The Centre for Cultural Competence in Health Care (CCCHC) at the Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar (WCMC-Q) has been featured in one of the world’s most prestigious medical journals.The June issue of Academic Medicine is to publish a lengthy article about the CCCHC, detailing its devel-opment, aims and successes.The article has been co-authored by CCCHC director Maha Elnashar, trainer and medical interpreter Huda Abdelrahim, and Dr Michael D Fetters of the University of Michigan who is collaborating with the WCMC-Q on research.Academic Medicine is one of the leading peer-reviewed journals in the world, Elnashar said, adding that the publication of the article about CCCHC emphasises the global interest and importance of cultural competence in the new world order. “Sharing the details of our work will hopefully inform other institutions and hospitals in the region which are considering introducing similar initiatives, further enhancing health-care,” she said.The CCCHC is the only one of its kind in the Middle East. It educates students, faculty and healthcare providers about the cultural differences of nationalities, which may in turn affect how they treat patients. Instances could be as simple as an Arab woman refusing to be treated by a male doctor but may be as specific as medics recognising when a bruised child has undergone coin-rubbing - not a form of abuse but a traditional Southeast Asian therapy that involves massaging the patient with hot oil and the edge of a coin.Abdelrahim said that WCMC-Q medical students will be working, more than ever before, in a multi-cultural society and world. “At Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) alone, patients speak dozens of languages. Students must acquire skills to work with these diverse populations and understand their needs in order to provide the best possible treatments.