are off to a great start,” programme head Dr Peter Jewesson said yesterday in an interview. The students accepted into the programme completed a rigorous application process, including an in-depth assessment of various academic and non-academic criteria.
“They have a high GPA, and TOEFL scores and have also achieved strong PCAT (Pharmacy College Admission Test) scores,” the official explained.
These students wrote their PCAT exams in May 2007, the first time this exam has ever been delivered outside of North America,” according to Dr Jewesson.
During their first professional year, students will complete courses in anatomy, physiology, pharmaceutics, pharmacology, therapeutics, pharmacy and health care, and professional skills development.
The new pharmacy students will complete an average of 35 credit-hours of courses in each of their four professional years (over 170 credit-hours in total).
Dr Jewesson introduced to the new students the pharmacy faculty members. The current full-time faculty includes Dr Nadir Kheir (New Zealand), Dr Husam Younes (Canada), Dr Maguy Hajj (Lebanon), Dr Kerry Wilbur (Canada), Dr Nazish Khan (Great Britain), Lakmee Senadheera (New Zealand), Maria Socorro Mayol (Qatar), and Reem al-Mannai (Qatar).
Dr Michael Pungente (Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar) is also contributing to teaching in the new programme, as are colleagues from the College of Arts and Sciences including Dr Nahla Afifi, Dr Asma al-Thani, Dr Nasser Rizk and Dr Hesham Azmi.
“Our diverse founding faculty is committed to excellence in teaching and they will be good mentors for our students,” Dr Jewesson observed.
He stated that the curriculum is designed to prepare the students to function as competent and caring health care professionals in a changing health care system.
“And most importantly, our students are academically strong, motivated to learn, and eager to enter their chosen career,” Dr Jewesson added.