WCM-Q celebrates ‘decade of success’ of its Foundation Programme

Weill Cornell Medicine – Qatar (WCM-Q) recently celebrated the 10th anniversary of its Foundation Programme, designed to help students achieve success in its medical programme.The Foundation Programme was launched by WCM-Q in 2007, specifically to develop the skills of those from traditional educational backgrounds who are academically gifted but may not be ready for the transition from high school to university. The programme essentially acts as a bridge between high school and university for those wanting to study medicine. The 10th anniversary celebration of the programme was held at the Hamad Bin Khalifa University Student Centre in front of an audience of faculty, students and staff.Dr Javaid Sheikh, dean of WCM-Q, said the Foundation Programme was launched to support Qatari students to succeed on the medical programme and realise their full potential.Dr Sheikh said, “The programme has led to more Qatari physicians graduating and so more Qatari doctors who are working in and making a very valuable contribution to the healthcare landscape of the country.“Through the Foundation Programme, we are also creating additional human capacity within the Qatari healthcare system and helping to graduate Qatari doctors who are working in - and improving - the medical landscape of their home country. They are acting as role models for the younger generation and contributing to the dissemination of best medical practice so adding to Qatar’s ever-expanding knowledge economy.”The Foundation Programme curriculum comprises courses in physics, biology, chemistry, math and English but the “true lessons that students learn are much more fundamental”, WCM-Q has said in a statement.Dr Marco Ameduri, associate dean for Pre-Medical Education at WCM-Q, said: “We want students to become independent learners to be curious enough to ask a question, but then to also have the necessary skills to find the answer themselves. We want to instil in them a strong work ethic and to have them become life-long learners, seeing the acquisition of knowledge as a journey.”Dr Rachid Bendriss, assistant dean for Student Recruitment, Outreach and Foundation Programmes, and associate professor for English as a Second Language, noted that the programme has helped many students achieve their potential and become doctors. “When we see from someone’s application that they have real potential but are not quite ready for the Medical Programme, we invite them to consider joining the Foundation Programme. This method has helped us find some exceptionally gifted students over the years.”At the anniversary celebration, guests saw a film produced to commemorate the anniversary and heard from two alumni of the programme - Eman Mosleh and Dr Mohamed al-Hajri - who have gone on to success in the Medical Programme.There are currently 22 students in the 2017/18 Foundation Programme, the vast majority of whom are Qatari. Razan al-Mousawi is one of them. “The Foundation Programme helps us understand what would be expected of us in the Medical Programme and the standards we need to maintain as students of Cornell,” she said.After successfully completing the Foundation Programme, students are promoted to the WCM-Q Six-Year Integrated Medical Programme.