“Aim for the stars, not the mundane; above all, live for a cause larger than yourself. Follow your passion, shape your own narrative and unfold your own myth,” Sheikh told the gathering at the convocation ceremony at Sheraton Doha yesterday.
This year, 49 students - 12 of whom are Qatari - received their US-accredited MD degrees in front of an audience of dignitaries, faculty, family and friends. The graduates comprise of 26 male and 23 female students taking the total number of alumni of WCM-Q, a Qatar Foundation partner university, to 384 new doctors since the first graduation
ceremony in 2008.
“Becoming a physician is no easy task, and the Class of 2019 have 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,” dean Sheikh highlighted.
Dean Sheikh also explained the evolving healthcare scenario as several advancements in medical diagnosis and treatment are emerging, making use of Artificial Intelligence and other technologies, leading to precision medicine and several other developments.
The keynote speech was delivered by Dr Aisha Yousuf, medical director of reproductive surgery at Sidra Medicine. Dr Yousuf, an alumna of WCM-Q from its inaugural batch, highlighted her journey in medicine and how patients often place their entire faith in their doctors. She called upon the graduates to live up to the faith of their patients.
Dr Moaz Abdelrehim, the student speaker urged his fellow graduates to practise “integrity, compassion, commitment and knowledge’ in their career.
“It is truly an honour 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,” he explained.
Dr Augustine Choi, dean of Weill Cornell Medicine in New York, also addressed the gathering and said “To have the greatest impact, and to really help your patients the most, you’ll need to keep learning. Today you walk out of those doors as doctors, but your education does not stop here. As you go forth as new physicians, I urge you to remember the lessons you’ve learned here at Weill Cornell Medicine, as well as the friends and colleagues you’ve made. They will sustain you as you find your own path and your own way to Care, Discover, and Teach.”
The graduates will now embark on the next stage of their careers when they will take up residency positions at elite-level healthcare institutions in Qatar and the United States, such as Hamad Medical Corporation, NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center and Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland to pursue specialities including internal medicine, neurology, paediatrics and general surgery.
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