Kareem Imad Fanuos
Doha, Qatar: From merit and need-based scholarships to international recognition, Qatar Foundation’s commitment to accessible, high-quality education is creating world-class medical professionals – transforming healthcare both locally and globally.
For Kareem Fanous, a student at Qatar Foundation (QF) partner university Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar (WCM-Q) and a member of the Class of 2026, his journey exemplifies how merit-based opportunities can create pathways to extraordinary achievement while still in training.
His story began in Jordan, where a university counselor at one of the region’s most prestigious high schools recognized his potential and medical aspirations. Having previously taken part in a tour of QF, he was familiar with the opportunities offered by WCM-Q – and knew it could be the perfect fit.
“Qatar is heavily investing in human capital for the future of the region and does not see education as a privilege but as a right for everyone, which made WCM-Q easily my top choice in medical school – despite me receiving multiple other great offers elsewhere,” Fanous explains.
“A medical degree at a world-class university can be very expensive and may serve as an obstacle to many bright and deserving students,” says Fanous. But QF’s approach to merit and need-based scholarships enabled him to pursue his medical aspirations at WCM-Q.
Fanous was a part of two different research teams that secured two awards through the Undergraduate Research Experience Program (UREP) that falls under Qatar Research, Development and Innovation (QRDI) Council.
His first research experience involved exploring the interaction between platelets and endothelial cells in diabetic patients, which can serve as a clue to the underlying mechanisms that lead to complications in diabetes.
He conducted this research with his colleagues Aimen Javed and Yazan Emad Kaddorah under the mentorship of Dr. Isra Marei, Prof. Chris Triggle and Dr. Hong Ding at WCMQ, with their project ultimately claiming first place in the oral presentation category at the QRDI Council’s UREP annual competition.
The recognition extended internationally when the same research was accepted for presentation at Pharmacology 2024, hosted by the British Pharmacological Society in the UK, placing his work before an international audience of medical professionals and researchers.
“Presenting our research at Pharmacology 2024 in the UK was a defining academic experience. It was a privilege to share our team’s findings with an international audience and to represent both our institution and the broader research ecosystem in Qatar,” he recalls.
This opportunity emerged through WCM-Q’s Research Office, which maintains dedicated funding to support student presentations at global conferences – ensuring that exceptional research receives the international recognition it deserves.
The clinical training component has proven equally transformative. Through clerkships at Hamad Medical Corporation and Sidra Medicine, a member of QF, he has experienced firsthand integration into world-class medical teams.
“The clinical clerkships at Hamad Medical Corporation and Sidra Medicine have been the most transformative part of my training,” he explains. “We are integrated into world-class medical teams for approximately two years where we are heavily involved in patient care as well as clinical learning. These clerkship experiences are what begin transforming a medical student into a doctor.”
When the opportunity arose to complete clinical electives in the US during his final year, the experience validated the caliber of his Qatar-based education. “This transition confirmed how rigorous and comprehensive our training in Qatar truly is,” he says.
“The clinical education provided through Hamad Medical Corporation and Sidra Medicine is exceptional and it allowed me to integrate seamlessly into US hospital systems. That experience was both empowering and validating, and it speaks volumes about the caliber of medical education in Qatar.”
