Health Professions Students as Emerging Leaders: An Appreciative Inquiry into Leadership Experiences and Aspirations at Qatar University

Introduction: Leadership is central to health professions education, yet student perspectives remain underdescribed. This study examined how leadership is enacted and developed by students within Qatar University Health sector, using an Appreciative Inquiry lens to surface strengths and scalable practices. Methods: Six online focus group discussions were conducted with 35 undergraduate and postgraduate students across medicine, pharmacy, health sciences, and dental medicine. Discussions followed the Appreciative Inquiry 5D cycle and were analysed inductively using Braun and Clarke's thematic analysis. Results: A developmental pathway emerged: (1) motivations for pursuing student leadership, highlighting personal growth aspirations and a desire to create impact; (2) success factors, including prior experience, leadership competencies, team dynamics, and organisational support; (3) professional growth and impact, encompassing skill development, recognition, and indicators of achievement; and (4) future vision and sustainability, addressing strategic growth, development needs, and institutional support requirements. Discussion: Findings point to actionable design principles rather than context-bound procedures: embed authentic leadership responsibilities, pair them with mixed mentorship, make contributions visible through formal recognition, and close the loop with simple evaluation. Future work should prospectively evaluate these strategies and track longitudinal outcomes into early practice to refine integrated, equitable leadership development in health professions education.