Cornell University has awarded medical degrees to 15 students who are the first to graduate from Weill Cornell Medical College’s branch campus in Qatar.

The 15 students were among more than 160 graduates of Weill Cornell Medical College, which held its 110th commencement ceremony last week. Students from the Qatari program officially graduated earlier this month, but they took part in the ceremony in New York.

One graduate from the Qatari program, Dr. Rana Biary, 24, said she was drawn to the school because it offered training in “international medicine.” Dr. Biary, who grew up in Illinois, expects to complete her medical residency at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, where she plans to specialize in emergency medicine. “I think it’s closest to what a doctor is supposed to be,” she said.

In a commencement address last week, the president of Cornell University, Dr. David Skorton, singled out the 15 students, calling them “pioneers” who were graduating from the first American medical college overseas. The program in Qatar replicates the curriculum at the college’s main New York campus.

Addressing all the graduates, Dr. Skorton emphasized the medical profession’s code of ethics and charged the new doctors with using their knowledge to diagnose, comfort, empathize, and advocate for their patients, always remembering “the very thin separation between the powerful and the powerless.”

Einstein, Montefiore Receive $22 Million NIH Grant

The Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University and the Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx have been awarded $22 million in federal funds to accelerate the use of research discoveries in clinical settings.

The grant, from the National Institutes of Health, will support the new Einstein-Montefiore Institute for Clinical and Translational Research. “Translational research” is the concept of reducing the time it takes for a scientific discovery to be integrated into treatment options. The grant is part of $533 million in federal funding that was awarded to 14 institutions nationwide. “Ideally, translational medicine functions as a two-way street, with laboratory findings leading to clinical benefits but also with information gained in the clinic and in the field feeding back into basic research,” a co-director of the Einstein-Montefiore Institute, Dr. Paul Marantz, said in a statement announcing the award.

N.Y. Ranks 13th Among Least ‘Heart Friendly’ Cities For Women

New York City ranked no. 13 on a list of the least “heart friendly” cities for women, according to a new study by the American Heart Association.

The study, which evaluated the health of women in the 200 largest cities nationwide, took into account health factors among women living in each metropolitan area. Researchers looked at 22 health factors overall, including smoking and obesity rates, heart disease statistics, and regular exercise, among other things.

The least “heart friendly” city in the study was Nashville, Tenn., while the most “heart friendly” was Minneapolis. Los Angeles ranked ninth on the most “heart friendly” list, while Las Vegas ranked eighth on the least “heart friendly” list.

About 460,000 women nationwide die from cardiovascular disease each year, according to the American Heart Association.

Health Foundation Names Weisbrod Chairman of Board

The New York State Health Foundation has named Carl Weisbrod chairman of the foundation’s board of directors.

Mr. Weisbrod, a former president of the Alliance for Downtown New York, is president of Trinity Real Estate. Previously, he served as president of the city’s Economic Development Corporation.

The foundation, which seeks to expand health insurance coverage among New Yorkers, was established with funds from the privatization of Empire Blue Cross/Blue Shield.

In a separate announcement, the foundation announced that the Republican leader of the Senate, Joseph Bruno, tapped Robert Smith to become a voting member of the health foundation’s board. Mr. Smith is the founder and chief executive officer of Smith Affiliated Capital Corp.