Three Qatari high school students will soon leave for New York on summer research scholarships after winning Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar’s (WCMC-Q) annual Healing Hands essay contest.

The competition, now in its sixth year, gives local high school students the chance to spend time in the research laboratory of Dr Ronald G Crystal in Weill Cornell Medical College in New York.

This year’s essay theme was ‘caring without borders’ with the question asking the entrants to write about how they would ensure the health of the victims of an imagined humanitarian crisis, a statement from the college said.

The essays were judged by a panel of experts from WCMC-Q and the eventual winners chosen. These were Kholoud Essa Abu-Holayqah of Al Bayan Education Complex for Girls, Naima Abdulrahman Alobaidli from Debakey High School for Health Professionals at Qatar, and Salah Majid Mahmoud from Qatar Academy.

Dr Javaid Sheikh, dean of WCMC-Q, said the Healing Hands competition was a chance for the college to get young people excited about medicine and interested in studying at WCMC-Q.

“This is the opportunity of a lifetime for these three winners. To be so young yet to be welcomed into a professional research laboratory is an experience they will never forget. Under the care of Dr Crystal, they will learn exactly what the research process involves, the care and precision needed, and the dedication of the researchers. It will be an unforgettable intellectual journey for them,” he said.

Noha Saleh, director of student recruitment, said: “The Healing Hands contest is a wonderful way to introduce potential students to WCMC-Q. As part of its community outreach programme, WCMC-Q encourages Qatari nationals who are considering a career in medicine to learn more about WCMC-Q and take an active interest in college life and healthcare issues.”

The three winners and their nominated guardians will spend two weeks in New York, hosted by Dr Crystal, the chairman of genetic medicine at WCMC.

Everyone who entered the contest also received a certificate of appreciation and three received an honorable mention – Dana Mohammed Alyafei of Al Kawthar Secondary School for Girls; Fahad Saad Al-Suwaidi, of Nasser Al Atteya Secondary Independent School for Boys; and Sarah Jassim Al-Kuwari, from Debakey High School for Health Professionals at Qatar. – TradeArabia News Service