The University of Doha for Science and Technology (UDST) has launched the CORE Wellness Programme through its College of Health Sciences to incorporate holistic health education into its curriculum for health profession students. The programme, introduced in a statement on October 21, 2026, aims to prepare students not only with clinical and technical competencies but also with the skills to manage the personal and professional demands of their future careers.
CORE stands for Clinical, Occupational, Resilience, and Emotional Wellness, reflecting the comprehensive approach the initiative takes toward student wellbeing. The programme is designed to unfold over the course of the students’ academic journey in three distinct stages. In the first year, students are exposed to foundational concepts of wellness, enabling them to identify factors that can influence their health and becoming familiar with available support resources. The second and third years focus on immersion, where students apply wellness strategies in both laboratory and practical settings. By the fourth year, the mastery phase integrates wellness into the development of professional identity, leadership, and clinical practice.
Dr. Shahrokh Esfandiari, Dean of the College of Health Sciences, emphasised that the initiative goes beyond teaching clinical knowledge. He noted the importance of fostering students' self-awareness and resilience as essential components for navigating the challenges of their education and future professional environments. "CORE Wellness brings this perspective into the curriculum in a structured way, supporting our students as they progress from understanding wellness to applying it within their professional lives," Dr. Esfandiari said.
The initiative is being implemented across various programmes within the College of Health Sciences and is aligned with UDST’s broader 2025-2027 Wellness Strategy. This strategy adopts a holistic model that addresses eight dimensions of student wellbeing: physical, mental, social, occupational, environmental, financial, spiritual, and cultural. By embedding this framework within health sciences education, UDST aims to shift the perception of wellbeing from a separate aspect of student life to an integral part of professional development.
Through the CORE Wellness Programme, UDST seeks to equip future health professionals with a more comprehensive understanding of wellness that encompasses both personal health and professional responsibilities. This approach reflects growing recognition in health education of the need to support students’ overall wellbeing as foundational to effective healthcare practice.