Medical education and research environment in Qatar: a new epoch for translational research in the Middle East
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Medical education and research environment in Qatar: a new epoch for traslational research in the Middle East Lotfi Chouchane1*, Ravinder Mamtani1, Mohammed H Al-Thani2, Al-Anoud M Al-Thani2, Marco Ameduri1, Javaid I Sheikh1
Abstract Recent advances in medical technology and key discoveries in biomedical research have the potential to improve human health in an unprecedented fashion. As a result, many of the Arab Gulf countries, particularly Qatar are devoting increasing resources toward establishing centers of excellence in biomedical research. However, there are challenges that must be overcome. The low profile of private medical institutions and their negligible endowments in the region are examples of such challenges. Business-type government controlled universities are not the solution for overcoming the challenges facing higher education and research programs in the Middle East. During the last decade, Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development has attracted six branch campuses of American Institutions of higher learning to the Education City in Qatar, a 2500-acre area, which is rapidly becoming a model of integrating higher education and research in the region. Not-for profit, timetested education institutions from abroad in public-private partnership with local organizations offer favorable conditions to build robust research programs in the region. Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar (WCMC-Q) of Cornell University is an example such an institution. It is the first and only medical school in Qatar. WCMC-Q’s interwoven education, research and public health based framework lays a sturdy foundation for developing and implementing translational medicine research programs of importance to the State of Qatar and Middle Eastern nations. This approach is yielding positive results. Discoveries from this program should influence public policy in a positive fashion toward reducing premature mortality and morbidity due to diabetes, obesity, heart disease and cancer, examples of health conditions commonly encountered in Qatar. Introduction A monarchy, Qatar has been ruled by the Al-Thani family since the mid-1800 s. Since its independence in 1971, the nation has undergone remarkable social, economic and industrial development. Recently, the State of Qatar won the bid to host 2022 FIFA World Cup. It is evident that Qatar has transformed itself from a poor British territory into a wealthy oil and natural gas rich state that provides ample growth opportunities for businesses, social events, education and research institutions. According to the Qatar Statistics Authority, on Sept. 30, 2010, there were 1,642,235 Qatari residents, approximately 350,000 of who * Correspondence: [email protected] 1 Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar, Education City, P.O. Box 24144, Doha, Qatar Full list of author information is available at the end of the article
are Qatari citizens. The remaining residents are expatriates chiefly from South Asia and from non-oil-rich Arab states.
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