Qatar has officially added 34 new doctors to its ranks.
The medical students in Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar's Class of 2014 received their Cornell University medical degrees on May 7 in front of an audience of proud family members, friends and WCMC-Q faculty who had come to cheer them on.
"This is a proud day not only for you and your families but also for all of us at Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar," said Dr. Javaid Sheikh, dean of WCMC-Q. "It is a great honor that we can gather to celebrate your hard work and ultimately your success. I have no doubt that the determination you have shown in completing the first phase of your medical studies will stand you in great stead for the rest of your lives."
The 17 women and 17 men — who together represent 13 countries — will now go on to their residencies at hospitals in the United States and Qatar, or take up research positions as the next generation of physicians and scientists. Four of the students are from Qatar.
"From now on, we are responsible not only for the lives of others, but for the changing shape and nature of medicine itself," said student speaker Dr. Mouhamed Yazan Abou-Ismail. "From now on, we can no longer blame misfortunes on the system; we have become part of it and must work hard to make that system better. And with every step, we must remain true to our profession, generate new knowledge, and pass it on to the younger generations who will fill the seats we once filled.
"As of today, my friends, the torch has finally been passed on to us, and I am ever so certain that it has been placed in the right hands."
Graduates of WCMC-Q receive their qualification from Cornell University, the first and only U.S. institution to offer its M.D. degree overseas, and recite the Hippocratic Oath.
"Every member of the graduating class has worked with great diligence to realize his or her potential and reach this important milestone in their lives," said Dr. Laurie H. Glimcher, the Stephen and Suzanne Weiss Dean of Weill Cornell Medical College in New York. "Each graduate has displayed the virtues of integrity, civic responsibility and the highest levels of academic achievement that Cornell stands for, not only in the way they have approached their studies, but also through their contributions to the life of the college.
"These young men and women have also made a wonderful contribution to the ongoing mission of Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar to establish a culture of excellence in the practice of medicine in the Middle East, and for that they have the gratitude of every member of the Cornell family," she added.
Dr. David Skorton, president of Cornell University, addressed the audience through a recorded video message and spoke of Cornell's pride in the new graduates and in Qatar Foundation, a non-profit that Cornell partnered with to establish WCMC-Q in 2001.
"I offer my congratulations to the graduates, to their families and all faculty and staff at Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar," he said. "Cornell University is honored to be a partner of this path-breaking endeavor which the whole world is watching with admiration."