WCM-Q alumna wins prestigious US scholarship award

Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar (WCM-Q) alumna Dr. Afaf Osman has been presented with a highly coveted award by the American Society of Hematology (ASH).

Dr. Osman, who graduated from WCM-Q in 2014, is one of only six awardees in the US in the clinical junior faculty section of the 2023 Scholar Awards handed out this year by ASH, which is regarded as the world’s leading professional hematology society. The ASH scholarship awards recognize the achievements of emerging research scientists in the field of hematology and also provide financial support to help them transition from training programs to careers as independent investigators.

After graduating with her MD degree from WCM-Q, Dr. Osman completed three years of residency training at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland, followed by a fellowship in hematology/oncology at the University of Chicago. She is currently an assistant professor at the University of Utah Huntsman Cancer Institute in Salt Lake City where she studies the genetic risk for developing leukemia.

Dr. Osman said: “I’m honored to receive the ASH Scholar Award. This award provides critical support for my research program studying leukemia precursor conditions. I'm grateful to the mentorship I received at WCM-Q that opened the doors for me to train at top research institutions in the US. The research education and experiences I received as a medical student at WCM-Q were foundational for a future career as a physician-scientist.”

During her time at WCM-Q, Dr. Osman took several of her clinical electives at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York. She also spent time in the US working in the laboratory as part of WCM-Q’s Student Summer Research Program.

Dr. Thurayya Arayssi, vice dean for academic and curricular affairs at WCM-Q, said: “All of us at WCM-Q are immensely happy to hear that Dr. Osman’s talent and dedication has been deservedly recognized with a prestigious Scholar Award from the American Society of Hematology. We are very proud to see her doing so well and advancing the science of hematology to ultimately improve patient care. In doing so, Dr. Osman truly embodies the WCM-Q philosophy of the physician-scientist.”