From left to right: Kholoud Essa Abu-Holayqah, Naima Abdulrahman Alobaidli, Salah Majid Mahmoud and Dr. Ronald Crystal. All photos: Amelia Panico
At 16 years old, Kholoud Essa Abu-Holayqah may be young, but she knows in her bones that she's meant to be a doctor.
"I enjoy learning about the human body," said Abu-Holayqah, a high school student at Al Bayan Education Complex for Girls in Doha, Qatar. "It's the portal to understanding the world."
This month, Abu-Holayqah and two other Qatari high school students, Naima Abdulrahman Alobaidli and Salah Majid Mahmoud, embarked on their own journey of exploration as the winners of Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar's annual Healing Hands essay contest. Their prize: a two-week, all-expenses paid trip to Weill Cornell Medical College in New York to learn the ins and outs of the medical profession.
Their trip, from July 1 through July 13, opened for them a new portal — what it's like to conduct biomedical research and treat patients — under the tutelage of Dr. Ronald Crystal, chairman of genetic medicine, the Bruce Webster Professor of Internal Medicine, professor of genetic medicine and professor of medicine at Weill Cornell.
"This experience is valuable to me because I get to know whether I want to be a doctor or not through this," said Alobaidli, 15, a student at the Debakey High School for Health Professionals at Qatar in Doha. "I get to experience what people are doing, how they are working and what life is going to be like as a doctor. This is the key to me. This determines whether I want to be a doctor or not or whether I want to pursue this career or not because I get to see how [medical professionals] interact with each other and what they do. And I also get to meet important people like Dr. Ronald Crystal and I get to see what it's like from his point of view and how he treats his patients. This is advice for me if I want to be a doctor."
Three Qatari high school students present a summary of their New York experience
Celebrating the midpoint of their trip on July 5, the students shared what they had learned during their time in New York. They learned basic laboratory skills, including pipetting and aseptic techniques. They cultured cells and monitored cell growth. They joined Dr. Crystal during his rounds with patients and observed a bronchoscopy.
"The families should be really proud of these students," said Dr. Crystal. "They are really great."
The Healing Hands competition, now in its sixth year, is dedicated to introducing young would-be doctors to the profession, providing them key insights into what being a physician is like. In the process, the competition also introduces these students to Weill Cornell Medical College, both in Qatar and New York, which could serve as their home for four years should they choose to pursue a career in medicine.
This year's essay theme was "Caring Without Borders." The students were asked to write about how they would ensure the health of victims of an imagined humanitarian crisis. They essays were judged and the winners chosen by a panel of experts from Weill Cornell in Qatar.
The winners share results of their research and skills learned during their two-week experience at Weill Cornell Medical College
"This is the opportunity of a lifetime for these three winners," said Dr. Javaid Sheikh, dean of Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar. "To be so young yet to be welcomed into a professional research laboratory is an experience they will never forget. Under the care of Dr. Crystal, they will learn exactly what the research process involves, the care and precision needed and the dedication of the researchers. It will be an unforgettable intellectual journey for them."
Dr. Sheikh couldn't have been more right.
"This experience is very important to me because it teaches me a lot of knowledge, which I can take back and expand through various different fields," said Mahmoud, 15, a student at Qatar Academy in Doha. "This lab is very kind and generous to me, and everything I've learned here is really going to help me in the future."
Abu-Holayqah and Alobaidli were each exposed to the medical profession early in life by the doctors in their families — Abu-Holayqah through her aunt and Alobaidli through her mother. Inspired by their ability to heal their patients when they were sick and provide continuity of care, they decided to investigate the field to see if it's something they'd like to do for the rest of their lives.
"I enjoy helping people. That is what makes me happy," said Alobaidli, who attends a high school dedicated to health care education. "The way I can help people is to be a doctor."
Mahmoud's story is a bit different. Inspired by science through his studies, he started investigating ways he could contribute to the field. With Qatar facing a physician shortage, training as a doctor would be a matter of national pride.
Armed with the knowledge gained during their trip, the students plan to continue their training through volunteer work at local hospitals in Qatar.
"If I wanted to be a doctor, it would be to serve my country," he said.