A full decade in support of young Qatari competencies in research and health specialties

Qatar University (QU) celebrated the eleventh round of The Empower Generations Consortium, which aims to invest in Qatari competencies in life sciences, health sciences and scientific research, which was established in support of Qatar National Vision 2030.

Qatar University is the headquarters of the Union, which brings together more than 13 partners in the health and education sector, including: The Ministry of Education and Higher Education and the official sponsor of Qatar Genome, Hamad Medical Corporation, the Ministry of Public Health, the Primary Care Center, Sidra Medical and Research Center, the Qatar Al-Qannas Association, the Qatar Falcon Genome Project, the Veterinary Medicine Center, Qatar Biobank and two international partners, namely: Research Center Fractal AI and Africa Key Research Project.

The ceremony was held in the presence of Prof. Dr. Asma Al-Thani, Vice President of Qatar University for Health and Medical Sciences, Director of the Biomedical Research Center, a number of Vice Presidents of Qatar University, deans of faculties of health and medical sciences, representatives from the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, and Dr. Said Ismail, Director of Qatar Genome Program and official sponsor The Federation, Mr. Ali bin Khatam Al-Mahshadi, President of the Qatari Al-Qannas Association, in addition to representatives from the partners in Hamad Hospital, Sidra, the Primary Care Corporation, male and female students, professors and Qatari parents.

The eleventh round of the union started on October 16 of 2022 and lasted over two weeks of training courses for boys and girls, separately, through which 35 secondary schools and 170 Qatari male and female students participated out of a total of 2039 since the establishment of this project in 2013. In the three projects: Genomic Health, Precision Medicine and Qatar Scientists in Biodiversity, this tour concluded with an award ceremony on October 27, 2022.

In her statement, Prof. Asma Al-Thani, Vice President of Qatar University for Health and Medical Sciences and Director of the Biomedical Research Center, said: “I am very happy to celebrate today and to host such a large number of Qatari students interested in health and scientific disciplines. The union runs in full accordance with the sustainable development agenda. Qatar National Vision 2030 and Qatar University’s strategy, which seeks to invest in the new Qatari generation, increase the number of Qatari competencies and present them as a model that we are proud of on the international, regional and global scale.”

Prof. Asmaa added: "This union is considered the first of its kind in the Middle East in terms of content and operation mechanism, and one of the few projects in the world that looks forward to long-term results and employs statistical results in the form of research papers that we present to the public opinion to reflect the effectiveness of the union. The union helps this the new generation to discover a role model for them in various training sites in the fields of research and health, as well as enhance national belonging and a sense of responsibility. It seeks to invest in Qatari youth in order to secure a base of national human resources in the health sector.”

In turn, Dr. Omar Al-Ansari, Vice President of Qatar University for Academic Affairs, said: “We realize the potential of the next generation, and we are trying to fulfill our duties in training them to achieve the best for them, and to serve their country. Today, we are very happy that we have students who are interested in various health and medical sciences tracks and are able to Keeping up with modern health education.

The Union's website was also launched, which also includes electronic registration of students and teachers to participate in the various levels of the Union. And according to the approval of the Legal Affairs Department at Qatar University on the terms of field training for the third level, this year the different levels were officially and systematically activated, and requests for the second level began to be received, which includes the axes of creativity and innovation for students through creative projects in the field of health and the third level of field training in the sites affiliate partners. In addition to the achievements in the previous years represented in: The Union’s access to all private and public secondary schools and the achievement of annual increasing participation rates of approximately 10%. The Union is also considered one of the most important pillars of cooperation with partners in the health sector through the signing of cooperation agreements and the Union’s winning of many international awards, Including the Oscar in education, the gold in life sciences, and the gold in the Middle East at various international conferences since 2018.

Dr. Said Ismail, Director of the Qatar Genome Program, the official sponsor of the Federation, said, “This year holds our sponsorship and our fourth consecutive participation, and the course of genomics and precision medicine has attracted more than 40 students, and from here we are trying to fulfill our duties in preparing the next generation to achieve Today, we are pleased to guide students to the various scientific disciplines that qualify them to engage in the broad and intertwined system of precision medicine for different sciences, as it combines preventive and therapeutic genetic counseling with computer science and genomics, every student is able to find What suits his inclinations and stimulates his thinking.

Dr. Farouk Omar Al-Ajli, Director of the Qatar Falcon Genome Project and a research scientist at the Qatar Al-Qannas Society, said: "The annual participation of the Qatar Al-Qannas Society in the Federation aims to introduce secondary school students to accurate genomics science and ways to employ it to preserve biodiversity in the State of Qatar. The participation includes reviewing the results of The Qatar Falcon Genome Project, and its applications for preserving falcons in particular, and biodiversity in general in the State of Qatar. Through the union, we aspire to contribute to the establishment of an environmentally conscious generation capable of facing challenges on a solid scientific basis."

It is worth noting that the event concluded with the awarding of certificates of honor by: Dr. Omar Al-Ansari, Vice President of Qatar University for Academic Affairs, and Dr. Said Ismail, Director of the Qatar Genome Program for the schools that participated in the State of Qatar and the participating students.