Organized by the Qatar Medical Student Association, College of Medicine, QU Health, Qatar University

The Qatar Medical Students Association (QMSA) in the College of Medicine at QU Health, Qatar University (QU), initiated the Medical Student Exchange Programs in both professional and research exchange.

QMSA, in coordination with the International Federation of Medical Students Associations, welcomed three students from Belgium, Slovenia, and Croatia, who selected a research project with Dr. Susu Zughaier, in QU’s College of Medicine to pursue their internship and learn about antimicrobial resistance.

The visiting international students had the opportunity to interact and learn alongside local medical students at the College of Medicine, which proved to be a very enriching experience for both the international and local students through exchange of experiences, perspectives and views.

The visiting students experienced the Problem Based Learning (PBL) educational module, which is a new experience to them as they are receiving traditional lecture-based teaching in their universities.

Third year students Nika Perko of Coratia, and Laurens Martens of Belgium, as well as fifth year student Martin Rigler joined Dr. Zughaier’s lab. Furthermore, two other students joined in Hamad Medical Corporation clinics for professional exchange in the ER and internal medicine rotations.

Dr. Susu Al-Zughaier stressed the importance of the program noting its value for any academic institution as it enriches students learning experience for different curricula and cultures alike.

The visiting international students had intensive research experience at Dr. Zughaier’s lab where they worked to learn about antibiotic resistance mechanisms and testing methods. They also learned about tissue culture techniques used to investigate host-pathogen interactions. Finally, they attended PBL sessions with local medical students and a medical microbiology resource lecture.

Source: Qatar University