Doha College’s second annual Medical Review School Conference was held last weekend with around 90 students from various schools in Doha, medical experts from Sidra Research & Medical Center, Hamad Medical Corporation and Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar (WCMC-Q) as well as representative from the Supreme Council of Health, Dr Aisha Al Aali.
The conference, developed by Doha College in partnership with Sidra Research & Medical Center, Hamad Medical Corporation and Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar (WCMC-Q), allows students interested in biology and medicine to present their research and findings on key topical areas in today’s medicine, showcasing their knowledge. All students competed for cash prizes and the first place winner wins the chance to join WCMC-Q’s summer enrichment programme.
This year, these topics included: Diabetes, Cancer, Cardiovascular Disease, Stem Cell Research & Gene Therapy and Diagnostic Tools and Bio-Mechanics. Six teams competed per topic and three teams were selected to enter the grand finale.
Schools competing in this year’s event included the hosts Doha College, Al Khor International School, Qatar International School, International School of London Qatar, Dukhan English School, Qatar Academy, Doha British School, Weill Cornell’s Qatar Aspiring Doctor Programme and Park House English School.
In third place came two girls from Park House, Suhanya Ferdinando and Huda Najjar, who discussed a rare disease called Choroideremia and the gene therapy and stem cell research that can produce a cure for this disease. In second place was also a Park House group who discussed prosthetic arms and the discoveries that will soon allow amputees to perform hundreds of arm and finger movements. Ali Abdelati, Moussa Zekak and Sara Akel professionally discussed the diagnostic tools and bio-mechanics behind prosthetic arms.
The winning team this year were three outstanding students from Doha College, Jessica Harris Robert Taylor and Lusizi Komakoma. They discussed the ground-breaking discovery of Dr Jim Olsen’s tumour paint which allow surgeons to physically see where the tumour is during surgery. The group focused on brain tumours and even gave a live demonstration to show how revolutionary this phenomena is.
Rachel Hart, Head of Biology at Doha College and the organiser of the event said:, “An event that links universities like Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar and medical organisations such as Hamad and Sidra with high school students is rare in Qatar. We’ve had some very positive feedback from staff and students alike and are already looking forward to the third conference at Doha College sometime in the next academic year.”
Professor Emmanuel Akporiaye, the expert judge from Sidra said: “I am impressed by the quality of research and the presentation by these high school students, which can easily match those of college students”. Professor Ramzi Mohammad from Hamad Medical Corporation echoed this, “This is a fantastic initiative for Qatar as it encourages young minds to believe in their future potential in the medical field. I have judged high school medical research competitions in the US for a number of years and was impressed with the submissions for this medical conference. The high calibre of entries is a good sign for the growing academic health system of Qatar. It would be great to see more young Qatari students participating.”
Professor Basim Uthman from Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar said, “All three presentations were high quality in content, style and relevance to the audience. They chose complex and hot topics which promise significant advancement in personalised and precision medicine. Personally, as I listened to their presentations I felt I wanted to go back to school to study what they were studying. It was obvious they all worked hard and they all were very inspiring. Naturally, this quality work reflects the unwavering support and guidance of the students’ teachers and mentors of all participating schools. I wish all the best for our future leaders in science and medicine.”The Peninsula
