The distance separating Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar from Qatar University is less than 10 miles — a distance Dr. David Hajjar, dean of Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences — sought to bridge during a recent visit.
To bring the faculties and students at each institution closer, Dr. Hajjar spent several weeks in Doha in March, leading seminars and sessions aimed at building a solid foundation for future partnerships and collaborations. Dr. Hajjar's visit was made possible through the Fulbright Commission, which in February named him as a recipient of the Fulbright Specialist Program, one of its premier senior Scholars programs. The program promotes linkages between U.S. academics and professionals and their counterparts at overseas universities or institutions.
"A great deal of talent exists at each of these institutions," Dr. Hajjar says. "Both faculties are eager to collaborate."
One seminar discussed the possibility of joint research on diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular disease, illnesses that have become increasingly prevalent in the Middle East in the past 20 years.
While in Doha, Dr. Hajjar met with Qatar University President Sheikha Abdulla Al Misnad; Kassim Ali Shaaban, dean of the university's College of Arts and Sciences; Dr. Javaid I. Sheikh, dean of Weill Cornell Medical College–Qatar; and Mr. Joseph LeBaron, U.S. ambassador to Qatar.
Dr. Hajjar also met with students of Qatar University to urge them to consider careers in the biomedical sciences and medicine.
"We want to build a pipeline to get more Qatari students involved in medicine and hopefully enrolled at Weill Cornell in Qatar," says Dean Hajjar. "The possibilities for collaboration between the two universities for students and faculty are vast. I will continue to make more trips to Doha in the future to try to facilitate those collaborations."