Doha – March 8, 2026: Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar (WCM-Q) has announced the publication a new peer-reviewed paper which analyzes the efficacy of using virtual reality (VR) technology to enhance learning outcomes in its pre-medical curriculum.
The study, titled ‘Immersive virtual reality for teaching hemoglobin structure in preclinical medical biochemistry education: a mixed-methods study of student self-reported perceptions,’ was published in BMC Medical Education, a leading international scientific journal. The paper details the design, implementation, and educational benefits of VR-based learning activities in early medical biochemistry education.
WCM-Q’s Dr. Ali Chaari, assistant professor of biology, led the initiative through a retrospective pre/post mixed-methods evaluation that embedded immersive VR directly into teaching. The approach aimed to improve student engagement and deepen understanding of complex biomedical concepts, especially <a href="https://gulfeyenews.com/highlights-three-priorities-for-air-cargo/”>three-dimensional molecular structures that can be hard to grasp through traditional instruction. Using the Nanome platform installed on standalone VR headsets, students actively explored hemoglobin’s quaternary structure, heme coordination, and conformational changes in a collaborative, immersive setting and they consistently reported positive views on its educational value. Grounded in active learning and structured practice, the initiative reflects current effective practices in medical education.
In addition to the publication, the same project won first place in the Poster Presentation Award at the recent Medical and Education Technology Conference (METC) 2025 hosted by WCM-Q, which took place in October last year. First-year medical student Iman Dajani presented the work, which was recognized for its impact and innovation in health professions education.
Dr. Chaari said: ‘The publication and METC recognition reflect our commitment to enhancing educational quality through research-driven innovation. Virtual reality is now an integral part of student learning, and we look forward to expanding its impact across the program. Following these results, VR activities have been integrated into multiple courses, supporting wider adoption of immersive learning and continuous improvement. My colleague Ms. Christina Esteban played a key role in establishing and scaling these activities, ensuring their effective integration into course delivery.’
This work supports WCM-Q’s overall mission to combine high-quality education, research, and innovation to advance healthcare development in Qatar and the surrounding region. Future plans include exploring the addition of VR-supported learning in more foundational science courses and assisting colleagues interested in using immersive approaches.
Dr. Marco Ameduri, associate professor of physics and senior associate dean for pre-medical education and Education City collaborative curricular affairs, said: ‘WCM-Q is dedicated to utilizing the most up-to-date technologies in order to provide the best possible medical education for our students. This study represents our commitment to careful appraisal of new technologies to determine their efficacy before we proceed with full implementation in our medical curriculum. It is very pleasing to see that, in this case, VR technologies appear to provide an excellent teaching aid to facilitate WCM-Q pre-medical students’ mastery of complex subject matter.’