Halfway across the world, the Class of 2008 at Weill Cornell Medical College-Qatar keeps pace with its New York peers in finishing the first year of classes.
"They are the pioneers; they are the trailblazers," said Dr. Madelon Finkel, professor of clinical public health and director of the Office of International Medical Education, of the 16 students in Qatar, who hail from many different countries around the world.
On March 15, Dr. Finkel shared highlights from her week-long trip to Qatar in December with other faculty. The students whom she visited eagerly sought her out, seizing upon the chance to interact one-on-one and to get answers to their many questions about the curriculum. "They are thirsting for our ability to interact with them," said Dr. Finkel.
The city of Doha takes root in the desert with rapid development.
The Medical College has recruited a dedicated corps of instructors based in Qatar to supplement the taped lectures and real-time videoconferencing with faculty in New York. In the future, Weill Cornell hopes to implement a program of "teach-for-a-week" visits by additional Weill Cornell faculty, from various departments and specialties.
Like its host city of Doha, the Medical College is taking root and thriving in a barren desert setting. Weill Cornell has completed construction of its main building and partnered with Qatar's principal hospital, the Hamad Medical Corporation, for students to apply their skills in a clinical setting. The Medical College is also collaborating on plans for a specialty teaching hospital and complementary research facility to address medical issues in the Qatari population.
In the coming decade, Weill Cornell will devote $400 million to research initiatives in Qatar to complement the Medical College curriculum and address that nation's health care, including studies into the genetic origins of the heart disease, obesity and diabetes that plague the native Qatari population.
Photo by Dr. Madelon Finkel.