Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar (WCM-Q) alumni working in Qatar spent a week learning leadership and management skills on a course organised by WCM-Q’s Division of Alumni Affairs.
A total of 10 WCM-Q graduates completed the seven-day Certificate of Leadership and Management programme, learning a range of topics including different management styles, performance management and motivation, presentation and communication skills, the role of coaching and mentoring, decision-making tools, emotional intelligence and how to enhance assertiveness, among other skills.
The programme, accredited by the UK-based Institute of Leadership and Management was delivered by Leadership Focus, a specialist training organisation from London. The 10 alumni who took part graduated from WCM-Q between 2009 and 2016 and work variously as consultants, assistant professors, fellows and senior residents at WCM-Q, Hamad Medical Corporation and Sidra Medicine.
Dr Robert Crone, vice-dean for Clinical and Faculty Affairs, said: “Our role at WCM-Q is not only to educate our students to highest possible world standards but to create the next generation of leaders in healthcare for Qatar. This means we must stay in touch with our graduates who are engaged in postgraduate training in Qatar and North America and encourage and facilitate their return to Qatar to take up important roles within the healthcare system.”
The WCM-Q Alumni Affairs Division was created to support the career development of WCM-Q graduates by providing access to training, networking and employment opportunities. The division has been very successful at encouraging graduates to return from completing their residency training overseas (usually in the US) to serve the community in Qatar.
The division also seeks to support the advancement of women into senior leadership positions, following the example of inspirational figures like Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, chairperson of Qatar Foundation; HE Sheikha Hind bint Hamad al-Thani, vice-chairperson and CEO of Qatar Foundation; and HE Dr Hanan Mohamed al-Kuwari, Minister of Public Health.
Haya Ahmad, WCM-Q director of alumni affairs, said: “Our aim with this very rigourous and demanding course was to leverage the talents of our highly trained alumni by helping them acquire excellent leadership and management skills. This will allow them not only to advance their own careers, but also enhance their capacity to take leadership roles in Qatar’s healthcare sector.”
The training, which took place at WCM-Q’s campus in Education City, engaged the alumni in lectures and interactive exercises to teach them a variety of key leadership and management skills. These included making a five-year plan for career progression, how to manage the performance of teams by creating environments that are based on trust and mutual support, using coaching to improve performance, utilising appropriate visual aids and presentation tools, understanding the impact of body language, and by actively listening to feedback and giving appropriate responses to questions, among many others.