Dr Mohammed Al Hijji (left) and Dr Mohamed Badreldin Elshazly (centre) with fellow WCMC-Q graduate Dr Shady Nakhla.
DOHA: Two graduates of Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar (WCMC-Q) have achieved distinction in the world of research, having just been published in the prestigious Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
Dr Mohamed Badreldin Elshazly, who graduated in 2010, and Dr Mohammed Al Hijji, of the Class of 2011 have, with other researchers, co-authored a major clinical investigation of lipids – which include substances like fats, oils and certain vitamins.
The title of the study is ‘Non-HDL Cholesterol, Guideline Targets, and Population Percentiles for Secondary Prevention in a Clinical Sample of 1.3 Million Adults. The Very Large Database of Lipids (VLDL-2 Study)’.
Their research could lead to new treatments for people with low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol.
This kind of cholesterol can build up on the walls of arteries, leading to atherosclerosis and, potentially, heart attacks.
For Dr Elshazly, it was also significant as he was the lead author of the paper and he praised WCMC-Q and its faculty for the medical and research training he received.
He said: “WCMC-Q had a great impact on what I am doing today.
“There were tremendous opportunities to do research in medical school such as summer research scholarships to Weill Cornell Medical College in New York as well as state-supported funds to do research in Qatar such as UREP and QNRF and I participated in both.
“In addition, WCMC-Q was my road to joining internal medicine residency at Johns Hopkins, followed by cardiology fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic.
“I will always be grateful to Qatar Foundation, WCMC-Q and Qatar’s leadership for their investment in research and the human potential.
“I hope I will be able to use my research expertise to help advance medicine and cardiovascular research in the Middle East in the near future.”
Dr Elshazly is in his first year of a cardiology fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio, after completing his residency at the Osler Internal Medicine Residency programme at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland.
Dr Al Hijji is completing his final year of internal medicine residency at Johns Hopkins Hospital with plans to pursue cardiology fellowship next year.
Both are engaged in several other studies expected to be published soon.
Dr Javaid Sheikh, Dean of WCMC-Q, said it was gratifying to see the college’s alumni engaged in such high-level research and they were testament to the quality of teaching at WCMC-Q.
Dr Sheikh said: “These two young men embody the reasons why WCMC-Q was established. They have taken the knowledge and training they were given and are now using it for the benefit of others.
“They are an inspiration and role models for all of our current students.”
The Peninsula
