(MENAFN- Gulf Times) Qatar Foundation (QF) alumni who are based in the US and Canada came together at a milestone gathering to strengthen their connections to each other, and to the ecosystem and nation that shaped them.

Attended by HE Sheikha Hind bint Hamad al-Thani, Vice Chairperson of QF, the first Qatar Foundation Alumni Chapter Forum: US & Canada brought together graduates of universities at QF who are now working and studying in the two North American countries to connect and reconnect, share their experiences and journeys, and build networks of knowledge and support.

The New York City forum was organised by the Alumni Office within QF's Higher Education division and sponsored by Hamad Medical Corporation and Qatar Cultural Attaché Office at the Embassy of Qatar in Washington DC, with the keynote speech being given by HE Sheikha Alya Ahmed bin Saif al-Thani, Permanent Representative of Qatar to the United Nations.

The Qatar Foundation Alumni Chapter for the US and Canada was established in 2024 to support and bond the 500-plus QF graduates pursuing impactful careers and advancing their studies in North America.

Across the US and Canada, QF alumni are now working in fields including healthcare, education, engineering, technology, and the business and cultural sectors, as – among other roles – doctors, lawyers, educators, and artists.

“At Qatar Foundation, we are deeply proud of the global reach and the positive impact that Qatar's Education City university graduates continue to make around the world,” said Francisco Marmolejo, president of Higher Education and Education Adviser, QF.

“This event in New York brings together a remarkable group of alumni who are making meaningful contributions to the region's economic and social development, while remaining strongly connected to the educational values and unique experiences they gained as students in Qatar. Maintaining close ties with QF alumni – and encouraging them to stay connected with one another – is essential to strengthening our global community.”

Alumni who attended the forum also heard from a guest speaker who is one of their own – Qatari entrepreneur, Sheikha Mayes bint Hamad al-Thani, a graduate of QF partner university Georgetown University in Qatar, who is managing director of the US-Qatar Business Council and owner and Group CEO of M Power Investment Group.

And the event saw Dr Mouhamed Yazan al-Ismail, an alumnus of Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar, also a QF partner university, receive his QF Alumni Legacy Award from Sheikha Hind, for his contribution to society in the field of healthcare.

The physician-scientist and educator, ranked among the top 5% of hematologists in the US and among the top 10% worldwide, was named as one of the recipients of the QF Alumni Awards at last month's Qatar Foundation Annual Alumni Forum 2025.

During the forum, Dr al-Ismail and Dr Karim Ginema, CEO and co-founder of Virginia-based EndoMD Health, a Virginia-based startup focused on access to paediatric care, and a graduate of QF's Hamad Bin Khalifa University, shared their stories with their fellow alumni.

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