WCM-Q students during medical service-learning trip in Tanzania.
Doha, Qatar: Students at Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar (WCM-Q) have published an interactive e-book titled Care and Culture: A Medical Service Learning Journey to Tanzania, recounting their experiences exploring Tanzania during a medical service-learning trip.
The e-book, which is published by Qatar National Library (QNL), features a wide selection of images, videos, and written accounts produced by students and faculty as they travelled through the country, providing free health checks for local people, visiting hospitals and community centres, and discovering the stunning landscapes and wildlife of the picturesque East African nation.
Professor of physiology & biophysics and associate dean for admissions, who accompanied the students to Tanzania as a faculty mentor, Dr. Dietrich Büsselberg said, “I am immensely proud of the way the students conducted themselves in Tanzania, and very happy that the experience was so profound for them that they were inspired to share their memories through this wonderful publication. We believe it is the first e-book published by WCM-Q students and has proved to be an excellent format for capturing the beauty of Tanzania.”
Ten students participated in the medical service-learning trip, which took place in July/August 2024. During the trip, they travelled to remote communities to set up field clinics, visited a local hospital and an orphanage, worked with resident healthcare professionals to provide health advice, and met representatives of the Maasai and Hadza tribes. Other highlights included trips to local waterfalls and hot springs, shopping at a local Maasai market, and safari trips, which enabled encounters with a rich diversity of wildlife, including lions, rhinos, leopards, buffalo, hippos, zebras, and giraffes.
The e-book features a selection of inspiring and informative video pieces, including ‘Exploring Ngorongoro, Arusha, and Tarangire National Parks’; ‘Health Care in Tanzania’; ‘Agriculture in Tanzania’; ‘Education in Tanzania’; and ‘Cultural Heritage’.
The trip was organized by WCM-Q’s Division of Student Affairs, which sponsors several WCM-Q students to visit Tanzania each year.
