Forty-four high school students from 18 schools successfully completed the year-long Qatar Aspiring Doctors Program (QADP) organised by the Office of Student Outreach and Educational Development at Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar (WCM-Q).

The academic programme is designed for local high school students in grades 10, 11 and 12 who are interested in pursuing a career in medicine and have demonstrated excellence, particularly in the sciences and mathematics, with priority given to national students.

To participate in the programme, students must be nominated by their high school counselor.

Advanced curriculum

QADP offers advanced tuition in the physical sciences, biology, research skills, and English for academic purposes, to ensure that students are well-prepared for the pre-medical curriculum. The course instruction follows a hybrid model, with monthly face-to-face sessions and hands-on activities blended with online self-paced modules.

Dr James Roach, associate dean for pre-medical education and professor of chemistry, who delivers the physical sciences modules of QADP, said that this year’s participating students demonstrated their full commitment and interest in exploring a career in science. He said the programme plays a key role in attracting academically talented students to WCM-Q, with many actually joining the programme.

I would like to offer my warmest congratulations to all the students who worked so hard to complete this highly challenging yet rewarding programme.

Noha Saleh, director of premedical administration, student outreach and educational development, said the QADP continues to academically prepare and support high-calibre Qatari students who dream of becoming the scientists of the future. She said that throughout the programme, the students demonstrated such a remarkable level of enthusiasm and determination, and they should all be extremely proud of themselves.

We are confident that many of the students will go on to consider WCM-Q as their gateway to a future in medicine.

Participating schools

Students from these schools participated in the programme:

  • Al Arqam Academy for Girls
  • Al-Bayan Independent School for Girls,
  • Al Jazeera Academy
  • Al Maha Academy for Girls
  • DeBakey High School for Health Professionals at Qatar
  • Hayat Universal Bilingual School
  • Omar bin Al-Khattab Independent School for Boys
  • Park House English School
  • Qatar Academy Al Wakra
  • Qatar Academy Doha
  • Qatar Science and Technology Secondary School for Boys
  • Qatar-Finland International School
  • Sherborne Qatar
  • Swiss International School in Qatar
  • The Gulf English School
  • The International School of Choueifat-Doha
  • Um Ayman Independent School for Girls
  • Vision International School

The students who successfully completed the programme celebrated their achievements during a ceremony at WCM-Q and received certificates of completion, as well as personal congratulations from the WCM-Q faculty.

Speaking during the closing ceremony, one of the participating students who completed the programme with honours, Mubarak Nasser Al-Naimi from Al Jazeera Academy, said that QADP is the perfect platform to explore interests in the sciences.

I am grateful for the opportunities and experiences QADP has provided me, and I am confident that the skills and knowledge I have gained through the programme will be invaluable as I apply for college and pursue my dream of becoming a healthcare professional.

Dr Rachid Bendriss, associate dean for foundation, student outreach and educational development programmes at WCM-Q, said they look forward to welcoming many of this year’s participants as future applicants to WCM-Q.

For more information about the QADP, visit qatar-weill.cornell.edu.  


Check out Marhaba’s FREE e-Guides for everything you need to know about Qatar.