Bridging the Gap

This summer saw several regional firsts for Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar (WCMC-Q). The medical college, in Education City, Doha, initiated a new training program in Qatar for medical interpreters as an initiative to ease the way for WCMC-Q's medical students during their third-year clinical clerkships, which begin in Hamad Medical Corp. hospitals during July.

The 25 selected candidates attended the 40-hour "Bridging the Gap" program, conducted by experts from the Seattle-based Cross Cultural Health Care Program. The candidates are trained to work as translators and interpreters to interact between medical students and patients who speak only Arabic, Hindi, Tamil or Urdu.

The growth of medical interpreting services is also a response to changing needs, as people migrate across the globe, said Nounou Taleghani, assistant professor of medicine and associate dean of clinical curriculum, who oversees the implementation of the training program at WCMC-Q.

Light and lens

A medical student's passion for visual imagery inspired the first "Capture Light" amateur photography competition at WCMC-Q. Fouad Otaki, a first-year medical student from Syria, developed the idea with support from WCMC-Q in-house photographer Martin Marion.

The competition received more than 200 entries from 35 participants in seven categories -- landscape, Qatar, Education City, black and white, international, portrait and action. Ten images were selected for display in each category, and the winners were announced at a dinner at WCMC-Q with members of the Qatar Photographic Society judging the entries. The winning images are posted online at http://www.qatar-med.cornell.edu/mediaNews/events/student_0506/slideshow/slideshow.html.

Writing roundtable

David Robertshaw, associate dean for premedical education, opened the third in a series of writing roundtable seminars attended by 20 participants from institutions in Education City, including colleagues from the College of the North Atlantic in Qatar and a faculty member from the Georgetown School of Foreign Service in Qatar who also teaches at Qatar University.

Robertshaw noted that the introduction of First-Year Writing Seminars into WCMC-Q's premedical curriculum has had a big impact on faculty and premedical students. The writing roundtable, chaired by Cornell Professor Mary Ann Rishel, focuses on writing in the disciplines.

High school students meet 'Harvey'

A number of weekend open-house sessions over two months hosted pupils, parents and teachers from seven local schools. Students gained insights into life at the medical school and the everyday activities of its students.

Besides learning how to measure blood pressure and how to listen to and appreciate normal heart sounds, the students were particularly captivated by the medical mannequin "Harvey" and its simulations of the symptoms of a cardiopulmonary patient.

Presentations by faculty members and medical students at each open house encouraged participants to ask questions. Feedback from the pupils was positive, with the sessions acting as an impetus to foster their enthusiasm for science.

Celebration time for Class of 2010

Laughter and tears marked the celebration of the Class of 2010 on the successful completion of their two-year premedical program, May 18. Dean Daniel R. Alonso paid tribute to the students' "perseverance, dedication, motivation and great spirit." Among the highlights of the evening was the premiere of a short film, "Without Walls," commissioned by WCMC-Q, featuring many of the students.

Alonso and Robertshaw presented a certificate and Cornell medallion to each student, who in turn presented certificates to faculty members and teaching assistants.

Class member Hala Mint El-Moctar summarized the premed student experience succinctly: "Although from different nations and backgrounds, there is a spirit of friendship and bonding that connects us. We got through some tough times together and found support and guidance from each other. I think a combination of all these brought us closer."

Summer research

The eight-week Summer Research Fellowship Program offers selected students an opportunity to go to Cornell in Ithaca and to Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City to work with some of the university's leading researchers.

Selection is highly competitive, with the committee at WCMC-Q choosing applicants who are doing well academically and have made a good case to pursue research.

This year six students who completed the premedical program went to Ithaca, while six who have just completed the first year of the medical program from the Class of 2009 went to New York City.

Krista Dobinson is an assistant editor and writer for Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar.