Students head to the U.S. for Summer Research Program
A total of 30 Students from Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar (WCMC-Q) are U.S. bound over the summer where they will join leading researchers in the labs of Weill Cornell Medical College in New York and Cornell University, Ithaca, New York State.
At WCMC-New York, students have been paired with internationally renowned doctors and
medical researchers. They will actively participate in evolving research in the fields of gene
therapy, genomics, stem cells, cardiovascular disease, neurobiology and brain function.
At Cornell University in Ithaca, pre-medical students will join the prestigious Howard Hughes
program, working in cutting edge biomedical research in the College of Veterinary Science.
Some will also focus on the molecular basis of disease within the departments of Molecular
Biology and Genetics.
Throughout the course of the program, students will gain exposure to a dynamic research environment in which they will experience working with leading researchers, learning about how new knowledge in science is formed and learning more about lab methodologies and processes. They will also take part in lab team activities and educational programs.
Over the years, the summer research program has been an opportunity for students to develop interest in research, to have papers published and to take part in international peer reviewed conferences. A number of WCMC-Q students have done this in previous years and some of the applicants have also had successful Qatar National Research Fund UREP experience.
‘The word is out that our students are hugely capable’ said Dr. Javaid Sheikh, Deputy Dean and Vice Dean for Research at WCMC-Q, ‘Those students who have participated in previous years have established a growing and increasingly positive precedence for all those following. They are motivated and hard working and this is recognized by the leading scientists they will work with”.
In 2003, WCMC-Q sent its first group of pre-medical students to work with researchers at Cornell’s main campus in Ithaca. Since then, the summer research program has become well established, with increasing numbers applying for fellowships.
