Doha – October 24, 2026: Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar (WCM-Q) brought together residency program directors and senior healthcare leaders from across Qatar for an in-person event as part of its annual Visiting Professorship Program (VPP).
Held at WCM-Q, and moderated by Dr. Ali Hallal, assistant dean for clinical learning at WCM-Q, the event welcomed senior leaders from Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), Sidra Medicine and Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC), together with program directors, associate program directors and assistant program directors from HMC, Sidra Medicine and the PHCC. The directors in attendance oversee residency programs in a wide variety of specialties, including surgery, pediatrics, emergency medicine, anesthesiology, radiology, radiation oncology, neurology, physiology, pathology, dermatology, psychiatry, and family medicine.
The event provided an opportunity for visiting leaders to tour WCM-Q’s state-of-the-art facilities and engage with faculty and students about postgraduate medical training in Qatar. Students had the opportunity to learn directly from residency program leaders about different specialties, training environments, application requirements and the qualities sought by residency programs. Additionally, it was an opportunity for the leaders to have an overview of WCM-Q’s curriculum, get to know the students, and foster further collaborations.
Dr
Hallal said: “We are delighted to welcome medical education leaders and residency program directors from across Qatar to WCM-Q to give our students the opportunity to engage directly with them. This event fosters collaboration among medical education leaders, faculty, students and program directors who are all focused on one goal: delivering world-class patient care to the community in Qatar.”
Among the senior healthcare leaders who participated were Dr. Abdulla Rashid Al Naimi, deputy chief medical officer for medical education at HMC; Dr. Eman Al Maslamani, medical director of infection prevention & control, AMS consultant, and senior attending physician in pediatric infectious diseases at Sidra Medicine; and Dr. Muna Taher Aseel, program director for the family medicine residency program at PHCC. They gave keynote addresses which revolved around the theme of ‘Aligning Medical Education with Qatar National Vision’, which was followed by an interactive Q&A session. The event also featured a research poster exhibition and presentation by the students.
Dr. Javaid Sheikh, dean, professor of psychiatry and professor of population health sciences at WCM-Q, said: “Our strong relationship with Qatar’s healthcare institutions is an important part of WCM-Q’s mission to prepare outstanding physicians who can contribute to the health of the communities they serve. Approximately 30 percent of our graduates pursue residency training at HMC, while many others return to Qatar after completing training abroad. These connections create a valuable continuum between medical education, postgraduate training and patient care in Qatar.”
Dr. Thurayya Arayssi, professor of clinical medicine and vice dean for academic and curricular affairs at WCM-Q, said: Many of our graduates pursue residency training in Qatar, where they benefit from the mentorship of faculty across the healthcare system and are inspired to strive for excellence in patient care. Events like this play a vital role in strengthening collaboration across Qatar’s healthcare system and preparing a new generation of highly skilled physicians to provide outstanding care to the people of Qatar.”