Doha College holds eighth Medical Review School Conference
By founding the annual Medical Review School Conference series back in 2014, Doha College brought to the students of Qatar the opportunity to fuel their passion for science and medicine. The conference, which operates in a competitive frame, invites students to present their medical and scientific research, and gain invaluable feedback from peers and experts drawn from the Qatar medical community.
While historically bringing together hundreds of teams from across the country, this year’s pandemic-related restrictions meant that the competition was only open to Doha College students. Even in these conditions, numerous teams took part in the process, 20 were shortlisted for the main event, and three won a chance to present their research to the external panel of judges.
The topics in this year’s conference listed Technology in Medicine, The Impact of Corona, Therapies in Institutionalised Healthcare, Maxillofacial Care, Biochemistry and Pharmaceutics, and finally Medical Ethics. The last two topics drew the highest number of entries, which six in each category, a revealing detail of where the focus currently resides with the young generation.
The adjudicators this year were Dr Abdulrashid Siddique, Senior Consultant with the Primary Health Care Corporation, and Dr James Laughton from the Hamad Medical Corporation Ambulance Service. They asked competitors pertinent questions that got them to look at their chosen topic from angles different to those used in the research.
After the presentations, discussions and questions from teachers and students, three entries made it through: – one on epilepsy by Fawaz Shaikh and Abhinav Gudavalli, one on the treatment of paralysis by Judy Ahmed and Zainab Shabbir, and lastly one about ethics in the use of artificial intelligence, by Laiba Qureshi, Ria Gokul and Mahroosh Naqvi.
After the three selected teams presented to the full reconvened audience, and answered the adjudicators’ deep-dive questions, the winners were named as Judy Ahmed and Zainab Shabbir, both in Year 11. Their presentation was called “Reversing Paralysis: the Use of Dancing Molecules” and it delved in the fascinating prospect of regaining use of paralysed muscles – something once thought impossible.
It was with great pleasure that we held the eight annual Doha College Medical Review School Conference, after a break last year due to the pandemic. We have had a record number of DC students taking part, who have created some fascinating, well-researched presentations. Our judges were very impressed with the quality and level of detail, and congratulations to Judy and Zainab for winning the event!Mrs Rachel Hart, biology teacher and coordinator of the event
Doha College hopes that, when restrictions are further reduced, the conference can once again reach out to all students with an interest in medical studies from across Qatar. Apart from firing the interest in a field with such promise and impact in people’s lives, participating in the conference also adds value to students’ applications to medical schools. Many Doha College students go on to study in reputable medical schools from around the world, and counts many top medical specialists among its alumni.
Scroll through the images to see some of the participating teams and the science faculty
