Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar (WCMC-Q) has announced a restructuring of its curriculum that will integrate its premedical and medical programs into one cohesive six-year medical education program.
Students will no longer have to go through a separate admission process to make the transition from the two-year premedical program to the four-year medical program. Instead, a single admission process will determine entrance to a six-year medical education program and students will progress through the curriculum according to advancement criteria, which include academic performance, professionalism and commitment to the profession of medicine.
Students who successfully complete the six-year program are awarded Cornell University medical degrees.
"This important innovation preserves the content, academic rigor and quality of our highly regarded premedical and medical programs," said Dr. Javaid Sheikh, dean of WCMC-Q, "while providing additional flexibility to our students and at the same time advancing their preparedness for the medical profession."
Pre-med students Aisha Al-Shahwani (left), and Aldana Shahbik (right) with Dr. Kuei Chiu Chen, Visiting Senior Lecturer in Biology.
One of the aims of the integrated program is to build upon and enhance WCMC-Q's already strong reputation for producing medical graduates who are able to gain acceptance to post-graduation residency training programs at elite hospitals all over the world. WCMC-Q graduates have matched to residency programs at top-level institutions, including Johns Hopkins Hospital, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, Cleveland Clinic and Hamad Medical Corporation, among many others.
Students at WCMC-Q benefit from a wide network of academic and personal support mechanisms, which allow the college to offer a personalized education that meets the needs and interests of each individual.
"We believe these measures will result in an extremely high level of academic performance and a high retention rate of students through the six-year program," Dr. Sheikh said. "This is a very exciting time for WCMC-Q and we are looking forward to seeing our next intake of students flourish in the new six-year medical program."
Students who are applying now to the WCMC-Q premedical program will automatically be reviewed for admission to the new, integrated six-year curriculum. Additional details will be available soon on the WCMC-Q website.