IFMSA-Jo Magazine March 2015

s t n e t n o C

2 5 8 10 12 14 15 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30 31 34 37

Know IFMSA Messages Autism A Man with a Mission HU-LC + JUST-LC Ebola Technology Meet Hikma Pharmaceuticals UJ-LC + MU-LC Meet Biolab Smoking Health & Fitness National Projects Good to Know IFMSA-Jo Alumni Revolutionary Articles For Medical Students More About IFMSA-Jo

IFMSA - International For more than 60 years, IFMSA has existed and been led by medical students worldwide. The International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations (IFMSA) was founded in 1951. It is the world’s oldest and largest independent organization representing associations of medical students internationally. It currently maintains 123 National Member Organizations from more than 100 countries across six continents with over 1.2 million students represented worldwide. IFMSA is recognized as a non-governmental organization within the United Nations’ system and the World Health Organization and as well, it works with the World Medical Association.

- Standing Committee on Professional Exchange (SCOPE): promotes the cultural understanding and the cooperation among medical students and other health professionals, through international exchanges.

-

Standing Committee on Research Exchange (SCORE): to develop both culturally sensitive students and skilled researchers intent on shaping the world of science in the upcoming future.

The Executive Board governs the organization, the liaison officers build external relations, and the standing committees, initiatives, support divisions and regions lead the programming of the organization. The national member organizations (NMOs) are the official decision making body, where members from each national member organization meet bi-annually to vote on IFMSA’s policies and elect the team of officials.

-

Standing Committee on Refugees and Peace (SCORP): To educate students and professionals in the health care system about refugees, internally displaced people’s and other vulnerable populations’ health.

-

Standing Committee on Medical Education (SCOME): to implement an optimal learning environment for all medical students around the world and promote modern medical education.

IFMSA was created to impact the world and to empower its members in taking their vision and ideas, and making them a reality. IFMSA has inspired generations of medical students to develop the leadership abilities and skills to take on challenges and to improve the world around them in a crucial period of their career. Engaging in IFMSA encourages both professional and personal collaborations irrespective of geographical, social, cultural, religious, racial, sexual and political differences.

As a result, future doctors are becoming more culturally aware and sensitive physicians.

IFMSA unites medical students worldwide to lead initiatives that impact positively the communities we serve. And, IFMSA represents the opinions and ideas of future health professionals in the field of global health, and works in collaboration with external partners.

“A world in which all medical students unite for global health and are equipped with the knowledge, skills and values to take on health leadership roles locally and globally” is the global vision of IFMSA, and this vision is carried out through six standing committees: - Standing Committee on Reproductive Health including Aids (SCORA): Within SCORA, medical students from all over the world work on issues concerning Reproductive and Sexual health, Whether that be through advocacy work, projects, or through peer education.

- Standing Committee on Public Health (SCOPH): Works towards ensuring a healthy global society that is empowered through its knowledge, skills and opportunities to live a life of complete physical, mental and social well-being.

IFMSA - Jordan Magazine (March Edition) 2

www.ifmsa-jo.org

IFMSA - Jordan It was 2006 when the Jordanian National Member Organization joined the IFMSA global entity.

Ever since then, IFMSA-Jordan has committed to the service of our community through public health and medical awareness campaigns, serving orphans, the elderly and even tending to the environment. In addition, there is a focus on students in different schools of medicine in Jordan guiding them to a path of community contribution and voluntarism through several projects and campaigns that are based on honesty, transparency and mutual respect.

The local committees of IFMSA-Jordan are currently well established at the Jordan University of Science and Technology, University of Jordan, Hashemite University and Mutah University, and involve more than 3000 medical students. All of the four aforementioned committees are active in IFMSA-Jordan with a major focus on students, awareness campaigns, international exchange programs, conferences, workshops and assemblies.

the creation of responsible future physicians.

All members of IFMSA-Jordan are provided with the opportunity to discover the world of IFMSA and medicine from endless exchange and research programs that guarantee exposure to different cultures and societies, to promoting and facilitating professional and scientific exchanges that enhance medical knowledge and expands clinical concepts.

Also, our members have the chance to represent Jordan through attending the global biannual general assemblies of IFMSA which are considered a cocktail of cultures and resemble the dynamics of the modern world.

Development and advancement of health in Jordan, spreading medical awareness across the country, and raising the standards of our medical education are the targets through our scope, and IFMSA-Jordan is known for its passionate, motivated and inspiring members that work on accomplishing all the missions and reach the targets needed to leap with our medical system to a whole new era.

The goal of IFMSA-Jordan is to serve the society and medical students in Jordan by empowering its members in using their knowledge and capacities for the benefit of society, and providing a link between members, medical students’ associations and international organizations to encourage the cooperation between them for the ultimate establishment of a well-educated community. The IFMSA community creates a pool of ideas, opinions and beliefs that are discussed, evaluated and exchanged, thus enhancing the overall skills of its members to better serve the healthcare system of Jordan. IFMSA-Jordan makes sure to achieve these goals without political, religious, social, racial, national or any other form of discrimination. We aim to promote humanitarian ideals among medical students which will contribute to

www.ifmsa-jo.org

IFMSA - Jordan Magazine (March Edition) 3

Meet the Team of Officials Executive Board

Vice President for Internal affairs

Vice President for External affairs

National Officers

Hala Batayneh

Eman Hassan

Yahya Mazari

National Exchange Officer

National Officer on human

National Officer on

Rights and Peace

Medical Education

Ghaith Al-Dairi

Saif Ghishan

Osama Al-Odat

National Officer on

National Officer on

National Public

Reproductive Health & AIDS

Research Exchange

health Officer

Support Division Directors

Emran Etier

Sura Mubarak

New Technology Support

Projects Support

Division Director

Division Director

Ramez Halaseh

Mohammed Swaiti

Publications Support

Training Support

Division Director

Division Director

IFMSA - Jordan Magazine (March Edition) 4

www.ifmsa-jo.org

Mohammad Hamidi IFMSA-Jo President

Messages..

Fellow IFMSA-Jo Members and Colleagues, It’s a great honor for me to write these humble words. Allow me first to welcome you all at the International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations – Jordan. I’m very proud of what we have collectively achieved at the last few years.

This is clearly manifested in the significant changes in our 9-year old National Member Organization. It's energizing to feel the momentum and enthusiasm in building a solid volunteering spirit, working to develop the community and helping highly talented medical students to take on global and local leadership roles.

Volunteering as members of our big IFMSA-Jo family goes well beyond the paperwork. We aim to provide the community with well-equipped medical students who address the health needs of various community groups and levels.

As with any organization, there is a lot of work that is done behind the scenes by our volunteers working on big campaigns and projects for other people’s sake. Words are truly not enough to appreciate what you are doing!

Message from the President This year, IFMSA-Jo is driving its powers towards refining and maintaining 3 major aspects of development which are: Sustainability, Visibility and Capacity building, on both national and international levels. Yes, it took us much time to fully analyze these 3 main developmental themes of our long termed strategic plan and we do believe as an Executive Board of IFMSA-Jo that developing these aspects along with their ramifications is the corner stone for taking this National Member Organization to a whole new era.

Valuable members, voluntary work is about using your time, a precious commodity, to support a group, organization or cause that is important to you. The more informed you are when making this decision, the more likely you are to find an opportunity that meets your specific needs and expectations. Keep in mind IFMSA’s core purpose: IFMSA aspires to bring together the global community of medical students at the local, national and international level on social and health issues.

Looking forward to a fabulous term.

Let me attribute the amazing advancement of resources in various standing committees whether in Medical Education, Professional Exchange, Research Exchange, Public Health, Human Rights and Peace or Reproductive health, TO YOU! IFMSA-Jo Members. You are truly the solid framework on which IFMSA-Jo, the biggest medical students’ organization in our country is built. It wouldn’t have been possible without your great efforts to stand where we stand now, a solid organization encompassing over 4000 medical students.

www.ifmsa-jo.org

IFMSA - Jordan Magazine (March Edition) 5

Messages..

Ramez Halaseh Publications Support Division Director

Message from the Publications Team

9 years have passed since the foundation of IFMSA in Jordan, and this long journey was inaugurated with success and remarkable achievements that we as IFMSA-Jo members should be proud of. Our organization was able to ignite the hidden potentials of medical students, and shape our characters in a way that we can handle challenges ahead and become responsible future physicians. Not forgetting the seeds of volunteering planted in the souls of our members that keep growing with every campaign and project organized by the outstanding talents of IFMSA-Jo members. This huge prosperity, the capacity to fulfill our goals, and the ability to leap with our medical and social community to a whole new era, couldn’t have been accomplished without the limitless ambition of IFMSA-Jo members.

The Publications Division aims to support this journey of success, through highlighting the achievements of IFMSA-Jo and expanding the exposure on our community. So I would like to introduce the 2015 March edition of IFMSA-Jo Magazine that unleashed the editing, writing and designing powers of medical students, hence called “Medicine Unleashed”. Our magazine aims to illuminate its readers with knowledge and information about medical world, health and lifestyle that will help raise the standards of our national health.

Finally, I hope that “Medicine Unleashed” will be up to your expectations and I would like to express my deepest appreciation for the Publications Team that worked hardly behind the scenes to make this magazine available between your hands.

Abdulqadir Chief Writer

It was a challenge, because this was my first time to work on an actual magazine.

I was a writer before, but never an editor nor from a division so motivated and full of energy. Now after the magazine has succeeded, the hard work was definitely worth it.

Ahmad Chief Editor

The thrill of learning how to make a magazine in and out was simply mesmerizing!

From contacting sponsors to conducting interviews to planning the design, it was a great experience! Although quite demanding, our hard work definitely paid off.

Quite the experience and a tough task must I say. Although, sometimes creating a student magazine isn’t as fun as it sounds, I’m glad to say I had fun doing it and I wouldn't mind doing it all over again. I also had the privilege of meeting some great and truly genuine peeps.

This is my second time starting a magazine actually, but what distinguishes this one from others I've worked in is the eagerness of our team members! I mean all articles were submitted a week before the deadline. I call that dedication.

Good job guys, I absolutely love the enthusiasm.

IFMSA - Jordan Magazine (March Edition) 6

Zeina Chief Editor

Zakaria Chief Writer

What was it like to do the magazine from scratch?

www.ifmsa-jo.org

IFMSA International

Messages..

Dear members of IFMSA-Jo, It is our pleasure to be able to address you the following lines as your IFMSA Team of Officials for 2014/15. Since October 1st and even before - we have been working around the clock to give you the IFMSA you wish for: a Federation that allows you to become the health leader you want to be, a Federation that meaningfully impacts the medical world beyond the hospital’ walls.

This year is crucial for IFMSA, as we are going through a period of change. We are implementing the first 3-year strategic plan, supported by a detailed annual work plan. We will see the transition to a new executive board structure, composed of seven members, and the shift from an approach based on projects to IFMSA programs that will allow your activities to be recognized internationally. We are confident that those changes will only bring IFMSA closer to its members and will help ensuring the full realisation of our vision and mission.

Message from IFMSA International Team committed to give the Federation the positive leadership it deserves and to focus on unity, as so to help create long and lasting friendships, international collaborative initiatives, open-minded and culturally sensitive future physicians. This couldn’t be possible without the incredible work our national member organizations (NMOs) - like IFMSA-Jo - are doing at home.

The Federation internationally offers different opportunities for you to get involved. Not only you can attend trainings and apply to delegations, but you can meet your medical colleagues from all around the world at your Regional Meeting of the Eastern Mediterranean Region and at IFMSA March and August Meetings. Those events will inspire you to achieve more and we can only recommend your participation.

You can find out more about IFMSA’s work on our different social media platforms, such as our website (www.ifmsa.org), Facebook, Twitter (@ifmsa) and Instagram (@youifmsa). You can also contact the Regional Assistants of the different Standing Committees and Support Divisions, as they are there to support the NMOs’ efforts in the work pillars of IFMSA: public health, sexual and reproductive health, human rights and peace, medical education, professional and research exchanges, projects, publications and trainings.

We hope the Federation will inspire you as much as you inspire us to achieve more. Continue to explore your passion and your fields of interest; to question policies that influence health; to seize the opportunities to train and educate yourself in ways that medical curriculum can’t provide you with; to make your voice heard in your communities; and to keep on doing impactful projects that bring people together.

We hope to see you soon..

IFMSA has this amazing capacity of bringing people together from all over the globe, and we are proud to represent today a network of 1.3 million medical students in 116 countries. This year, we are

www.ifmsa-jo.org

IFMSA - Jordan Magazine (March Edition) 7

Autism

by Zakaria Shkoukani & Abdulqadir Shanti

Abdulqadir Shanti HU-LC, Chief Writer at Publications Team

Zakaria Shkoukani UJ-LC, Chief Writer at Publications Team

Articles..

A day in the life of an Autism Patient A mother walks into a doctor’s clinic alongside her little 5-year old son. As part of any doctor’s job, but also out of curiosity, the doctor goes ahead and asks: “what’s the matter son?”. On an average day, you would expect the mother to jump up and say: “my son keeps throwing up!” or “I think my son has flu!” ... but to the doctor’s surprise, this wasn’t just another day. After a long talk, the doctor was able to diagnose the young boy with a complex disorder of brain development, commonly known as ‘Autism’.

“I hear things more loudly.”

“I smell things more strongly.”

“I feel things others don’t.”

“I taste things differently.”

These were the words that the young 5-year old boy muttered.

they decided to merge them all into a single umbrella.

When a doctor comes to diagnose a young child, the last thing he wants to do is blurt out a bunch of confusing medical terms. In this case, a more humane definition arises, and I quote Beth Silver: “Autism to me is not ‘wrong’, not subhuman, not a collection of deficits, it is simply ‘other’. Another reality.”

Nevertheless, the key point to notice in what was just mentioned is; ‘varying degrees’. Because the truth of the matter is that autism is actually a spectrum disorder.

In other words, one autistic person might only hear things louder than any other person, while another, like the 5-year-old boy, might suffer from a group of different symptoms.

While some of the more common

So what is Autism exactly? And what causes it? How common is it? What are the symptoms? What are the effects? Can we treat it? So many questions, but only a few answers!

Autism, or more scientifically: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is characterized by varying degrees of difficulty in social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication, and periods of repetitive behaviours. Scientists previously recognized distinct subtypes for this disorder, including autistic disorder, pervasive developmental disorder, and Asperger syndrome. However, as their knowledge grew surrounding this confusing but mind intriguing disarray, IFMSA - Jordan Magazine (March Edition) 8

www.ifmsa-jo.org

symptoms of autism include things like intellectual disability, difficulties in motor coordination and attention, limited emotions, and physical health issues such as sleep and stomach disturbances, some of these autistic patients actually have outstanding capabilities when it comes to visual skills, music, math, art...etc. Many of them show ‘fixations’, whereby they have a huge interest in a certain subject, like dinosaurs or airplanes , and surprisingly know about it more than the average population.

If you were to ask someone what causes autism 10 years back, the likely answer would be ‘I don’t know’. Nowadays, scientists have found that there are many genetic and environmental factors that influence the development of autism.

Some believed the Measles Mumps Rubella vaccines have an effect, which was scientifically disproven, some believed difficulties during pregnancy and old age during conception play a role, and the list goes on. However nothing has been truly established yet.

However, emergence of autism has developed negative perceptions, misconceptions and lack of understanding, making it difficult to recognise the condition and handling it, which could sometimes lead to abuse or bullying.

Diagnosis of autism simply means you’re autistic, not retarded; many people tend to believe its retardation, however, it’s only because of certain movements and behaviours people develop such misunderstandings.

People often misjudge autism classifying it as a condition with the ‘inability to speak’. However, that’s only because autistic people tend to find information hard to process and express them verbally. This could be reduced by allowing certain language improvements over time.

Autism can be baffling in many ways and children with autism can be very much alike, but remain different to others, even to those who spend their lives around it, an autistic child may look “normal” but with behaviours such as those listed above. It certainly can be perplexing and difficult to handle.

If you wish to help those with autism, you are highly encouraged to learn more about autism, then understand that people with autism consider autism as part of their lives, not all of their lives. In another degree, people ought to know that, autistic people see everyone in the environment as hostile, and they are merely just trying to defend themselves. Furthermore, their brains can’t filter all the surrounding sounds which leads to a bunch of perplexed thoughts that makes no sense to them.

For example, they don’t have the capacity to describe what is being felt, whether it’s hunger, thirst, anger, or confusion, but rather expressed in their body languages.

They should be loved unconditionally with no exceptions in whatever they may cause, and through support people could increase their chances of becoming successful and independent later in life.

There is currently no established cure for ASD. Nevertheless, through many educative therapies, many children with autism can improve, learn and also reduce challenges associated with autism. Intensive interventions are yet the most effective treatments of autism; it can comprise educational therapy (teaching basic things), physiological therapy (exercising on normal basis and carrying out normal activities) and behavioral therapy that are based on the individual’s interests and needs.

Parents, teachers, paediatricians, and whoever is dealing with autism should seek guidelines on how to reduce the effect of autism.

Many therapists find that patients with autism, who acknowledge and accept that they have the condition, can in many ways overcome it!

So, next time you see that child screaming uncontrollably on the floor of the supermarket, before you blame the parents, before you judge the child, stop!

You may be seeing autism at its terrifying, exasperating worst. That poor little soul may simply have seen, heard, or smelled something new, or not quite right. And responded in the way the condition dictates. So stop.

Stop judging, stop blaming. Try to understand or move on.

www.ifmsa-jo.org

IFMSA - Jordan Magazine (March Edition) 9

Dr. Abdullah Abbadi

Interviews..

It is always an inspiration to get to talk to people who have been through so much in life, to learn about their past goals and dreams, how they were able to achieve them, and what they did to become who they are today.

Dr. Abdullah Awadi Al Abbadi is the perfect example of a person with not only a vast knowledge of medicine, but also an astounding humanitarian vision of life. We conducted an interview with Dr. Abdullah and asked him multiple questions about his career: What is your Job Title?

I’m a Professor of Medicine in Haematology and Oncology, as well as the Director of the Cell Therapy Centre at the University of Jordan.

A Man with a Mission What are the most recent researches you are working on?

My major concerns in research are oncology and regenerative medicine.

I recently published on Carcinoma of the Lung, lung mutations, Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT), post-DVT and various other diseases in Jordan. Also, I have publications in regenerative medicine like skin healing, cornea, retina..etc.

And what are the goals of these research projects?

The goal of these projects is to find cures for diseases which cannot be cured by the normal standard day-to-day methods of medicine. Regenerative medicine can be used in these cases, and can make a difference.

What medical school did you attend?

I did my undergraduate degree at the University of Valencia, and completed my studies in 1973. Then I proceeded with my training in the UK at the University of Manchester and finished in 1980.

What influenced your decision to specialize in Haematology & Oncology?

Personally, I find the area of Haematology exciting because it is extremely rich in science. I also think that Medical Oncology is very applicable; there are lots of patients, many new advancements, and I thought since cancer is a disease of aging, it would be something to target in the future.

How is Haematology defined to you?

To me, Haematology is an extremely rich science, with new evolving concepts by the day. I consider it a science which not only looks at theoretical topics but also at something that you can see on a day to day basis.

IFMSA - Jordan Magazine (March Edition) 10

www.ifmsa-jo.org

And were you able to make a difference in some cases?

Yes. In the case of knee cartilage degenerative arthritis, we were able to find that if we use a group of stem cells, along with other regenerative factors, we can actually induce the re-growth of the cartilage without the need for knee joint transplants. Even in the cases which need transplants, we can use this treatment to help relieve arthritis pain.

Did any of your researches have an international impact?

Yes, in our research about skin ulcers in diabetic foot. We were able to test our specific product and discover that it worked remarkably well in cases where no other cure was found.

Are students involved in your research projects? If so, what do they work on?

Most of the time yes, students are involved. Students are usually responsible for collecting data, questionnaires, and sample collections.

You are renowned for your activism against tobacco and smoking; could you explain why you’re so interested in this field?

Well, I believe that tobacco use is a major cause of human disease. And unless we handle this issue, we will continue seeing people losing their lives. Therefore I am a strong believer in combating tobacco use. I am an active member in all groups which encourage people to stop the spread of tobacco. I think that any country which doesn’t work on stopping tobacco use will fail to effectively improve the health of its society.

Since you are specialized in Oncology, do you believe the rumours that state that in the next few years we may find the ultimate cure for cancer?

I think that we already have a cure in hand for many cancers. I believe that in the next few decades we will be able to increase the number of cancers which we can cure. But sadly, I also believe that there will be a substantial number of cancers which we won›t be able to cure in the near future.

What was your motivation in all this?

I view myself as a man with a mission. And my mission is two-fold; firstly to apply the science I know to the health of Jordanians to allow equal benefit compared to any other developed country, and secondly I think I can contribute significantly to human well-being.

What is your future vision for medicine in Jordan and internationally?

I think that the future of medicine must be looked at very carefully. The sub-standard infrastructure of many medical schools nowadays is alarming to me, because they not only produce sub-standard medical practitioners, but also financially driven rather than humane doctors. And I also believe that the faceto-face direct contact between a doctor and his/ her patient can’t be replaced by technology, as most young generations are attempting to achieve, because the direct communication and examination is the main way doctors can help cure their patients.

Finally, do you have any advice for medical students?

What I would advise all my medical students is to have a mission in life. Determine your mission right from the start.

Know what you want to be, and work accordingly. And I would also advise them to stay close to the humane side of medicine, because if we lose this side of being a doctor, we are just ordinary people with nothing to offer.

www.ifmsa-jo.org

IFMSA - Jordan Magazine (March Edition) 11

Hashemite University Local Committee

Activites..

Hashemite University Local Projects

The Royal Decree to establish Hashemite University was issued on the 19th June 1991. Zarqa was the place chosen to be the location of the University, and the teaching process took place on the 16th of September 1995.

The idea of IFMSA-JO HU-LC was ignited in the minds of a group of medical students at the Medical Faculty of Hashemite University during 2012.The idea became a passion, and the passion soon became a wonderful fruit of their labor, and what has been a dream became a reality on the 3rd National General Assembly, March 2013.

Since then HU-LC evolved to be one of the most active LCs participating in all NGAs. Hosting two of them, sending members to almost every campaign, and every international meeting. The dream which started by a few people is now represented by over 500 medical students, and the journey continues.

The efforts of the members cannot be expressed in pictures or words, but we will give you an idea about the best projects that have been done in the past two years which are:

IFMSA - Jordan Magazine (March Edition) 12

Anemia Awareness Campaign Anemia is considered a serious yet avoidable disease worldwide; from that point of view IFMSA-Jo HU-LC raised a consideration to raise awareness about such a disease in our Jordanian community.

This project aims to be an important step in preventing such avoidable disease that can burden the community. The campaign is aimed to be held through four main steps: The first step was held in September, in a school in Al Zarqa, the second step was for university students. And the next two steps will be targeting other age groups. The campaign contained an ABO group test, awareness about the disease, nutrition and feedback stations.

Clinical skills training: A project that aimed to teach medical students the most important clinical skills with the highest techniques.

www.ifmsa-jo.org

Jordan University of Science and Technology Local Committee

Activites..

Human Doctor Project Humanity has no definite definition: it is comprised of acts and actions towards each other. SCORP at JUST-LC launched its project entitled The Human Doctor which emphasized on the fact that we are humans before we are doctors.

Jordan University of Science and Technology Local Projects which took place in our university for a period of two days, collecting around 120 units of blood.

We worked in collaboration with the national blood bank of Jordan and the blood bank in the King Abdullah University Hospital.

5 teams worked together to come up with a new generation of doctors, who understand the nobility and importance of our job as physicians; healing a soul before a body, through workshops, videos, conferences, awareness campaigns and humanitarian projects.

Since May 2014 the Human Doctor project organized more than 8 events and the project’s calendar is full of events for the next 8 months! 27 members of the organizing committee are changing the world through different acts of kindness, from free clinics covering more than 6000 refugees and needy people to clowning events, communication and self improvement workshops, and collaborating with local and international NGO’s who helped present the project worldwide.

One Blood Campaign On the 8th of July 2014, the Israeli aggression on Gaza started and there were many casualties and deaths.

Considering the siege that was imposed on Gaza district by the Israeli government, they needed a helping hand in their ordeal.

This humanitarian situation required an international intervention and help to decrease the number of lives lost in that war, IFMSA-Jo/JUST LC wanted to be a part of that to give a little to our brothers in their distress, so we started this campaign

www.ifmsa-jo.org

Small Working Group on Medical Education This revolutionary project was organized by SCOME, aiming to know medical students' opinions in JUST LC regarding their curriculum, and to properly convey these opinions to the deanship in order to help them make the best academic plan to date.

We started our work with a meeting in which we had highly motivated 14 Organizing Committee members, and after thorough brainstorming sessions we decided to use the scientific method in our work. We began with a questionnaire regarding the curriculum targeting all medical students at Jordan University of Science and Technology, the responses were amazing and most of the students were extremely cooperative. The results, later on, were submitted to the Dean of Medicine who was very impressed and took the points mentioned into consideration.

Our work is not over yet, we are going to make a report that contains all the statistics and results and it will be available for all students and faculty to view in order to facilitate making new decisions regarding medical education.

IFMSA - Jordan Magazine (March Edition) 13

Zeina Abu Orabi JUST-LC, Chief Editor at Publications Team

Articles..

The Ebola Frenzy: How Serious Is It, Really?

by Zeina Abu Orabi

In an interview with Ro'ya News, Dr. Mustasem Masalmeh stated that the attention to such outbreaks is brought not by the number of deaths they caused, but by how easily they spread. However, Ebola does not spread as easily because it cannot spread via air or droplet particles.

Ebola, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), is a fatal viral infection that first spread to humans from wild animals (thought to be fruit bats of the Pteropodidae family) and is transmitted between humans through direct contact of broken skin or mucous membranes with blood or body secretions.

The first ever outbreak of Ebola occurred in villages of Central Africa, but the most recent outbreak involved urban as well as rural areas of West Africa. By January 2015, over 8,000 deaths from Ebola were registered

by WHO out of approximately 21,000 suspected and diagnosed cases. Nonetheless, all cases registered outside Africa were related to service providers and healthcare professionals who worked in the epidemic areas.

This brings us back to one question: why was there huge media coverage on this disease specifically, regardless of more pressing issues going on worldwide?

The Times described it as «a bad case of Ebola hysteria». The fact that less than 150 people travel from areas where this disease is spreading to the US and many flights had been cancelled since then is reason enough to consider an outbreak in the US and many other countries highly unlikely. Furthermore, solid preparation of Nigeria′s Ebola Emergency Control Center managed to declare the country Ebola-free as of November 2014.

It is true that we should be concerned about this disease in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia, but not developed countries like the US. IFMSA - Jordan Magazine (March Edition) 14

Then again, what are the symptoms of Ebola? A sudden onset of high fever, fatigue, muscle pain, headache and sore throat first, followed by diarrhea, vomiting, rash, signs of kidney and liver failure and sometimes, bleeding (from gums or with feces). Supportive care (eg. rehydration) and treatment of symptoms improves survival of patients. No specific treatment for Ebola has been found, but two different vaccines are currently being tested.

The solution? Healthcare providers are always obliged to take precautions with patients regardless of their diagnosis including basic hand hygiene, proper handling techniques and proper disposal of needles and other instruments.

It is indeed unfortunate to have such outbreaks of disease around the world, but this is where our role comes in as members of the community to evaluate the urgency of such situations. A huge wave of anxiety spread throughout the world in the last few months due to Ebola, and many specialists described it as unnecessary if you aren›t living in Africa!

www.ifmsa-jo.org

Fuad Habash UJ-LC, IFMSA-Jo president 2013-2014

Articles..

I am one of the biggest fans when it comes to new gadgets, mobile phones and emerging technologies. Our lives right now wouldn′t go on without any of these things in our pockets. If our pockets can′t handle them, we turn the world around to make some space.

For the last twenty years, scientists have been competing to create newer technologies, easier approaches, superb applications and their concentration about inventing the best has always been the target. As medical students, we are definitely in love with medical applications on our super smartphones. Who can help us during rounds other than our smartphone?

Who can tell me the dose for that certain antibiotic for that young boy weighing 12 KGs? Who can teach me how to give an intramuscular injection? I don′t think that the answers to these questions include any of the following: specialist, senior doctor, a colleague; or to be frank, my brain! I am afraid the answer nowadays includes the words «smart» and «phone» only.

Technology: Glowing or Blowing our Mind?

by Fuad Habash

like how our brain evolved over millions of years and we were capable of learning how to speak and have imaginative thinking, we can de-evolve and lose our, what I call, super powers.

Ultimately, we can't stay away from the rush that's going on with technology, especially when it comes to e-health. Just bear in mind how to use it without affecting yourself. I just hope that in twenty or thirty years no one would open their iPhone if someone asks for your name!

Are we using technology the right way?! What we are seeing now is total dependence on technology: we are not memorizing information as much as people used to just a couple of years ago. I have met people who do not even remember their own cellphone number! Ask your grandparents, they probably knew the phone numbers of all their neighbors by heart.

I do believe that if we don′t keep our mind working, we will definitely lose it. Just

www.ifmsa-jo.org

IFMSA - Jordan Magazine (March Edition) 15

Hikma Phamaceuticals

Interviews..

Founded in Amman, Jordan in 1978 by Dr. Samih Darwazah, Hikma has steadily evolved as a leading multinational pharmaceutical company, with a steadfast reputation for quality. The company’s initial focus was developing a branded pharmaceuticals business across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

However, in the early 1990s, Hikma acquired a generic pharmaceuticals business in the United States and established an injectable pharmaceutical operation in Portugal, thereby expanding the company’s outreach beyond the MENA region. The company has since continued to expand significantly, through organic growth and acquisition.

We sat down with representatives from Hikma Pharmaceuticals and talked about the company.

Who is Dr. Samih Darwazah?

Born in Palestine, Dr. Darwazah earned his Bachelor's degree from the American University of Beirut and received a Master’s degree from the St. Louis College of Pharmacy, Missouri. He worked for Eli Lilly, a researchbased pharmaceutical company in the US, from 1964 to 1976 before establishing Hikma Pharmaceuticals in 1978.

Between 1995 and 1996, he served as the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources in Jordan. He also founded the Jordan Trade Association and was a member of the Advisory Economic Council to His Majesty, King Hussein of Jordan. In 2007, Darwazah was named the Ernst & Young Middle East Entrepreneur of the Year. Dr. Darwazah is currently the Honorary Life President of Hikma.

Success Story members in Amman. With the substantial success and growth rate in Jordan, we decided to expand in the Arab world, paving the way with Iraq as the first country to welcome Hikma Pharmaceuticals into its market. This expansion didn’t satisfy the ambitious vision of the founder as he was determined to become international, which was fulfilled by reaching Portugal in 1990. Now, Hikma Pharmaceuticals has three manufacturing companies in Jordan with around 2000 employees, and 27 manufacturing facilities in 11 countries with more than 7000 employees worldwide.

How did the global market welcome Hikma Pharmaceuticals?

After earning the US Food and Drug Administration's (USFDA) approval in 1996, and the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency's (MHRA) approval in 2001, it became easier to sell Hikma products at an international level. We are the only Arab company in the Middle East and Africa accredited by the highest authorities globally. In 2013, around 20% of our exported products from Jordan and Saudi Arabia went to the United States.

What is the reason behind establishing Hikma Pharmaceuticals?

Dr. Samih always had the vision of producing local medicine that can compete and is of the same quality as European and American medicine. Guided by this vision, Hikma Pharmaceuticals was able to overcome the stigma that foreign medicine is better than local one and promote the local medicine to Jordanians, the Arab world, Europe and the US, hence rejuvenating the Jordanian economy.

How did Hikma progress and expand?

Hikma started as a small company with minimal staff IFMSA - Jordan Magazine (March Edition) 16

www.ifmsa-jo.org

How many products does the company produce so far and what was the first product of the company?

Hikma first produced Amoxicillin which is a very common antibiotic and now, we are producing 499 branded products, 200 injectables and 11 generic products; a total of 710 products in 1679 dosage forms distributed globally.

What are the top products produced by Hikma Pharmaceuticals?

For branded products, Amoclan and Blopress are among the top products. For injectables, Argatroban and Fentanyl are among the top products. As for generics, Amoxicillin and Cephalexin are the leading products. In 2013, Hikma’s revenue was 1.3 billion US dollars.

Do you fund any research and what are Hikma’s contributions to the medical community?

Yes we do fund research. In 2014, we signed an agreement with the American University of Beirut for cancer research and medications. We are also funding a research for neuroscience at Al Quds University in Jerusalem. We hold seminars and trainings for doctors as well as key opinion leaders to discuss the most recent updates on treatments and diseases.

In addition, we supported renovating and building pharmacy faculties and pharmaceutical laboratories in several local and regional universities.

How many pharmacies and hospitals are supplied by the company in Jordan?

Most of the pharmacies and hospitals in the kingdom are supplied by our company and we are trying to cover as much as we can, as we have medical representatives in each province of Jordan.

In how many countries are Hikma products available?

We have 27 manufacturing facilities in 11 countries that include: Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, United States, Italy, Portugal and Germany. We also have more than 2000 medical representatives in the MENA region, in addition to distribution offices in 50 countries that promote and market our products.

How is Hikma recognized locally and worldwide?

In 2013, we were ranked third in the United States for our injectables business in terms of volume. First in Jordan and fifth in MENA. Although these rankings do change every year, we have historically retained our position as a leading pharmaceutical company.

How does Hikma support education and humanity?

Education is a very strong theme instilled by Hikma’s founder; it is also a part of our corporate responsibility strategy. We annually train individuals at our companies, as well as provide opportunities for higher education. We also did some renovations at the Faculty of Pharmacy at the University of Jordan, and we established a laboratory at Petra University and a pharmaceutical plant in Birzeit University. We work with various NGOs to renovate schools in rural areas in Jordan. We also hold several annual campaigns across Hikma globally to raise the awareness of our employees on health related issues.

We also donate medication to countries suffering from natural or man-made disasters such as Gaza, Libya, Haiti, etc.

Why does Hikma support IFMSA-Jo? IFMSA-Jo does many beneficial activities for the community, such as bettering the youth and raising their awareness, which is one of the main concerns in society, and is aligned with Hikma’s active involvement in the community and corporate responsibility.

Finally, what is your company's vision?

Our vision is to build Hikma into a world class and leading specialty pharmaceutical company, with presence across the globe. Through organic growth and acquisitions which are aligned with our strategy, we will continue to develop the business and maintain the high standards of ethics and responsibility which are central to the way we operate.

www.ifmsa-jo.org

IFMSA - Jordan Magazine (March Edition) 17

University of Jordan Local Committee

Activites..

University of Jordan Local Projects

University of Jordan was established in 1962, it′s the oldest institution of higher education in Jordan. It is home of the first medical school in Jordan, which was founded in 1972. University of Jordan local committee joined IFMSA-Jo family in 2007 to be one of the most active LCs in Jordan, that left a print in our community through endless projects and campaigns that aim to serve our society and raise the standards of our national health to a whole new level.

This honorific history is motivating to us to match it with diverse, effective and outstanding projects.

IFMSA - Jordan Magazine (March Edition) 18

www.ifmsa-jo.org

Mutah University Local Committee

Activites..

Basic Clinical Skills One of the major problems that students face in their basic years is the rigorous curriculum, which lacks any connection to the clinical life, therefore our SCOMEdians decided to take an action.

As a continuation of a series of workshops that were held last semester to improve students’ skills and knowledge, SCOME at MU-LC conducted a clinical skills workshop for basic year students aiming to revive these years.

The workshop was held over two days in the nursing labs at Mutah University where the students had the chance to learn some basic clinical skills such as injection, cannulation and suturing which was a great chance to break their routine, motivate them and improve their selfconfidence as well.

The workshop proved to be highly rewarding, and as we believe in the importance of such activities, and to allow more students to benefit from it, this workshop will be a SCOME regular!

www.ifmsa-jo.org

Mutah University Local Projects Free Medical Day After 3 months of hard work, a free medical day was organized by SCOME at MU-LC for the citizens of “Majra”, a village in the south of Karak. It was a special and fruitful day, as we provided all the specialists we could find; from internists, pediatricians, obstetricians, gynecologists, surgeons, orthopedics to ophthalmologists at the fully equipped healthcare center at Mutah University with a laboratory standing by and a pharmacy to cover all the needs of the patients.

The project was a chance for basic year students to experience the clinical life of a doctor. Every patient, after arriving at the health care center by the free transportation we provided, was screened for hypertension and diabetes before proceeding to the triage station where they were classified and guided to the right clinic. Three hundred people were served on this unforgettable day of kindness.

Research Promotion Day The importance of research and keeping up with the ever-changing medical world is well known yet under established. What medical students in Jordan need is a project to drive them to participate in research, hence developing future physicians who are not only up to date with the medical world but also take part in advancing it. So, MU-LC came up with the Research Promotion Day. On August 11th 2014, Dr. Rana Al-Dajani gave a threehour session about research in MU-LC. After a tremendous amount of positive feedback and an increased demand for research projects, we plan on holding it on a national level. In short, we want this to be the TED event of IFMSAJo, and hopefully, of IFMSA. History is made by human hands; our hands. Research Promotion Day celebrates this idea to the fullest!

IFMSA - Jordan Magazine (March Edition) 19

Biolab

Interviews..

biolab – The New Lab Experience

Biolab is a group of medical diagnostic laboratories that was established in 2001, offering a full range of laboratory services in Jordan. Recognized for their innovation, quality, and convenience, Biolab delivers timely, accurate results for improved patient care.

Biolab’s mandate is to provide high quality, cost-effective laboratory operations through a consolidated service delivery model consisting of one centralized laboratory and ten specialty testing laboratories.

So we conducted an interview with Dr. Amid Abdulnour and his amazing team to talk about their Biolab experience.

Please tell us a little about yourself?

I graduated from the University of Jordan with a bachelor’s degree in Biology then completed a Master›s degree at the American University of Beirut. I worked for 2 years in Qatar, completed my PhD at the University of Bristol, came back to Jordan, joined the army for 4 years with the Royal Medical Services, and since 1991 I have been working in the private sector. I was one of the founders of a chain of medical labs, the lab director and active administrator of the Arab Medical Center for 7 years, and in 2001 I established Biolab.

What would you say was the most challenging part of establishing Biolab?

It was being able to raise the standards of the company from being a domestic one in a developing country to

IFMSA - Jordan Magazine (March Edition) 20

an international level. We did not take the Jordanian market as our benchmark; our benchmark was the rest of the world, which proved to be very competitive, and our goal is to provide to Jordanians what the rest of the world provides.

And what sort of departments does Biolab have?

We have several departments. We are known for our immunology and genetics department. We also do many genomic testing for human papilloma virus (HPV), hepatitis B, C and D, all sexually transmitted diseases, and many others, so it is quite an extensive scientific setup.

What kind of environment is incorporated in Biolab?

We adapt a ‘patient centered care’ environment which we call the ‘new lab experience’. This is something you don’t see every day; whereby after the patient comes to the lab and we take a sample or do a test, the results will be

www.ifmsa-jo.org

passed on through three consecutive levels of validation, and then released to the patient online, or through our medical application on mobile phones, and the results can also be interpreted through this application wherever the patient is.

Does Biolab have many affiliations?

We have affiliations with the University of Leeds in the UK, so if we ever need to do any tests that we are unequipped for, we can send the samples to be tested over there. However this usually only occurs once or twice a month in very rare cases.

We are also attached to the largest lab group in Europe known as Biomnis, and we attend multiple workshops & conferences every year. Furthermore, we have many connections with non-profit organisations here in Jordan.

Are you thinking of expanding outside of Jordan?

We are considering expanding, yes; however before doing so, we are currently exporting our laboratory services, meaning we receive multiple samples from other laboratories around the Gulf and in North Africa, and we carry out the testing and send them the results electronically. So we are basically getting money from those countries without actually investing in them.

Tell us a little about the Science Development Committee.

The committee includes highly qualified lab directors, and other employees who give us feedback on the market, from both the suppliers and customers. Also we participate in exhibitions, and we are always on the search for new technologies, and by doing all this we maintain our standards. Usually we study the new technologies and evaluate the feasibility, economics, the market, potential benefits.

Based on that we decide what new technology we should introduce to our labs.

Does Biolab fund research? Or does it participate in any research?

We do not fund any research; however we do work on research all the time. Recently, we published an article on oncology in a medical journal in England, and we are currently working on a mutation in salivary tumors. So we are always working on new research projects but they are all in-house.

Do you allow students to work in Biolab to gain some hands-on experience?

No, we require qualified and skilled workers, however for students in the medical field we sometimes allow them to work in Biolab as interns where they stay for a month or two and gain some experience, we even end up employing some of them.

Are there any specific diagnostic tests which you think should be further invested on in the case of Jordan?

I think the tests which need further investment are oncology tests, because Jordan has a limited standard of testing for different types of cancers compared to other countries, and also genomics testing is lacking in our country.

What is your newest test in Biolab?

We have recently developed a new test called the Non-Invasive Prenatal Testing (NIPT), in which we take the blood of the pregnant lady at 10-weeks, and we test it for different genetic features like aneuploidy, trisomy, monosomy...etc. It is based on Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) which is the latest technology in genetics.

And what do you think is your ‘signature’ test?

Our signature test would be the food intolerance test in which we test the patient for any type of intolerance to a long list of different types of foods. Based on that, we can formulate a diet for the patient to follow in order to improve his health situation without having to go to a nutritionist.

Does Biolab have any humanitarian projects?

Yes, we usually do around 34humanitarian projects on a yearly basis.

For example, usually one of these projects is a ‘free medical day’, whereby we choose a certain camp or refugee area, and we provide all the medical tests we can for free. We also do other campaigns like attending Science Week in schools in Jordan to raise awareness on different health topics.

www.ifmsa-jo.org

IFMSA - Jordan Magazine (March Edition) 21

Ahmad Abbadi JUST-LC, Chief Editor at Publications Team

Articles..

Behind the Smoke Screen

by Ahmad Abbadi

For decades, smoking ads were everywhere, and people could smoke when and where they wanted.

Smoking was perceived as fashionable and modern, even famous models and celebrities were appearing in various television advertisements and screenplays smoking. It was the “hip” thing to do. In fact, even presidents and heads of states where seen often on television with their fancy cigars and brand cigarettes.

Without a doubt, this televised and uncontrolled media advertisement of tobacco products resulted in a sharp increase in the number of smokers around the globe.

However, as the science of medicine and medical research was also rapidly advancing, it was not long for scholars to realize the sharp increase in the number of patients diagnosed with lung cancer, chronic bronchitis, and emphysema among other respiratory diseases. This provoked researchers and scholars to question if it was directly collated to smoking. In 1964 the Smoking and Health: Report of the Advisory Committee to the Surgeon General was released to confirm these correlations.

As a result, the discovery of the harmful side effects of tobacco products went viral on every news paper and media outlet. However, the impact on reducing the number of smokers was modest.

Cigarettes contain approximately 600 ingredients.

When burned, they create more than 7,000 chemicals.

Out of them, at least 70 are known to cause cancer. But what makes cigarettes and tobacco highly addictive, is nicotine. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), nicotine is the third most addictive drug after heroin and cocaine. And this doesn't stop here, cigarettes have even other chemicals that are also addictive that increases the dependency and total addiction.

Smoking harms every organ in the human body.

According to the Surgeon General’s reports, smoking causes coronary heart disease, strokes, cancers, diabetes, emphysema, chronic bronchitis, reduced IFMSA - Jordan Magazine (March Edition) 22

fertility and miscarriage. There are also many other diseases being linked, directly or indirectly, to smoking, the results of which are being confirmed and published in medical journals regularly.

The smoke that comes from the cigarette doesn’t affect only the smoker, but also those who are around them.

It is now commonly known as second hand smoking. Second hand smoking kills approximately 600,000 people yearly.

Those victims are exposed to inhaling cigarettes smoke even though they are not smokers. The fumes that the second hand smokers inhale are not filtered like those smokers inhale, and research has proven that, it is in fact, more dangerous than the filtered smoke. What is even more surprising is that smoking can pollute everything around, and can have severe impact on people through what is referred to as third hand smoking.

Teenagers and young adults are usually at the highest risk of becoming smokers due to the attractive marketing of tobacco products. As a result of their young age, their experimentative and curious nature, they can be socially pressured to perceive smoking as the fashionable thing to do, with many believing that they could quit smoking in no time if they want to.

Unfortunately, quitting smoking is a true challenge. It is widely known by now that on average only 5% of those who want to quit and have the willpower to quit actually succeed! Even with higher care and medication, the percentage is still below 50%, making the notion around the simplicity of quitting smoking a complete myth.

www.ifmsa-jo.org

Although difficult but important to achieve, quitting smoking is very beneficial as it cuts cardiovascular risks. Just one year after quitting smoking, the risk for a heart attack drops sharply. Within 2 to 5 years after quitting smoking, the risk for stroke could fall to about the same as a nonsmoker’s. Additionally, quitting smoking drops the risks for cancers of the mouth, throat, esophagus, and bladder by half within 5 years. Whereas ten years after one quits smoking, the risk for lung cancer drops by half.

Many studies performed on identical twins, where one is a smoker and the other is a nonsmoker or an ex-smoker, proved that smoking makes the smoker look older than his true age, which contradicts the first thing that was used to market it.

Even with all of the vast and great knowledge, smoking is still one of the greatest health risks and challenges.

Tobacco companies have great powers and have succeeded to expand their markets and production lines to developing countries with massive financial returns to the industry. Although this may hold to be true on the short term, but on the long term, smoking will cost those countries hundreds of millions far more than the income currently being generated through tobacco production, sales, export and taxes. In fact, the projected costs on health care and human well being is far more damaging to these countries than the revenues received from tobacco production and consumption.

The government and the legislative body of the state have an important role to play to tackle this serious problem in Jordan. Policies and measures should be put in place to ensure that smoking is sharply reduced and as much as possible prevented. Policies should be incorporated in the planning and budgeting cycles of main line ministries such as ministries of health, education, labor, agriculture, culture among others, to ensure that sufficient and practical measures are incorporated in yearly government plans and targets to address this important issue. Moreover, resources should be allocated in government budgets to execute nationwide antismoking campaigns, as well as educational curricula that can raise awareness among young adults on the harms of smoking tobacco products of all kinds.

If these seriously and harmful habits are not addressed immediately, the future will be just filled with cancers and diseases that used to be rare 100 years ago. We have to protect the future from a disaster like this. This can start from each and one of us. If you are a smoker, the answer is straightforward, quit! If you are a nonsmoker, try to spread awareness, help the smokers quit, and encourage them to take the right step, and most importantly, don›t smoke.

If you are a policy maker, remember, by not investing in proper policies, education and awareness measures, the burdens on the national budget will soon be on the rise. Additionally the human well being in our nation will be severely affected with serious impact on our productivity, advancement and economic growth. If we are to compete with the increasingly competitive and globalised world, it is important that we invest and protect the most valuable contributor to our development, our people! Please place further measures and awareness to stop smoking.

The issue of smoking in Jordan is also major concern. According to WHO, Jordan leads the region in the prevalence of male smokers followed by Palestine and Turkey, and third in the prevalence of female smokers! This requires great efforts to tackle this important problem, as now the Hookah, which is another form of tobacco smoking, is getting widely spread everywhere; streets, companies, cafes and in homes. In every research released up to now, there is no risk factor or cause of a disease that is linked to smoking cigarettes that is also not associated with hookah.

www.ifmsa-jo.org

IFMSA - Jordan Magazine (March Edition) 23

Rebecca Odeh

Interviews..

Health & Fitness are NOT a Bore!

Tell us a little more about yourself.

My name is Rebecca.I have a masters and BA in business administration, consultation and marketing. I found my passion in fitness when I was 16. I found my passion in Zumba because it is a mixture of fitness and dancing at the same time.

I went to the states and got certified in Zumba. After I was done with my Zumba certificates it still felt like something was missing so I got certified in bikini boot camp training. To be a certified trainer, it requires time, energy and studying everything in the human body, especially a female’s body; how to make her look good in a bikini, basically.

What is your main target when you train girls? Are you turning them into models?

No. Well, I was certified to train girls to become models, but here in Amman I use my expertise to make her feel more confident about herself and her body, and how she is perceived in society.

How does losing weight affect the girls you train?

What I discovered was that for the girl, it’s not just about the appearance. Her personality changes after she’s trained; she becomes more positive and energetic, she starts taking better care of her kids and family because of all the energy she has. If she’s a student, she utilizes this energy to study harder. She loses her insecurities, simply.

Do you put your students on a diet?

I’ve recently joined a nutrition course because 75% of how your body looks and works is controlled by what you eat. Students who need diets are given diets, those who don’t receive guidelines on how to eat.

How many of your students face problems with their diet?

95%! The percentage of students who don’t know what to eat is surprising. They come up to me and ask why they’ve been exercising for 10 years without any

IFMSA - Jordan Magazine (March Edition) 24

progress in weight loss. There are some ridiculous theories & myths where people say you need to skip dinner to lose weight, or stop eating carbohydrates to lose weight. My diets include chocolate! If you lose weight by stopping carbohydrates, you’ll re-gain it after eating one loaf of bread.

Where do you think the problem stems from?

People are not educated about what they eat, when and how much. Most don’t know the importance of water for the human body, the importance of a balanced diet composed of breakfast, lunch AND dinner. You have to also get your information from a reliable source.

Research has to be backed up from a university, hospital or a doctor.

Why do you think a lot of people depend on junk food?

One of the reasons for this is that if you want to order a sandwich at your university, you’ll have two options: a zinger for 1.5 JDs or a healthy sandwich for around 7 JDs. Where would you find people in Jordan who can afford this? If you ask me whether Jordan is supporting the idea of going healthy, I’d have to say no. Most of the population live on a limited income, so would they really spend that much to improve the quality of food?

Why do you think you have influence over your followers on social media?

I thank God for this blessing first of all. I think it’s because I love what I do. Also, I believe that they look up to me because I’m Jordanian. There are thousands of other pages on Instagram, but I grew up and was raised here. The most foreign

www.ifmsa-jo.org

thing about me is my name, actually.

People look up to me because I’m just like them. I live here, eat the same food, have the same drinks, yet I can manage to look healthy and fit.

What’s the difference between dieting and eating healthy?

Dieting is a lot harder than going healthy. Going healthy is when you have a base and you’re just editing it. Dieting is cutting down on calorie intake to lose weight. Yes, you can be healthy and not lose weight simply because you haven’t made any changes to your calorie intake and your energy consumption.

You can try eating raw almonds instead of chocolate too.

Your Instagram bio says you love brownies!

Yes! They’re my weak point. Yet I know when and how many I should have.

What’s your most recommended food?

Chicken, because it boosts metabolism, does not contain a lot of calories, has tons of protein, and it tastes good!

How much should we exercise per day?

One hour at the gym daily should be your maximum.

Over-working out is worse than not working out!

Tell us about your collaboration with The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf.

I believe that if you want to lead, you lead by example. My students call me from restaurants asking, “Rebecca we’re at this place, what should we order?” Here came the idea of a collaboration with The Coffee Bean to create a drink that’s healthy. Coffee builds up cellulite in your body. This is why we created a drink that’s composed of green tea, no sugar and skimmed milk. So, next time you’re at The Coffee Bean, ask for Rebecca’s drink.

How do you deal with students who have certain health conditions?

Anyone with health issues like lower back pains or wrist pains are definitely treated differently. If I have a student with serious injuries I usually consult a doctor before making any decisions on whether or not to train this person. Their wellbeing comes first.

What do you have to say to those who binge on chocolate when stressed out?

I would understand to some extent, but yet again it is your body telling you it has needs. Did you know that when you crave sugar you’re lacking love? So, go hug a friend and it’ll fulfill your need for sugar. www.ifmsa-jo.org

IFMSA - Jordan Magazine (March Edition) 25

IFMSA-Jo National Projects

Standing Committee on Medical Education

IFMSA-Jo National Projects

National Activites..

Medical students are directly exposed to medical curricula. They are the first quality check of medical education and they should rightfully have an influence on the creation of new yet better curricula, and curriculum development. The need for change is either not recognized or ignored in many universities, and here SCOME enters the game; we try to promote modern medical education.

SCOPE, held our annual project: Exchange Program Promotional Campaign (EPPC) this term in November 2014.

This time, we had an interactive lecture given by our Local Officers in the 4 Local Committees, in which the professional exchange process and requirements were explained. Also, the countries that our members can do exchange with were announced with all the information about medical schools, hospitals and touristic sites.

Previous outgoing exchange students were invited to share their experience with the attendees, and their contact information were provided for those interested.

Standing Committee on Professional Exchange

In this year we are planning to have our first national project! We will focus on developing Essential Skills for Medical Education, representing the students in the deanship and we will try to develop the curriculum in each LC. Join us! SCOME is NOT for nerds anymore.

Exchange Program Promotional Campaign Since the exchange program is the essence of IFMSA, and the main reason for which it was established: “to give the medical students around the world the chance to discover new healthcare systems, to discover new cultures, to meet new colleagues from different backgrounds, and to share the love of IFMSA!”. We, in

IFMSA - Jordan Magazine (March Edition) 26

Standing Committee on Reproductive Health including Aids

Convinced by many positive examples, we go on that mission by teaching and training students, teachers and professors. To ensure that our students will have a good education system, many of SCOMEdians are representing students in their faculties and we had more than 20 local projects in UJ-LC, JUST-LC, HU-LC, MU-LC and we are looking for have our first event in Yarmouk University.

World Aids Day 2014 in IFMSA-jo «Talk Red / ‫»إﺣﻲﻜ وﺑاﻷﺣﻤﺮ‬, Designated on December 1st every year, World AIDS Day is dedicated to raising awareness of the AIDS pandemic caused by the spread of HIV infection, showing support for people living with HIV, and mourning those who have died of the disease.

www.ifmsa-jo.org

Standing Committee on Public Health

The Standing Committee on Reproductive Health including Aids (SCORA) in cooperation with Dr. Abdulhameed Alqudah, the executive manager of the Youth Protection Program celebrated the World AIDS Day by setting up booths in various locations in Jordan, including universities and malls. At the booths, awareness brochures, stories, and ribbons were distributed to the public to raise awareness on HIV/AIDS and reduce social stigma against HIV-positive individuals.

World Diabetes Day Campaign Humanity is facing many catastrophic problems nowadays, with health issues being on top of the list. Health is the basic requirement for a productive human. One of several silent killers we have that render this essential requirement in our beloved Jordan is diabetes mellitus (DM).

IFMSA-Jo SCOPH decided to do something, change a number or leave a fingerprint for the diabetes issue here in Jordan. During November 2014, the World Diabetes Day campaign was launched to spread awareness in Jordan from the very north to the very south with the huge faith that “we can make the change”. It took us about 1 month to spread awareness and screen more than 2500 people, keeping in mind that our reachability hit about 12,000 people.

www.ifmsa-jo.org

Standing Committee on Refugees and Peace

“Human Rights Speak Up” National Campaign The universal declaration of Human Rights was adopted by the UN on 10th of December 1948. The date in which all non-governmental organizations and voluntary groups who work in this field celebrate each year.

Unfortunately, 67 years have passed and still we face many people who consider their rights as additional or secondary things. Human rights are what give a human being his value; they are a way of living, thinking and dealing with others. They are essential, universal for each individual.

Our goals were achieved through many fruitful steps such as: schools visits, debates, reading cycles, university workshops, a new Human Rights Trainers Training, and a visit to refugees camps.

Our vision was to put the basic human rights into practice, and to train students at universities and schools to behave according to these rights: to stand against any violation, and to fulfill their duties toward the community they live in before asking for their rights.

Always remember that human rights can be respected by simple daily activities in which you can share love and peace with others!

Standing Committee on Research Exchange

Although Jordanian numbers of HIV positive cases are not significant, BUT for every known case there are 7 undiagnosed cases! Also, risk factors are increasing dramatically.

SCORE's National Research Workshop “Research is to see what everybody else has seen and to think what nobody else has thought” – Albert Szent – Gyorgyi.

SCORE held its first National Research workshop between October 31st and November 28th of 2013, at the Arab Medical Center (Amman). The research workshop is a transnational project affiliated by the American University of Beirut- Lebanon. This year, the Second National Research Workshop was held in February also at the Arab Medical Center. Professors were selected among the most influential researchers in Jordan to present 7 sessions on three days. Medical students were oriented about the steps of conducting research projects from writing the question until publishing the paper. The enthusiasm and determination of students drove the success of the workshop over the top!

IFMSA - Jordan Magazine (March Edition) 27

Melad Dababneh JUST-LC, General Delegate

Articles..

Male vs. Female Brains

by Melad Dababneh

It’s a known fact that males and females are not the same, not at all, but it’s not the beard or the groins that make someone manly, and it’s not the breasts or the menses that make a woman a true female. Research has evidenced that human brains are the true bases of gender identity, with approximately 100 differences being discovered in the brain’s structure and function, playing a major role in human relationships and natural behaviour.

Structurally, male brains tend to be bigger in size, 1219%, and weigh 15% more than the female ones, yet by knowing that intelligence is only based on the number of neurons and their interactions, it’s understandable why size doesn’t give men a higher intelligence.

The right and left hemispheres are not set up exactly the same way. For instance, females tend to have verbal centres on both sides of the brain, while males tend to have them on only the left hemisphere. This is why girls tend to use more words when discussing and describing story, person, a feeling or anything. Also, females often have a larger hippocampus and amygdale, with a higher density of neuronal connections within it, as a result, women tend to use their five senses and absorb emotive information much better than men.

Moreover, male brains utilise seven times more gray matter while female brains utilise nearly ten times more white matter. Gray matter areas are information and action-processing centers, which explains how men IFMSA - Jordan Magazine (March Edition) 28

engage deeply in highly task-focused projects. On the other hand, white matter is the link that connects the brain’s active centers and parts with one another.

Such significant difference gives a great advantage for females in multi-tasking over males.

On the chemical level, we process many neurochemicals, such as serotonin, testosterone and oxytocin, yet in genderspecific body-brain connections. Thus, males tend to be more physically aggressive, and less emotionally bonded to their family. This explains why females usually release their anger more verbally than physically, and why males function better under stress, as their brains can change under such influence, particularly in regions associated with spatial memory.

On average, males are advantageous in tests that require the mental rotation or manipulation of an object. They tend to outperform females in mathematical reasoning and calculations. Nonetheless, females are better than males in tests that measure recollection and verbal reasoning, performing better at matching items and precision. In maze and path completion tasks, males learn the goal route faster, but females remember more of the landmarks presented.

Understanding such a huge subject brings humans into more healthy relations and better educational system. Despite the scientific facts confirmed by the article, many still adopt a contradiction; a concept of mental absolute symmetry between men and women, and that only the environmental norms can track a specific functional variation between earth people.

www.ifmsa-jo.org

Bahaa Momani MU-LC, General Delegate

Articles..

How Bad Is Alcohol?

by Bahaa Momani

triglycerides that accumulate resulting in the condition called fatty liver.

Another known liver disease associated with alcohol, is alcoholic hepatitis which eventually in later stages progresses to liver cirrhosis. Chronic alcohol consumption leads to higher secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines, producing inflammation of liver cells, leading to the death of these cells then hepatic fibrosis or cirrhosis. This is a process of collagen deposition stimulated by liver cells, which will end in increased portal hypertension that may develop ascites.

Alcohol, ethyl alcohol or ethanol is a product that has been used by humans throughout many eras of mankind history, going back all the way to the late stone age!

Alcohol affects different organs in the body. This effect is magnified in people known to consume large amount of alcohol for prolonged period of time; called alcoholics. These people suffer from wide range of chronic diseases in a status known as alcoholism affecting the various body systems and may eventually lead to death!

The most affected organ of the body in alcoholism is known to be the liver, as 80% of alcohol passes through the liver to be detoxified in the normal situation, but chronic alcohol consumption leads to number of liver diseases namely, fatty liver. This condition happens because of the process of alcohol metabolism that results in increased NADH/NAD+ ratio. A higher NADH concentration induces fatty acid synthesis, in synergy with decreased NAD+ level which results in decreased fatty acid oxidation (consumption).

Higher levels of fatty acids signal the liver cells to compound it to glycerol, to form www.ifmsa-jo.org

Alcohol has disastrous effects on all body systems, mainly through its effect on blood vessels, in which heavy alcohol drinking facilitates the process of atherosclerosis, hence decreasing the amounts of nutrients and oxygen delivered from the narrowed or obstructed arteries, which will be reflected on the whole body systems; especially the circulatory system ending in myocardial infarction, the brain and nervous system that have NO ability to regenerate leading to a very serious neurological disabilities..

One of the surprising effects of the alcohol is its effect on the genital system in both males and females. For females it causes imbalances in the hormonal system that controls reproduction. Even small amounts of alcohol can affect a woman’s menstrual cycle and reduce the chance of conceiving. On the other side, alcohol will reduce testosterone levels in males causing decreased sperm production levels and unilateral or bilateral testicular atrophy resulting in the infertility of the males.

All these facts led many countries to either ban or control the age and amount of consumption of alcohol.

In USA, you can't operate a motor vehicle if the alcohol level is equal to or more than 0.08% blood alcohol concentration, and must be over 21 to buy alcoholic beverages. Whether a country bans or controls the consumption, the most important step is education and awareness about the catastrophic effects of alcohol.

Even here in Jordan, we need to protect our future by proper education, to avoid losing loved ones.

IFMSA - Jordan Magazine (March Edition) 29

Joud Jarrah IFMSA-Jo Alumni

Interviews..

Revealed: Before & After an IFMSA Journey

How did IFMSA affect your life?

It was late 2009 when I had tough times in my life. It was around the same time that I decided to join a small group of dedicated volunteers, to start building IFMSA at our university. I believe that my heavy engagement in IFMSA core activities was the major factor for me to overcome those hard times.

What was your mission at IFMSA? My mission during my IFMSA journey was changing with respect to the different stages I went through. During my early SCOPH years, our mission was to implement systematic guidelines to our screening and awareness campaigns by defining public health. On the other hand, during my last year as a supervising council, our mission was to pass on our experience and administrative knowledge to our dedicated volunteers and executive board members to evolve our feedback system.

How could you manage IFMSA work and studying? Did IFMSA work influence your studying?

I have always avoided looking at my IFMSA participation and my studies as separate entities. As a medical student, I was aware of my responsibilities toward my community, and therefore my long term commitment to be part of IFMSA originates from there.

On a more practical level, the IFMSA structure provides you with various levels of participation that can suite your highly demanding life as a medical student. You can choose to give 20 hours a week to simple participation in campaigns every now and then.

In what way does IFMSA represent you?

Order! IFMSA′s most important element for progression and success is its high standards of order. I see that quality in me, I like to believe that I′m an organized person and that is how IFMSA represents me.

If you could do it all again, what would you change about IFMSA? IFMSA Jordan is evolving in its natural way. What brought IFMSA Jordan to its brilliance today, is years of challenges and hardships; but more importantly, victories. So I wouldn′t change its past! The one thing I would want to pass on is the spirit of unity between all the members of the four Local Committees. Members IFMSA - Jordan Magazine (March Edition) 30

should not allow any disunity to enter their hearts, after all «A chain is only as strong as its weakest link».

As an Alumni do you recommend freshmen to get involved in IFMSA? And if so, what should they get involved in?

If I was a first year medical student right now, I would not hesitate one second to join IFMSA, because it aids in exploring the potentials of a medical student to its farthest extents. Start involving yourself in many campaigns, explore your passion, and belong to one of the standing committees. With experience you can start leading campaigns, and if you feel you can give more, run for a leading position at your local committee. Please remember that IFMSA is not a political body, and seeking positions for the sake of positions will make you forget the goal that made you join IFMSA in the first place: volunteering.

What kept you working for IFMSA for so long?

In hard times I kept reminding myself why I got into this in the first place. It′s all about giving more than receiving. If you quit when the real work gets hard, then you are expecting more than giving. What helped me keep going was the beautiful group of friends that joined me along this journey. You′re never alone when you′re an IFMSAian.

Where do you see IFMSA in 10 years?

I see IFMSA Jordan as one of the leading regional National Member Organizations on the training level, the human rights aspect and hosting one of the General Assemblies in the upcoming 5 years, with more than 4000 registered active members.

www.ifmsa-jo.org

Zakaria Shkoukani UJ-LC, Chief Writer at Publications Team

Articles..

Digital Drugs

by Zakaria Shkoukoni

Digital drugs are actually sounds or binaural beats that change the pattern of waves in the brain, producing effects similar to drugs of the chemical class – i.e. they induce an altered state of consciousness in the user.

So how is it that music can mimic the effects of chemical drugs?

Normally when people listen to songs, the music is transmitted to the brain at exactly the same frequencies.

However, when the frequencies differ, for example 400MHz in one ear and 410MHz in the other, the extra 10MHz are redirected to a specific part of the brain as ‘alpha-waves’. These waves are responsible for the altered consciousness. As the difference in MHz increases, so does the dose of the drug.

Caution: Music is becoming a drug!

For decades, countries have been exposed to the dangers of drugs. Drugs were extracted hundreds of years ago from certain plants, but as time moved on, people learnt how to synthesize them. Nowadays, societies suffer from methamphetamine, cocaine, some even the more detrimental ‘hard-drugs’ such as ecstasy and heroin. However, all the aforementioned drugs come under the class of ‘chemical drugs’.

When the world’s scientists began revolutionizing our lives; utilizing technology and industrial advancements, launching a new era known as the ‘digital age’; little did they know that people would manipulate these discoveries, to their own advantage – or perhaps their demise.

Just when we thought that nothing but good would come of this ‘technology revolution’, a catastrophic new form of drugs called ‘digital drugs’ evolved. While you may think this term refers to the mere selling or purchasing of drugs over the web, it actually has a very different meaning. www.ifmsa-jo.org

But what does ‘altered state of consciousness’ mean, and how do digital drugs affect their users?

Digital drugs, although newly established, were directly related to many effects similar to those of heroin, amphetamines, cocaine…etc. They cause periods of euphoria, and alleviate feelings of depression.

Researchers believe that these waves activate centers in the brain, producing dopamine and serotonin; chemicals that cause excitement, happiness, drowsiness, mental confusion, and jitteriness. These effects help build a separate reality, explaining why so many people get psychologically dependent on them. Doctors also noticed that extensive users experience tonic-clonic seizures, an effect of the nervous system.

Binaural beats started off in western countries and quickly spread to countries like Lebanon, Syria, Saudi Arabia, and possibly Jordan. People who learnt how to generate these drugs are now exposing the rest of the society to them; these songs can be found on YouTube, and there are even sources of Quran recitations with modified tones. Believe it or not there are actually online suppliers like I-Doser who sell people these futuristic drugs through modified music albums.

So, now that you know what digital drugs are, how they work, and their sources, help us protect our society by raising awareness about this new phenomenon! There is a massive field in therapeutic medicine waiting to be discovered if we further studied this new class of drugs!

IFMSA - Jordan Magazine (March Edition) 31

Abdulqadir Shanti HU-LC, Chief Writer at Publications Team

Articles..

Served Justice

by Abdulqadir Shanti

There is a sacred rule that has been conserved for thousands of years, physicians are well-known for their preserved manners, and patients are known for their respect towards physicians. The reason behind the title Served Justice is all about being treated fairly in response to workplace violence.

What is workplace violence?

Workplace violence is a worldwide concern towards health workers. Healthcare specialists are continuously and increasingly being threatened both verbally and physically. This is becoming a somewhat familiar headline in Jordanian newspapers: «Physician victimized and threatened by patient′s family» . Patients and families usually complain of misconduct by the physician, but fail to resort to authorities to file a complaint.

Moreover, a physician’s duty is always to make sure every patient receives due care. What if amidst of all changes, physicians spark a little kindness? Patients will be treated well and in return physicians will be thanked.

Considering physicians are supposed to treat and approach patients with the utmost heartwarming kind and professional service, they should focus on patients one at a time and only through affordable care acts do patients’ hearts kindle.

IFMSA - Jordan Magazine (March Edition) 32

The patient’s access of care and how healthcare is delivered is held accountable for such things. One of the main reasons resulting in workplace violence is the lack of treating patients with compassion; patients are often administered with fear and reluctance, and in response physicians reinforce censorship and deliberately spurn patients, leading to ill treatment and unnecessary sparks of hatred, ending in violence.

There are over forty assaults annually in different cities in Jordan! Figuring out a solution is a multistep process that involves better communication between the physician and the patient; physicians sometimes misinterpret the patient’s behavior labeling it as imperious, leading to an endless conflict between the two sides, or simply being the cause of an arising mental illness which leads to unexplainable behaviors. Physicians sometimes can never attain 100% cure for all cases, not due to the lack of knowledge, but possibly to other factors such as lack of needed equipments, whatever the case may be, each patient should be fairly examined and treated. Physicians should also explain the nature of the problem and its consequences in untreatable conditions and make sure the concerned family members understand the case very well so as to know and understand what is being done, what has to be done and what cannot be done, by properly breaking bad news.

Investigations of workplace violence consequences is of much importance to our system, and arranging appropriate polices could lead to minimizing workplace violence .Therefore, physicians should avoid negligence to avoid such circumstances as well as administering satisfying quality care and maintain their relationships with patients and their families, and in return, patients and their families should return back their uttermost respect.

www.ifmsa-jo.org

Sultan Abdel Hamid UJ-LC, General Delegate

Articles..

As future doctors, or more specifically, scientific researchers, we are bound to come across many baffling medical cases that have no definitive cause. Therefore, in order to develop the database of preventative knowledge, causes and effects should be made. That brings us to the field of epidemiology, or the science that deals with the patterns and causes of disease, and its containment. Epidemiologists, or “disease detectives”, collect statistical data from demographic and social trends to determine the underlying cause of an injury or a disease.

However, philosophers throughout history have debated the true definition of causality.

For instance, smoking does not cause lung cancer to every smoker, and many nonsmokers develop lung cancer. So is smoking a cause of lung cancer?

The law of causality, or the interpretation of cause and effect, is deeply embedded in our minds. It is in our human nature (or so believed) to relate a certain beginning to an end, which can sometimes limit our cognitive strategies. This brings us to an important question: are we governed by our “builtin” thoughts, or do we acquire our thinking processes as we experience different events?

David Hume, a Scottish philosopher who had a central role in the Scottish Enlightenment, debated against the existence of innate thoughts. He assumed that knowledge is obtained through direct experience, and therefore causality cannot be justified logically. This reminds us that correlation does not imply causation.

Take a study about HDL cholesterol, which is negatively correlated with heart attacks.

www.ifmsa-jo.org

Epidemiological Causality “Ex nihilo nihil fit”

by Sultan Abdel Hamid

Does this mean higher levels of HDL will decrease heart attack incidents? Probably not, as many factors can affect this correlation, including genetics and lifestyle.

Epidemiologists make use of certain criteria to form a causal association. In 1965, English epidemiologist Sir Austin Bradford Hill established the Hill’s criteria for causation, or a set of minimal conditions required to provide evidence for a causal relationship. Today, one of these criteria is essential: temporality, which refers to timing. The putative, or supposed, cause has to precede the presumed effect.

Hill’s criteria have been applied in examining evidence in several areas, such as the connection between vitamin D, pregnancy, and neonatal outcomes.

The principal aim of epidemiology is to evaluate the cause of a disease. Since most of the data usually collected is observational rather than experimental, an observed association may have a number of possible explanations that can negate causality, including chance, bias, and other confounding variables. It is vital to recognize that a judgment need not to be made based on a single study, but must consider the consistency of other credible studies.

Epidemiology is a versatile science. It is surely exciting for many to attempt curing preventable diseases, and find their gratification in serving the public health on a larger scale. In order to be a successful epidemiologist, a strong foundation in medicine is necessary. Also, most epidemiologists accredit their success to supportive mentors. They teach to free thought from the limitations of “ex nihilo nihil fit” – out of nothing, comes nothing. A true scientist must learn to think beyond the boundaries set by our predecessors, that is why a look into history is important. Once you perceive new possibilities, a remarkable world of thought will surely greet you.

IFMSA - Jordan Magazine (March Edition) 33

‫‪Articles..‬‬

‫إعداد معتز عبيدات‬

‫يف روایة الخیمیايئ الشھیرة ‪ ،‬التقى بطل الروایة (سانتیاغو)‬ ‫إنجلیزي ‪ ،‬كان یحمل معه عرشات الكتب وقد قىض عمره‬ ‫برجل‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫باحثاً عن طریق ٍة للوصول إىل حلمه وإیجاد الخیمیا ّيئ بین صفحات‬ ‫الكتب ‪ ،‬و سخر من سانتیاغو الذي ال یحمل معه سوى إحساسه‬ ‫املرھف بالحیاة من حوله و تواصله مع إشارات الطبیعة التي‬ ‫مكنته يف النھایة من الوصول إىل الخیمیايئ وتحقیق أسطورته‪ ،‬أما‬ ‫صدیقنا اإلنجلیزي فبقي غارقاً بین كتبه یلعن حظه العاثر‪.‬‬ ‫طب ‪ -‬عىل رأس عمله ‪ -‬أزاول اللُّھاث الیومي‬ ‫وأنا كطالب ٍ‬ ‫خلف املحارضات و أٌغرق نفيس بین أكوام الكتب واألوراق‪،‬‬ ‫أتعاطى القھوة ليك أُميض لیلتي مشیاً عىل األقداح محاوالً طرد‬ ‫النوم مسافة محارض ٍة أُخرى ‪ ،‬تتجاوزين السنوات وعزلتي عن‬ ‫الناس يف ازدیاد‪.‬‬

‫‪Motaz Obeidat‬‬ ‫‪JUST-LC, General‬‬ ‫‪Delegate‬‬

‫إذا كان سانتیاغو طبیباً‬

‫نحن نحتاج إىل توعی ٍة يف كیفیة التواصل فعلیاً مع من حولنا ليك ال ننىس أ ّن عىل‬ ‫الطبیب أن یكون إنساناً أكرث من غیره ‪ ،‬یحمل معه إحساسه املرھف بالحیاة حوله‬ ‫و یشعر باإلشارات التي تضعھا األقدار أمامه لیصل إىل ھدفه و یحقق أسطورته مثل‬ ‫سانتیاغو متاماً‪.‬‬

‫و ما أن دخلنا إىل املستشفى حتى باغتتني آالم املرىض و‬ ‫معاناتھم وجھاً لوجه ‪ ،‬نظراتھم حارصتني و خنقت كلامت‬ ‫املواساة التي اكتشفت أنني أعرفھا باللغة اإلنجلیزیة فقط ‪ ،‬بعد‬ ‫قراءتھا صدف ًة من الفصل املحذوف ‪ -‬بحكم العادة ‪ -‬من مقدمة‬ ‫الكتاب ‪ ،‬وقفت تائھاً أمامھم كشاخصة مرور يف طریقٍ صحراوي‬ ‫‪ ،‬ال أدري متى ھجرتني قدرايت عىل التواصل اإلنساين حتى أصبح‬ ‫النظ ُر يف األوراقِ أسھل من النظر يف عیون املرىض ‪ ،‬و فھ ُم ما بین‬ ‫سطو ِر الكتب أبسط من فھم مشاعرھم وھمومھم ‪.‬‬ ‫املفارقة التعیسة أنني مل أكن وحیدا ً ‪ ،‬فبقیة الطالب سقطوا‬ ‫مثقلین بالعجز أمام حاجة املریض امللحة لجرعات حنانٍ من ذوي‬ ‫املعاطف البیضاء‪ ،‬الذین یسألونه كل یوم نفس األسئلة ویخوضون‬ ‫حوارا ً طویالً معه یومیاً دون أن یشعر أنّھم قد تحدثوا إلیه فعالً‪.‬‬ ‫كأطباء علینا أن نشعر بنبض املجتمع من حولنا ‪ ،‬قریبین من‬ ‫الناس وعاداتھم وطریقة كالمھم و أسالیبھم يف التعبیر ور ّدات‬ ‫فعلھم ‪ ،‬لكن لألسف يف أھ ّم مرحل ٍة عمری ٍة يف بلورة شخصیاتنا یتم‬ ‫عزلنا و نبتعد عن ذلك كله ‪ ،‬أنشطتنا أكادیمی ُة وطبیة ‪ ،‬منغلقون‬ ‫عىل أنفسنا و إطالالتنا عىل العامل الخارجي ال تتجاوز التوعیة‬ ‫ٍ‬ ‫مبرض ما يف أحسن األحوال ‪ ،‬مناھجنا الدراسیة تزید البعد بعدا ً‬ ‫وتفاقم حجم العزلة ‪ ،‬والكثیر من اللوم یواجه كل من تسول له‬ ‫نفسه بالتغرید خارج الرسب‪.‬‬

‫‪www.ifmsa-jo.org‬‬

‫‪IFMSA - Jordan Magazine (March Edition) 34‬‬

Haitham khatib HU-LC, TSD Regional Assistant for the EMR

Articles..

Being a medical student is not something you choose; you are born to be one! In a funny way, here are the top 10 signs that you are a medical student that will touch your life the more you go from 10 to 1: 10. You don’t have a social life.

9. If you are lucky and you actually have a social life, you’re socially retarded when you hang out with non-medics; as you don’t know what to talk about, besides your miserable life as a medical student.

8. Your summer vacation is always shorter than everybody else’s.

7. It is your life’s dream to have your schedule only Sunday-Tuesday-Thursday even for one semester!

Ten Signs You Are a Medical Student

by Haitham khatib

1. Right before exams, you have a hard time remembering why you want to be a doctor.

The life of a future doctor isn′t easy at all, but with hard work and strong passionate spirit you will be able to succeed. The fruits of all these years will be harvested after finishing your very last exam in the 6th year, and from there a new journey that we all dreamed about starts.

The reason for going to med school may differ from a person to another. However, I bet by staying there and studying the endless materials, you have proven that you care about others, and you wish to help people no matter how hard it is.

«Life isn’t about getting and having, it’s about giving and being.» –Kevin Kruse

6. Every week you tell yourself that next weekend is the weekend for catching up on your studying, but that never happens.

5. It doesn’t matter how much you study, there is always much more material to learn.

4. You had Medical Student Syndrome at least once, by diagnosing yourself with the diseases you study about.

3. Your eyesight has worsened by 10 points or more in the last year.

2.

Exams… Exams…. Exams…. Our professors think we don›t have enough of those, so they kindly give us more.

www.ifmsa-jo.org

IFMSA - Jordan Magazine (March Edition) 35

Bushra Maaitah JUST-LC, General Delegate

Articles..

The White Lab Coat; Hot or Not?

by Bushra Maaitah

The haute couture of the hospital runway is none other than the famous white lab coat. Accessorizing with stethoscopes slung casually on the neck, doctors around the world have rocked this look for two centuries now.

However, how did this one-colored garment trend in the medical profession, manage to become the defining image of a physician and a symbol of professionalism and seriousness of purpose?

In the middle of the 19th century, laboratory coats were mainly worn by scientists, while the practice of medicine at that time was based on superstitions and myths and was seen as the haphazard province of quacks and frauds. Science had refuted the credibility of medicine by being reliable and backed up with proof and facts; so while scientists were admired, physicians were distrusted.

However, as the field of medicine later developed into a respected branch of applied science, doctors strove to represent themselves as scientists both in practice and in appearance. Thus, adopting the lab coat as their standard of dress, in a way of bolstering their scientific credibility.

The white coat became a must-have for every physician’s wardrobe, and you see them donning it around hospitals all year long. Aside from the many practical reasons for which doctors adopted the habit of wearing white lab-coats, this iconic apparel became a symbol of prestige and importance; it connotes scientific authority and at the same time it instills in doctors a humbling sense of responsibility, thus communicating the doctor’s medical intent while maintaining the appropriate professional distance between a physician and a patient.

The color white was not chosen because it compliments every skin tone or because it was the “it” color of the season.

Aesthetically speaking yes, white does offer the perfect background to showcase whatever part of our outfit we wish to enhance, but obviously being stylish wasn’t what doctors back then were opting for. White was selected with good reason as the new standard of the medical profession for the noble symbolism it carries. This color, representing purity and goodness, is a visual reminder of the physician’s IFMSA - Jordan Magazine (March Edition) 36

commitment to do no harm and makes of the white lab coat a cloak of compassion and genuine care.

Not your typical fashion gala, but in celebration of the humanitarian and honorable profession of medicine many of the US medical schools have taken up on the “White Coat Ceremony”, initiated by the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. This rite of passage is to welcome the incoming class into the family of medicine through reciting the Hippocratic Oath and the formal dressing of the white coat.

As we all know, in fashion one day you’re in and the next day you’re out - and the same may go for our beloved white coats. According to the new trends of the American Medical Association, who are now considering a ‘No White Coat Policy’ as concerns are rising from emerging studies revealing potential for this item of clothing to harbor microbes and facilitate their transfer among patients. However, until further studies are conducted, a decision has not yet been made.

In other parts of the world, physicians in compliance to hospitals’ protocols have already abandoned their white coats such as in Britain and Scotland. As it seems, their sense of “medical fashion” is now more towards color-coded scrubs for physicians instead. Such a shift has also been spotted at the Mayo Clinic, from the classical white coats to strictly wearing business attire.

So the white coat glamour might be fading as it can no longer compete with its impracticality and our days of strutting with our white lab-coats down the wards may soon come to an end. But in the fashion scene it’s always hard to predict, therefore you cannot exclude the possibility of a comeback with some alterations.

www.ifmsa-jo.org

Sura Mubarak UJ-LC, Project Support Division Director

IFMSA-Jo..

What is Projects Support Division?

Projects Support Division is an advisory and referral body in IFMSA-Jo to each and every member in projects-related issues; project proposal reviewing, quality assuring via questionnaires, feedback forms, updating project′s support division templates, organizing the Activities′ Fair and Project Management Trainings in each Local Committee with the cooperation with Training Support Division.

Projects Support Division structure consists of: -The Director.

-Two Director′s Assistants.

-Proposal Review Committee.

-Quality Assurance Assistant.

-Training Projects Assistant.

The team in depth: 1) The Director leads the division by coordinating between the division′s members to assure the desirable output, preparing for the National Activities′ Fair and Presentation, directing projects to be presented in external activities and presentations, and assuring the message delivery between the division′s members and National and Local team of officials.

Projects Support Division

by Sura Mubarak

Internal Affairs, following up with the Training Projects Assistant and the Quality Assurance Assistant.

3) Proposal Review Committee is responsible for reviewing National and Local projects′ proposals within 72 hours from the time of submission.

4) Quality Assurance Assistant receives the filled feedback forms, evaluates them and puts the final score in the project's report.

5) Training Projects Assistant is responsible for organizing training sessions (Project Management and Fundraising) in each Local Committee.

Why is it important to have a Projects Support Division in our NMO? - Projects Support Division accounts for all the suggestions and recommendations provided by IFMSA-Jo members (General Delegates or Team of Officials) to be directed into improving the quality of our NMO projects.

- To show our NMO members what is happening in IFMSAJo either on the national or the local level through Activities′ Fair and presentation. By this, we minimize the distance and maximize the background and the knowledge of each member.

- To guide and support projects that are going to be presented in external Activities' Fair and Presentation.

2) Two Director′s Assistants: are responsible for organizing National Activities′ Fair and Presentation with the help of the director, amending and updating PSD documents as agreed on with the National and Local Vice Presidents of www.ifmsa-jo.org

IFMSA - Jordan Magazine (March Edition) 37

Qutaiba Sabha JUST-LC, Vice President for Internal affairs

IFMSA-Jo..

Behind the Scenes of IFMSA-Jo

by Qutaiba Sabha

Ever since IFMSA-Jo was established in 2006, the association has been continuously developing. The last three years have witnessed an exponential growth in terms of human resources and projects. At the end of 2011, IFMSA-Jo members were about few hundreds of medical students in the Jordan University of Science and Technology (JUST) and the University of Jordan (UJ) and had only few projects per year. While at the end of 2014, the Hashimate University and Mu′tah University were part of the association, members were more than 4000 medical students from four universities and averaged more than 50 projects per year.

In order to achieve further development and growth, the current IFMSA-Jo team of officials, elected in the 6th IFMSA-Jo National General Assembly in September 2014, has seriously taken its responsibilities towards the association and is working constantly behind the scenes, aiming to be stronger in terms of sustainability, human resources, and visibility.

IFMSA-Jo registration as a non-governmental organization (NGO) was discussed so many times during the history of the association. However, no real action was taken to explore this issue. Because of the importance of the issue to the future sustainability of IFMSA-Jo, the Executive Board (EB) is currently investigating the possibility of registration as an NGO through reviewing the related legal documents and consulting people of experience in the field. The EB will produce recommendation notes about the issue to be presented and discussed in the upcoming national general assembly, NGA 7.

to develop and establish their future local committee. As a result, a full time-bound plan was designed to guide YU through the steps toward becoming a candidate member of IFMSA-Jo. On the other hand, as a tribute to our veterans, registration was opened to previous IFMSA-Jo delegates to become part of the brand new IFMSA-Jo alumni community.

Since IFMSA-Jo has a unique message to deliver to the world and the local community, its visibility is a top priority in the current action plan of the EB. In the social media aspect, The IFMSA-Jo page exceeded more than 6000 on the like scale. Also, IFMSA-Jo Twitter and Instagram accounts were successfully activated.

In the external relations› aspect, a lot of parties were approached and promising contracts are about to be signed.

IFMSA-Jo is all about its respected delegates who don′t hesitate to spend all their efforts and energy to develop the association and the community. In conclusion, all I say is «the wind of change is blowing and the best is yet to come».

In the field of human resources, we have been working on the recruitment of Yarmouk University (YU) as a prospect local committee in IFMSA-Jo. A survey was filled by motivated medical students from YU to assess their current knowledge about IFMSA-Jo, and their needs IFMSA - Jordan Magazine (March Edition) 38

www.ifmsa-jo.org

Ahmad Abbadi JUST-LC, Chief Editor at Publications Team

IFMSA-Jo..

Constitution Credential Committee

By Ahmad Abbadi & Joud Jarrah

Joud Jarrah JUST-LC, Supervising Council 2013-2014

the 6th National General Assembly (NGA)! Because we are an uprising National Member Organization, we had to keep up with the international changes, and this year we have adopted CCC.

The Plenary is the decision making body of the IFMSA. It is where we vote on changed on the constitutions and bylaws, projects and where we elect our team of officials. To ensure that this happens, plenaries are governed by a highly enthusiastic team; Plenary Team. This special team is made of four unique smaller committees: 1. The chair and the vice-chair 2. Secretary and secretary assistant 3. Constitution Credential Committee (CCC) 4. Financial Committee What is CCC? It is the advisory and reference body of all issues related to the interpretation of the Constitutions and Bylaws of IFMSA-Jo. Whenever a controversy related to the Constitutions and Bylaws arises, the final decision will be left to them.

How are they selected?

For any member to apply to CCC, they need to: 1. Be a member of a full member LC, which had voting rights in the last NGA. 2. Still an official member of IFMSA-Jo. 3. Have attended at least one NGA. Then based on motivational letter and the decision of EB, they select the members. Officially, they are elected by full members during the beginning of the plenary. CCC is made of 35members, and no more than 2 can be from the same LC. When did it start in Jordan?

The first time ever for a CCC in Jordan was in

www.ifmsa-jo.org

How do they work?

Any member in CCC needs to have a vast knowledge in the Bylaws, and that was no easy task! Every member read it many times, and even reviewed international plenaries to get more experience in the field. After this step, all members worked hard in an organized plan to make sure that all candidates, amendments, applications, policy statements and regulations did follow the Constitutions and Bylaws through a very organized data base we made.

Challenges: During my whole IFMSA experience, the CCC work was one of the most challenging by means of decision making and requiring vast knowledge about our constitutions and bylaws.

Our role seemed simple: to make sure that Local Committees, amendments, memberships, and candidates were all following our constitutions and bylaws. Nonetheless the real work was quite strenuous as we had to make hard decisions such as standing against an amendment or even a whole local committee because it simply did not comply with our constitutions and bylaws criteria.

Being a team of three, we helped each other to be as objective and least biased as possible, knowing wholeheartedly how critical our decisions will affect the IFMSA body.

Message from NGA 6′s CCC: Our respect to the constitutions and bylaws is what makes us professional. Our encouraging support to each other, without bypassing our regulations, is what makes us a strong family.

Please do whatever possible to open the eyes of the applicants and Local Committees on any contradictions to the bylaws that they can fix before the NGA. This is coming from my belief that the main goal of the CCC is not strictly jurisdictional but mainly guiding.

I advice the CCC of every plenary to start taking command a good time before the NGA to help decrease the number of invalid amendments, and guide our valued members and executive board members even more.

The challenges that we face during our journey with IFMSA is, without a doubt, our way for betterment and maturity. The means by which we face these challenges defines the future of our federation.

IFMSA - Jordan Magazine (March Edition) 39

Meet the Writers Abdulqadir Shanti

Ahmad Abbadi

Bahaa Momani

MU-LC, General Delegate

Bushra Maaitah

Fouad Habash

Haitham Khatib

HU-LC, Chief Writer at Publications Team

UJ-LC, IFMSA-Jo president 2013-2014

Joud Jarrah

JUST-LC, Chief Editor at Publications Team

JUST-LC, General Delegate

HU-LC, TSD Regional Assistant for the EMR

Melad Dababneh

JUST-LC, General Delegate

JUST-LC, Supervising Council 2013-2014

Motaz Obeidat

Sultan Abdel Hamid

Sura Mubarak

Qutaibah Sabha

Zakaria Shkoukani

Zeina Abu Orabi

JUST-LC, General Delegate

UJ-LC, Project Support Division Director

UJ-LC, Chief Writer at Publications Team

UJ-LC, General Delegate

JUST-LC, Vice President for Internal affairs

JUST-LC, Chief Editor at Publications Team

This Magazine is Dedicated to IFMSA-Jo From the Publications Team

IFMSA - Jordan Magazine (March Edition) 40

www.ifmsa-jo.org