WCM-Q Students Hold Health Fair For Youngsters

Trainee doctors from Weill Cornell Medicine – Qatar (WCM-Q) held their annual Children’s Health Fair to help entertain the younger members of families and offer advice about keeping them healthy.

The event was organized by members of WCM-Q’s Pediatrics Interest Group but was taken online this year due to COVID restrictions. Organizations and clubs like WCM-Q’s Best Buddies, and Big Red Fitness then signed up to host virtual booths that families could visit, with plenty of entertainment to keep children happy. WCM-Q’s Student Research Organization, Psychiatry Interest Group, Student Wellness Society, Neurology Interest Group and Health and Wellness also made valuable contributions to the health fair by organizing educational and mindful sessions that the children learnt from.

Omna Sharma and Safaa Elmoh are president and vice-president, respectively, of the Pediatrics Interest Group.

Omna said: “The children and their parents absolutely loved the event and found it interactive. They enjoyed the different games and activities the clubs had organized like Pictionary, inkblot testing and dancing, and mentioned that there was a smooth transition between the different activities. I would like to thank Safaa and the remaining members of the Pediatrics Interest Group for all of the teamwork in making our event a success. Additionally, I would like to thank and acknowledge students from the participating clubs for bringing forth their creative ideas and volunteering their time for our event. Given the success of our event and the overwhelmingly positive response from the families, we will definitely consider making this a recurring event over the year where parents and children can join to have a break from the daily routine and participate in some entertaining games and activities.”

She added that along with providing adults with information about children’s health matters, the health fair also provided a platform for children to interact with other kids their age and engage in interactive and educational activities.

Dr. Amal Khidir, associate professor of pediatrics at WCM-Q, said it was gratifying to see students making a difference in the community while still studying.

Dr. Khidir said: “Being a physician is very much about being at the center of a community and making a commitment to helping people for the rest of your life. I think the members of the Pediatric Interest Group have already aptly demonstrated that they know what a career in medicine truly means.”