60th Anniversary Booklet

IFMSA

60 Anniversary 1951 - 2011

Editor-in-Chief Anny Huang, Australia

Assistants

The mission of IFMSA is to offer future physicians a comprehensive introduction to global health issues. Through our programs and opportunities, we develop culturally sensitive students of medicine, intent on influencing the transnational inequalities that shape the health of our planet.

Geneviève Bois, Québec Marija Ljubicic, Serbia Mirjana Spasojevic, Serbia

Contributors

The IFMSA Team of Officials 2010/2011 Maxime Moulin, France (Photograph contributors acknowledged with every image)

Layout Anny Huang, Australia

The 60th Anniversary Booklet is an IFMSA publication © Portions of the 60th Anniversary Booklet may be reproduced for non-political, and non-profit purposes, provided that the source is adequately and appropriately cited.

Notice: Every care has been taken in the preparation of these articles. Nonetheless, errors cannot always be avoided. The IFMSA cannot accept any responsibility for any liability. The opinions expressed in eVAGUS are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the IFMSA.

Contact Information:

General Secretariat: IFMSA c/o WMA B.P. 63 01212 Ferney-Voltaire France Phone: +33 450 404 759 Fax: +33 450 405 937 Email: gs@ifmsa.org Homepage: www.ifmsa.org Feedback to: publications@ifmsa.org Printed in Romania, July 2011

IFMSA Pres ent's Message (Left): Chijioke Kaduru, IFMSA President 2010/11

Dear Friends, D Fi d The International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations (IFMSA) is one of the largest international student forums, bringing together more than 1.2 million medical students representing over 95 countries from all 4 corners of the globe. Established in 1951 as a means for international medical student cooperation and collaboration after the Second World War, IFMSA has rapidly expanded to a major non-political,

non-governmental organization working in the fields of community health and capacity building for medical students.

We are officially recognized by the UN as the voice of International medical students, and hold official relationships with major UN agencies like WHO, UNESCO, UNICEF, UNFPA and others. As such, IFMSA is considered a major partner when it comes to issues relating to global health.

Sixty years on, and little has changed in our mandate. We continue to create culturally sensitive medical students, who come together to work to improve themselves, and to actively take part in improving the health of the communities that they will serve as future physicians. Through several changes in structure, working methods and continued expansion of our areas of work, IFMSA has indeed continued to focus on its mission. This is something we all should be very proud of. This is

one of many points that deserve to be celebrated.

As we return to Copenhagen, the city where it all started for IFMSA six decades ago, I would like to invite you enjoy this celebration of sixty years of success in student exchanges and numerous community based projects spanning most, if not all, the dimensions of public health, reproductive health, medical education and human rights. This year is a hallmark year in a history that is full of achievements for and by the medical student members of our dear Federation. Let us use this year and this celebration as a stepping-stone for even more success, as we work for a healthier tomorrow.

Happy Birthday IFMSA. Happy 60th Anniversary.

Chijioke Kaduru, IFMSA-President 2010/2011 Accra, Ghana

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nnnnnnnn About IFMSA nnnnnnnn nnnnnnnn nnnnnnnn nnnnnnnn nnnnnnnn The International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations (IFMSA) is an independent, nongovernmental and non-political federation of medical students’ associations, and is one of the largest student organizations worldwide. IFMSA will enter the 60th year of its existence with 102 national medical student associations from 95 countries in six continents. In order to monitor our work more easily and to take into account the differences in needs across the globe, our member associations are divided into 5 regions: The Americas, Africa, Europe, Eastern Mediterranean and Asia-Pacific. IFMSA represents 1.2 million medical students from every corner of the world.

Since 1951, IFMSA has been run for and by medical students on a voluntary basis. Officially recognized as a Non-Governmental Organization within the United Nations’ system, our organization is also recognized by the World Health Organization as the only internationalforum for medical students, and is considered the student chapter of the World Medical Association. IFMSA is registered as a charitable organization in the

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Netherlands.

IFMSA has a General Secretariat in Ferney-Voltaire, France, in the premises of the Headquarters of the World Medical Association, and an Operational Office in Amsterdam, in the premises of the Academic Medical Center, further solidifying our relationships with our main partners.

It is now 60 years since IFMSA has been created to bring to-

gether medical students from all over the world to engage with global health issues. Numerous activities that are planned, designed, and carried out every year serve our global communityat both the international and the local levels.

Projects, conferences and workshops are organized across member countries in the fields of medical education, public health, reproductive health, gender issues and human rights and peace,

(Above) 1951: Medical students at the founding of IFMSA. Photo courtesy of HelMSIC

nnnnnnnn nnnnnnnn nnnnnnnn nnnnnnnn nnnnnnnn nnnnnnnn thus offering medical students a taste of real and pressing health issues worldwide.

The IFMSA experience shows students that they are not passive subjects in a rapidly globalizing world, but are valuable individuals with a potentially powerful role to play in global health. They learn that their idealistic goals can be achieved with readily attainable knowledge and commitment. In IFMSA, emphasis is placed on students returning to their local environments with new ideas and the skills to implement them. As the doctors of tomorrow and future leaders of health, we feel confident that our students will carry this spirit with them throughout their professional lives.

Mission

The mission of IFMSA is to offer future physicians a comprehensive introduction to global health issues. Through our programs and opportunities, we develop culturally sensitive students of medicine, intent on influencing the transnational inequalities that shape the health of our planet.

Obje ives

Members

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Our National Member Organizations can have either full, associate or candidate membership status. Before being accepted as Candidate Members, medical student organizations can be observers. Each Full Member represents a state as defined by the United Nations (regardless of membership status within the UN). Associate membership is open to all medical students’ organizations.

There can only be one Associate Member from each state. Both types of Member Organizations are comprised of Local Committees that represent a particular medical faculty within the National Member.

•

•

•

•

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To expose all medical students to humanitarian and global health issues, providing them with the opportunity to educate themselves and their peers; To facilitate partnerships between the medical student community and international organizations working on health, education and medicine; To give all medical students the opportunity to take part in clinical and research exchange around the world; To provide a network that links active medical students across the globe, including student leaders, project managers and activists, so that they can learn from and be motivated by each other; To provide an international framework in which medical student projects can be initiated, carried out and developed; To empower and train medical students to take a role in bringing about the necessary changes to improve the health of all people of the world.

At the present moment, our voice is heard in 95 countries via 102 member organizations. Each National Member Organization has its own identity, reflecting their national needs and culture. IFMSA is a Federation which respects the autonomy of its members.

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nnnnnnnn nnnnnnnn nnnnnnnn nnnnnnnn nnnnnnnn nnnnnnnn Team of Officials

As stated in our Constitution and Bylaws, team that leads the Federation consists of 34 members.

At the top of the hierarchy are the President and four other members of the Executive Board: the Vice President for External Affairs, the Vice President for Internal Affairs, the Secretary General and the Treasurer. Core areas of focus of the work of IFMSA lend themselves to the creation of six Standing Committees, through which the great majority of the activities of IFMSA is carried out.

Each Standing Committee is lead by a Director. So that activities in IFMSA are visible inside and outside our organization, IFMSA has five Support Divisions, each coordinated by a Director. As well as this, coordination of the externals and partners of IFMSA is managed by the Liaison Officers, of which there are eight. Finally, to encircle this structure, we have the Supervising Council which consists of five members: two with extensive experience, one outgoing Executive Board member and two former officials.

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(Above) 1983: IFMSA Team of Officials Meeting. Photo courtesy of Maxine Whittaker, RVP Asia-Pacific 1980-1984.

Standing Commi ees

The Standing Committees of IFMSA cover all major health topics and medical student-related interests: • Medical Education (SCOME) • Professional Exchange (SCOPE) • Public Health (SCOPH) • Reproductive Health including AIDS (SCORA) • Research Exchange (SCORE) • Human Rights & Peace (SCORP) The abbreviations in parentheses are used frequently in the organi-

zation, and all begin with “SCO”, which stands for “Standing Committee On”.

Each Standing Committee is headed by an International Director who is elected by the General Assembly. Each Director has his or her own International Team, which consists of 5 Regional Assistants (one per Region: Americas, Africa, Europe, Eastern Mediterranean Region and Asia-Pacific), Development Assistants, whose role is to support the work of Director, especially in the area of marketing, and the Liaison Officer who is responsible for the externals and partners of each Committee.

At the national level, the Standing Committee is coordinated by the National Officer, who is elected by the National Assembly of his or her country. At a local level, the work of the Standing Committee

nnnnnnnn nnnnnnnn nnnnnnnn nnnnnnnn nnnnnnnn nnnnnnnn is executed by one or more Local Officers. This structure enables IFMSA to do global work at a local level: Think Globally, Act Locally!

SCOME

The Standing Committee on Medical Education works towards attaining optimal professional and personal development for all medical students, so that they reach their full potential as future doctors for better health care worldwide. SCOME supports active involvement in education on a individual level, encouraging students to: • Take the initiative and responsibility for their education in both curricular and extracurricular areas, • Seek educational experiences and opportunities for further development • Participate in extracurricular activities as well as forming • Express informed opinions, providing feedback and collaborating with institutions in order to contribute to improvement of medical education SCOME organizes projects that promote and provide opportunities for medical students to pursue their goals, provide information to students about their education, centralize students opinions and facilitate communication with

the faculties or other institutions.

SCOME promotes best evidence medical education practices for efficient delivery, advocate for improvements in faculties, national medical education systems or international guidelines. Current international projects are Residency Opportunities Database, Breaking the Silence, Pre-Departure Trainings, Bologna Process Followup Workshops, Research Opportunities Database, Dying A Human Thing and many others.

SCOPE

The Standing Committee on Professional Exchange (SCOPE) is the primary mechanism through which students can study abroad through IFMSA; it has always been IFMSA’s most outstanding and successful operation. SCOPE co-ordinates the international exchange program, arranging clerkship opportunities for over 8,500 students every year. In general the exchanges are bilateral, offer free room and board, a social program, and are of one month in duration; English is the only required language, but the students are able to do the exchange in the local language of the country. It aims to strengthen international understanding amongst medical students and an international exchange of students is one of the best ways to realize this target.

Since 1951, the professional ex-

change program has been the backbone of IFMSA. It offers students a unique educational and cultural experience, and an interesting addition to the regular medical curriculum, broadening students’ understanding of medical and social conditions.

SCOPH

The Standing Committee on Public Health wants to make medical students and the public more aware of the importance of Public Health in today’s world. We also want to help medical students to acquire practical experience in this subject by coordinating and/or joining different projects and activities within this field. For example, SCOPH coordinates activities during various UN world health days to educate the public and advocate for health of the population.

Another example is the SCOPH collaboration with the WHO, in which national SCOPH groups developed a series of walk, exercise and education events to celebrate the global movement for active ageing.

Each year SCOPH organizes a number of conferences and workshops to address relevant public health topics. Conferences scheduled in the coming year address disaster relief policy, tuberculosis, elderly populations, trauma and children, and health care systems in transition. SCOPH members

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nnnnnnnn nnnnnnnn nnnnnnnn nnnnnnnn nnnnnnnn nnnnnnnn have also been invited to attend conferences sponsored by other groups in the field of public health, including: the Ninth International World Federation of Public Health Associations Congress: Challenge for Public Health At the Dawn of the 21st Century (WFPHA, Beijing); Health 21 in Action (WHO, Geneva) and Youth and Alcohol (WHO, Stockholm).

SCORA

The medical students of IFMSA formed the Standing Committee on Reproductive Health including AIDS (SCORA) in 1992, driven by a strong will to take an active part in interventions concerning HIV and Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) and to support people living with HIV/AIDS through working to decrease stigma and discrimination. SCORA has now expanded to encompass a wide range of reproductive health-related issues beyond HIV/AIDS. Through SCORA, medical students across the globe work locally, nationally and internationally to increase awareness concerning reproductive health and other related issues.

Our mission is such that, as an organization of future doctors which is not affiliated to any religious or political party, we will, through education, strive to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections whilst challenging the widespread violation of reproductive rights and gender

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inequality. We will also encourage respect and understanding of sexuality as a whole.

the intercultural communication, understanding, and unity among medical students worldwide.

Objectives: • To focus on topics related to HIV/AIDS prevention and sexuality within a broader context.

• To raise awareness about a variety of reproductive health issues amongst the public • To spread knowledge regarding HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) • To decrease the stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS

The IFMSA Research Exchange is a research project that provides medical students with the opportunity to deepen their knowledge in the specific area of their research interest. This program is officially recognized and supported by the medical school/university and is guided by a mentor who introduces exchange students to the basic principles of research, such as literature search, data collection, scientific writing, laboratory work, statistics and ethics.

Upon the completion of the program, students are required to prepare a written scientific report or an oral presentation.

SCORE

The Standing Committee on Research Exchange (SCORE) seeks to give medical students across the world the opportunity to gain exposure to medical training in other countries. All exchanges are initiated and coordinated entirely by medical student volunteers.

Every university is represented by a Local Officer on Research Exchange (LORE), who facilitates projects at the local level and arranges the preparations for the exchange students, such as housing and boarding.

Every exchange student is assigned a local contact person who serves as their guide, resource, and social liaison. This strengthens

SCORP

SCORP is a dynamic standing committee which deals with Human Rights, Refugees, and Peace.

These are issues that are continuously changing under the everpresent influence of politics, nature and many other factors. The committee itself is also constantly reforming to be able to orient itself towards the ever -changing needs which present differently in each and every country. New Human Rights Trainers are now spread all over the world and have all the knowledge and materials available to educate more people on the intricate nature of peace

nnnnnnnn nnnnnnnn nnnnnnnn nnnnnnnn nnnnnnnn nnnnnnnn and equality.

SCORP has the following aims: • Through participation in local and international work, to learn about the problems that refugee populations, internally displaced people and other vulnerable groups of people face.

• To collaborate with NGOs in establishing projects for medical students to work in international refugee camps.

• To educate students and professionals in the health care system about the health of refugees, internally displaced people and other vulnerable populations.

• To spread awareness and educate health care professionals in human rights and the violations committed in this regard.

• To speak and act for peaceable conflict solutions and discuss and learn about conflict prevention.

• To establish and develop multidisciplinary cooperation in matters of refugees, conflict prevention, human rights and the building of a culture of peace.

Proje s

Within the IFMSA, the term “projects” refers to activities, in concordance with the IFMSA principles, aims and policy statements, in many fields of interest to medical students. These activities include projects, events, workshops, surveys, networks and campaigns.

IFMSA has three categories of projects: • IFMSA Endorsed Projects, • IFMSA Transnational Projects • IFMSA Initiatives

Projects in all three categories must comply with the Constitution and Bylaws of IFMSA. The benefits and rights of these projects and their coordinators include: being able to display project information on the IFMSA website and the official projects database, receiving letters of recommendation from the Executive Board, support in grant applications and fundraising attempts, and priority in promotional efforts within the IFMSA network and our partner organizations. Besides this, the IFMSA Initiatives and Transnational Projects can choose to utilize the IFMSA banking system and have up to two secured places for their representatives to participate in the biannual IFMSA General Assemblies.

IFMSA Endorsed Projects have one

place secured for a project representative at each General Assembly.

The Projects Proposals Review Committee (PPRC) was established to assist the PSD Director with the specific task of revising candidate project proposals.

The PPRC comprises of a panel of project management and design experts who aim to increase the quality of IFMSA official projects through providing advice to project coordinators about their work, and to the PSD Director and National Member Organizations about whether to recognize and accept candidate project proposals as official IFMSA projects.

Training

Training is the backbone of IFMSA: it is the tool with which we exchange experiences, acquire skills and develop knowledge in our organization.

Medical professionals are continually pressed to take on roles in the management and improvement of the performance of health systems. As IFMSA plays an important role in developing future leadership for global health, training and the development of key human resources is becoming increasingly important. Thus, medical students are provided with the necessary skills that the strained

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nnnnnnnn nnnnnnnn nnnnnnnn nnnnnnnn nnnnnnnn nnnnnnnn academic medical curricula often fail to provide.

By providing training sessions from both in-house and professional trainers, the Training Team aims to run workshops around the globe for IFMSA members. We believe that training is a vital component of capacity building within the IFMSA, providing National Member Organizations, individuals and IFMSA project participants with the skills and resources they need to carry out their IFMSA tasks.

Throughout the years, the IFMSA has been developing high quality training curricula and training methods which have been passed on from generation to generation.

This has allowed us to maintain important skills and knowledge and to improve and develop our training workshops constantly.

An important part of the IFMSA training program is the Training New Trainers workshop (TNT).

During this workshop, IFMSA members are trained to become trainers themselves.

To ensure continuity and to keep trainers motivated, the Training Old Trainers workshop (TOT) has also been established. Here, trainers learn to maintain and improve their training skills.

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Publications

The official publications of the IFMSA form an important channel of communication within the Federation. The content of each publication is written and edited by medical students, thus enabling future doctors to acquire invaluable experience in communicating with their peers and colleagues.

The eVAGUS is the official electronic newsletter of the IFMSA. It is published bimonthly, and is available to all members of the IFMSA through both the official IFMSA website and the IFMSA mailing lists. This publication features articles and reports about recent conferences, mostly written by IFMSA Officials. Columns and interviews written by members of the Publications Support Division can also be found within this newsletter. As well as this, all members of IFMSA are eligible and encouraged to submit any material that they believe will be of interest to their international peers.

The most widely-circulated printed publication of the IFMSA is the Medical Student International (MSI). Often referred to as the voice of medical students, this publication is printed biannually, coinciding with the IFMSA General Assemblies. Each issue of MSI has a theme that is similar or identical to the General Assembly at which

it is distributed. This enables the medical students present at the General Assembly to gain background information as well as a broader understanding of the topics discussed during the meeting.

It also allows students who are unable to attend the General Assembly to have a means to learn about topical issues from their peers, and to contribute to the discussion at the General Assembly through writing articles. Although the MSI is a non-scientific, non-peer-reviewed publication, submissions are nonetheless reviewed by a team of editors, and must comply with the highest of standards. Each issue of the MSI is assigned an ISBN number, and is also available electronically through the IFMSA website.

In addition, the Publications Support Division and the Projects Support Division collaborate to create a Projects Bulletin biannually. The Projects Bulletin is also distributed at IFMSA General Assemblies.

This publication serves to update the members of the Federation on the progress and achievements within each official IFMSA project.

The IFMSA Publications Support Division also plays a role in the creation of various other publications, at the Regional, Standing Committee and international levels.

nnnnnnnn nnnnnnnn nnnnnnnn nnnnnnnn nnnnnnnn nnnnnnnn (Left) 1980: The Guest of Honor at the IFMSA General Assembly in Cairo, the First Lady of Egypt, Mrs Jehan El Sadat, is welcomed by the Organizing Committee. Photo courtesy of Hatem Alaa, IFMSA-Egypt

Alumni

The IFMSA Alumni Division stands for the following vision: “We envision IFMSA Alumni as lifetime partners in the mission of IFMSA” Mission: “Our mission is to use the talents and resources of IFMSA Alumni to support IFMSA and enrich the lives of Alumni worldwide”

Values: “Serving our members and IFMSA, loyalty, advocacy for IFMSA, acting as advisory board”

The main role of this division is to maintain connection between IFMSA and its Alumni; to search for possibilities of how to improve this connection; to find ways to promote IFMSA to its Alumni and have their support, from professional to financial, if possible.

IFMSA Alumni and WMA: The General Assembly of World Medical Association (Vancouver, October 2010) approved IFMSA members to be granted Associate Membership of the World Medical Association on graduation as physicians, for a period of five years.

Partners & Externals

Official relationships of the IFMSA with the other organizations are based on the areas of health, education, science and social and humanitarian affairs. There are a number of inter-governmental and non-governmental organizations which are IFMSA partners in fruitful and long-lasting collaborations.

Our most important partners include:

The United Nations

The IFMSA has Special Consultative Status with the United Nations through the Economic and Social Council.

The World Health Organization

In 1969, IFMSA was admitted to an official relation with the World Health Organization (WHO) and this collaboration resulted in the organization of a symposium on “Programmed Learning in Medical Education”, as well as immunology and tropical medicine programmes.

The WHO has since then always involved IFMSA in issues concerning medical education, and several WHO departments have throughout the years asked the IFMSA to survey the global content of different areas in medi-

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nnnnnnnn nnnnnnnn nnnnnnnn nnnnnnnn nnnnnnnn nnnnnnnn cal education and been involved us processes related to improving medical education. The most notable recent example is our involvement in the development of the Patient Safety Curriculum Guide for Medical Schools and the multi-professional edition of the same curriculum guide. Since June 2010, IFMSA has been involved in the WHO project “Transformative scale-up of medical, nursing and midwifery education”, as project aiming to develop policy guidelines for how to best scale-up health professional education in order to strengthen health systems as well as meet the global challenges of health workforce shortage. IFMSA is in the Medical Education Expert Working Group of this project.

In the last decade, especially after the creation of the Millennium Development Goals, the WHO began to host several partnerships focused on specific issues.

The Stop TB Partnership, RollBack Malaria and the Tobacco Free Initiative were the first partnerships were IFMSA became recognised as partners, and where we contributed to the advocacy work. In its 60th year, IFMSA has become members of the Global Health Workforce Alliance and the Partnership for Maternal and Child Health (PMNCH). The PMNCH has asked whether the IFMSA can contribute to the UN Secretary-General’s Global Strategy on Women’s and Children’s Health. During the 60th Anniversary General Assembly in Copenhagen, the IFMSA will

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be adopting a policy statement on maternal and child health which will contain our commitments towards the achievement of the Global Strategy.

The IFMSA also collaborate with WHO Country Offices by connecting our national member organizations with WHO officials in various countries. Especially for World Health Days this collaboration has been fruitful, with medical students providing human resources for outreach services, health education and participating in workshops organized by the WHO. In 2011, the IFMSA remains as an important partner for the WHO. Our designated technical officer is from the Department of Child and Adolescent Health and is the person we report to in order to maintain our official relation with the WHO. In addition, IFMSA maintains good relationships with the Departments on the Control of Neglected Tropical Diseases, Patient Safety, Social Determinants of Health, HIV/AIDS, Climate Change and Health and Non-communicable diseases and mental health.

The Department of Communications receive 2-3 interns from the IFMSA network every year, and the other departments have begun to do so as well.

of the most successful and rewarding.

The WMA provides a natural extension to the representation that IFMSA has of international medical students. This fact causes the IFMSA to be often spoken of as the student branch of the WMA, although entirely independent.

UNESCO

The IFMSA is continuing operational relations with the United Nations‘ Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Joint work focuses on HIV/AIDS and Human Rights and capacity building in the IFMSA.

UNICEF

The World Medical Association

UNICEF is a UN Agency mandated by the United Nations General Assembly to advocate for the protection of children’s rights, to help meet their basic needs and to expand their opportunities to reach their full potential. UNICEF is guided by the Convention on the Rights of the Child and strives to establish children’s rights as enduring ethical principles and international standards of behavior towards children. Main field of work of UNICEF is HIV/AIDS and Children, child protection, child survival and development, basic education and gender equality and policy advocacy.

The collaboration between the IFMSA and the WMA has been one

The cooperation of IFMSA and UNICEF has strengthened lately.

nnnnnnnn nnnnnnnn nnnnnnnn nnnnnnnn nnnnnnnn nnnnnnnn (Left) May 1999: The WHO General Assembly, attended

by Mr Sanjeeb Sapkota (later IFMSA President 2000-2001) and Mr Mohammed El Batta (IFMSA President 1998-1999).

Photo courtesy of HelMSIC.

The IFMSA delegation in the Almaty Conference has worked closely with UNICEF for Primary Health Care and there is the perspective of close cooperation with UNICEF for upcoming events and meeting for child’s rights and child protection.

International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War

In 1983, co-operation began with International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW).

Global (GHC)

Health

Council

The Global Health Council is the world’s largest membership alliance dedicated to saving lives

by improving health throughout the world. The Council works to ensure that all who strive for improvement and equity in global health have the information and resources they need to succeed.

The GHC Annual Public Health Meeting takes place in Washington DC. The GHC Newsletter is delivered regularly in the IFMSA SCOPH mailing list. All IFMSA members get free GHC membership.

Informal Forum of International Student Organizations

The Informal Forum of International Student Organisations (IFISO) is an informal forum for officers of pluralistic, non-political and notfor-profit international studentrun organizations. Currently, the IFISO network consists of a multi-

disciplinary mix of 27 NGOs, including IFMSA, which reaches out to over two million students.

Active local or global (IFMSA LOSO) involvement in the IFISO group allows each NMO to prosper with novel ideas for collaborations between IFMSA and other student organizations.

At the same time, IFMSA can balance the unique projects organized at the local level, like IFMSA social programs with other student organizations, or at the international level, like training meetings of the World Healthcare Students Symposium and Leadership Summer School.

Global Alcohol Policy Alliance (GAPA) The Global Alcohol Policy Alliance, founded in 2000, is a developing network of NGOs and people working in public health agencies, which share information on alcohol issues and advocate evidencebased alcohol policies. The GAPA mission is to reduce alcohol-related harm worldwide by promoting science-based policies independent of commercial interests.

The Chairperson of GAPA, Mr. Derek Rutherford, has participated in the IFMSA AM08, in Ocho Rios, Jamaica. Since February 2009 the IFMSA Liaison Officer for Public Health Issues is also a member of the GAPA Board.

GAPA is a founder of the Alcohol

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nnnnnnnn nnnnnnnn nnnnnnnn nnnnnnnn nnnnnnnn nnnnnnnn Policy Youth Network, where IFMSA SCOPH is a founding member.

GAPA Magazine – THE GLOBE, is being delivered to the IFMSA National Public Health Officers by mail.

The Alcohol Policy Youth Network

The Alcohol Policy Youth Network is a network of National Youth Councils, National Youth Clubs and Transnational Organizations, that ask for high youth participation in the definition, implementation and evaluation of policies and programs tackling the harmful use of alcohol.

The APYN was founded in March 2008, in Budapest and during the past two years IFMSA has actively been taking part in the APYN’s Advocacy Schools, Training Courses and Training for Trainers. IFMSA is also a member of the APYN Secretariat in 2010/11 and actively takes part in the decision-making of the future of APYN.

European Public Health Association (EUPHA)

The European Public Health Association or EUPHA in short, is an umbrella organization for public health associations in Europe.

EUPHA was founded in 1992. EUPHA is an international, multidisciplinary, scientific organization, bringing together around 12000 public health experts for profes-

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sional exchange and collaboration throughout Europe. We encourage a multidisciplinary approach to public health.

The EUPHA Annual General Assembly is an interesting meeting for IFMSA Europeans to participate. Their focus among others is on health promotion, food and nutrition, no communicable and communicable diseases.

WONCA

The World Organization of National Colleges, Academies and Academic Associations of General Practitioners/Family Physicianis made up of national colleges, academies or organizations concerned with the academic aspects of general family practice in 99 countries with over 250,000 general practitioners/family physicians.

WONCA acknowledges the involvement of medical students, through the international officers and National Member Organizations of the International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations (IFMSA), in activities related to primary care, family medicine, general practice, and community based health services and their influence on health care at local, national, and international levels and recognizes that medical students have the potential to contribute through their projects and exchange programs to the development and better recognition of primary care and the family doc-

tor.

Medical students can now participate in WONCA conferences at the international or regional level, and primary care specialists are invited speakers at IFMSA meetings and support the IFMSA Professional Exchanges in primary care settings.

International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO)

The International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO), based in London, UK, is the only worldwide organisation that groups obstetricians and gynecologists with member associations in 124 countries/territories.

FIGO recognizes that medical students have the potential to contribute to volunteer health programs in low resource countries, to the future development of the specialty of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.

At the beginning of the summer 2010, FIGO endorsed a checklist that sets all the points a student have to see during the clerkship in gynecology and obstetrics.

Other IFMSA partners

The IFMSA is also working together with: • UNAIDS (Joint United Nations

nnnnnnnn nnnnnnnn nnnnnnnn Hi ory of IFMSA nnnnnnnn nnnnnnnn nnnnnnnn • • • • •

Programme on HIV/AIDS) UNFPA (United Nations Poplation Fund) NHCR (UN Refugee Agency) Stop Tuberculosis Campaign AMEE (International Association for Medical Education) IFHHRO (International Federation of Health and Human Rights Organizations)

Foundations and principles

In England, 1948, a Student International Clinical Conference (SICC) was held at the initiative of the International Union of Students (IUS), which itself had been created directly after World War II. At this meeting, Dutch medical students agreed to host the next

• • • • •

TUFH (The Network Towards Unity for Health) EMSA (European Medical Student Association) AMSA (Asian Medical Students Association) IPSF (International Pharmacy Student Federation EPSA (European Pharmacy Students Association)

• • • •

Student British Medical Journal IAVI (International AIDS Vaccine Initiative) MTV Staying Alive Academic Medical Center (AMC)

SICC, but a conflict saw western student organisations leave IUS. Nonetheless, the hope for a totally non-political international medical student federation was born.

though made no promises at that time. The students were encouraged to work out a plan of organization with clear goals, aims and administrative proposals.

Paris, December 1950:

Copenhagen, 26-28 May 1951:

An international congress on the establishment of such a federation was held, with Denmark assigned to investigate the possibilities of receiving financial support from the World Health Organization (WHO). WHO was positive towards the idea of a federation,

The rough outline of a constitution was drawn up. The representatives of eight countries (Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Federal Republic of Germany, The Netherlands, Switzerland, United Kingdom and Austria)

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nnnnnnnn nnnnnnnn nnnnnnnn nnnnnnnn nnnnnnnn nnnnnnnn gathered in Copenhagen to start a non-political student organization with the objectives of “studying and promoting the interests of medical student co-operation on a purely professional basis, and promoting the activities in the field of student health and student relief.

The name of the organisation was to be the International Federation of Medical Student’s Associations (IFMSA).

A provisional body under British chairmanship was created to investigate establishing a stable federation, and three committees were formed: a Standing Committee on Medical Exchange (SCOME, under the responsibility of The Netherlands), a Standing Committee on Professional Exchange (SCOPE, under that of Denmark) and a Standing Committee on Students’ Health (SCOSH, under Finland). The highest decisionmaking body, the General Assembly (GA) would meet yearly. Each member organisation would be represented by a certain number of delegates, with each country having two votes plus one vote for every 5000 medical students in the country, up to a maximum of five votes. Every year the GA would choose an Executive Board (EB) to meet twice a year, consisting of the heads of the three standing committees. Exchange Officers’ Meetings (EOM) would be held.

A bureau of information was set up in Geneva, supported by WHO and run by a general secretary

16

(Left) 1954: At the General Assembly in Rome, the Secretary General-Elect, Jorgen Falck Larsen, listens to the President Elect, Erwin Odenbach, give a speech. Photo courtesy of Jorgen Falck Larsen

and the mission d an assistant i t t with ith th i i to establish contact between all the members of the organisation, WHO and other international organisations.

The Netherlands, 10-28 July 1951:

and dh how much h ti time th the diff differentt specialties receive in the curriculum of the different countries.

SCOSH put together a comprehensive questionnaire and went on to complete this investigation with SCOME, perhaps with the assistance of the World University Service (WUS).

London, 1-4 July 1952:

Student exchange and summer courses had already been arranged in Denmark and England.

The management of SICC had been passed to IFMSA, though that year the conference was cancelled due to a lack of applicants. Denmark became the new chairman of IFMSA.

Despite the break with IUS, the Dutch kept their promise to organise a SICC, during which many discussions were devoted to the question of international co-operation, and the name of IFMSA was heard frequently.

The first General Assembly took place, and 30 participants attended, representing 10 countries.

SCOME had already printed a publication outlining medical education, which subjects are studied

Other international student organizations based on professional interests were founded in the immediate post-war period, such as International Pharmaceutical Stu-

nnnnnnnn nnnnnnnn nnnnnnnn nnnnnnnn nnnnnnnn nnnnnnnn dents’ Federation (IPSF) (1949), International Association of Dental Students (1951), International Association of Agricultural Students (1957), l’Association Internationale des Etudiants en Sciences Economiques et Commerciales (1949) and International Association for the Exchange of Students for Technical Experience (1948).

All these were founded in Europe, where the general student movement was collecting souls for its political struggle at that time. One reason for the formation of these professional organizations was as a reaction against the political student movements, in an attempt to create a non-political, professional and career-orientated alternative.

International relations were felt to be not only desirable but essential for the stable development of science and technology, economy and general welfare.

(Right) 1962: The IFMSA General Assembly delegates at the Oslo City Hall.

Photo courtesy of HelMSIC

•

Evolution of e IFMSA ru ure

During the past 50 years, the structure and functions of IFMSA have been changed several times. From the original European group, the Federation has grown to include members from all over the world, while its principles have been further defined in the current IFMSA Constitution (adopted March 2000), which states that: • The Federation pursues its aims without political, religious, social, racial, national, sexual or any other discrimi-

•

nation The Federation promotes humanitarian ideals among medical students and so seeks to contribute to the creation of responsible future physicians The Federation respects the autonomy of its members

The current Constitution and Bylaws, adopted at the extraordinary GA held in Kuopio, Finland in March 2000, were the fruit of two years of hard work. IFMSA acquired new regulations, more suitable for its current structure and way of working.

In 1978, a new category of membership was introduced, called Corresponding Member, later termed Associate Member, for countries that already have another NMO. Candidate Membership was also introduced, and it is part of a preparatory phase before Full Membership is achieved.

The General Secretariat

The General Secretariat was originally located in Copenhagen (Denmark) from 1951. It was temporarily transferred to Canada in 1962, before returning to Copenhagen in 1963. It was moved to London (England) in 1970, Helsin-

17

nnnnnnnn nnnnnnnn nnnnnnnn nnnnnnnn nnnnnnnn nnnnnnnn ki (Finland) in 1971 and then Vienna (Austria) in 1978. Financial and organizational constraints saw it moved to L’Aquila (Italy) in 1987 before eventually settling in for a decade at the Academisch Medisch Centrum in Amsterdam (The Netherlands) in 1989. In 1999, an agreement was reached with the World Medical Association (WMA) and the General Secretariat moved to its present home near Geneva, in Ferney-Voltaire (France).

The Standing Commi ees SCOME

The Standing Committee on Medical Education (SCOME) was created in order to compare the various medical education systems of the world. It participated in the first World Conference on Medical Education in 1952, and as early as 1954, WMA published a report on Medical Education by IFMSA. In 1982, the first SCOME work-

(Left) 1968: SCOME sessions at the Exchange Officers' Meeting in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Photo courtesy of FiMSIC

18

shop was organized by IFMSA, with the assistance of WHO and entitled “Fitting medical education to the needs of whom?” This was followed the next year by “Evaluation in medical assessment: Roulette or valid assessment?” In 1984 the topics were “PHC in undergraduate medical education”, “Is European medical education in crisis?” and by 1985 “Programme evaluation: working towards an efficient medical education system relevant to community health needs”.

The policy on medical education was drafted in Medithalia (Denmark), and a close relationship between IFMSA and the Network of Community-Oriented Health Institutions started in 1984. SCOME was invited to a planning session in October 1984 for a future Network meeting in Milan (Italy) concerning strategies for change in medical schools, in order to bring them in line with current educational theory.

In the 1990s two valuable SCOME projects were in the pipeline. First, MESTBHIRD (“Medical Students Teaching Basic Health in Rural Districts”), a pilot project to promote health education to children at primary and secondary schools in the third world, by teaching basic hygiene and health care with special emphasis on AIDS prevention. Students were encouraged to volunteer and take an active part in projects helping the local community. The project was developed in collaboration with WHO, UNICEF, the Thai Medical

nnnnnnnn nnnnnnnn nnnnnnnn nnnnnnnn nnnnnnnn nnnnnnnn Students’ Organization and the Asian Medical Students’ Association (AMSA).

The second new SCOME Project is a questionnaire about medical curricula. Through it IFMSA intends to compare the different courses in the world in order to facilitate the mobility of students between different countries. In 1971 SCOME organized such a comparison for the first time and the information collected was recorded in a booklet. At the EOM in Sarajevo in 1991 the Working Committee on Medical Education decided to start a new comparison. A new questionnaire for the survey was drawn up and sent to all NMOs and distributed to all faculties in IFMSA member countries and a new booklet was published.

At the beginning of the new century SCOME started to pay closer attention to fostering the relation with WFME (World Federation for Medical Education). In the past, this was part of the job of the President of IFMSA, which did not necessarily involve SCOME. Through this collaboration, IFMSA played an important role in the development of the WFME guides for basic standards in Medical Education.

The position of Liaison Officer to World Federation for Medical Education appeared and later, in 2004, became the Liaison Officer for Medical Education Issues, also adding a fruitful collaboration with the Association for Medical Education in Europe (AMEE).

(Right) 1959: Exchange officers of the newly established GreMSIC are helping incoming students to claim their luggage after arrival in Athens.

Among them is Ms. Eleni Valassi, a founding member of GreMSIC in 1958, and today an Hon. Ass. Prof. of Paediatrics at the University of Athens. Photo courtesy of HelMSIC.

Since 2003, SCOME has organized the Bologna Process Follow-up Workshop, together with EMSA. The Bologna Process Follow-up Workshop is an annual workshop where medical students from all over Europe discuss the implementation of the Bologna Process in medical education.

Around the middle of the 2000s, the SCOME Wikipedia page appeared, together with the SCOME manual, both aiming for increased communication and dissemination of information throughout SCOME. SCOME has presented and published various Policy Statements and contributions in international conferences and peer reviewed publications.

SCOPE

A student exchange scheme was set up in 1951 by the Standing Committee on Professional Exchange (SCOPE), although the Common Application Form was not introduced until 1968. In 1956, 11 countries and 906 students participated in the SCOPE exchanges while in 1957, 18 countries participated.

In 1958, the Committee on Transatlantic Exchange (COTE) was established to arrange exchange between European and American students, and in 1959, detailed regulations of these exchanges were set up. Later on, this committee was incorporated into SCOPE.

19

nnnnnnnn nnnnnnnn nnnnnnnn nnnnnnnn nnnnnnnn nnnnnnnn so in 1957 the Standing Committee on Population (SCOP) was created. This later merged with SCOH, before becoming the Standing Committee on Public Health (SCOPH), one of our current Standing Committees.

(Left) 1995: IFMSA SCOPE and SCORE promotional poster.

Photo courtesy of HelMSIC

In 1966, 35 countries participated in SCOPE exchanges, and by 1980, more than 3000 students went on SCOPE exchanges. In 1990 the numbers were up to over 4000 students and 39 different countries.

Nowadays, in 2011, more than 8,500 medical students take part in the SCOPE exchange. In all IFMSA history to date, more than 260,000 students have taken part in an exchange organized by IFMSA.

SCOPH

In the post-war atmosphere, health conditions were a matter of concern for everybody and

20

student health was a special concern for medical students. The Standing Committee on Students’ Health (SCOSH) was born and in 1954, in co-operation with the WUS, it carried out a survey on the state of students’ health. During the 1960s, SCOSH organized annual drug appeals for developing countries and planned medical students’ emergency crisis groups.

In 1965 the acronym SCOSH was changed to SCOH (Standing Committee on Health), with a wider orientation towards the promotion of effective health policies in general.

The interest in health and social conditions of different populations in the world was also increasing,

Following the recommendations of the meeting in Lagos, the Standing Committee on Population Activities (SCOPA) was established in 1976. During the 1980s the demand for redefinition of its aims became pressing, not because population issues were no more of concern, but because the state of affairs in health matters called for a broader perspective when tackling problems, as described in the frequently-cited declaration of Alma Ata. Eventually, SCOPA was incorporated into SCOPH.

SCORA

Driven by a strong will to take an active part in the prevention of HIV and sexually-transmitted infections, medical students in 1992 formed the newest working group in IFMSA, the Standing Committee on AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Diseases (SCOAS).

The activities in SCOAS later developed from HIV/STD advocacy and awareness campaigns to encompass a wider range of reproductive health and related issues.

This change of focus resulted in the name being changed in 1998 to the Standing Committee on Reproductive Health including AIDS

nnnnnnnn nnnnnnnn nnnnnnnn nnnnnnnn nnnnnnnn nnnnnnnn (SCORA).

In subsequent years, more emphasis was placed on women’s health and rights and the importance of gender equality policies in IFMSA. International workshops organised by SCORA mirror this development; HIV and Cultural Issues (1997), Refugees and Reproductive Health (1998) and Maternal and Child Health (1999).

Since 2006, SCORA has run a biannual peer education workshop, called IPET (International Peer Education Training) in the three days preceding each IFMSA General Assembly.

SCORE

In 1986, the Standing Committee on Electives Exchange (SCOEE) was founded. The European Community Student Mobility Project was approached, and the collaboration was productive. This was later promoted by AIEME (the present IFMSA-Spain) and NeMSIC (the present IFMSA-The Netherlands) within the European Union’s ERASMUS/INSERT-MED programme.

The problem of the health and social conditions of refugees led to the creation of a Standing Committee on Refugees (SCOR), which marked Refugees’ Week in March 1984. The Kuwaiti Medical Students’ Association subsequently undertook refugee aid projects in Sudan. SCOR was later named the Standing Committee on Refugees and Peace (SCORP), after including issues such as war prevention and anti-personnel mines in its work.

In 2005, SCORP changed its name to the Standing Committee for Human Rights and Peace, to reflect better the scope of its work.

Others

In 1957 the Standing Committee on Medical Films (SCOMF) was

established to promote the educational importance of medical films in normal medical training.

But this committee did not exist long, and the end came for it in 1961.

IFMSA a ivities

In the 1950s, Student International Clinical Conferences (SICC) were organised by IFMSA in different countries, while in 1963, the first IFMSA summer schools got underway in Scandinavia, United Kingdom (on tropical medicine) and Denmark (for preclinical students). In the same year, IFMSA promoted a Blood Donation Week

During the meeting in Hurghada, Egypt in August 1988, SCOEE changed its name to the Standing Committee on Research Exchange (SCORE), to describe better the nature of these exchanges.

SCORP

(Above) 2009: Participants of Afri-PET, the African Peer Education Training workshop

21

nnnnnnnn nnnnnnnn nnnnnnnn nnnnnnnn nnnnnnnn nnnnnnnn and a Book Appeal for students of developing countries (organized by the Federal Republic of Germany). Such summer activities initiated a long series of international summer schools which continue, through to current summer schools on various topics organized by a range of NMOs.

The 1970s saw worldwide expansion of IFMSA and the organization of many conferences on regional and international issues.

This raised a number of organizational problems like communication, financial constraint and politicization of IFMSA policies.

Conferences on selection methods for admission to medical schools, practical clinical training in medical education and the problem of drugs (experimentation, production and use) took place. The Drug Appeal became an official IFMSA project running alongside the Equipment Appeal that started 1967 to send surplus products from the developed countries to developing countries needing them. Similarly, in 1972 the Medical Students’ Exchange in Developing Countries (MESTUDEC) became a primary health project recognised in Ghanzi, Botswana, while health education was promoted in Nabobi, Ghana.

In 1973, the GA in Singapore began the upsurge of interest by IFMSA in the problems of developing countries and in the Primary Health Care (PHC) orientation of medical studies. By 1975, the GA in Philadelphia (USA) took

22

another important step with the impressive International Educational Symposium on Physician Migration, and in the 1976 GA in Hong Kong, a satellite seminar on Environment and Population took place.

From 1979 to 1985, IFMSA gave special emphasis to Declarations and Resolutions that could apply to medical students internationally. Thus declarations were adopted in Kiljava (Finland) and Cairo (Egypt) on PHC and Medical Education, in Wartensee (Switzerland) and L’Aquila (Italy) on Prevention of Nuclear War, and in L’Aquila (Italy) and Solbacka (Sweden) on Medical Education.

In 1986, an international seminar on “Health Needs and Students’ Action in Developing Countries” was held in Austria and the “Vil-

lage Concept” was designed. A new system of primary health care projects was set up – Village Concept Projects, the first of which was set up in Ghana in 1988.

In the same year, the first joint theme meeting of international student organisations (IMISO) was organised by IFMSA in Geneva, April 1986. This was the result of the first Training Programme “Leadership Training for Health for All”, that was organized jointly by IFMSA and WHO, also in the same year.

Foundation of regions

(Left) 2006: The African contingency at the August Meeting in Zlatibor, Serbia.

Photo courtesy of Ahmed Ali, IFMSA President 20062007.

nnnnnnnn nnnnnnnn nnnnnnnn nnnnnnnn nnnnnnnn nnnnnnnn (Left) 1984: The 5th Asia-Pacific Meeting, held in Singapore. Photo courtesy of Dr Maxine Whittaker, Regional Vice President Asia-Pacific 1980-84.

By the early 1970s the need was felt for decentralization, in order to show more involvement in world affairs and reflect the thoughts and inspirations not just of medical students in one part of the world but of students from all parts of the world. In 1968 IFMSA greatly contributed to the foundation of FAMSA, the Federation of African Medical Students’ Associations. In 1966 ARMSA (the Asian Regional Medical Student Association), had been established.

Although ARMSA existed only for some seven years this regional body promoted activities in medical student affairs with some outstanding results.

Following this trend, IFMSA was reorganized into four, and subse-

quently five, regions. Each region was co-ordinated by a Regional Vice-President.

The Regional Vice-Presidents position were discontinued, and later replaced by “Regional Coordinators”. Due to the enormous growth of IFMSA in the last years and the diversity of its members, regionalization has been crucial to remaining close to our members. Regional Coordinators work with the VPI to recruit new organizations, and to support the members in their Region.

In addition, Regional Meetings are held every year in all the Regions, giving the chance to more members to experience an IFMSA meeting, and allowing Regions to discuss topics and problems that are more specific to them.

A er 60 years

IFMSA is now a well-established international federation with broad representation and close relations with medical students’ associations all over the world. It is recognised as an important nongovernmental organisation and collaborative partner by WHO, UNESCO, other UN agencies and other international NGOs. We sincerely hope that in 10 more years from now, somebody will add more lines to this small but intense history that all of us, though small our contribution might seem to be, have helped to build.

23

cccccccccc IFMSA Chronology cccccccccc cccccccccc cccccccccc cccccccccc cccccccccc cccccccccc Each term mentioned in this document denotes a calendar year from October 1st to September 30th.

Augu 1951

Foundation of IFMSA: Copenhagen (Denmark)

1951/1952

1st EOM and EBM: London (UK) – December 1951 1st General Assembly, 2nd EOM: London (United Kingdom) – August 1952

Per Bergsjo (Norway)

President: Erik Holst (Denmark) SCOPE: Sven Oseid (Norway) SCOSH: (Finland) SCOME: Kees van der Kamp (The Netherlands)

Other events: • Honorary Life Members: Henrik Wulff, Eric Holst, Erwin Odenbach • Students' International Clinical Conference in Britain – July

Other events • SCOME participates in the 1st World Conference on Medical Education Survey on Health Conditions in Universities (in cooperation with the World University Service)

Provisional Directing Body: President: Rex Crossley (UK) SCOPE: Henrik Wulff (Denmark)

1953/1954

Other events • General Secretariat set up in Copenhagen

President: Erwin Odenbach (FRG) Vice President: Erik Holst (Denmark) Secretary General: Jorgen Falck-Larsen (Denmark) Treasurer: John Dich (Denmark) SCOPE:

1952/1953

2nd General Assembly, 4th EOM: Zurich (Switzerland) – August

24

1953

3rd General Assembly, 6th EOM: Rome (Italy) – August 1954

1954/1955

7th EOM: Cologne (Federal Republic of Germany) – December 1954 4th General Assembly, 8th EOM: Amsterdam (The Netherlands) – August 1955 President: Alan Gilmour (UK) Vice President: Erwin Odenbach (FRG) Secretary General: Ernst Goldschmidt (Denmark) SCOPE: Wolf Meinhof (FRG)

Other events: • Honorary Life Member: Alan Gilmour • Report on Status Praesens in Medical Education (published by the World Medical Association)

cccccccccc cccccccccc cccccccccc cccccccccc cccccccccc cccc cccccccccc cccc cccccccccc cccc 1955/1956

9th EOM: Vienna (Austria) – December 1955 (in parallel with the Assembly of the WMA) 5th General Assembly, 10th EOM: Belgrade (Yugoslavia) – August 1956 President: Anders Moberg (Sweden) Vice President: Alan Gilmour (UK) Secretary General: Ernst Goldschmidt (Denmark) SCOPE: Boris Lunacek (Yugoslavia) SCOSH (France)

Other events: • Students' International Clinical Conference in Sweden

1956/1957

11th EOM and 1st International Congress on Student Health: Paris (France) – March 1957

6th General Assembly, 12th EOM: Copenhagen (Denmark) – August 1957 SCOPE: Vincent Mansueto (Malta)

1957/1958

13th EOM and Students' International Clinical Conference: Belgrade (Yugoslavia) – December 1957 7th General Assembly, 14th EOM: Berlin (Federal Republic of Germany) – August 1958 SCOPE: Bodo Harper (FRG) SCOP: Bernard Hill (UK) SCOME: (The Netherlands) SCOSH: (Finland)

Other events: • SCOMF was established

1958/1959

(Lef t) 1954: The 3rd IFMSA General Assembly in Rome, Italy. Photo courtesy of FiMSIC.

15th EOM: Helsinki (Finland) – January 1959 8th General Assembly, 16th EOM: Istanbul (Turkey) – August 1959 President: Graham Lister (UK) Vice-President: Thainy B. Intveld (The Netherlands) Secretary General: Hans Langgard (Denmark) Treasurer: William G S Russell (UK) SCOPE: Joachim Knackstedt (FRG) SCOME: Per Hanson (Sweden) SCOMF: Brian Lentle (UK) SCOPH: Michael Hall (GB) SCOSH: Giuseppe Balbo (Italy) COTE: Marianne Bjerregard (Denmark) WMA-IFMSA Liaison Officer: V.A. Fenger

Other events: • 1st International Film Course (SCOMF): Amsterdam (the Netherlands) – April 1959 • Detailed regulation of the exchange in the Grey Manual

1959/1960

17th EOM: Edinburgh (UK) – December 1959 9th General Assembly, 18th EOM: Milan (Italy) – August 1960 President: Per Harmsen (Denmark) Vice President: Graham Lister (UK) Secretary General: Ib Hornum (Denmark) Treasurer:

25

cccccccccc cccccccccc cccccccccc cccccccccc cccccccccc cccccccccc cccccccccc John S. Cunningham (UK) SCOPE: Moshe Azmanoff Hashmonai (Israel) SCOME: Per Hansson (Sweden) SCOMF: Norberto Montalbetti (Italy) SCOP: John A.H. Bootes (UK) SCOSH: Kai Krohn (Finland) COTE: Jorgen Bent Andersen and Jorgen Falbe-Hansen (Denmark)

Other events: • Honorary Life Member: Graham Lister • Drug appeal for Pakistan, Burma and India (SCOSH)

1960/1961

19th EOM: Vienna (Austria) – December 1960 10th General Assembly, 20th EOM: Jerusalem (Israel) – August 1961 President: Jarl Frithiof (Sweden) Vice President: Per Harmsen (Denmark) Treasurer: George Klauber (UK) SCOPE: Moshe Azmanoff Hashmonai (Israel) SCOME: Werner Flohr (FRG) SCOSH: Kai Krohn (Finland) SCOP: John A.H. Bootes (UK)

Other events: • IFMSA Student Conference on Medical Education: Gladbach (Federal Republic of Germany) – October 1960 • Drug Appeal (SCOSH)

26

1961/1962

21st EOM: Athens (Greece) – December 1961 11th General Assembly, 22nd EOM: Madrid (Spain) – August 1962 President: John A.H.Bootes (UK) Vice President: Moshe Azmanoff Hashmonai (Israel) SCOPE: Vassilis Tsemanis (Greece) SCOME: Friedhelm Katzenmeier (FRG) SCOMF: Ove Lundgren (Sweden) SCOP: Mark Casewell (UK) SCOSH: Felipe Chua (Philippines)

Other events: • Asia-Pacific Region created, with Australia as member • Africa Region created, with Madagascar as member • General Secretariat temporarily transferred to Canada.

• Drug Appeal and plans for the medical student emergency group.

• Austria put in charge of establishing contacts with other countries

1962/1963

23rd EOM: Leysin (Switzerland) – December 1962 12th General Assembly, 24th EOM: Oslo (Norway) – August 1963 President: Vassilis Tsemanis (Greece) Vice President: Raphi Walden (Israel) Secretary General:

Pierre de Montigny (Canada) Treasurer: Jeremy Cobb (UK) SCOPE: Niels Ebbe Hansen (Denmark) SCOME: Peter Kussmauer (FRG), Karl W. Ostarhild (FRG) SCOE: Gunter Steizl (Austria) SCOP: Mark Casewell (UK) SCOSH: San de Kort (The Netherlands)

Other events: • Drug appeal and survey on drugabuse among students.

• General Secretariat transferred to Copenhagen (Denmark) • 3rd International Clinical Film Course: Goteborg (Sweden) – July 1963 • Book Appeal by FRG • Blood Donation Week • Student International Summer Course in London (Tropical Medicine) • Medical Summer School in Denmark for preclinical students

1963/1964

25th EOM: Valletta (Malta) – December 1963 13th General Assembly, 26th EOM: Gdansk (Poland) – August 1964 President: Raphi Walden (Israel) Vice President: Jaakko Leisti (Finland) Treasurer: Gert Almind (FRG) Secretary General: Mogens Djernes (Denmark) SCOPE: Ian McKee (UK) SCOME:

cccccccccc ccccccc cccccccccc ccccccc cccccccccc ccccccc cccccccccc cccccccccc cccccccccc cccccccccc Ezard Bertram (Ghana) SCOE: Albert Franceschetti (Switzerland) SCOSH: Keet Avezaat (The Netherlands)

•

Other activities: • Book Appeal • Blood Donation Campaign • Prevention of Blindness Campaign

1965/1966

1964/1965

27th EOM: Stockholm (Sweden) – December 1964 14th General Assembly, 28th EOM: Edinburgh (UK) – August 1965 President: Raphi Walden (Israel) Vice President: Anders Englund (Sweden) Secretary General: Ernst Goldschmidt (Denmark) Treasurer: Finn Christensen (Denmark) SCOPE: Per Vestergaard (Denmark) SCOME: Hannu Vuori (Finland) SCOL: Arthur Mercieca (Malta) SCOPH: Stephen Robins (GB) SCOSH: Kees Avezaat (The Netherlands)

Other activities: • The name SCOSH is changed to SCOH • Drug Appeal, Blood Donation Prevention of Blindness • Student International Clinical Conference (Research X-Ray Diagnosis and Radiotherapy of Cancer): Copenhagen (Denmark) – July 1965 • Student International Conference

on Tropical Medicine: London (UK) – July 1965 Medical Summer School in Scandinavia and Denmark for preclinical and clinical students – August 1965

29th EOM: Copenhagen (Denmark) – December 1965 15th General Assembly, 30th EOM: Athens (Greece) – August 1966 President: Anders Englund (Sweden) Vice President: Steve Bates (UK) Secretary General: Stig Jacobsen (Denmark) Treasurer: Jens Veje (Denmark) SCOPE: Robert Steffen (Switzerland) SCOME: Harry Frey (Finland) SCOH: Peter Kitzlaar (The Netherlands) SCOP: Colin P. Brown (UK) SCOL: John Lynch (Australia)

Other activities: • SCOL was suspended • Congress on Medical Education: Giessen (FRG) • Drug Appeal for Tanzania, Peru and Thailand • Equipment Appeal for medical students in developing countries • Blood Donation Campaign among students • Prevention of Blindness Campaign • Summer schools in 5 member countries

1966/1967

(Above) 1966: The15th Gener . ece Gre , al Assembly in Athens Photo courtesy of FiMSIC.

31st EOM: Prague (Czechoslovakia) – December 1966 16th General Assembly, 32nd EOM: Vienna (Austria) – August 1967

President: Ian Fraser (UK) Vice President: Arpo Aromaa (Finland) Secretary General: Morten Vinter (Denmark) Treasurer: Jens Laerkesen Holm, and later Lone Carlson (Denmark) SCOPE: Otto Schildknecht (Switzerland) SCOME: Wojcech Leszczynski (Poland) SCOH: Rob Beerthuizen (The Netherlands) SCOP: Colin B. Brown (UK)

27

cccccccccc cccccccccc cccccccccc cccccccccc cccccccccc cccc cccccccccc cccc cccccccccc cccc Other events: • Congress on Medical Education: Lausanne (Switzerland) • Book Appeal for medical students in developing countries.

• Creation of the IFMSA Song Book • Symposium: “Teaching of social medicine”

1967/1968

33rd EOM: Paris (France) – December 1967 17th General Assembly, 34th EOM: Helsinki (Finland) – August 1968 President: Robert Steffen (Switzerland) Vice President: Bernard Bros (France) Secretary General: Bo Walter (Denmark) Treasurer: Lone de Neergaard (Denmark) SCOPE: Marilise Pascaud (France) SCOME: Hans Heinz Lobner (Austria) SCOP: Michael Simpson (UK) SCOH:

Rob Beerfhuizen (The Netherlands)

Louise Widemar (Sweden)

Other events: • Symposium on Integrated Teaching Medicine • Common Application Form • Drug Appeal (SCOH) • Foundation of FAMSA: Accra (Ghana) – September 1968

Other events: • Honorary Life Member: Robert Steffen (Switzerland) • IFMSA is admitted into official relationship with World Health Organization • Project of rural health service in developing countries (Botswana) • Foundation of ARMSA

1968/1969

35th EOM: Amsterdam (The Netherlands) – December 1968 18th General Assembly, 36th EOM: Jerusalem (Israel) – August 1969 President: Richard Hamilton (Australia) Vice President: Robert Schafer (FRG) Secretary General: Bo Walter (Denmark) Treasurer: Mogens Dahl (Denmark) SCOPE: Jacob Golan (Israel) SCOME: Hans Heinz Lobner (Austria) SCOP: Geoffrey Lloyd (UK) SCOH:

(Left) 1967: Vienna General Assembly - Dr Haroutune Armenian, Dr Atef Salloum, Dr Farid Kuteyli and Dr Naji Abu Mrad with Dr Nabil Kronfol President of the Medical Student Society (LeMSIC) Photo courtesy of Dr Nabil Kronfol, founder of LeMSIC

28

1969/1970

Extraordinary GA and 37th EOM: Chur (Switzerland) – December 1969 19th General Assembly, 38th EOM: Berlin (Federal Republic of Germany) – August 1970

President: Geoffrey Lloyd (UK) Before December President: Daniel Zindel (Switzerland) After December Vice President: Bob Graham (UK) Secretary General: Henning Sloff Jensen (Denmark) Treasurer: Mogens Dahl (Denmark) SCOME: SOMA (Student Osteopathic Medical Association, USA) SCOH: Per Soelberg (Denmark) SCOPE: Azriel Perel (Israel) RVP Asia: Lee Wah Hin (Singapore) RVP South America: Jaime Gofin (Uruguay)

Other events: • General Secretariat set in London (UK) • IMSOP Conference – March 1970 • Symposium on pollution and population: Edinburgh (UK) –

cccccccccc cccccccccc cccccccccc cccccccccc cccccccccc cccccccccc cccccccccc •

•

April 1970 Medical Summer School in Edinburgh (UK), Jerusalem (Israel), Aarhus (Denmark), Beirut (Lebanon), Gent (Belgium) INTERMEDICA was published (sponsored by Roche)

1970/1971

• • • • •

39th EOM: Reykjavik (Iceland) – December 1970 20th General Assembly, 40th EOM: Paris (France) – August 1971

•

President: James Dunbar (UK) Vice President: Bernhard Sewing (FRG) Resigned at EOM Secretary General: Tim Taylor Roberts (UK) Resigned in spring 1971; following this, the position was held by Peter Cox and Clive Blake (UK) Treasurer: Peter Cox (UK) SCOH: Benedikte Pedersen (FRG) Resigned in spring 1971 SCOME: Pedrag Banic (Yugoslavia) SCOP: Azriel Perel (Israel) SCOPE: Lubomir Kocis (CSSR) RVP Africa: Kwasi Poku (Ghana) RVP America: Sam Caughron (USA) RVP Asia: Lee Wah Hin (ARMSA Singapore) RVP Europe: Andrzej Prokopozuk (Poland)

•

Other events: • International Resource Conference of Medical Dentist and Pharmaceutical Students: Warsaw

•

•

(Poland) – December 1970 MESTUDEC was established Workshop on student participation in University administration ARMSA Summer Camp on Tropical Medicine: Singapore – June Conference on the place of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation in Medical Education Primary Health Care Project in Botswana (by IMCC) Symposium on Pollution and and Overpopulation in Edinburgh (in collaboration with WHO, UNESCO and the Royal Medical Society) Undergraduate Research Conference: Poland Tropical Medicine Conference: Lebanon Permanent Office on Health: Italy

1971/1972

41st EOM Winter Meeting: Valletta (Malta) – December 1971 21st General Assembly, 42nd EOM: Bologna (Italy) – August 1972 President: Peter Alex Frandsen (Denmark) Secretary General: Leena Rahola (Finland) Treasurer: Timo Nors (Finland) SCOME: Pedrag Banic (Yugoslavia) SCOP: Azriel Perel (Israel) SCOPE: Robert Pambakian (Lebanon) RVP Africa: Kwasi Poku (Ghana) RVP Asia: Tsang Chiu Wah (Hong Kong) RVP Europe: Andrzej Prokopozuk (Poland) RVP North America: James E. Sarn (USA), Robert Blum (USA)

Other events: • General Secretariat set up in Helsinki (Finland) • Symposium on programmed learning in Medical Education • Immunology Program with WHO • Tropical Medicine Program with WHO • Conference on selection methods for admission to medical schools • Seminar: “Place of practical clinical training in medical education” • Seminar: “The problem of drugs experimentation, production and use” • Primary Health Project in the Ghanzi District in Botswana • Health Education Project at Namobi (Ghana)

1972/1973

43rd EOM Winter Meeting: Athens (Greece) – December 1972 22nd General Assembly, 44th EOM: Singapore (Singapore) – August 1973 President: Mogens Huffel (Denmark) Secretary General: Leena Rahola (Finland) Treasurer: Timo Rapeli (Finland) SCOPE: Felix Gutzwiller (Switzerland) SCOME: Avner Hershlag (Israel) RVP Africa: Ismael Salah El-Dine (Egypt) RVP Asia: Cheong Pak Yean (Singapore) RVP Europe: Ivanka Siriski (Yugoslavia) RVP North America: Robert Blum (USA) Other events:

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Workshop: “Towards greater involvement in the community” Beginning of Community Oriented Activities Asian Regional Seminar on Population Overgrowth (ARSPO) Commission on Drug Abuse

1973/1974

45th EOM: Madrid (Spain) – January 1974 23rd General Assembly, 46th EOM: Haifa (Israel) – August 1974 President: Alex Ooi (Singapore) Secretary General: Bengt Lindstrom (Finland) Treasurer: Karl-August Lindgren (Finland) SCOPE: Peter Schatzer (Austria) SCOME: Dare Demuren (Nigeria) RVP Africa: Oladapo A. Ashiru (Nigeria) RVP Asia-Pacific:

Richard Rawson (Australia) RVP Europe: Mark de Baets (Belgium) RVP North America: Richard Lester (USA)

47th EOM: Zagreb (Yugoslavia) – March 1975 24th General Assembly, 48th EOM: Philadelphia (USA) – August 1975

Other events: • Honorary Life Members: Leena Rahola and Felix Gutzwiller • IFMSA Year on Population Activities • SCOPA was established • INTERMEDICA was published • International Interdisciplinary Student Seminary on Population Dynamics and Family Planning and Seminar: "Year on Population Activities": Lagos (Nigeria) – July • Conference: “Science and Technology in Medicine” • Medical Summer School in Beirut (Lebanon), Perugia (Italy), Aarhus (Denmark), Thessaloniki (Greece) • African Regional Seminar on Population Education: Nairobi (Kenya) – September

President: Alex Ooi (Singapore) Secretary General: Bengt Lindstrom (Finland) Treasurer.

Karl August Lindgren (Finland) SCOPE: Peter Schatzer (Austria) SCOME: Fritz Conrad (Austria) RVP Africa: Orinda Vincent (Kenya) RVP America: Larry Gaus (USA) RVP Asia/Pacific: Yigal Gat (Israel) RVP Europe: Eskild Pedersen (Denmark)

1974/1975

(Below) 1973: Delegates at the General Assembly in Singapore Oladapo Ashiru (Nigeria), Douglas McEvoy (Australia), Stephen Boateng (Ghana), Fritz Conrad (Austria) and other delegates.

Photo courtesy of Leena Isotalo (nee Rahola), Secretary General 1971-73.

30

Other activities: • Second IFMSA Year on Population Activities, with special emphasis on women participation • International Educational Symposium on Physician Migration • Voluntary work camp in Thailand • International Drug Appeal

1975/1976

49th EOM: Dubrovnik (Yugoslavia) – March 25th General Assembly, 50th EOM: Hong Kong – August

President: Samuel Fifi Ellis (Ghana) Secretary General: Bengt Lindstrom (Finland) Treasurer: Kari Alitalo (Finland) SCOPA: Orinda Vincent (Kenya) SCOPE:

cccccccccc cccc cccccccccc cccc cccccccccc cccc cccccccccc ccc cccccccccc cccccccccc cccccccccc Peter Schatzer (Austria)

Other events: • SCOE was established • Seminar on environment and population (Japan)

(Left) 1980: Participants of the 29th General Assembly in Cairo, Egypt. (Photo courtesy of Hatem Alaa, IFMSA-Egypt

1976/1977

51st EOM: Gent (Belgium) – March 1977 26th General Assembly, 52nd EOM: Sonderborg (Denmark) – August 1977

President: Samuel Fifi Ellis (Ghana) Secretary General: Rita Alitalo (Finland) Treasurer: Karl August Lindgren (Finland) SCOPA: Mohamed Kamel Mohamed (Egypt) SCOE: Jacob Roffler (Switzerland) SCOPE: Peter Schatzer (Austria) RVP Asia: Lilian Pusavat (Thailand)

1977/1978

53rd EOM: Naples (Italy) – March 1978 27th General Assembly, 54th EOM: Matrei-Brenner (Austria) – August 1978 President: Eli Douer (Israel) Secretary General: Hannu Soini (Finland) Treasurer: Rita Hilska (Finland) SCOPA: Marco Filicori (Italy) SCOE: Jacob Roffler (Switzerland) SCOPE:

Peter Schatzer (Austria) RVP Africa: Mohamed Abdul Mawhoud (Egypt) RVP Europe: Chariclea Yiannopoulou (Greece) RVP North America: David Reed (USA)

Other events: • Honorary Life Member: Peter Schatzer • General Secretariat moved to Vienna (Austria) • Seminar: The Position of the Child in Health Care System

1978/1979

55th EOM: Jerusalem (Israel) – March 1979 28th General Assembly, 56th EOM: Kiljava (Finland) – August 1979 President: Rita Hilska (Finland) Secretary General: Gunther Schultes (Austria) Treasurer:

Rupert Lenhart (Austria) SCOPA: Marco Filicori (Italy) SCOE: Scif Mokhtar (Egypt) SCOPE: Elisabeth Gisinger (Austria) RVP Africa: Peter Emodek (Uganda) RVP America: Rick Roberts (USA) RVP Asia-Pacific: Patrick Dwyer (Australia)

Other events: • The Kiljava declaration on Primary Health Care and Medical Education • Seminar: “The position of Child in the Health Care System”

1979/1980

57th EOM: Ankara (Turkey) – March 1980 29th General Assembly, 58th EOM: Cairo (Egypt) – August

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President: Torben Dalager (Denmark) Secretary General: Gunther Schultes (Austria) Treasurer: Rupert Lenhart (Austria) SCOME: Reuven Rabinovici (Israel) SCOPA: T. Sherif, Sameh Tawfik (Egypt) SCOPE: Peter Myrenfors (Sweden) RVP Africa: Peter Emodek (Uganda)

Other events: • IFMSA New Regional Structure • SCOME was reorganized on a European scale

Other events: • Declaration of Cairo on Primary Health Care and Medical Education, reinforcing and deliberating on the Kiljava Declaration • SAMSA (South Africa) is expelled from IFMSA, following the UN recommendations of a total cultural boycott of South Africa

1981/1982

1980/1981

President: Peter Lee (Australia) Secretary General: Andreas Weichselbraun (Austria) Treasurer: Rupert Lenhart (Austria) SCOE: Christoph Brezinka (Austria) SCOME: Osnat Geifman (Israel) SCOPA: (Sudan) SCOPE: Kari Johansen (Sweden) RVP Africa: Bruce Waters (Zimbabwe) RVP America: Fritz Mahrer (Austria) RVP Asia-Pacific: Maxine Whittaker (Australia) RVP Europe: Richard Janiec (Poland)

59th EOM: Reykjavik (Iceland) – March 1981 30th General Assembly, 60th EOM: Katoomba (Australia) – August 1981 1st Regional Assembly Europe: Reykjavik (Iceland) – April 1981 President: Peter Myrenfors (Sweden) Secretary General: Gunther Schultes (Austria) Treasurer: Rupert Lenhart (Austria) SCOE: Isaac Odame (Ghana) SCOME: David Klein (Israel) SCOPA: Omar Hilal Khatob (Egypt) Resigned

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before EOM SCOPE: Kari Johansen (Sweden) RVP Africa: Bruce Waters (Zimbabwe) RVP America: Fritz Mahrer (Austria) RVP Asia-Pacific: Maxine Whittaker (Australia) RVP Europe: Richard Janiec (Poland)

61st EOM and 2nd Regional Assembly Europe: Delphi (Greece) – March 1982 31st General Assembly, 62nd EOM: Wartensee (Switzerland) – August 1982

Other events:

Honorary Life Member: Peter Lee Working Committee on Refugees - Coordinator: Kjeld Poulsen (Denmark) German and Swiss national member associations hold a critical seminar on Medical Education – April Declaration on Prevention of Nuclear War First SCOME workshop with the assistance of WHO: “Fitting Medical Education to the needs of whom?”

SCOME participates to the AMEE meeting: Cambridge (UK) – September

1982/1983

63rd EOM and 3rd Regional Assembly Europe: Ebernburg - Bad Munster am Stein (Federal Republic of Germany) – March 1983 32nd General Assembly, 64th EOM: L’Aquila (Italy) – August 1983 President: Bruce Waters (Zimbabwe) Secretary General: Andreas Weichselbraun (Austria) Treasurer: Fritz Mahrer (Austria) SCOE: Christoph Brezinka (Austria) SCOME: Yoram S. Sandhaus (Israel) SCOPE: Ingvar Eliasson (Sweden) SCOPH: Mohyeldin Mohamed Ali (Sudan) SCOPNW: Matthias Rath (FRG) RVP Africa: Hamza Amiva (Libya) RVP Asia-Pacific: Maxine Whittaker (Australia) RVP Europe: George Karianakis (Greece) IFMSA/WHO Liaison Officer: Johannes Schmidt (Switzerland)

cccccccccc cccccccc cccc cccccccccc cccc cccccccccc cccccccccc cccccccccc cccccccccc cccccccccc (Left) 1984: At the General Assembly in Solbacka, Sweden, IFMSA representatives greeting H.E. Gustav, King of Sweden.

Mr. Theodore Dardavesis from Greece (NEO 1983-1985, professor of Medicine at Aristotle Univ. of Thessaloniki today) is seen in the middle. Photo courtesy of HelMSIC

Other events: • Conference: Universities for the Prevention of Nuclear War • Declaration on Prevention of Nuclear War • IUS-IFMSA joint communique on possible areas of cooperation: Prague (Czechoslovakia) – March 1983 • Workshop with WHO assistance: “Evaluation in Medical Education: Roulette or valid assessment?”

• Resolution of L'Aquila, addressing the constant lengthening of pre-licensure medical education without improving the adequacy of undergraduate medical education • SCOTWE Seminar • First contact with the Network of Community Oriented Health Institutions – May 1983 • SCOME broadens its collaboration with the WHO in the Expert Committee Meeting: "PHC in undergraduate medicine": Exeter (UK) – May 1983 • First Asian Medical Students' Conference (Malaysia) • SCOME participates in the AMEE

conference: Prague (Czechoslovakia) – September 1983

1983/1984

65th EOM: Alexandria (Egypt) – March 1984 European Regional Assembly: Medithalia (Denmark) – April 1984 33rd General Assembly, 66th EOM: Solbacka (Sweden) – August 1984 President: Ann Marie Janson (Sweden) Secretary General: Fritz Mahrer (Austria) Treasurer: Hans Steger (Austria) SCOE: Christoph Brezinka (Austria) SCOME: George Wolfs (Netherlands) SCOPE: Ingvar Eliasson (Sweden) SCOPNW: Matthias Rath (FRG) SCOPH: Murat Rezaki (Turkey) SCOR:

Kamal A. Al Shoumer (Kuwait) RVP Africa: Aladin EI Assal (Egypt) RVP Asia-Pacific: Maxine Whittaker (Australia) RVP Europe: George Karianakis (Greece) RVP Latin-America: Vernat Exil (Panama), Roberto Sayers (Costa Rica) IFMSA/WHO Liaison Officer: Johannes Schmidt (Switzerland) IFMSA/EEC Liaison Officer: Gianni Lolli (Italy)

Other events: • SCOME is invited to peresent a paper to the WHO conference on PHC in industrialized countries: Geneva (Switzerland) – November 1983 • SCOME participates in the Expert Committee on Health Manpower Planning at the WHO: Geneva (Switzerland) – November 1983 • Nuclear weapon - The danger for health and life: Warsaw (Poland) – March 1-4 1984 • First SCR Refugees' Week – March 24th-28th 1984 • Workshop: “European Medical Education in crisis”: Medithalia (Denmark) – April 1984 • The policy platform on medical education is drafted • SCOME Workshop in Denmark, with the assistance of WHO and leading experts:”Primary Health Care in Undergraduate Medical Education” • Collaborative effort with the International Pharmaceutical Students Federation: Areas of common interest are explored – April 1984 • Workshop on medical education with WHO assistance: "Workshop planning and implementation" • Resolution of Solbacka on medi-

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•

cal education: Concerning the creation of medical education institutes at medical schools SCOME moderates a session on medical education at the AMEE annual meeting: Oslo (Norway) – September 1984 5th Asian Medical Students' Conference: Singapore (Singapore) - July/August 1984

1984/1985

•

67th EOM: Sarajevo (Yugoslavia) – March 1985 34th General Assembly, 38th EOM: Valkenburg (The Netherlands) – August 1985

•

President: Ingvar Eliasson (Sweden) Secretary General: Fritz Mahrer (Austria) Treasurer: Sepp Mandahaus (Austria) SCOE: Cristoph Brezinska (Austria) SCOME: George Wolfs (The Netherlands) SCOPE: Dag Benoni (Sweden) SCOPNW: Mattias Rath (FRG) SCOPH: Murat Rezaki (Turkey) SCOR: Kamal El Shoumer (Kuwait) RVP Africa: Abbas El-Sayed (Egypt) RVP Asia-Pacific: Bajrang Soni (India) RVP Europe: George Karianakis (Greece) RVP Latin-America: Roberto Sayers (Costa Rica) IFMSA/WHO Liaison Officer: Veli Haenni (Switzerland)

Other events: • SCOME is invited to a planning

34

•

•

session for a Network meeting concerning strategies for change in existing medical schools in order to bring them into line with current medical education theory – October 1984 SCOME is invited as planner of a session on medical education at Milanomedicina, describing the crisis in medical education: Milan (Italy) – October 1984 Policy Platform on Medical Education, SCOME-ROE, is established – February 1985 Workshop: “Programme evaluation: Working towards an efficient medical education system relevant to community health needs” IFMSA Health Action Week – April 1985

1985/1986

69th EOM: Szeged (Hungary) – March 1986 35th General Assembly, 70th EOM: St. Polten (Austria) – August 1986 President: George Karianakis (Greece) Secretary General: Fritz Mahrer (Austria) Treasurer: Sepp Mandhaus (Austria) SCOME: Rick Steele (Denmark) SCOPE: Christer Nilson (Sweden) SCOPNW: Elisabeth Schalinski (FRG) SCOR: Faisal Thuwaig (Kuwait) RVP Africa: Alex Obiogbolu (Nigeria) RVP Europe: Letticia Mauroidi (Greece) RVP Latin-America: Pablo Davyt Neves (Uruguay)

IFMSA/WHO Liaison Officer: Genny Gunn (Switzerland)

Other events: • Joint Work Programme of WHO and IFMSA: “Leadership Training Programme” • International Seminar on “Health Needs and Students Action in Developing Countries”: Krems (Austria) – 22nd July to 1st August 1986 • “The Village Concept” was designed.

• Definition of “Electives”

1986/1987

71st EOM: Estoril (Portugal) – March 1987 36th General Assembly, 72nd EOM: Belgrade (Yugoslavia) – August 1987

President: George Karianakis (Greece) Secretary General: Kleopatra Ormos (Hungary) Treasurer: Fritz Mahrer (Austria) SCOME: Mohamed Saleh Moustafa Hassan (Egypt) SCOPE: Christer Nilson (Sweden) SCOPH: Bonilla Zuniga Josefina Alicia (Nicaragua) SCOPNW: Anna Tsimas (Greece) SCORP: Faisal Thuwaig (Kuwait) RVP Africa: Alexander Obiogbolu (Nigeria) RVP Asia-Pacific: Julia Racquel Rimando (Philippines) RVP Europe: Marku Eronen (Finland) RVP Latin-America: Pablo Davyt Neves (Uruguay)

cccccccccc cccccccccc cccccccccc cccccccccc cccccccccc cccc cccccccccc cccc cccccccccc cccc IFMSA/WHO Liaison Officer: Ingvar Eliasson (Sweden)

Other events: • Honorary Life Member: Dr Jean Jacques Guibert (WHO) • WHO workshop on evaluation • The Village Project in Ojobi (Ghana) was designed

1987/1988

73th EOM: Pescara (Italy) – March 1988 37th General Assembly, 74th EOM: Lagos (Nigeria) – August 1988

President: Gianni Lolli (Italy) Secretary General: Armando Paredes (Chile) Treasurer: Angelo Troedham (Austria) SCOME: Itay Goor Aryeh (Israel) SCOPE: Kiriaki Stamatelu (Greece) SCOPNW: Nimrod Ranamimov (Israel) SCOR: Ibrahim AI Essa (Kuwait) RVP Africa: Ahmad Wade (Senegal) RVP Europe: Angelo Troedham (Austria) RVP Latin-America: Josefina Bonilla Zuniga (Nicaragua) IFMSA/WHO Liaison Officer: Malene Vestergaard (Denmark)

Other events: • General Secretariat temporarily transferred to L'Aquila (Italy) • Honorary Life Members: Geoff Ohen (Nigeria) and Ofer Chomsky (Israel)

75th EOM: Kerkrade (The Netherlands) – March 1989 38th General Assembly, 76th EOM: Estoril (Portugal) – August 1989 Emergency Council: Paul Amuna (Ghana), Eugene Schouten (Netherlands), Olof Agner (Sweden) SCOPE: Luis Ferreira de Abreu (Portugal)

Other events: • Honorary Life Members: Offo Arkossi (Hungary) and Bente Johansen (Norway) • Workshop: Comprehensive Health Intervention Plan at Community Level • Resolution on Rational Use of Pharmaceuticals • General Secretariat transferred to Amsterdam (The Netherlands).

• 1st INSERT-MED/CORTEX Convention (First joint IFMSA program within the ERASMUS project of the EEC): Granada (Spain) – September 1989

1989/1990

77th EOM: Cesme-Altinyunus (Turkey) – March 1990 39th General Assembly, 78th EOM: Hradec Kralove (Czechoslovakia) – August 1990 President: Luis Ferreira de Abreu (Portugal) Secretary General: Paul Amuna (Ghana) Treasurer: Olof Agner (Sweden) SCOME: Gilad Barnea (Israel) SCOPE: Trijn Israels (Netherlands) SCOPNW: Nimrod Rozen (Israel) SCOR: Wasmi AI-Fadhli (Kuwait) IFMSA/WHO Liaison Officer: Bettina Christensen (Denmark)

Other events: • Honorary Life Members: Olof Agner and Luis Ferreira de Abreu • The New Constitution of IFMSA was adopted • Problem Oriented Conference on

(Left) 1991: Delegates at the IFMSA GA in Åland, Sweden.

Photo coutesy of FiMSIC.

1988/1989

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Rational Use of Drugs 2nd INSERT-MED/CORTEX Convention: Valladolid (Spain) – September 1990

1990/1991

79th EOM: Sarajevo (Yugoslavia) – March 1991 40th General Assembly, 80th EOM: Åland (Sweden/Finland) – August 1991 President: Stefano Berloffa (Italy) Editor: Ingela Lundin (Sweden) Treasurer: Zeynel Erkut (Turkey) SCOME: Andy Boiangiu (Israel) SCOMP: Elena Nastouli (Greece) SCOPE: Marleen Kunst (Netherlands) SCOR: Wasmi AI-Fadhli (Kuwait) IFMSA/WHO Liaison Officer: Paolo Ghia (Italy)

Other events: • European Meeting: Budapest (Hungary) – October 1990 • Village Project Meeting: Copenhagen (Denmark) – November 1990 • Seminar on "Maternal and Child Health": Jos (Nigeria) – December 1990 • Intersectoral meeting: "Students together: an idea for development" (Organized by AIESEC, BEST, IAAS, IAESTE, IFMSA): Torino (Italy) – April 1991 • Panhellenic Medical Student Meeting: Thessaloniki (Greece) – April 1991 • 3rd INSERT-MED/CORTEX Convention: Bologna (Italy) – July 1991

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(Above) 1994: The delegates at the General Asse mbly in Ohrid, Former Yugoslav. Rep. of Macedonia. Photo courtesy of HelMSIC.

•

International workshop "Pollution affects the world health"

1991/1992

41st General Assembly: Londrina - Paraná (Brazil) – August 1992 President: Elijah Paintsil (Ghana) Editor: Mattias Fridstrand (Sweden) Treasurer: Claudio Pagano (Italy) SCOPE: Jeanne Marie Elisabeth Begoña Antolín Denizot (alias Isabel Antolín) (Spain) SCOEE: Annette Boelen (The Netherlands) SCOME: Cristina Bonetti (Italy) SCOMP: Markus N. Mayr (Austria) SCOPH: Kritantali Bandari (Nepal) SCOR: Alexis Tildis (Greece) LO WHO:

Astrid de Vet (The Netherlands) LO ERASMUS: Carmen Oliveras (Spain) LO HAI: Dogan Fidan (Turkey) LO EC/EMSA: Fernando Fernandez (Spain) Medical Students International Magazine Co-ordinator: René Jensen (Denmark)

1992/1993

42nd General Assembly: Sønderborg (Denmark) – August 1993 President: Mattias Fridstrand (Sweden) Editor: Fernando Fernandez (Spain) Treasurer: Paulo Boto (Portugal) SCOAS: Victoria Vishnevskia-Dai (Israel) SCOEE: Annette Boelen (The Netherlands) SCOME: Pedro Santos Canonico (Spain) SCOPE:

cccccccccc cccccccccc cccccccccc cccccccccc cccccccccc cccccccccc cccccccccc Eda Cengiz (Turkey) SCOPH: Marie-José van Hoof (The Netherlands) SCOR: Giorgios Terzis (Greece) LO WHO: Bettina Leh (Germany)

1994/1995

1993/1994

44th General Assembly in Barcelona, Catalonia (Spain) – August 1995

43rd General Assembly: Ohrid (Macedonia) – August 1994

President: Monique de Voigt (The Netherlands) Editor: Johanna Viherluoto (later Förster) (Finland) Treasurer: Paulo Alexandre Faria Boto (Portugal) SCOAS: Victoria Vishnevskia-Dai (Israel) SCOEE: Anna Thorson (Sweden) SCOME: Wolfram Antepohl (Germany) SCOPE: Eda Cengiz (Turkey) SCOPH: Marie-José van Hoof (The Netherlands) SCOR: Khalid Mohamed El Tahir (Sudan) LO IMISO: Luis-Alberto Ramos Neira (Spain) LO WHO-Europe: Jean-Marc Cloos (Luxembourg) LO UNESCO: Bruno Molinari (Brazil) LO ERASMUS: Daniela Pagani (Italy) LO HAI: Lennert Veerman (The Netherlands) Leadership Training Program: Maria Joao P.V. Dias (Portugal) Medical Students International Magazine: Michel Torbey (Lebanon)

PR, Marketing and Recruitment: Emmanuel Kwasi Torpey (Ghana), Marcia Thompson (Brazil), Molly Finnerty (USA), Cecilie Thorning Jakobsen (Denmark)

President: Aleksandar Micevski (Macedonia) Editor: Lennert Veerman (the Netherlands) Treasurer: Ivana Pagácová (Slovakia) SCOAS: Victoria Vishnevskia-Dai (Israel) SCOEE: Tinja Lääveri (Finland) SCOME: Wolfram Antepohl (Germany) SCOPE: Lola Martín Martínez (Spain) SCOPH: Jan Green Toft (Denmark) SCORP: Mohamed Abdelgabar Ahmed (Sudan) LO ERASMUS: Daniela Pagani (Italy) LO IPPNW: Kurt Hanevik (Norway) LO WHO-Europe: Anne Louise Strøm (DK) LO WMA: Paulo Alexandre Boto (Portugal) LO UNESCO: Katja Nevala (Finland) LO UNICEF: N. Gül Bahtiyar LO IMISO: Luis-Alberto Ramos Neira (Spain) Public Relations & Recruitment Coordinator: Emmanuel Kwasi Torpey (Ghana) PR & Recruitment Europe: Cecilie Thorning Jacobsen (DK)

PR & Recruitment Asia: Eric Lin (China) PR & Recruitment Africa: Peter Klama Wangai (Kenya) PR & Recruitment Support Division Members: Marleen Koster (The Netherlands), Nam Pak Young (Norway)

1995/1996

45th General Assembly: Prague (Czech Republic) – August 1996

President: Lennert Veerman (The Netherlands) Secretary General: Jean-Marc Cloos (Luxembourg) Treasurer: Maria do Rosário Gaspar (Portugal) SCOAS: Jelena Zajeganovic (Yugoslavia) SCOEE: Ivo van Dooren (The Netherlands) SCOME: Wolfram Antepohl (Germany) SCOPE: Hanna Tapanainen (Finland) SCOPH: Nicholas Brodszki (Sweden) SCORP: Jet Derwig (The Netherlands) LO WHO: Clemens Potocnik (Austria) LO WHO European Regional Office: Nick Shenker (UK) LO UNESCO: Katja Nevala (Finland) LO UNICEF: Luisa Brumana (Italy) LO Erasmus & Tempus: Lars Hagander (Sweden) LO IPPNW: Kurt Hanevik (Norway) LO HAI: Ulrika Dahl (Sweden) LO EMSA: Eva Schmidtke (Sweden) LO FELSOCEM: Luis-Alberto Ramos Neira (Spain)

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cccccccccc cccccccccc cccccccccc cccccccccc cccccccccc cccccccccc cccccccccc Director of Marketing: Peter Kubica (Slovakia) MSI Editor: Michel Torbey (Lebanon) Health Education & Promotion Coordinator: Gligor Tofoski (Macedonia) Priorities in Health Care Coordinator: Nishaban Talukdar (Sweden)

1996/1997

President: Luisa Brumana (Italy) Sec.Gen: Lars Hagander (Sweden) Treasurer: Maria do Rosário Gaspar (Portugal) SCOAS: Jelena Zajeganovic (Yugoslavia) SCOEE: Anitta Veijo (Finland) SCOME: Katja Nevala (Finland), Eva Schmidtke (Sweden) SCOPE: Jonas Brinck (Sweden) SCOPH: Ulrika Dahl (Sweden) SCORP: Jet Derwig (The Netherlands) PR & Marketing: Luis-Alberto Ramos Neira (Spain) LTP: Kati Liimatainen (Finland) Homepage: Jozef Sorsak (Slovakia), Yulun Liu (Taiwan), Dimitris Kounalakis (Greece) LO AMSA: Hanako Terui (Japan), Kota Ichikawa (Japan) LO EMSA: Jacco Veldhuyzen (The Netherlands) LO European Exchange Programs: Prisco Piscitelli (Italy) LO IPPNW: Cecilie Bredrup (Denmark) LO UNAIDS: Marja Kuopusjarvi (Finland)

38

LO PAHO: Auxiliadora Fernandez Silva (Spain) LO The Network: Ivo van Dooren (The Netherlands) LO UNICEF: Monica Quinn (USA) LO UNESCO: Nishaban Talukdar (Sweden) LO UN-Geneva: Sandrine de Ribaupierre (Switzerland) LO UN-Vienna: Rashid Sardest (Austria) LO WHO: Anna-Maria Lapinlampi (Finland) LO WHO European Regional Office: Oleg Benedik (Ukraine)

LO WHO: Francesca Porta (Italy) LO UNFPA: Jelena Zajeganovic (Yugoslavia) LO UNESCO: Thiago Monaco (Brazil) LO UNAIDS: Mirza Muminovic (Bosnia and Herzegovina) LO UNHCR: Meike Nitschke (Germany)

1997/1998

President: Mohammed El-Batta (Greece) Sec.Gen: Aleksandar Bodiroza (Yugoslavia) Treasurer: Carel Schaars (The Netherlands) SCOPE: Sarah Bernhardt (Italy) SCOPH: Sanjeeb Sapkota (Nepal) SCOME: Thiago Monaco (Brazil) SCORE: Barbora Dolezalova (nee Smrzova) (Czech Republic) SCORP: Mats Sundberg (Sweden) SCORA: Silvia Koso (Yugoslavia) PR and Marketing: Hazem Wafa (Egypt) LTP: Björg Thorsteinsdottír (Iceland) Homepage: Antonis Kaintatzis and George Solidakis (Greece) Project Committee: Oliver Hoffman (Germany), Meike Nitschke (Germany), Paola Erba (Italy), Hitler Sigauke (Zimbabwe) Editor-in-Chief, VAGUS: Rune Damgaard Nielsen (Denmark) LO WHO:

47th General Assembly: Hurghada (Egypt) – August 1998 President: Björg Thorsteinsdottír (Iceland) Secretary General: Aleksandar Bodiroza (Yugoslavia) Treasurer: Kevin Mani (Sweden) SCOAS: Maria Rydevik (Sweden) SCOEE: Elba Gonzales (Spain) SCOME: Paola Erba (Italy) SCOPE: Hazem Wafa (Egypt) SCOPH: Remco Visser (The Netherlands) SCORP: Tigran Vilotijevic (Yugoslavia) Fundraising: Jakob Krarup (Denmark) LTP: Patrick Sandström (Finland) Project Committee: Lars Almroth (Sweden), Oliver Hoffman (Germany), Jet Derwig (The Netherlands), Meike Nitschke (Germany)

1998/1999

48th General Assembly: Monterrey (Mexico) – August 1999

cccccccccc cccccccccc cccccccccc cccccccccc cccccccccc cccc cccccccccc cccc cccccccccc cccc Francesca Porta (Italy) LO UNFPA: Jelena Zajeganovic (Yugoslavia) LO UNICEF: Ljubica Latinovic (Yugoslavia) LO UNAIDS: Mirza Muminovic (Bosnia and Herzegovina)

1999/2000

49th March Meeting: Kuopio (Finland) – March 2000 49th General Assembly: Porto (Portugal) – August 2000

President: Mats Sundberg (Sweden) Sec.Gen: Rune Damgaard Nielsen (Denmark) Treasurer: Sandrine de Ribaupierre (Switzerland) Vice President External Affairs (PR & Marketing): Noël Barengo (Finland) Vice President Internal Affairs (Editor-in-Chief): Olita Layton (USA) SCOME: Thiago Monaco (Brazil) SCOPE: Igor Barjaktarevic (Yugoslavia) SCOPH: Sanjeeb Sapkota (Nepal) SCORA: Silvia Koso (Yugoslavia) SCORE: Frank Fuchs (Germany), Marta Ocampo Fontangordo (Spain) SCORP: Amer Karam (Lebanon) LTP: Zana Khan (UK) Homepage: Antonis Kaintatzis and George Solidakis (Greece) Project Committee: Hitler Sigauke (Zimbabwe) Rosita van Rooyen, (The Netherlands) Edgar

Njolomole (Zimbabwe), Tamer Refaat (Egypt) LO WHO: Josette Troon (The Netherlands) LO UNFPA: Soraya Zaid (Italy) LO UNESCO: Barbara Schimmer (The Netherlands) LO UNICEF: Zohray Moolani (Canada) LO IPPNW: Anna Hellman (Sweden) LO WHO-Europe: Ömer Saka (Turkey) LO UN Agencies in Africa: Channakya Jonnalagadda (South Africa) CP/PWG: Jacco Veldhuyzen (The Netherlands) Chair IOC 50th Anniversary: Yusuf Goedbloed (The Netherlands)

2000/2001

50th March Meeting: St Paul’s Bay (Malta) – March 2001, Theme: Gender equality 50th General Assembly: Aalborg (Denmark) – August 2001, No

theme

President: Sanjeeb Sapkota (Nepal) Secretary General: Marta Ocampo Fontangordo (Spain) Treasurer: Jesper Schmidt (Denmark) Vice President for External Affairs (PR & Marketing): Jenni Moore (South Africa) Vice President for Internal Affairs: Vacant SCOME: Teele Raiend (Estonia) SCOPE: Maria Panagiota Panourgia (Italy) SCOPH: Ömer Saka (Turkey) SCORA: Sara Hogmark (Sweden) SCORE: Pedja Djukic (Yugoslavia) SCORP: Marieke van den Ham (The Netherlands) Training and Resources Development: Mats Sundberg (Sweden) New Technologies:

2002: (Left) The Organizing Committee for the IFMSA March Meeting in Serbia.

Photo courtesy of IFMSA-Serbia

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cccccccccc cccccccc cccc cccccccccc cccc cccccccccc cccccc cccccccccc cccccccccc cccccccccc cccccccccc Bent Grubb Larsen (Denmark), Markus Leskinen (Finland) Projects Committee: Edgar Njolomole (Zimbabwe), Tamer Refaat (Egypt), Carrie Thiessen (USA) Editor-in-Chief, VAGUS: Clemens Henze (Germany) LO WHO: Josette Troon (The Netherlands) LO UNFPA: Soraya Zaid (Italy) LO UNESCO: Barbara Schimmer (The Netherlands) LO UNICEF: Zohray Moolani (Canada) LO IPPNW: Anna Hellman (Sweden) LO UN Agencies in Africa: Channakya Jonnalagadda (South Africa) LO WHO-Europe: Jana Olearnikova (Slovakia) CP/PWG: Jacco Veldhuyzen (The Netherlands) Chair IOC 50th Anniversary: Yusuf Goedbloed (The Netherlands)

2001/2002

51st March General Assembly: Kopaonik (Serbia and Montenegro) – 2002, No theme 51st August General Assembly: Taipei (Taiwan) – 2002, Theme: Alternative medicine

Americas Regional Meeting: Amatitlan (Guatemala) – June 2002

President: Joel Kammeyer (USA) Secretary General: Gianfranco Spiteri (Malta) Treasurer: Jacco Veldhuyzen (The Netherlands) Vice President for Internal Affairs: Juan Manuel Muñoz Cuéllar (Panama)

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(Left) 2002: Delegates at the August Meeting in Taipei, Taiwan. Photo courtesy of IFMSA Taiwan

Vice President for External Affairs: Ciprian Dospinescu (Romania) SCOME: Nikola Borojevic (Croatia) SCOPE: Jana Myndiukova (Slovakia) SCOPH: Florian Striehl (Germany) SCORA: Selen Ors (Turkey) SCORE: Paolo Fabio Patruno (Italy) SCORP: Hannu Vessari (Finland) LO AMSA: Toshiaki Baba (Japan) LO EMSA: Mindaugas Gudelis (Lithuania) LO Global Health Council: Kim Sigaloff (The Netherlands) LO IPPNW: Juha Rannikko (Finland) LO UNAIDS: Michal Odermarsky (Slovakia) LO UN Agencies in Africa: Channakya Jonnalagadda (South Africa) LO UNICEF: Zohray Moolani Talib (Canada), Neilson McLean (Canada) LO UNESCO: Youri Yordanov (France) LO UNHCR: Liv Lynga (Denmark)

LO WHO: Henrietta Bencevic (Croatia) LO WHO-Europe: Jana Olearnikova (Slovakia) LO WFME: Mats Sundberg (Sweden) Coordinator of Alumni Relations: Poya Tababat-Khani (Sweden) Editor in Chief, VAGUS: Yimin Wang (Taiwan) New Technologies SD Directors: Marius Grima (Malta), Antonis Kaintatzis (Greece) Projects Committee: Angelika Mayer (Germany), John Humphrey Amausi (Ghana), Emilie Martinoni (Switzerland) Training and Resource Development: Ellinor Jenssen (Norway) Supervising Council: Noel Barengo (Finland), George Dafoulas (Greece), Pedrag Djukic (Yugoslavia), Frank Fuchs (Germany), Jesper Schmidt (Denmark)

2002/2003

52nd March General Assembly: Pärnu (Estonia) – 2003, No theme 52nd August General Assembly: Egmond aan Zee (The Nether-

cccccccccc cccccccccc cccccccccc cccccccccc cccccccccc cccccccccc cccccccccc lands) – 2003, Theme: Medical Ethics

President: Kristina Sjoberg Ogaard (Norway) Secretary General: Jana Myndiukova (Slovakia) Treasurer: Marius Grima (Malta) Vice President for Internal Affairs: Yu-Chen (Tony) Tsai (Taiwan) Vice President for External Affairs: Ciprian Dospinescu (Romania) SCOME: Ozgur Onur (Germany) SCOPE: Andras Szigeti (Hungary) SCOPH: Gesthimani (Gefsi) Mintziori (Greece) SCORA: Alia Skhiri (Tunisia) SCORE: Paolo Fabio Patruno (Italy) SCORP: Mladen Milovanovic (Sweden) RC Africa: Jean-Paul Rwabihama (Rwanda) RC Americas: Rosa Isabel Escamilla Bran (Guatemala) RC Asia and Oceania: Joel Hernandez Buenaventura (Philippines) RC EMR: Zied Mhrisi (Tunisia) RC Europe and Central Asia: Konstantinos Stellos (Greece) LO AMSA: Toshiaki Baba (Japan) LO EMSA: Ana Jurin (Croatia) LO Global Health Council: Sapna Amin (USA) LO IPPNW: Gesthimani (Mania) Misirli (Greece) LO UNAIDS: Michal Odermarsky (Slovakia) LO UNICEF: Janneke van den Bergen (The Netherlands) LO UNESCO:

Youri Yordanov (France) LO UNHCR: Tariq Jawaid Alam (Pakistan) LO UNFPA: Selen Ors (Turkey) LO WFME: Ozgur Onur (Germany) LO WHO: Felix Lorang (Germany) Alumni Relations SD Director: Jacco Veldhuyzen (The Netherlands) New Technologies SD Director: Antonis Kaintatzis (Greece), Danko Batinic (Croatia) Projects SD Director: Ciprian Olaru (Romania) Publications SD Director: Panos Alexopoulos (Greece), Nidhi Gupta (UK) Training and Resource Development Director: Timothy Rittman (UK) Implementation of Interactive Method Initiative: Ben Geisler (Germany) Supervising Council: Nikola Borojevic (Croatia), George Dafoulas (Greece), Pedrag Djukic (Yugoslavia), Marta Ocampo Fontangordo (Spain)

2003/2004

53rd March General Assembly: Isla de Margarita (Venezuela) – 2004, Theme: Tropical Medicine 53rd August General Assembly: Ohrid (Macedonia) – 2004, Theme: Violence and Health

President: Emily Spry (UK) Secretary General: Luis Guillermo Martinez Bustamente (Mexico) Treasurer: Francisco Javier Oviedo Gomez (Costa Rica) Vice President for Internal Affairs: Rosa Isabel Escamilla Bran (Guate-

mala) Vice President for External Affairs: Konstantinos Stellos (Greece) SCOME: Hans Jacob Westbye (Norway) SCOPE: Stefanie Bottcher (Germany) SCOPH: Victoria E.H. Lee (Canada) SCORA: Adi Ovadia (Israel) SCORE: Fatma M. Odaymat (Lebanon) SCORP: Ranu Singh Dhillon (USA), Henry Lin (USA) RC Africa: Joseph Ayew Afriye (Ghana) RC Americas: Rodrigo Tenze Epperson (El Salvador) RC Asia and Oceania: Utchariya (DeeDee) Anantamongkol (Thailand) RC EMR: Zied Mhrisi (Tunisia) RC Europe and Central Asia: Stella-Leda (Elina) Papadopoulou (Greece) LO on Medical Education Issues: Ozgur Onur (Germany) LO on Public Health Issues: Colin Brown (UK) LO on Refugee and Peace Issues: Raj Panjabi (USA) LO on Sexual and Reproductive Health Issues, including AIDS: Alia Skhiri (Tunisia) LO to Student Organizations: Albert Manasyan (Armenia) LO to UNESCO: Andreas Rudkjobing (Denmark) LO to WHO: Mladen Milovanovic (Sweden) Alumni Relations SD Director: Jana Myndiukova (Slovakia) New Technologies SD Director: Benedict Vella Briffa (Malta) Projects SD Director: Gesthimani (Mania) Misirli (Greece) Publications SD Director:

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cccccccccc cccccccccc cccccccccc cccccccccc cccccccccc cccccccccc cccccccccc Panos Alexopoulos (Greece), Masa Sukunda (Slovenia) Training SD Director: Hai Hua Chuang (Taiwan), Allan Buus Jensen (Denmark) Supervising Council: Nikola Borojevic (Croatia), Felix Lorang (Germany), Marta Ocampo Fontangordo (Spain), Yu-Chen (Tony) Tsai (Taiwan), Youri Yordanov (France)

2004/2005

54th March General Assembly: Antalya (Turkey) – 2005, Theme: Maternal and Child Health 54th August General Assembly: Hurghada (Egypt) – 2005, Theme: MDGs European Regional Meeting: Istanbul (Turkey) – November 2004: Americas Regional Meeting: Panama City (Panama) – January 2005, Theme: Connecting our NMOs: Stronger, Visible, Health-Focused

Asia-Pacific Regional Meeting: Phuket (Thailand) – March 2005 European Regional Meeting: Bitola (Macedonia) – April 2005 EMR Regional Meeting: Hurghada (Egypt) – August 2005 President: Andreas Rudkjobing (Denmark) Secretary General: Stefanie Bottcher (Germany) Treasurer: Vacant Vice President for Internal Affairs: Zahra Theilgaard (Denmark) Vice President for External Affairs: Albert Manasyan (Armenia) SCOME: Katja Kovac (Slovenia) SCOPE: Pernilla Hoiby (Denmark) SCOPH: Ahmed Ibrahim (Egypt) SCORA: Nora Matthaeas (Germany) SCORE: Gina Romosan (Romania) SCORP:

a.

(Above) 2004: Participants at the AMSTC Conference in Ghan -2007 Photo courtesy of Ahmed Ali, IFMSA President 2006

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Layal Chaker (The Netherlands), Eva Margrethe Holst (Denmark) RC Africa: Uche Nwadike (Nigeria) RC Americas: Lawrence Loh (Canada) RC Asia and Oceania: Fauziah Asnely Putri (Indonesia) RC EMR: Fatma Odaymat (Lebanon) RC Europe: Nathalie A. Rodriguez McCullough (Spain) LO for Medical Education Issues: Hans Jacob Westbye (Norway) LO for Public Health Issues: Colin Brown (UK), Naomi Sims (UK) LO for Reproductive Health Issues incl. AIDS: Jelena Curcic (Serbia and Montenegro) LO for Human Rights and Peace Issues: Tariq Jawaid Alam (Pakistan) LO to Student Organizations: Zuzana Elbertova (Czech Republic) LO to UNESCO: Laura Hirvensalo (Finland) LO to WHO: Joseph Ayew Afriye (Ghana) Alumni Relations SD Director: Jana Myndiukova (Slovakia) New Technologies SD Director: Vlad Gavrila (Romania) Projects SD Director: Hesham Hamoda (Kuwait) Publications SD Director: Akihito Watabe (Japan) Training SD Directors: Michael Froneberg (Germany), Emily Spry (UK) Anti-TB Campaign: Gesthimani (Gefsi) Mintziori (Greece) Implementation of Interaction Method: Ben Geisler (Germany) Think Global Initiative: Bryony Whipp (UK) Supervising Council: Victoria E.H. Lee (Canada), Felix Lorang (Germany), Francisco Javier

cccccccccc cccc cccccccccc cccc cccccccccc cccccccccc cccccccccc cccccccccc cccccccccc Oviedo Gomez (Costa Rica), Hannu Vessari (Finland), Youri Yordanov (France)

2005/2006

55th March General Assembly: Pucón, Chile – 2006, Theme: MDG1: Eradicating Extreme Poverty and Hunger 55th August General Assembly: Zlatibor, Serbia – 2006, Theme: Health as a Human Right

Americas Regional Meeting: Salvador da Bahia (Brazil) – January 2006: People's Health in Americas: Determinants, Necessities and Pathways for Transformation Asia-Pacific Regional Meeting: Jakarta (Indonesia) – March 2006, Theme: Maternal and child health Europe Regional Meeting: Leicester (UK) – April 2006, Theme: Obesity, mental health and smoking President: Jana Kammeyer (Slovakia) Secretary General: Troels Yndigegn (Denmark) Treasurer: Ahmed Nagla (Egypt) Vice President: Lara El-Zahabi (Lebanon) SCOME: Jan Hilgers (Germany), Carl Savage (Sweden) SCOPE: Vendula Novakova (Czech Republic) SCOPH: Jade Boulos Khalife (Lebanon), Anne-Karina Larsen (Denmark) SCORA: Ahmed Khamis (Egypt) SCORE: Djuro Smit (Croatia) SCORP: Layal Chaker (The Netherlands), Eva Margrethe Holst (Denmark) RC Africa:

(Right) 2006: NMO Presidents at the March Meeting in Pucón, Chile.

Photo courtesy of IFMSA -Chile

Ahmed Ali (Sudan) RC Americas: Lawrence Loh (Canada) RC Asia and Pacific: Akihito Watabe (Japan) RC EMR: Omar Zakaria (Egypt) RC Europe and Central Asia: Vuk Barjaktarovic (Bosnia & Herzegovina – Rep. of Srpska) LO for Medical Education Issues: Hans Jacob Westbye (Norway) LO for Public Health Issues: Ahmed Ibrahim (Egypt) LO for Reproductive Health Issues incl.

AIDS: Aditi Joshi (USA) LO for Human Rights and Peace Issues: Jonathan Mamo (Malta) LO to Student Organizations: Claire Procter (UK) LO to UNESCO: Laura Hirvensalo (Finland) LO to WHO: Serini Murugasen (South Africa) Alumni Relations SD Director: Lisa Russe (Austria) New Technologies SD Director: Vlad Gavrila (Romania) Projects SD Director: Manuela Moraru (Spain) Publications SD Director: Ahmed Magdy Kassem (Egypt)

Training SD Director: Aleksandar Mitov (Macedonia), Jessica Simonetti (The Netherlands) Anti-TB Campaign: Sandra Dudareva (Latvia) Interaction Method Initiative: Ben Geisler (Germany) Think Global Initiative: Niina Markkula (Finland) Supervising Council: Stefanie Bottcher (Germany), Victoria E.H. Lee (Canada), Henry Lin (Canada), Emily Spry (UK), Hannu Vessari (Finland)

2006/2007

56th March General Assembly: Mandurah (Australia) – 2007, Theme: Rural and Remote Health 56th August General Assembly: Canterbury (UK) – 2007, Theme: Access to Essential Medicines

EMR Regional Meeting: Tunis (Tunisia) – December 2006, Theme: Challenges to health Americas Regional Meeting: Cochabamba (Bolivia) – January 2007, Theme: Fourth and fifth MDGs Asia-Pacific Regional Meeting: Osaka (Japan) – March 2007, Theme: Men-

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cccccccccc cccccccccc cccccccccc cccccccccc cccccccccc cccccccccc cccccccccc tal health European Regional Meeting: Toulouse (France) – April 2007 President: Ahmed Ali (Sudan) Secretary General: Ahmed Khamis (Egypt) Treasurer: Vlad Gavrila (Romania) Vice President for Internal Affairs: Zuzana Elbertova (Czech Republic) Vice President for External Affairs: Alexej Kuiper (The Netherlands) SCOME: Maja Basnov (Denmark) SCOPE: Adham Hendy (Egypt) SCOPH: Jade Khalife (Lebanon) SCORA: Silva Rukavina (Croatia) SCORE: Karolina Tuomisto (Finland) SCORP: Yelena Petrosyan (Armenia) RC Africa: Mubashar A. Abogossi (Sudan) RC Asia & Pacific: Farid Abdul Hadi (Indonesia) RC Americas: Kiran S. Duncan Surage (Jamaica) RC EMR: Yasmine Bentoumi (Algeria), Omar Zakaria (Egypt) RC Europe and Central Asia: Jacob Hejmdal Gren (Denmark) LO for Medical Education Issues: Jan Hilgers (Germany) LO for Public Health Issues: Anne-Karina Larsen (Denmark) LO for Reproductive Health Issues incl. AIDS: Birol Tibet (Turkey) LO for Human Rights and Peace Issues: Layal Chaker (The Netherlands), Eva Margrethe Holst (Denmark) LO to Student Organizations: Jessica Simonetti (The Netherlands) LO to UNESCO:

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Alberto López García-Basteiro (Spain) LO to WHO: Sophie Gubbels (The Netherlands) Alumni Relations SD Director: Anas Eid (Palestine) New Technologies SD Director: Maximilian Mehnert (Germany) Projects SD Directors: Goran Mijaljica (Croatia), Anel Okic (Bosnia and Herzegovina) Publications SD Director: Ahmed Magdy Kassem (Egypt) Training SD Director: Louise Hammer Pettersen Stop TB Initiative: Nina Jovanovic (Bosnia and Herzegovina) Think Global Initiative: Rob Hughes (UK) Tobacco Initiative: Adela Stefania Delcea (Romania) Supervising Council: Henry Lin (USA), Ahmed Nagla (Egypt), Emily Spry (UK), Ana Uscumlic (Serbia), Akihito Watabe (Japan)

2007/2008

57th March General Assembly: Monterrey (Mexico) – 2008, Theme: Migration and Health 57th August General Assembly: Ocho Rios (Jamaica) – 2008, Theme: Nutrition and Health

Americas Regional Meeting: Brazil – January 2008 EMR Regional Meeting: Kuwait City (Kuwait) – January 2008, Theme: Adolescents’ health European Regional Meeting: Briuni (Croatia) – April 2008, Theme: Organ donation Asia-Pacific Regional Meeting: Taipei (Taiwan) – August 2008, Theme: Climate change President:

Anas Eid (Palestine) Secretary General: Goran Mijaljica (Croatia) Treasurer: Eric Miller (Australia) Vice President for Internal Affairs: Rebecca Herbst (Sweden) Vice President for External Affairs: Zied Khediri (Tunisia) SCOME: Daniel Rodríguez Muñoz (Spain) SCOPE: Petra Kejla (Croatia) SCOPH: Kyriakos Martakis (Greece) SCORA: Samer Abi Chaker (Lebanon) SCORE: Zineb El Hamidi (The Netherlands) SCORP: Jonathan Mamo (Malta) RC Africa: Janvier Yubahwe (Rwanda) RC Americas: Diego Lim (Panama), Jessica Valeria Tang Herrera (Peru) RC Asia and Pacific: Kazuhiro Abe (Japan) RC EMR: Melhim Bou Alwan (Lebanon), Yasmine Bentoumi (Algeria) Removed from office during MM 2008 RC Europe: Marija Ljubicic (Serbia) LO for Medical Education Issues: Jan Hilgers (Germany) LO for Public Health Issues: Mireia Garcia-Villarrubia Muñoz (Catalonia) LO for Reproductive Health Issues incl. AIDS: Silva Rukavina (Croatia) LO for Human Rights and Peace Issues: Jessica Ehne (Denmark), Johanna Norenhag (Sweden) LO to Student Organizations: Andrea Miltenburg Solnes (The Netherlands) LO to UNESCO: Sergej Godec (Slovenia)

cccccccccc cccccccccc cccccccccc cccccc cccccccccc cccccccccc cccccccccc cccccccccc (Left) 2009: The Americas Regional Meeting in Panama City, Panama

LO to WHO: Eric Tam (Hong Kong) Alumni Relations SD Directors: Nina Jovanovic (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Jenny Zablah (El Salvador) New Technologies SD Director: Maximilian Mehnert (Germany) Projects SD Director: Anel Okic (Bosnia and Herzegovina) Publications SD Directors: Candice Galea (Malta), Eduardo Rios (Panama) Training SD Director: Salmaan Sana (The Netherlands) Supervising Council: Jacob Hejmdal Gren (Denmark), Ahmed Khamis (Egypt), Emily Spry (UK), Ana Uscumlic (Serbia), Akihito Watabe (Japan)

2008/2009

58th March General Assembly: Hammamet (Tunisia) – 2009, Theme: Conflicts and Health 58th August General Assembly: Ohrid (Macedonia) – 2009, Theme: Investing in Health of Children and Youth African Regional Meeting: South Africa – December 2008

Americas Regional Meeting: Panama City (Panama) – January 2009, Theme: Neglected Tropical Diseases EMR Regional Meeting: Hurghada (Egypt) – January 2009 Europe Regional Meeting: Veliko Tarnovo (Bulgaria) – April 2009 President: Melhim Bou Alwan (Lebanon) Secretary General: Petra Kejla (Croatia) Treasurer: Francisco J. Reyna Sepulveda (Mexico) Vice President for Internal Affairs: Marija Ljubicic (Serbia) Vice President for External Affairs: Bostjan Berlot (Slovenia) SCOME: Nikolaos Davaris (Greece) SCOPE: Sleiman Haddad (Lebanon) SCOPH: Florian Stigler (Austria) SCORA: Imene Ben Ameur (Tunisia) SCORE: Mert Karakaya (Turkey) SCORP: Thatyana Turassa Ernani (Brazil) RC Africa: Chijioke Kaduru (Ghana)

RC Americas: Fiorella Barbagelata (Peru) RC Asia-Pacific: Jen-Hsiang (Roy) Shen (Taiwan) RC EMR: Ahmed Ali Al-Rabieah (Kuwait) RC Europe: Daniel Rodríguez Muñoz (Spain) LO for Medical Education Issues: Robbert Duvivier (The Netherlands) LO for Public Health Issues: Kyriakos Martakis (Greece) LO for Reproductive Health Issues incl. AIDS: Muge Cevik (Turkey) LO for Human Rights and Peace Issues: Rebecca Molina (Ecuador) LO to Student Organizations: Yorgos Polychronidis (Greece) LO to UNESCO: Zied Khediri (Tunisia) LO to WHO: Silva Rukavina (Croatia) Alumni Relations SD Director: Eduardo Rios (Panama) New Technologies SD Director: Melek Somai (Tunisia) Projects SD Director: Vesna Jugovec (Slovenia) Publications SD Director: Matija Svagan (Slovenia) Training SD Director: Ana Vilotijevic (Serbia) Supervising Council: Anas Eid (Palestine), Sergej Godec (Slovenia), Emily Spry (UK), Jessica Valeria Tang Herrera (Peru)

2009/2010

59th March General Assembly: Bangkok (Thailand) – 2010, Theme: Complementary and Alternative Medicine 59th August General Assembly: Montréal, Québec (Canada) – 2010, Theme: Health and the City African Regional Meeting: Khartoum

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cccccccccc cccccccccc cccccccccc cccccccccc cccc cccccccccc cccc cccccccccc cccc cccccccccc cccc (Sudan) – December 2009 Americas Regional Meeting: Quillota (Chile) – January 2010 EMR Regional Meeting: Bahrain – January 2010, Theme: Child health Asia-Pacific Regional Meeting: Bangkok (Thailand) – March 2010, Theme: Alternative medicine European Regional Meeting: St Paul’s Bay (Malta) – April 2010, Theme: Workforce migration

President: Silva Rukavina (Croatia) Secretary General: Chantal Fenech (Malta) Treasurer: Francisco J. Reyna Sepulveda (Mexico) Vice President for Internal Affairs: Chijioke Kaduru (Ghana) Vice President for External Affairs: Minke van Minde (The Netherlands) SCOME: Margot Weggemans (The Netherlands) SCOPE: Ali Cankut Tatliparmak (Turkey) Until early 2010 SCOPH: Louise Mulcahy (UK) Until early 2010, Knakita Clayton Johnson (Jamaica) SCORA: Branislav Chrenka (Slovakia) SCORE: Federica Balzarini (Italy) SCORP: Mori Mansouri (UK) Until April 2010 RC Africa: Aman A. Yousif (Sudan) RC Americas: Fiorella Barbagelata (Peru) RC Asia-Pacific: Mineyoshi Sato (Japan) RC EMR: Manel Hafsi (Tunisia) RC Europe: Andrea Labruto (Italy) LO for Medical Education Issues: Robbert Duvivier (The Netherlands) LO for Public Health Issues:

46

Florian Stigler (Austria) LO for Reproductive Health Issues incl. AIDS: Imene Ben Ameur (Tunisia) LO for Human Rights and Peace Issues: Diego Iemmi (Italy) LO to Research and Medical Associations: Remco Kruithof (Switzerland) LO to Student Organizations: Lucia Carratalà Castro (Catalonia) LO to UNESCO: Maxime Moulin (France) LO to WHO: Vesna Jugovec (Slovenia) Alumi Relations SD Director: Marija Ljubicic (Serbia) New Technologies SD Director: Stefan Buttigieg (Malta) Projects SD Director: Jesus Mateos del Nozal (Span) Publications SD Director: Alexander Werni (Austria) Training SD Director: Jelena Pavlovic (Serbia) Supervising Council:

Melhim Bou Alwan (Lebanon), Sergej Godec (Slovenia), Yorgos Polychronidis (Greece), Jessica Valeria Tang Herrera (Peru), Birol Tibet (Turkey)

2010/2011

60th March General Assembly: Jakarta (Indonesia), Theme: Health Inequalities and Disparities within the MDGs 60th August General Assembly: Copenhagen (Denmark), Theme: Health and the Future

African Regional Meeting: Abuja (Nigeria) – December 2010, Theme: MDGs 3, 4, 5 and 6 Americas Regional Meeting: Cochabamba (Bolivia) – January 2011 Europe Regional Meeting: La Pineda (Catalonia) – April 2011 EMR Regional Meeting: Dubai (United Arab Emirates) – May 2011 Asia-Pacific Regional Meeting: Hong

(Left) 2011: Members of the Organizing Committee for the March General Assembly in Jakarta, Indonesia.

cccccccccc c cccccccccc c cccccccccc c cccccccccc cccccccccc cccccccccc cccccccccc (Right) 2010: NMO Presidents with their voting cards at the August General Assembly in Montréal, Québec, Canada.

Photo courtesy of Heng-Hao (Leo) Chang, IFMSA Secretary General 2010/2011

Kong (China) – June/July 2011

President: Chijioke Chikere Kaduru (Ghana) Secretary General: Heng-Hao (Leo) Chang (Taiwan) Treasurer: Michael Eichinger (Austria) Vice President for Internal Affairs: Caline Mattar (Lebanon) Vice President for External Affairs: Jovana Panic (Bosnia and Herzegovina) SCOME: Ioana Goganau (Romania) SCOPE: Pablo Vega Rojas (Chile) SCOPH: Christopher Pleyer (Austria) SCORA: Halit Aytar (Turkey) resigned Dec 2010, Later Joško Miše (Croatia) SCORE: Jovana Nedeljkovic (Serbia)

SCORP: Beata Syzdul (Poland) RC Africa: Charles Chineme Nwobu (Ghana) RC Americas: Geneviève Bois (Quebec) RC Asia-Pacific: Anneliese Willems (Australia) RC Eastern Mediterranean Region: Ahmad Younes (Lebanon) RC Europe: Despina Polidou (Greece) LO for Medical Education Issues: Margot Weggemans (The Netherlands) LO for Public Health Issues: Alexander Papadopoulos (Greece) LO for Reproductive Health Issues incl. HIV/AIDS: Ionut Cobec (Romania) LO for Human Rights and Peace Issues: Diego Iemmi (Italy) LO to Research and Medical Associa-

tions: Federica Balzarini (Italy) LO to Student Organizations: Mirjana Spasojevic (Serbia) LO to UNESCO: Raphael Buttigieg (Malta) LO to WHO: Unni Gopinathan (Norway) Alumni Relations SD Director: Marija Ljubicic (Serbia) Projects SD Director: Nicholas Watts (Australia) Publications SD Director: Anny Huang (Australia) New Technologies SD Director: Pero Markunovic (Croatia) Training SD Director: Katia Khoury (Lebanon) Supervising Council: Melhim Bou Alwan (Lebanon), Chantal Fenech (Malta), Andrea Labruto (Italy), Yorgos Polychronidis (Greece), Birol Tibet (Turkey)

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ggggggg A ivity Showcase ggggggg ggggggg ggggggg IFMSA Proje s An IFMSA ‘project’ can refer to any activity within the scope of medical student interest that is in agreement with the IFMSA’s principles, aims, and policy statements. Considering this, a project can be anything from a series of events or workshops, to a network, survey or campaign.

But being recognised as an IFMSA project means much more than just a name! Benefits include:

•

• •

48

Personalised support from the Projects Support Division, and the IFMSA Team of Officials, Letters of recommendation from the IFMSA Executive Board, on request, Access to any international conferences, speakers, and resources that the IFMSA can help with,

• •

•

The provision of support and expertise when applying for grants and sponsorship, Prime position for promotions throughout the vast IFMSA networks, and those of our partner organisations, The provision of guaranteed places at the bi-annual General

(Above) 2010: Medical students participate in the Sudan Tropical Exchange Project

ggggggg ggggggg ggggggg ggggggg •

•

Assemblies, Use of the IFMSA website (ifmsa.org), and the official projects database, The use of the IFMSA bank account for specific projects.

•

We use our General Assemblies (GAs) as a space for celebration of the fantastic work our projects and their coordinators have been doing over the previous six months.

•

The Projects Fair presents an opportunity for projects to showcase their achievements and resources all on one special night.

IFMSA members are given the

chance to browse stalls, gathering ideas for new projects in their own National Member Organisations (NMOs).

The Project Presentations represent three sessions (all run at the GA), where projects are given their ‘10 seconds of fame’, and the have an opportunity to present and promote themselves.

•

•

Within the IFMSA’s structure, there are three kinds of projects: •

IFMSA Endorsed Projects, whichare organised by a single National Member Organization,

or a partner organization.

IFMSA Transnational Projects, whichare organised by more than one National Member Organisation, or in collaboration between at least one NMO and another organisation.

IFMSA Initiatives, which are projects or series of projects centrally co-coordinated under the responsibility of the IFMSA Executive Board who elect the project coordinator. Our Initiative Projects (Think Global and the Tobacco Initiative Project) represent issues which are core to the beliefs and values of the Federation.

Initiative Proje s

Think Global

Heard of the Millennium Development Goals? Wondered why people are making such a big fuss about them? And why does everyone always go on about women’s health? (hint: the answer’s not just about equality) Think climate change, extreme poverty and hunger, mass migration, violent conflict, access to healthcare, globalisation, THINK GLOBAL!

Think Global aims for all future healthcare professionals to have an understanding of global health.

Working with students involved in IFMSA, it provides them with opportunities to learn about global health in the context of their clinical and extracurricular activities.

In 2011, these opportunities include: •

• •

Global Health Workshops and the Theme Events at the IFMSA General Assemblies and Regional Meetings An ongoing effort to include global health education in the medical curricula, world-wide.

A focus on Global Health advocacy, allowing IFMSA members

•

to gain an in-depth and exciting insight in to what “Getting to Know Your World” really means.

An upcoming International Survey on Global Health

Tobacco Initiative Project

Some of you may recall the Marlboro Man (rugged looking cowboy)?

You think that you are “cool” if you smoke in company of your peers?

You are mistaken! We don’t like smoking. We think that smoking is out of fashion, bad and an expensive habit. This unhealthy and an-

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ggggggg ggggggg ggggggg ggggggg tisocial experience can cost you a life. But you should know that we really care about public health and we will be always present to help you and your friends to quit smoking.

We are medical students who created the Tobacco Initiative Project. It is a project to help raise awareness about the hazards of smoking cigarettes, inform and prevent young people from falling into a trap of smoking. We are fighting against tobacco - organising smoke-free parties, anti-tobacco marathon, y-peer trainings, different activities in public places. We created many useful things within the project. If you are

creative, you do care for your health and health of your friends, love fun and team work, and think that your ideas can reach the project than you should join us.

We know that there are the people who live a clean life (free of the addiction that you are overcoming)‌. and still can enjoy life! Together, with our willpower, we can make our environment a tobacco-free place.

The Tobacco Initiative Project (TIP) is intended to function primarily as a network for medical students against tobacco, allowing better co-

ordination and structure of IFMSA anti-tobacco activities. This network will also provide the opportunity for trainings and designing of new materials, in collaboration with IFMSA’s partners. TIP would include a constantly updated database of all anti-tobacco activities, allowing ideas to be shared faster and better than previously possible. With evaluation a central theme of this project, the Standing Committee on Public Health aims to regularly improve the quality of projects within TIP, ensuring maximal benefit and effectiveness of activities.

(Above) 2010: Medical Students campaign for the inclusion of Health in the international Climate Change negotiations. Photo courtesy of Nick Watts, IFMSA Projects Support Division Director 2010/2011

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ggggggg ggggggg ggggggg ggggggg Transnational Proje s

ACTION

The Asian Collaborative Training on Infectious Diseases, Outbreak, Natural Disaster and Refugee Management (ACTION) is aimed at providing healthcare students from the Asia-Pacific region with the essential knowledge and skills required to prevent, cure or relieve, and rehabilitate victims of disasters, such as infectious diseases, natural disasters, and conflicts. During the seven-day training, participants will acquire the basic skills and knowledge of disaster relief and medical control with all of its related aspects, especially focusing on Asia Pacific region-specific approaches.

Students around the world will also benefit from the outcome of the training as all follow-up activities will be disseminated through the IFMSA’s global networks.

ASPIS

Awareness Strategies for Pollution from IndustrieS (ASPIS-ΑΣΠΙΣ = Ancient Greek word for “shield”) started as a European Project and has realised a cluster of actions (ASPIS I and ASPIS II) with the aim to inform and raise awareness of decision makers on environmental issues (civil servants, engineers, medical

doctors, lawyers and journalists).

ASPIS has developed to a ‘tool of decision making’.

With the participation of medical students of different countries in all the stages of the project, ASPIS has aimed to: 1. Inform young health professionals about current health-related environmental issues.

2. Bring up fruitful and productive thinking through seminars, round tables and discussions about the future of the implication of human activity on health.

3. Activate medical students not only towards the prevention of environmentally induced disease, but also towards environmental pollution itself.

Breaking the Silence

“Breaking the Silence” national or local projects have been developed individually in countries like: Poland, the Netherlands, Greece, Lebanon, Italy, Croatia, Tunisia, Slovenia and Romania. “Breaking the Silence” as a transnational project aims to create and promote a common platform for teaching medical students and young doctors how to communicate with the deaf patient. This will be done by: • Organising Sign Language courses and Workshops for the

•

benefit of students, young doctors and medical personnel in each of the countries participating in the project and for the IFMSA; Conceiving basic sign language courses online

Crossing Borders for Health

Crossing Borders for Health is an international network of students whose mission is to remove barriers to healthcare for refugees, asylum seekers and undocumented migrants.

Through education, direct assistance and policy change we aim to realise our belief that migrants receive the highest standard of healthcare, irrespective of immigration status. Crossing Borders to Health is an initiative to centrally coordinate projects in different countries working on these issues and share resources, best practice guidelines and funding between them.

Calcutta Village Project

Calcutta Village Project promotes international development and supports the activities of the Institute for Indian Mother and Child (IIMC),

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ggggggg ggggggg ggggggg ggggggg an Indian NGO established in 1988

by Dr. Sujit K. Brahmochari Mandal with the purpose of improving the health conditions of the people who live in the villages of the rural area in the south of Kolkata, especially mothers and children.

Each month, several students were given the opportunity to join the project as volunteers in Kolkata, to discover first hand the social reality in India and how a project of development cooperation is structured. In addition, the project is increasingly rooted in different NMOs. Thanks to the sponsorship programme, more than 2500 children are being sponsored today.

Daphne

Daphne was created to combat domestic violence. Only 12% of abused women will ever come to the attention of a justice system and 80% stay with the abuser.

We as future health-care professionals are often a first point of contact for women suffering from the effects of domestic violence. Thus, DAPHNE is to assist medical students to recognise and respond appropriately to family violence.

There are 3 steps of DAPHNE: • Step 1 Active workshops for medical students • Step 2 Peer education in highs chools • Step 3 Social campaigns: STOP violence marches, posters etc.

Daisy Project -

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(Left) 2010: The Calcutta Village Project

Margarita

Daisy Project Margarita takes place in cooperation with International Association of Health Policy. As it is implied by the project’s name, it is comprised by a central activity (training in communication skills) which is attended by all participants and 4 peripheral activities which are optional according to the students’ preference.

Training in communication skills is the project’s core. All participants attend the weekly sessions which are coordinated by a professional psychologist, specialised in the field of health. Some of the topics being discussed during the sessions were: patient-doctor communication, ways of dealing with uncooperative patients, announcement of bad news, etc. Among the peripheral activities included: health education intervention in secondary schools, nurse aid, medicine in the community, and research in social medicine.

Dying a Human Thing

“Dying- a human thing” is a project created by the SCOME Team of IFMSA-Poland, addressed to all medical students who are interested in working with terminally ill patients.

Our Project strives to teach future doctors how to give support to dying people and very often a simple conversation can be more helpful than sophisticated medicine.

Through workshops with specialists we provide answers to questions such: “How to reveal fatal diagnosis to a patient?”, “How to talk to a family of a dying patient?”, “How to support my patient?”

Eating Disorders

The problem of eating disorders is often underestimated, which is in contrast to its prevalence.

‘Eating Disorders’ (ED) is an um-

ggggggg ggggggg ggggggg ggggggg brella transnational project aiming to unite medical students in a fight against eating disorders. Through our initiatives we want to provide medical students with knowledge and skills to help their patients, as well as to raise awareness of the problem among the general public.

There are several projects organised within the Eating Disorders Transnational Project, such as: Fashion Show against anorexia and bulimia, Peer Education lessons, Workshops for parents, Workshops for Medical Students, ED Campaigns and Conferences.

FGM Awareness Project

Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) has always been a serious issue that a lot of countries worldwide face.

Our project aims for a world free from FGM and to prevent further mutilations and to protect all the girls all over the world from this inhumane act, while respecting their reproductive and human rights.

Through a joined effort between IFMSA-Egypt and Sudan, We hope to develop a basis through which medical students are sensitised and empowered to take on a significant role in preventing FGM and increase the public awareness about the risks and dangers of this act.

The aims of the Ghana Health and Education Project are simple – we want to build the capacity of local communities within Ghana, in an effort to allow them to improve their own levels of health and education.

In this regard, we strive to construct a project which is both sustainable and participatory in principle and nature. The Ghana Health and Education Initiative runs education programs which respond to the needs and desires of the local Ghanaian communities in which we work.

We run supplementary courses for bright young students and construct facilities which can be used and accessed by the entire community, to better their knowledge and skills.

Go SCORP

Go SCORP aspires to unite all humanitarian SCORP projects from around the world into a unique platform database accessible to all SCORP members worldwide. This will allow any SCORP member from

any IFMSA NMO to have access to currently active humanitarian projects of different participating organizations.

First Gynaecological Consultation

First Gynaecological Consultation is a project created in 1996 by the SCORA Team of IFMSA-Poland.

Now more NMOs are involved in it (SloMSA Slovakia, APEMH Peru, IFLMSA Brazil, MMSA Malta). It is addressed to young girls attending high school or the last year of secondary school (age 14-18) who mostly have not had a first gynaecological consultation.

We try to help the girls in solving problems like: • Fear before their first gynaecological examination • Prevention of Sexually Transmitted Infection • Incompetence in the self breast examination

(Left) 2010: The Daphne project in action.

Ghana Health and Education Project

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ggggggg ggggggg ggggggg ggggggg (Left) Students spreading awareness by participating in the For a Homophobia Free World project.

•

Not enough level of knowledge about prevention of uterine cancer

children regarding healthy food and diet habits, as a way to prevent chronic diseases by visiting schools.

We decided that the “peer education” method will be the best to reach the teenage girls, particularly talking about sometimes embarrassing, difficult and private topics.

About 2500 school children have attended healthy diet sessions in 12 different governorates have filled the pre- and post-questionnaires which are being analyzed.

Healthy Diet Project

Hepatitis Awareness Campaign

Healthy Diet Project was developed in Palestine, Egypt and Tunisia. The project aims are: to increase the awareness among the medical students in the Eastern Mediterranean Region of the nutritional problems we face in our region and their contribution to the development of chronic disease and other healthy bad effects by collecting data about children’s diet, the hazards of the unhealthy diet and training that will be given to the medical students who will act as health educators; to increase the awareness of school

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Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a major health problem in Egypt, where the sero-prevalence is 10–20fold higher than that in the United States.

What we are trying to address and emboss in the peoples minds is that both HCV and HAV are preventable; mainly by increasing the awareness of the groups that are at risk of getting infected.

This project acts at multiple stages,

facing both HCV and HAV. The campaign will be targeting Nursing Faculties and Nursing Schools Students in the HCV issue and Preliminary Schools Students in the HAV issue.

It will act on these groups through awareness campaigns that will increase their awareness about this issue and hopefully will influence their hygienic and behavioral attitudes.

IFMSA Campaign on Malaria

The project aims to raise awareness about malaria worldwide, so the activities include the World Malaria Day celebrations, health education days in endemic areas, medical missions, and workshops to train medical students to work in the field of health education.

Over the past 6 months, the Malaria Exchange Project in Indonesia was formed, medical missions in Sudan went to endemic rural areas, and there were health weeks in Ghana, and health education days in Sudan.

For a Homophobia Free World

For a long time, people have been suffering from discrimination and prejudice due to their sexual orientation and this is why we –in the IFMSA –are trying to make a change in people’s attitudes and mentality towards people whose sexual orientation is other than heterosexual – LGBTQ people (lesbian, gay, bisex-

ggggggg ggggggg ggggggg ggggggg ual, transgender, queer).

Homophobia is observable in critical and hostile behaviour such as discrimination and violence on the basis of a non- heterosexual orientation. It affects all society, not only LGBTQ people. That’s why we in Mexico, Colombia and Slovakia have this campaign to avoid homophobia.

International Students' Network on Ageing and Health

Specific Objectives: 1. To generate and encourage research in geriatrics and older adults health.

2. To increase awareness of medical students about the ageing process and the demographic situation.

3. To develop academic resources in geriatrics and older adults’ health.

4. To enhance a better curriculum including geriatrics clerkship and geriatrics specific topics.

A national survey of UK medical students has been completed in the UK and presented at 3 conferences, it has subsequently been written up and submitted for publication. This will now be launched internationally, initially to countries with English-speaking medical students and hopefully more from there onwards.

In Peru, we have started another research but with a similar topic of attitudes to older adults.

Kenya Village Project

Kenya Village Project was developed in Kenya with the support of the US. Their aim is to fight AIDS, build libraries and pre-schools, encourage micro-enterprise for women, assist the local educational system and provide health care for the people of Western Kenya without regard to religion, politics, ethnicity or nationality.

Our main area of focus since 1998 has been AIDS education. On a shoestring budget with no source of external funding, we have managed to sensitize over 48,000 Kenyans about the transmission and prevention of HIV/AIDS. They constructed and opened the first public library in Western Kenya (Kabula location), with the potential of serving the 800,000 people of the area in the future, a preschool and established a Sponsor a Child’s Education program to assist those children whose families cannot afford to send them to school. Recognizing that Kenyan

women in rural areas often lack access to credit, we have also organized an income-generating program for the local women. Each consortium was given five sewing machines to begin their businesses.

Marrow

Marrow is a volunteer student organisation based in the United Kingdom (UK), the Netherlands, Finland, France, Germany, Spain and Austria. Marrow works in association with the UK’s largest national bone marrow register, The Anthony Nolan Trust (ANT) charity, who are recognised by the UK government and the World Health Organisation (WHO) as part of the international bone marrow and stem cell register.

Marrow helps to take back lives from leukaemia by organising donor recruitment clinics in universities across the UK and by raising the charitable funds needed for these lifesaving activities. Students run the entire clinic, from welcoming

(Left) 2010: Runners at the Marrowthon

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ggggggg ggggggg ggggggg ggggggg In the UK in 2009-2010 alone Marrow recruited 3061 potential donors onto the register in addition to raising over £100,000 for the AN.

across Europe who have an interest in peer-led sex education. The main role of NECSE is to facilitate the meeting of all member National Member Organisations (NMOs) at a conference held annually each Easter. The location for this conference rotates annually.

Mr and Ms Breastestis

Organ Donation Project

Mr and Ms Breastestis is a reproductive neoplasms prevention project that aims: To assess medical students’ knowledge on Reproductive Neoplasms • To educate medical students on Reproductive Neoplasms • To assess public knowledge on Reproductive Neoplasms • Foster interdisciplinary and a multi-sector approach to prevention / health promotion, in order to develop a coherent response to the current global cancer burden

The huge advancement in the field of organ transplantation gave a new hope to those who were doomed to death previously. The technological advancement was so fast that unfortunately a new problem became a reality - the lack of organs. Realising the central and important role of medical students, the Standing Committee on Public Health started the project to respond to the huge lack of organs worldwide. It started with the first conference in Croatia, followed by multiple training sessions during General Assemblies and summer schools in the Netherlands. The latest activity and the biggest was held in Beirut where more than 100 Lebanese medical student participated and more than 12 students from IFMSA.

others to counselling potential donors and collecting the saliva samples.

It is a SCORA project that involves medical students interacting with the patients, as well as general population and high school students.

Through peer education, it promotes prevention and early detection of these reproductive neoplasms.

Northern European Cooperation of Sex Education Projects

The Northern European Cooperation of Sex Education (NECSE) Projects links Standing Committees on Reproductive health and AIDS from

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Orphanage Initiative in Romania

The target groups are children from 3 to 18 years, living in state institutions in Romania. The main goal of the project is to help orphans develop in a normal way, both physically and mentally leading to socially adapted adults.

During the school year, Romanian medical students have weekly activities with the children in one or two institutions in their city.

The second part of the project’s activity occurs during the summer holiday. Students from all over the world are invited to volunteer in the project and help the Romanian volunteers.

Peace Test

Peace Test is a human rights and peace education project. Aggressive responses to intergroup and international conflict are partly determined by the processes of moral disengagement, in which collective violence is justified by public judgments of conflicts, choices and enemies.

So the Peace Test project has developed survey methods for measuring moral disengagement and communication techniques for educating young people about how moral disengagement can be resisted. The data is usually collected from secondary or elementary school students around the world. Statistical analyses will compare groups and investigate the psychometric properties of the measurements. Technical findings can be published in scientific journals. Non-technical national reports can be widely publicised among medical, university and secondary students and more general audiences in each country, with educational outreach and an internet site designed to help young people learn to resist the processes of moral disengagement.

ggggggg ggggggg ggggggg ggggggg (Above) 2010: Members of the Sexperience project.

Residency Database Project

The Residency Database Project is an online database, providing medical students and young doctors with the essential information they needed to know about when pursuing a place to specialise aboard. It is coordinated by medical students, and medical students are the ones who provide information for their countries. The information provided is mainly about the residency system, the financial state and the application procedure for a country.

Rex Crossley Award

The Rex Crossley Award transnational project has one of the most beautiful, but at the same time challenging, jobs in the projects division. Twice a year it must bring together, analyse, evaluate and reward the best ideas and projects in

the IFMSA. It is a one of a kind activity and it represents the peak point that everybody wants to reach: recognition.

SCORA Twinning

The Standing Committee on Reproductive health and AIDS (SCORA) Twinning project is a cooperation of SCORA teams involved in peer education from 2 to 3 different National Member Organisations (NMOs) through training and twinning during 3 to 4 days. Training offers experience and methods exchange, gain of facilitating skills and group discussions in order to develop one’s own strategies in handling delicate teenage issues. Twinning means making new friends and future collaborators through a familiar environment in small groups. Guest participants are hosted in participants homes and brings together different cultures through time spent intensively together.

SCORA-Xchange

The Standing Committee on Reproductive health and AIDS (SCORA) X-change is a 3 - 4 week long unilateral exchange program for medical students, focused on sexuality, reproductive health and rights related issues. It provides opportunities to learn about the medical services of the hosting country’s healthcare system and civil society, related mainly to HIV/AIDS, as well as the country’s prospective on the HIV/ AIDS global epidemic.

Sexperience

Sexperience is a vision of unity within the sex education projects of IFMSA. Unity that offers support for newly started projects, substantial knowledge and material sharing, and an opportunity for IFMSA to know exactly how many thousands of adolescents are being reached each year. Furthermore we wish to encourage and ensure that all the member projects live up to a set of quality standards.

Smoking-ologist

Smoking-ologist is a project that integrates the concept of role-play simulation in its activities and interventions. The participants will reflect on the role profile of a doctor who is smoker (Smoking-ologist) in an artificial social setting where smoking is a medical specialty (Smoking-ology). Such a concept of a smoking doctor, who promotes smoking will expose the participants to first-person experience of personalities, motivations and backgrounds of doc-

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ggggggg ggggggg ggggggg ggggggg tors who are smokers.

GOAL 1 to assess and raise awareness of medical students and doctors of the impact of smoking behaviour on the public.

GOAL 2 to assess and raise knowledge of medical students and doctors of smoking hazards and tobacco control.

GOAL 3 to promote and advocate the non smoking behaviour of medical students and doctors.

Scientific Opportunities Database

The Scientific Opportunities Database is a network that contains dates about congresses, meetings, workshops and other scientific manifestations related to the entire medical community from all over the world.

The Scientific Opportunities Database’s main aim is to keep all the medical students worldwide informed about the different opportunities in medical education, to help students join together with colleagues from all over the world in events aimed at personal and professional development.

IFMSA Anti-Tuberculosis Campaign

The IFMSA Anti-TB Campaign aims to raise awareness on tuberculosis and establish an international

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strategy among the medical students worldwide to respond to the return of the disease.Through our Campaign we hope to motivate the National Public health Officers and other Standing Committee on Public Health (SCOPH) members to become involved in the global initiative adopted against tuberculosis.

Through gathering information on all anti-TB projects, providing assistance, forming a database and promoting anti TB activities, the IFMSA Anti-TB Campaign is a tool for IFMSA to coordinate the numerous initiatives that already exist on TB and promote the organisation of new ones within its National Member Organisations.

Teddy Bear Hospital

Teddy Bear Hospital was implemented in Germany, Holland, Portugal, Sweden, Poland, Slovenia and UK. The goals of the project are helping young children between ages of 3-7 years to lose their fears of doctors and hospital environment in a playful and non-threatening way; establishing good rapport and communication skills between the children and the medical students; giving medical insights to children; providing an opportunity for medical students to know more about paediatrics and also giving those interested in paediatrics a chance to work with children.

In this case the children are the parents of their teddy bear or doll. As Mum and Dad they are responsible for their sick little friends. Trained medical students act as teddy doctors and do the examinations and treatments.

Uganda Village Project The aim of the project is to promote and advocate for long term community health and development solutions based on grassroots needs in the Iganga District of Uganda.

The main areas of focus are healthcare (with special attention to malaria, obstetric fistula, and eyesight), orphan support, and clean water.

The project is based on a year-round basis currently with Ugandan partners with the help of our team of officers plus long-term and short-term volunteers. Long-term volunteers are also known as ‘interns’ and they are responsible for the most important aspects of the projects such as maintaining the quality of the programmes on a continuous basis.

Workshop in Peer Education for Medical Students

At a time in which the transnational exchange of knowledge and experiences proved to be the only way forward, it was only natural for LeMSIC-Lebanon and IFMSA-Poland to establish a peer-education training workshop to share the experiences of the two national member organisations. However, with time, this training was expanded to now include other countries especially within the Eastern Mediterranean region, with the first experience being with IFMSA-Jordan.

ggggggg ggggggg ggggggg ggggggg A year in e life of an LO The position of Liaison Officer to Research and Medical Associations (LORMA) was created during the IFMSA General Assembly in August 2009 in Ohrid, in The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

The reason for this creation was, at that time, the need of the Standing Committees on Professional and Research Exchange to establish a link towards other organizations. Within IFMSA, the LORMA has, as his/her main function, to create, sustain and strengthen the link with the organizations relevant for the exchange programs.

During my year as a Liaison Officer, I had the privilege of being the voice of Exchange Officers and medical students in general, towards the most important Medical Associations. This has allowed me to participate in interesting external meetings, and report on everything during our internal meetings.

As the term begins in October, I had the chance to meet most of the Officials during our first Team of Officials Meeting organized for that month in Porto, Portugal. How many ideas and how much fun did we have during our meetings?

So much that we met again for TOM2 in Austria, and had a great New Year’s Day all together.

The Team of Officials meetings are opportunities for discussing the preparation for the GAs, organizing the agenda and expressing the needs of each Standing Committee.

But most of all, it’s the way we build up the team and to get ready for the March Meeting, where we meet all the NMOs.

General Assembly March Meeting in Indonesia

How can we regain motivation and get recharged after the darkness of winter? The answer is the March Meeting! This year it was held in Jakarta, and it was interesting to challenge myself to be in 2 places at the same time. LORMA is the Liaison Officer for SCOPE and SCORE, and unluckily, the rooms were far from each other!

I finally presented the achievements of the first half of the term, being in contact with Medical Associations, such as the International Pediatric Association, World Neurology Fed-

(Above): Federica Balzarini, IFMSA Liaison Officer to Medical and Research Associations

eration, WONCA, FIGO, YES Meeting and not to forget the collaboration with the WHO Department of the Neglected and Tropical Diseases.

European Regional Meeting in Catalonia

Being Italian, I couldn’t miss the EuRegMe, and with my colleague but most of all friend, Diego Iemmi, Liaison Officer for Human Rights and Peace issues, and the Organizing Committee President Juan An-

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ggggggg ggggggg ggggggg ggggggg tonio Escorcia, I participated in the Press Conference to promote the meeting: quite interesting, and I even managed to understand some Catalan! It was really an honor to speak on TV about IFMSA, and it was a pleasure, especially as the meeting was very well organized.

It was finally the “act local” part of our famous slogan “Think Global Act Local”, and as the theme was Health and Lifestyle: advocacy in Public Health, the OC promoted this healthy style everywhere: sports, fruit, dances and no coffee!

(Left) 2011: The IFMSA delegation at the WHO EB Meeting. Photo courtesy of Unni Gopinathan, IFMSA LO to the WHO 2010/2011.

Besides the internal meetings, I was also in the delegation of external meetings such as:

WHO EB Meeting 17th-25th January 2011

IFMSA has been recognized as the international forum for medical students by the WHO in 1969, and since then, the two organizations are in a formal relationship and the IFMSA can participate in the relevant meetings. During the WHO EB Meeting, the Executive Board members agree upon the agenda for the World Health Assembly and the resolutions to be considered by the Health Assembly. I had the opportunity to be part of the delegation, and it was a great chance to meet most of the Medical Associations I am in contact with. Besides the externals meetings I had planned, I could contribute to the IFMSA Intervention on Health System Strengthening, read to the whole assembly by our Liaison Officer to the WHO.

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World Health Assembly

The World Health Assembly is the annual meeting of the World Health Organization's (WHO) 193 Member States and it is the supreme decision-making body of WHO which sets the policy for the Organization and approves the budget.

Several issues were discussed, and I can name topics raised also during our GAs, such as access to vaccines, health-related MDGs, infant and young child nutrition and child injury prevention, youth and health risks, climate change and health prevention, control of non-communicable diseases and malaria.

I was very proud to represent the medical students around the world, and I actually had the chance to speak on behalf of them during our week in Geneva. We presented in-

terventions on different topics, and each member of the delegation could also attend several meetings to gain knowledge, share our concerns and join the efforts of other NGOs.

4th Geneva Person Centered Medicine Conference

People-centered care is care that is focused and organized around people, rather than diseases. In a people-centered approach, disease prevention and management are seen as important, but are not sufficient to address the needs and expectations of people and communities.

The central focus is on the person in the context of his or her family, community, and culture. IFMSA was invited last year for the first time, and this year, it was supporting this event. Being the voice of Medical

ggggggg ggggggg ggggggg ggggggg (Left) 2011: Members of the IFMSA delegation at the World Health Assembly.

Students, I was able to share IFMSA’s view on Person Centered Medicine during the session on Stakeholders’ Roles and Contributions to Advance Person and People-Centered Care, addressing the fact that during medical training, in addition to biomedical sciences, students need social sciences, medical ethics, humanities and an understanding of the influence of religion to be able to master person-centered medicine. This is essential to creating an education which meets the challenges that cause the health inequities of the 21st century.

My year is not finished yet; the August Meeting is just around the corner, as well as some interesting Conference, such as WONCA Congress, YES Meeting and the European Students Conference.

touch with people from all over the world, opening our minds to learn about new cultures and making the most of the opportunities provided.

I am trying to promote our work with the relevant externals, and at the same time let the students feel close to the Medical Associations they will probably join one day.

IFMSA gave me a great opportunity, and I wish for you all to meet the people I met - Presidents of Medical Associations, Representatives of Countries - and see their faces amazed while listening to you promote IFMSA: this is for sure the best reward!

IFMSA is a big resource, for being in

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From e Alumni A at wi Prof. Bernard Br

IFMSA Vice President 1967-68

Dear Prof. Bros, thank you very much for answering our questions.

Could you first introduce your professional career?

I became a Medical Doctor in October 1968. My thesis was entitled “The professional training of the European doctor.” I then became a general practitioner in a primary care center at Carbonne (19702006).

Parallel to this, I became involved in the Toulouse Purpan Medical Faculty, being the coordinator of the General Practitioner commission (Residency Studies, 1984-2000).

I continued my university career, ending up as Professor (translation note: similar to a MD PhD) in Toulouse Purpan (2000-2006).

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I have been member of inter-ministerial working groups on medical education reforms:

Interview and translation by Maxime Moulin

• •

Commission Fougère (1978) Commission Lachaux (1989)

I have also been the President of the Regional Association of General Practitioners and Teachers in MidiPyrénées (1982-2000), Vice-President of the National Association of General Practitioners and Teachers (1998-2000), and have worked closely with several national governmental public health agencies (ANDEM, ANAES, HAS).

In 1965, you created and became the first President of ANEMF, the French NMO. How did this will arise, and what did you want to create at that time?

ANEMF was created by the merging of local medical student associations of the main medical faculties.

Since its beginning, it has aimed to be an organization of undergradu-

ate students, meaning it was aiming to advocate and stand up for the medical students concerning their education and future practice.

It was independent of the two main student unions that ANEMF deemed too political and distant from the students’ concerns. Looking at the vitality and representativeness of today’s ANEMF, this objective is achieved.

I was the first President when it was created in October 1965 in Paris, and assumed this position until July 1968, after the May 1968 events, where ANEMF was very active.

In 1967 you became IFMSA VicePresident, with Robert Steffen as President. What motivated you, and what was IFMSA like at that time?

At the time ANEMF was created,

France was represented at IFMSA by the medical section of UNEF (a very politically engaged student union).

It was obvious that ANEMF, representing the vast majority of student associations of the biggest faculties (Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Montpellier, Lille, Bordeaux, Toulouse...) was the one that should be represented in IFMSA. Hence, I went to present ANEMF’s candidature at the IFMSA Edinburgh GA (1966), and we were accepted as NMO at the winter meeting, in Prague. At the next August Meeting, in Athens (August 1967), France presented a candidate for the position of Vice President (myself) and for the position of Exchange Officer (Marylise Pascaud, from Paris). We were both elected.

Meanwhile, I proposed to host the winter IFMSA meeting in Paris (December 1967), which was immediately accepted. This meeting, which was a great success, was the opportunity to organize, at the same time, a symposium on “Social Medicine” at the international meeting center of Paris.

Our position in IFMSA allowed us to create strong partnerships with European countries, and in 1967 and 1968, ANEMF initiated a European medical students meeting in Besançon, where we confronted our own medical education programs, looking for mutual recognition of diplomas, and free mobility of doctors inside Europe.

What impact did your involvement in ANEMF and IFMSA have on your professional life?

It’s obvious that my involvement with ANEMF and IFMSA have had a great and long-lasting impact on my professional life. It is within ANEMF and IFMSA that I understood, along with my friends, the deficiencies in our training, especially on practical teaching, crucial for the doctor, but especially important for the general practitioner.

ANEMF has been the first in its meetings to call for specific training for the general practitioner in France.

This fight in which I took part on several levels ended in the recognition in France (like in the other countries) of General Medicine as a specialty and university topic in itself. This is how I ended my career as a Professor in General Medicine.

As the 60th anniversary of IFMSA and the 46th anniversary of ANEMF approach, how would you describe your feelings concerning these youth organizations?

You are preparing for the 60th anniversary of IFMSA and the 46th of ANEMF. It’s with the age of a mature adult but the vitality and imagination of your youth that these organizations keep going forward.

What ensured the health of ANEMF and IFMSA is first of all the dedication and skills of its leaders that I congratulate. It is also the consensus on simple ideas: the defense of medical students’ interests. Interests do not only include the material environment of your education, it is also the guarantee of a quality training that matches the real needs of the future patients you are going to heal. Interests are also your recognition: already professionals, you are practicing in a controlled environment, learning to learn what your duties will be in your future professional life.

I am very proud of what ANEMF and IFMSA became: organizations greatly listened to by governmental and university leaders. I wish them a long life, and all my best wishes of professional success and fulfillment for all their members.

(Left) 2010: Current and past IFMSA and ANEMF members meet: (L to R) Maxime Moulin (IFMSA LO to UNESCO 2009/10), Chloé Loyez (ANEMF Present 2009/10), Prof. Bernard Bros, Silva Rukavina (IFMSA President 2009/10), Guillaume Derrien (ANEMF Secretary General 2009/10).

63 63

Intervie wi no le alumni Erik Hol

Involvement in IFMSA

First official IFMSA President for the term 1952-1953, and then Vice President for the term 1953-1954

How did you become involved with IFMSA?

When Edmond Hilary, a native of New Zealand, was asked why he was so keen on getting to the top of Mount Everest, his answer was: “Because it was there�. When I am asked why it was so important for us to create IFMSA in 1951, my answer is: “Because it was not there�. After the enthusiastic international spirit the dominated the world immediately after WWII, which saw the creation of the International Union of Students (IUS) headquartered in Prague, came the Cold War, of which IUS was one of the first victims. The members of the medical student council at Charles University in Prague, which had established close contact with the medical student council at the University of Copenhagen, received long jail sentences for just being active figures among medical students, with an openness for international contacts – as active as members of IFMSA are today. The IUS broke down into competing fac-

64

tions supported by KGB and CIA respectively.

But we felt an urgent need for international contacts after growing up in a war-torn Europe, and we felt that we should be able to develop such contacts on a purely professional basis without political overtones.

We expected that the newly established WHO would be interested in supporting international exchange among future doctors, but received the message that this would require us to formalise the international collaboration between medical student associations. So the establishment of IFMSA became a necessity.

What do you consider to be the biggest achievement of IFMSA?

The IFMSA stayed out of Cold War politics in its early years, in an extremely polarised world, by maintaining its focus without political bias on the need for future doctors to learn, by personal experience, about the outside world and the global challenges to health care systems and individual doctors. The early integration of German medical students in the activities of IFMSA was a demonstration of this nonpolitical approach: I had grown up

(Above) 1950: First dissection course for 30 Danish medical students in Paris in the summer of 1950. Dr Erik Holst is to the right with a fellow student from Aarhus University, Mogens Kirketerp, to the left. (Photo courtesy of Dr Erik Holst) in a country which suffered German military occupation for five years during WWII. But my successor as president of IFMSA, elected at the second GA in ZĂźrich in 1953, was a German medical student from Cologne, the late Dr. Erwin Odenbach, whom I later often met in connection with international co-operation among national medical associations.

What do you think is the most special thing about IFMSA?

That IFMSA has managed to develop in a way that keeps attracting medical student from all over the world to spend time, energy, and enthusiasm on extracurricular activities with an international perspective, in spite of the heavy curriculum demands on them.

Did IFMSA change your life?

If so, how?

The work in IMCC and IFMSA taught me that a lot of things are possible if you really put your mind to it. It taught me to work strategically towards long term goals that might from the outset seem impossible.

I used this know-how in my aca-

(Left) 1952: Jorgen Falck Larsen.

Photo courtesy of Dr Jorgen Falck Larsen

Jørgen Fal Larsen

demic as well as in my professional organisational career – and eventually in the global fight for victims of torture, in which I am still actively engaged.

deeply impressed by what IFMSA has become.

What will you remember the most about IFMSA?

We were of course amateurs, without organisational training of any kind, and we had no e-mail, internet or even fax – not to speak of conference calls or Skype. An early issue was the need to establish short telegram addresses to save money in the exchange of the inevitable last minute communications involved in sending even a single student abroad. And I still wonder how we were able to meet regularly in spite of the tight budgets of student organisations and the general suspicion among our more home-grown colleagues that we mainly did these things for our own benefit.

The readiness of people to roll up their sleeves, push other concerns aside, and get cracking at solving all the little practical problems associated with moving fellow medical student around the world in a purposeful way.

If you had one thing to say to current and future members, what would it be?

Carry on the good work – it is a reward in itself in the long run. I am

Involvement in IFMSA:

First Secretary General for the term 1953-1954

How did you become involved within IFMSA?

In 1950, I passed the preliminary test for medical study at the University of Copenhagen (Denmark) and was ready for my anatomy lectures. There was a lack of dissection material in Denmark. The class before had managed to have a dissection course in Paris during 1950 sponsored by the Danish state. Erik Holst had organised that together with Michel Bourquelot, a medical student at École de Médicin in Paris.

The medical student councils of the two Danish universities (Copenha-

What was it like in IFMSA before the internet came along?

gen and Aarhus) afterwards founded a national committee, IMCC (International Cooperation Committee) to take the responsibility for similar activities in the future.

Our class wanted to go to France also. It was not possible to have the course in Paris, but the next dissection course was arranged during the summer 1951 in Strasbourg in Alsace, France. I got involved in IMCC and became tour leader.

Erik Holst had been working on the idea of an international organisation for professional cooperation and exchange of medical students. There had been meetings between European medical student representatives in Paris and Lille. Also, there

65

had been preliminary contacts to WHO and WMA. Very important was the support of the British Medical Student Association and its president Rex Crossley.

The Finnish student representative at the Paris meeting, Ralf Gräsbeck, said in his dinner speech at the 50th Anniversary Gala Dinner that the IFMSA was conceived in Paris in December 1950.

But the IFMSA was born in Copenhagen in the summer of 1951, at a meeting called by IMCC. It took place in the headquarters of the Danish Medical Association, Domus Medica in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Eight countries were represented at that initial meeting: Austria, Denmark, Finland, Great Britain, The Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and West Germany. A decision was made to create a formal framework for our collaboration and to concentrate on three main issues: Professional Medical Student Exchange, Medical Education and Students’ Health.

A Provisional Directing Body was set up with Rex Crossley, Great Britain as Chairman.

A very important decision was made: To delegate the initiative and development of the different activities of the organisation to the medical students in different countries.

The concept of the Standing Committees was conceived.

IMCC was tasked with establishing a General Secretariat in Copenhagen.

After the meeting IMCC asked me –

66

to my surprise – to be General Secretary and take responsibility for the function of the secretariat.

What do you consider to be your biggest achievement in IFMSA?

Perhaps I played the role as a neonatologist. IFMSA was born in Copenhagen as a very weak baby. Now it was up to the Provisional Directing Body and the General Secretary to secure the future of IFMSA. One of the most important tasks was to prepare a draft for a Constitution and to call for the Constituent General Assembly in London in 1952. It was complicated in these days. The Internet and e-mails did not exist. We had to communicate via traditional mail and every problem took days or weeks to solve.

Finally, it was decided that I should travel to London in November 1951 to discuss the draft with the British Medical Student Association (BMSA) people. We had a successful meeting, and a final draft was then ready for the General Assembly in December 1951. I made an extra trip to Dublin and convinced the Irish Medical Students to join IFMSA. Fortunately, the First General Assembly was a success, and the IFMSA was founded. Erik Holst was elected as the first President, and I was formally elected as General Secretary.

Now, I had the responsibility for the organisation and preparation of the following Executive Board Meetings

and General Assemblies in cooperation with the local Medical Student Associations. I had excellent cooperation with the Swiss Medical Students in Zürich and the President, Erik Holst (Denmark), in 1953, and the Italian Medical Students and the President Erwin Odenbach (Germany) in Rome 1954.

After the General Assembly in Rome, I had to give up my IFMSA activities to concentrate on my medical studies, but IMCC kept the General Secretariat, and Ernst Goldschmidt took over my position.

What do you think is the most special thing about IFMSA?

I am impressed by the global development of the cooperation of medical students. I believe that it contributes to understanding and peace in the world.

Did IFMSA change your life? if so, how?

My work in IFMSA stimulated my interest for international cooperation. As Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University of Copenhagen, I organised to collaborate within the European Union.

Later, I became a member of the Executive Board of the International Federation of Gynaecologists and Obstetricians (FIGO) and became President of the International Congress of Gynaecology and Obstetrics in Copenhagen in 1997.

Further, my experiences from IFMSA have been very useful in my professional life. Firstly I was Chair-

man of the Young Doctors’ Association, then I had the task to create a new university department, finally I was elected Dean of the Faculty of Health, which was a fusion of the Faculty of Heath and the School of Dentistry.

What will you remember the most about IFMSA?

My time in IFMSA took place only 6-7 years after the Second World War ended. Parts of Europe were still in ruins and the frontiers were

Leena Iso o (nee Rahola)

Involvement in IFMSA

Secretary General 1971-1973, also an IFMSA Honorary Life Member

How did you become involved within IFMSA?

It just happened: I worked in Helsinki during the summers, and someone asked me to act as the local exchange officer for the summer.

Next year I was elected as the EO for Helsinki, the year after Chairman for FiMSIC. Those were the politically active years of the late 60s. My first IFMSA meeting was a Winter meeting in Chur, Switzerland, where I was the shy quiet observer. Then at the summer GA in Berlin, many national organizations (including Germany and Britain) were shaking. Denmark had hosted the Secretariat efficiently for many years, but

just about to be open up. In this situation it was wonderful to establish connection and exchange between medical students from different countries.

sonnel in the less developed parts of the world.

If you had one thing to say to current and future members, what would it be?

The IFMSA was born long before the internet was established. We did not even have telefax. The communications were done by ordinary mail, which was slow, expensive and unreliable. Neither did we had any effective photocopy units. So we were working with carbon paper copies.

The medical students are the upcoming doctors of the World. They have a special obligation to promote public health in the world and to support the training of health perfor reasons unknown to me did not want to continue, and Britain took over. The next winter meeting was in Iceland, and I do not remember much from it. Then, in early 1971 I received a letter from the President asking for Finland (or any other member as I assumed then) to consider taking over the secretariat.

The GA was in Paris, and obviously we were the only ones prepared for the secretariat. So I was elected to be the Secretary General, and Timo Nors became the Treasurer. I continued until summer 1973, when Bengt Lindström from Finland took over. The Presidents were from Denmark: Peter Alex Frandsen and Mogens Huttel.

What do you consider to be your biggest achievement in IFMSA?

The small but eager team in Finland gave support to the President and the Officers, and together we managed to keep IFMSA together during

What was it like in IFMSA before the internet came along?

(Above) 1973: Leena Rahola (right) in Finnish national costume at an IFMSA GA. Photo courtesy of Leena Isotalo. h “ ” those “crazy years”

Did IFMSA change your life? if so, how?

Yes indeed: due to my contacts in Finland through FiMSIC and IFMSA, I was asked to start an exchange program in Nigeria, and altogether I worked in northern Nigeria for 4 years on two occasions. In between I started my paediatric stud-

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ies. During my second two years in Nigeria I met my Finnish husband, who worked there as an engineer.

We were married in 1985 and have two children. Later I have worked as a community pediatrician in Vantaa, next to Helsinki, and retired 2009. I have visited Africa several times to assess projects. We have spent a year in Pakistan when my son was a baby, and in the States 2 years when my daughter was small.

My husband was working there, I cared for the children and did some project work.

What will you remember the most about IFMSA?

We were a group of enthusiastic and capable young people, really international, kept politics out of meetings and representatives of Lebanon, Israel and Egypt could easily sit around the same table. Winter meetings and GAs were great fun, and the slow travelling with boats, trains (without cabins) and so called student flights did not reduce the fun.

If you'd have one thing to say to current and future mem-

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bers, what would it be?

Keep in touch with your IFMSA friends, try to make a truly international career – this is what I was hoping to do, but achieved only partly.

What was it like in IFMSA before internet came along?

In the early 70s we could not imagine the future with PCs, mobile phones and the lot. We had a parttime employed secretary in our secretariat – also a student, who typed letters with a typewriter, and took a carbon copy. We created monthly newsletters (what news and where from, I don’t have a clue), typed into wax and blueprinted, and the copies were put together often by the secretary and myself, and then we carried the 20-30 big envelopes by tram to the main post office.

I do not remember making more than a few international phone calls during my two years in IFMSA. Our office was one corner of the office of Helsinki Medical Student quarters. The Executive Board met a few times in between the winter meetings and GAs, mostly in Copenhagen.

Segun T. Dawodu

travel plus the GA registration fee for one representative from Africa per year. This year, he is covering everything for 2 students. He was also very active in his region.

Role in IFMSA

How did you become involved within IFMSA?

Dr Dawodu established Dr Dawodu Award, which covers all costs of

Once we were in Aarhus, northern Denmark, probably late November.

I was to fly to Copenhagen, take a train to Stockholm and then a boat to Finland. My Danish friends took me to the airport bus and left. Just afterwards we were told that due to a storm, the flight was cancelled.

The airline office was closed, I could not reach the Danes and had little money. Someone in the bus knew that we could reach a train, which at that time crossed the sea on the way to Copenhagen, when we had to exit the train. The train was crowded and I remember sitting on the boat on my little suitcase (they were always hard at the time) for several hours in the middle of the night in a heavy storm. We reached Copenhagen 12 hours after my train had left, and so I was again 12 hours late in Stockholm, but could exchange my ticket to another boat, and had time to call my parents (probably from a booth at the main railway station) and ask them to phone my employer (I did not carry that number or it was out of office hours) that I was going to be late for work. Safe and tired home, I was ready for the next trip, after writing minutes of the meeting, of course, and sending the material for the next one.

My first contact with IFMSA activities was as a member of the University of Ibadan Medical Students’ Association (a member association of the Nigeria Medical Students’ Association) as a local representative of the Standing Committee on Students Exchange in about 1981. Later that year, in August, I attended my first

GA as an observer in Katoomba, Australia where Peter Lee was elected President of IFMSA. And later, as a leader of my NMO, I attended the August 1982 GA in Schloss Wartensee, Switzerland (during which Bruce Waters of Zimbabwe was elected IFMSA President). I also attended the March 1983 EOM (Exchange Officers’ Meeting) in Bad Munster am Stein in West Germany and the August 1983 GA in L’Aquila, Italy where I contested the IFMSA Presidency (along with Bruce Waters and another lady from Sweden, who won the election).

What do you consider to be your biggest achievement in IFMSA?

In the mid-eighties, the main issues in the world were the apartheid system in South Africa and the famine and refugee issues in Ethiopia. I moved a motion that led to a temporary ex-communication of SAMSA, towards forcing SAMSA along with IFMSA to take a more positive stand against the Apartheid policy in South Africa at that point in time.

I had also encouraged the IFMSA to be involved in addressing issues pertaining to refugee problems in the world, and encouraged a “onedollar” campaign in which medical students around the world could have contributed towards helping the refugees. This was before Bob Geldorf’s Band Aid and Quincy Jones/Michael Jackson’s efforts in this regard. I was also involved in advocacy for improvement of the medical school curriculum and the rights of medical students in France and Poland.

At the local level, I was instrumental in encouraging students from other parts of the world to do their electives in Nigeria.

(Left) 2011: A current photo of Dr Dawodu.

Photo courtesy of Dr Dawodu

What do you think is IFMSA's biggest achievement?

IFMSA’S biggest achievement over the last 60 years has been its ability to bring together in harmony medical students from all over the world under one umbrella, for a great purpose in harnessing their inherent skills and diversity among its membership as contribution to issues that are global to healthcare delivery.

Did IFMSA change your life?

If so, how?

My involvement in IFMSA made a huge impact to my life and set the tone to my current achievements in life. During my time in IFMSA, there was no internet, no CNN or international cable news and no cellular phones. Even land line phones were very difficult to come by in some parts of the world. Therefore IFMSA gave me the opportunities to see the world, interact with my peers from all over the world and also gave me the opportunity to have a high level of confidence that comes from participating in IFMSA activities, giving speeches, involvement in project planning/implementation and debating/understanding issues facing the world. Above all, I had opportunities of having friends with whom I still communicate. In the early days it was mainly by writing letters (there were neither emails

nor faxes then).

What will you remember the most about IFMSA?

The best memory about IFMSA during my time was the camaraderie that existed between all the students from most parts of the world without having any bias, and being able to do things together without bitterness.

Because we were not that many in number as it is today, we were able to interact more with one another and have a better understanding of ourselves that enabled things to be quickly and better accomplished outside the GA despite the constraints in the speed of communication.

If you had one thing to say to current and future members, what would it be?

The opportunity and the experience gained in networking and participat-

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ing in IFMSA is golden, and of immense value, not just for this moment but also for the future.

Therefore, every opportunity to serve in IFMSA is not just an opportunity to contribute to issues affecting healthcare globally but also opportunities in self development that will come in handy in future as it has been for me.

What was it like in IFMSA before internet came along?

During my time in IFMSA, there was no internet, no international cable news, no fax, no cellular phone network, and therefore, a higher level of commitment in implementing IFMSA decisions was required. Because of the level of friendship that existed among us, it was not unusual for an

Because of a high level commitment from all of us, regular letters (just like today’s emails) were often exchanged. For exchange students, early preparation and exchange of information with pictures were often mandatorily sent months be-

Lawrence Loh

ings and during the informal parties and social events.

Involvement in IFMSA: RC Americas 2004-2006

How did you become involved within IFMSA?

I became involved in IFMSA in 2003 as the co-chair for the OC trying to organise the AM 2004 meeting in Canada. I was at once impressed by the opportunity to meet so many people from all over the world and learn about different cultures; I was also impressed by the kind of knowledge and information exchange that happened both around formal meet-

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official of a neighboring NMO to visit another NMO to help in participating in IFMSA activities. There was also a high level of commitment from all in ensuring that information is sent out by ordinary mail as early as possible, but it was normal to also send information to the IFMSA Secretariat which was then under Andreas in Vienna, Austria. A regular newsletter in this regard helped often, including news items and updated information about all GA participants, to enable a continued line of communication between us.

What do you consider to be your biggest achievement in IFMSA?

I had a number of achievements but the one I was most proud of was developing a coherent PAMSA culture.

During my two years as the RC of PAMSA I really tried hard to take on initiatives that would make PAMSA a unique region with IFMSA. Even today I think that PAMSA people are more than just countries "working together" in the same region - it really is a big family united by similiar culture and values.

forehand to allow adequate time for preparation, and to ensure that the right person picked up the right student at the airport for security reasons. Lack of a faster means of communication (like fax/emails), ensured that nothing was taken for granted, as everything depended on the letters between exchange officers who already knew each other from the annual Exchange Officers’ meetings in March. Where any matter of urgency should arise, such matters are often sent by Telex or Telegram to the officer’s medical school, which will now pass on the urgent message to him or her. It was at then a very efficient way to communicate an urgent message that could sometimes still take up to two days in the absence of other means, including faster mail delivery like FedEx, etc.

(Left) 2005: Lawrence Loh. Photo courtesy of Lawrence Loh.

What do you think is IFMSA's biggest achievement?

IFMSA's biggest achievement during my time was the admission of IFMSA-PS as the representative of medical students of Palestine. Also,

the inclusion of IFMSA-TW as well.

This is a world where politics and history exclude some territories such as Taiwan and Palestine where the political status is unclear. By admitting representatives, IFMSA is saying that we are all human, which I think is a far nobler cause.

Did IFMSA change your life? if so, how?

While I already had quite a worldly view before IFMSA, since I did elementary school in Canada and high school in Malaysia, participating in IFMSA opened my potential network of friends and professional

Xaviour Walker Involvement in IFMSA:

Founder of IFMSA-NZ. He also founded the World Medical Association Junior Doctors' Committee.

How did you become involved within IFMSA?

I became involved in 2006 as the NZ Medical Students Association President when we joined as Candidature Members in Serbia

What do you consider to be your biggest achievement in IFMSA?

In IFMSA specifically, it was getting the logistics of joining New Zealand to the IFMSA, and helping to put in the infrastructure and resource doc-

colleagues even further than just the single high school experience I had. I became keenly interested in all countries around the world, even just to learn basic facts about them, their current affairs and politics, and current issues, because I had friends there, and that has definitely broadened my worldview even further and changed my life.

If you had one thing to say to current and future members, what would it be?

My best advice to current and future members of IFMSA would be to be

uments, so that it would help New Zealand medical students to participate and contribute in the IFMSA in the future.

Also, during the IFMSA Asia-Pacific Regional Meeting in Japan, I first discussed about forming a junior doctors’ body that would help fill the gap between the IFMSA and the World Medical Association (WMA), with Ahmed Ali, IFMSA President 2006. This eventuated in forming the Junior Doctors Network of the WMA in 2010 after a group effort of IFMSA members, alumni and other junior doctors.

Did IFMSA change your life? if so, how?

Yes. Through IFMSA I met many people around the world and became more inspired in global health. I am currently training in the USA and have focused my training towards

social; everyone is a student, and no one is better or worse or smarter or stupider than anyone. We are all here to learn and this is where you get learning that you won't get from textbooks and clinical courses. Here is where you'll learn firsthand about other cultures, religions, beliefs, values, and above all, that humans are humans no matter where you come from. So go on, talk to people, party with people. Work together, play together, plan together, sing together. In the end, the friends are the most important thing you'll leave IFMSA with.

developing skills for improving global health in some way.

What will you remember the most about IFMSA?

Friends. There is no organization I have ever been a part of that has made the world feel so small. To meet so many good friends from all around the world who share in the common language of medicine and are passionate about helping improve health is something special.

If had one thing to say to current and future members, what would it be?

Be passionate and enjoy the experience. In looking long term, think of ways that projects or the IFMSA can work to sustain what it is doing, as being students, continuity can be difficult.

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Li of Members Full Members Armenia (AMSP) Australia (AMSA) Austria (AMSA) Azerbaijan (AzerMDS) Bahrain (IFMSA-BH) Bolivia (IFMSA Bolivia) Bosnia and Herzegovina (BoHeMSA) Brazil (DENEM) Bulgaria (AMSB) Burkina Faso (AEM) Burundi (ABEM) Canada (CFMS) Chile (IFMSA-Chile) Colombia (ASCEMCOL) Costa Rica (ACEM) Croatia (CroMSIC) Czech Republic (IFMSA CZ) Denmark (IMCC) Ecuador (IFMSA-Ecuador) Egypt (IFMSA - Egypt) El Salvador (IFMSA El Salvador) Estonia (EstMSA) Ethiopia (EMSA) Finland (FiMSIC) France (ANEMF) Germany (BVMD) Ghana (FGMSA) Greece (HelMSIC)

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Grenada (IFMSA - Grenada) Hungary (HuMSIRC) Iceland (IMSIC) Indonesia (CIMSA-ISMKI) Israel (FIMS) Italy (SISM) Jamaica (JAMSA) Japan (IFMSA-Japan) Jordan (IFMSA – Jo) Kuwait (KuMSA) Kyrgyzstan (MSPA Kyrgyzstan) Latvia (LaMSA Latvia) Lebanon (LeMSIC) Lithuania (LiMSA) Luxembourg (ALEM) Malta (MMSA) Mexico (IFMSA-Mexico) Montenegro (MoMSIC Montenegro) Mozambique (IFMSAMozambique) Nepal (NMSS) New Zealand (NZMSA) Nigeria (NiMSA) Norway (NMSA) Oman (SQU – MSG) Pakistan (IFMSA-Pakistan) Palestine (IFMSA-Palestine) Panama (IFMSA-Panama) Peru (IFMSA Peru) Philippines (AMSA-Philippines) Poland (IFMSA-Poland)

Portugal (PorMSIC) Romania (FASMR) Russian Federation (HCCM) Rwanda (MEDSAR) Saudi Arabia (IFMSA-Saudi Arabia) Serbia (IFMSA-Serbia) Slovakia (SloMSA) Slovenia (SloMSIC) South Africa (SAMSA) Spain (IFMSA-Spain) Sudan (MedSIN-Sudan) Sweden (IFMSA-Sweden) Switzerland (Swimsa) Taiwan (IFMSA-Taiwan) Thailand (IFMSA-Thailand) The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (MMSA-Macedonia) The Netherlands (IFMSA-The Netherlands) Tunisia (ASSOCIA-MED) Turkey (TurkMSIC) United Arab Emirates (EMSS) United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (MedsinUK) United States of America (AMSA -USA)

Associate Members

Candidate Members

Bosnia and Herzegovina - Rep. of Srpska (SaMSIC) Brazil (IFMSA Brazil) Canada-Quebec (IFMSA-Quebec) Catalonia - Spain (AECS) Hong Kong (AMSAHK) Peru (APEMH) Tatarstan-Russia (TaMSATatarstan)

Algeria (Le Souk) Argentina (IFMSA-Argentina) Bangladesh (BMSS) China (IFMSA-China) Egypt (EMSA) Georgia (GYMU) Iran (IFMSA - Iran) Iraq (IFMSA-Iraq/Kurdistan) Kenya (MSAKE) Korea (KMSA) Libya (LMSA) Malaysia (SMMAMS) Mongolia (MMLA) Paraguay (IFMSA-Paraguay)

Uganda (FUMSA) Venezuela (FEVESOCEM)

Key: denotes states with at least one Full NMO denotes states with at least one Associate or Candidate NMO denotes states without any NMOs

73 7 3

Li of Abbreviations AM: August Meeting CCC: Constitution Credential Committee COTE: Committee on Transatlantic Exchange

LORP: Local Officer for Human Rights and Peace

NOME: National Officer for Medical Education

LOSO: Liaison Officer to Student Organizations

NORA: National Officer for Reproductive Health including AIDS

LPO: Local Public Health Officer

NORE: National Officer for Research Exchange

EB: Executive Board LTP: Leadership Training Program MM: March Meeting

NORP: National Officer for Human Rights and Peace

NEO: National Exchange Officer

NPO: National Public Health Of-

EOM: Exchange Officers’ Meeting GA: General Assembly IFMSA: International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations LEO: Local Exchange Officer LO: Liaison Officer LOME: Local Officer for Medical Education LORA: Local Officer for Reproductive Health including AIDS LORE: Local Officer for Research Exchange LORMA: Liaison Officer to Research and Medical Associations

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(Right) 2009: SCOPH participants at the August Meeting in Ohrid, Macedonia.

(Left) 2011: Members of the IFMSA Team of Officials 2010/2011 at the March Meeting.

Photo courtesy of Mirjana Spasojevic, IFMSA LOSO.

Reproductive Health including AIDS SCORE: Standing Committee on Research Exchange SCORP: Standing Committee on Human Rights and Peace SCOSH: Standing Committee on Student Health SWG: Small Working Group TO: Team of Officials TOM: Team of Officials’ Meeting

ficer NMO: National Member Organization

SCOPE: Standing Committee on SC S COP OPE S t di C ittt Professional Exchange

VPE: Vice President for External Affairs

SCOPH: Standing Committee on Public Health

VPI: Vice President for Internal Affairs

SCOR: Standing Committee on Refugees

WHO: World Health Organization

RC: Regional Coordinator RVP: Regional Vice-President SCOAS: Standing Committee on AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Diseases SCOEE: Standing Committee on Electives Exchange SCOME: Standing Committee on Medical Education SCOMF: Standing Committee on Medical Films SCOP: Standing Committee on Health SCOPA: Standing Committee on Population Activities

SCORA: Standing Committee on

WMA: World Medical Association

(Left) 2005: Delegates at the August Meeting in Hurghada, Egypt. Photo courtesy of Lawrence Loh, RC Americas 2004-2006 75 7 5

IFMSA General Secretariat c/o WMA B.P. 63, 01212 Ferney-Voltaire, CEDEX-FRANCE Phone: +33 (450) 04 47 59 - Fax: +33 (450) 40 59 37 Email: gs@ifmsa.org - Web: www.ifmsa.org