A message from the Regional Director
Dear Americas’ Family, After the amazing experience we had during the RM18 in Asuncion, Paraguay, this is the document were you will find the summary of the meeting itself, and also our plan forward. As you all know the Americas Regional Meeting is the main platform of Capacity Building and discussions in our beloved region. After tirelessly nights and meetings with the regional team, organizing committee and effort from all our members, the event was done, and it definitely fulfilled our expectations successfully. Overall, we had the presence of almost 20 NMOs, sessions for all the standing committees, presidents, and for first time, alumni sessions. During this RM, we had the chance to work hard in different areas that our region need to focus, showing to our members, our progress in fields such as external representation, advocacy, policy making, internal development, regional collaboration, involvement, programs enrollment and much more. If there is a main conclusion from the Americas Regional Meeting 2018, is that we achieve the high level goals we wanted to achieve at the beginning and that we are ready to follow up on them in every single member in the region. Thus, I hope you enjoy this report and use it as a tool to empower yourself and your national organizations to build a better IFMSA.
Love Fabrizzio Canaval IFMSA Regional Director for The Americas 2016/2018
Americas Regional Meeting 2018 at one glance
Americas Region
29 19
National Member Organizations (NMOs) NMOs represented at AmRM 2018
190
Participants
Pre-Regional Meeting
87 • • • •
Participants trained
6
Workshops
Approval of the annual working plans for collaboration between the region and other students’ organizations Internal Operative Guidelines updates including external representation steps, alumni involvement, and strategic plan follow up. Approval of the Americas Region Strategy 2018-2020. 78% of participants reported to be "satisfied" or “very satisfied” with the session facilitation.
Americas’ Regional Team
Picture: Americas Team, from left to right
• • • • • •
Ivan Fabrizzio Canaval Díaz, Regional Director for The Americas Iara Porro Delgado, General Assistant Leonardo Guimares, Involvement Assistant Manuel Mendive Espalter, Internal Development Assistant Mayara Secco, External Representation and Policy Making Assistant Juan Camilo Londoño, Capacity Building Regional Assistant
• • • • • •
Larry Leiva, SCOPE Regional Assistant Erwin Barboza, SCORE Regional Assistant Gabriela Cipriano, SCORA Regional Assistant Juan Sebastian Valderrama, SCOPH Regioanl Assistant Jose Espino, SCORP Regional Assistant Ximena Paredes, SCOME Regional Assistant
AmRM Organizing Committee
• • • • • • • •
Chair: Luana Ocariz Vice Chair: Ernesto Caballero Treasurer: Pamela Duarte Logistic: Claudia Urquhart Catering: Lorena Gauto Social Program: Marcelo Rojas Materials: Sabina Godek Registration and Visas: Erwin Barboza
• • • • • •
Accomodation: Nair Pont - Aurelia Balletbo Social Media: José Ortiz - Rocío Villalba Venue: Pamela Venialgo PostRM: Carlos Ojeda PreRM: Betsabé Insfrán Theme Event: Pedro León
Table of Contents 1. Pre-Regional Meeting Workshops
6
2. Capacity Building Sessions
11
3. Standing Committee and Presidents’ Sessions
17
4. Join Sessions
26
5. Theme Event
30
6. Activities/Poster Presentation & Activities Fair
31
7. PAHO/Ethnicity and Health session
32
8. Other Sessions
33
9. The RM in numbers
36
Pre-Regional Meeting Workshops
8
Training New Human Rights Trainers Participants
6 Countries
This unique TNHRT, apart from providing the participants with Facilitators basic core knowledge about the human rights, and other important Jose Espino SCORP related topics in order to prepare them to become SCORP RA for The Americas advocates for human rights in their community, it also trained the Sabina Godek participants in managing disasters both in theory and in practice. NORP Assistant IFMSA-Paraguay The main topics of this TNHRT such as Basic Human rights, Right to Health, Peace and Conflict and Medical Ethics allowed to Alexandre Welikow sensibilize and build a solid base of knowledge that will allow the External new HRTs to be more compassionate health workers, aware of the ethics and rights of the patient in the future. Topics such as Juan Pablo Carriรณn Presentation, Communication Skills, Project management and TSD-D AEMPPI Ecuador Agenda Setting had the purpose of giving the future trainers tools they needed in order to share the acquired knowledge as trainers, by proposing new projects that will improve their NMOs as well as their local communities. Created eight potential HRTs in 6 different NMOs around Latin America. (Graduation Training) Motivated and empowered the participants to make new SCORP related projects in order to help their local communities. (Asking NORPS about the increase in the number of projects in the 6 NMOs) Taught the participants how to report and manage a disaster. (Disaster Medicine Final Test [Preformed already]) Provided the participants with important tools such as presentation and communication skills in order to share their knowledge in their NMOs. (Graduation Training)
Photo: Training New Human Rights Trainers workshop participants
8
Women’s Reproductive Health and Access to Safe Abortion Participants
Background: The highest [regional] unsafe abortion rate (31) is in the Latin America and the Caribbean Region and it is only marginally lower (28) in the Africa Region. Because of this heartbreaking numbers, the Americas are an ideal region for raising awareness and advocacy among our members for the reproductive health and rights of women and adolescent girls, mostly of focused on access to safe abortion.
4 Countries
Facilitators Gabriela Cipriano SCORA RA for The Americas
David Imbago Former GA for The Americas
Goals: - Provide the participants a training on access to safe abortion in order to raise awareness and for them to become advocates - Show the participants the different barriers women face when they want to have an abortion but also how the participants, as future health care providers, can help minimize those gaps - Present the participants with up to date statistics and information on unsafe abortion and the necessary skills and tools to address the barriers and inequities. - Train the participants so they can carry out on their own other peer education spaces such as the Ipas Workshop in their own countries so we have more advocates on the field. - Four peer education spaces on access to safe abortion in Peru, Colombia, Honduras and Argentina and two regional projects for September 28th: The follow up will be by constant communication with trainers and sharing of relevant information through whatsapp and email. I have volunteered myself to provide all tools and opportunities necessary for these activities to be done and have the best impact.
Photo: Women’s reproductive health and access to safe abortion workshop participants
6
Advanced Medical Education Training Participants
4 Countries
Facilitators AMET covers advanced topics for those who already have Ximena Paredes experienced in medical education and at the same time gives them SCOME RA for The Americas the opportunity to further explore and understand student advocacy on a deeper level as decision makers and part of the medical Pablo Estrella SCOME D education chain, which is the core of the Standing Committee on Medical Education. By attending AMET, participants should expect Renzo Pahuacho to be able to implement their own Medical Education plans on the TMET Trainer. IFMSA-Peru local, national and international level as well as IFMSA’s adopted policy documents. Furthermore, by setting quality standards to the AMET workshop, the participants will transpose it to their work and activities their implementing. This workshop provides a step forward to achieving the soon will be adopted SCOME annual working plan as well as the IFMSA themes mentioned in its strategic plan (Impact, Relevance, and Sustainability).
Goals: Enable participants to 1. Play an active role in education processes 2. Make informed decisions as partners in the educational processes. 3. Represent their organization towards faculties and national organizations. 4. Pass on their knowledge in Medical Education. Participants have created an outline at the end of the workshop, to guide them which basic steps are they expected to accomplish after finishing the workshop, such as approaching their school authorities, make a status evaluation of their school with needs and opportunities and help other IFMSAians to achieve high level advocacy goals. SCOME International Team will help to track the participants and help them get in contact with National Officers and/or create their own activities. An evaluation form will be used to track the impact of the workshop and to use it for future AMETs.
Photo: Advanced Medical Education Training workshop participants
10
Leadership, Empowerment, Advocacy and Development (LEAD) Participants
LEAD is an innovative 3 day workshop directed to IFMSA national and regional leaders. It is based on working on 4 main streams of skills (Leadership skills, Empowerment of members, Advocacy and Development of LCs & NMOs) in order to improve the capacity of those members in leading their local committees and NMOs. A similar workshop was successfully implemented at the RM2016 and 18, and in a regional SRT providing our LEADers, the information and capacity building they need to lead the region and IFMSA we want
7 Countries
Facilitators Fabrizzio Canaval RD for The Americas
Iara Porro GA for the Americas
Juan Valderrama SCOPH RA
The goals of the workshop were: To strengthen NMO leadership within IFMSA Empower NMO leaders in decision making, conflict & team Management, project management, external Representation. To learn advocacy skills and strategies with a focus on local and national level. To provide tools to help develop new and experienced NMOs, based on productive and effective needs assessments, strategy, capacity building, and productive management. . Participants started strategic planning on projects to be carried out within their countries. Empowered participants willing to improve their leading roles within their NMO. Participants able to look for external representation opportunities in their countries applying their advocacy skills learned during the workshop. Strengthening of NMOs that know their needs and work on them through strategic plannings, capacity building and productive management. Follow up: Each coordinator is in charge of monitoring the projects proposed by the participants during the training.
Photo: LEAD workshop participants
8
Training New Exchanges Trainers Participants
4 Countries
The TNET workshop consists of 3 working days, containing Facilitators presentations and interactive sessions covering general topics Larry Leiva tailored to the participants’ needs such as soft skills trainings as SCOPE RA well as specific topics related to exchanges. The participants Erwin Barboza themselves are involved in shaping the sessions and taking into SCORE RA practice what they have learned. TNET aims at expanding students’ knowledge on exchange management together with Paula Reges broadening their knowledge on important aspects of exchanges, SCOPE DA such as global health issues, ethics and academic quality within exchanges. Furthermore, it strives to create trainers specifically Juan Pablo Carrión TSD-D AEMPPI Ecuador focused on exchanges, to develop their skills in facilitating, presenting, and transferring the message to exchange officers, and most importantly to provide exchange officers with the tools and knowledge on how to train future officers on managing exchanges to improve the IFMSA exchange program all around the world. Created eight potential HRTs in 6 different NMOs around Latin America. (Graduation Training) Motivated and empowered the participants to make new SCORP related projects in order to help their local communities. (Asking NORPS about the increase in the number of projects in the 6 NMOs) Taught the participants how to report and manage a disaster. (Disaster Medicine Final Test [Preformed already]) Provided the participants with important tools such as presentation and communication skills in order to share their knowledge in their NMOs. (Graduation Training)
Photo: Training New Exchange Trainers workshop participants
Capacity Building Sessions Advocacy Participants
15
Goals: Enhance the leadership capacities of the participants Facilitators Analyse their presentation skills, communication skills and Silvia Larrea Local Training Support Division Director negotiation skills and how they can improve them. Review how to create strategies to take your team to your goals. Methods: thematic expositions, creative thinking exercises, strategic planning discussions. Evaluation: What they like the most: The exercises, the participation chances, and the topic itself What they dislike the most: The time because it was short. Everyone felt empowered and motivated to keep working on this topic. What they suggested: They want more workshops like this in the Pre-RM and the other IFMSA events Follow up: Organize an OLM with all the participants and provide them new information about the topic and then discuss it.
Photo: Advocacy training participants
9
Problem Solving Participants
Goals: The skills we wanted to teach our trainees was in effective Facilitators brainstorming, solutions aimed at short, middle and long term Juan Andres Melo National Trainings Support Division Director problems, taking everyone’s perceptions and points of view in order to elaborate inclusive solution proposals, how to negotiate with peers that have a different point of view and finally to differentiate the characteristics of the different conflict styles such as acomodators, compromisers, competers, avoiders and problem solvers. The methods we use were presenting our trainees with different case problems and to encourage them to work in groups so they can work together for effective solutions. We also made an introductory session on the different styles of problem solving and help them identify what kind of style they most identified with. Evaluation: The feedback we received was overall positive. They asked us to focus more on team building when solving problems and the applicability in NMO level, perhaps webinars to further the topics. Follow Up: Keeping a whatsapp group made to listen and discuss with the participants their experiences along their work in their LCs and NMOs regarding to this topic and see how much effective was the session and how we can improve this capacity.
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9
Leadership Skills Participants
Goals: Define the concept of leadership Identify what envolves leadership Examine the skills that every leader must develop Discuss the leadership skills that need improvement
Facilitators Marianella Martinez INORA- IFMSA-Honduras
Evaluation: The participants were asked three questions and to write their answers on a post-it. 100% of the reviews were positive and 1/3 of the participants gave recommendations to improve this session. Follow Up: I asked for their emails to send them the presentation and the information I used to prepare the session, I sent all this tools for them to facilitate this session to their fellow members.
9
Presentation skills Participants
Goals: I wanted to develop in my trainees presentation skills, overall, in Facilitators any scenario they may find themselves at. In order to do so, I Rodrigo Sanchez Iturregui made them brainstorm about the verbal component of Locla Training Support Division Director communication, and then talked briefly about the non-verbal one, dynamically involving them, to finally put into practice all in a presentation in front of everyone participating in the training. Individual feedback was given after each trainee’s presentation, by the trainer and his/her co-trainees. Evaluation: They gave 2 kinds of feedback. Before ending the session, they gave feedback to their partners, individually presenting. At the end of the session, they filled in the pizza model, drawing lines in it. Starting up from that model, and the participants’ comments, I can assure they were satisfied with the training no less than 80%. Follow Up: They have not yet been established, but planning on seeing progress about the topic individually with each trainee, via extraofficial means of communication.
Photo: Presentation skills training participants
12
Financial Management and Fundraising Participants
Goals: Create capacity on the managment of the financial sources of a project, local committee and/ or NMO Teach how to design a strategy on fundraising and closing deals with sponsors Teach essentials of legal issues due to financial managment inside a LC/NMO.
Facilitators Jorge Millan NEO IN ASCEMCOL Colombia
Carlos Coello NEO OUT. IFMSA-Mexico
Methods: Advocacy little exercises, discusion of the strategy and how they handle their financial situation in their countries, SWG on strategy making for fundraising, presentation of real life examples regarding NMO's legality matters. Evaluation: Positive things: Really useful session, necesary to know about this not only for exchanges but for the whole NMO. Follow up: Making a google drive with the presentation and the documents about the session theme. Stay in touch with each participant via email if they have any question.
Photo: Financial management and fundraising training participants
9
Strategic Planning Participants
Goals: The main goal of our training was to teach to the trainees the Facilitators concept of how can them create a strategic plan in an unspecific Alejandro Gamba NORE ASCEMCOL COlombia topic or committee, the benefits of it, the limits, and the different types of model that they can use in order to create one of it. Also, William Castillo the other part of the training was to complement the introductory LEO. IFMSA Peru part with the Impact assessment, how does it work, the benefits of its use and examples in order to have an easier way to apply it. All of this in the context of an structure but funny session in which the first part of strategic planning consist in share the theory, explain the models and create a group activity in order to apply the information learned. In the second part, it consists in the same structure but with different non real stories and comparisons in which the participants understood the concepts applied in different context and then by a group creation, they had to apply the ideas learned. Group feedback was given in both cases. Evaluation: It consists in two phases: the first one consists in a verbal feedback for each topic given during the session and the sencond one consist in the non verbal one using the pizza model. We received excellent feedback and they like a lot our training session because they learned but the enjoyed a lot (99%) Follow up: Because of the random public that was select in order to apply for the training session, I´m affraid the follow up with those participants is really complicated to develop because the training session didn´t have tools in order to do a follow up.
Photo: Stretegic planning training participants
Standing Committee and Presidents’ Sessions
25
Presidents Sessions Participants
Topics covered: Introduction to IFMSA and the americas region, IFMSA strategy 2017-2020, How to enroll activities workshop, NMO skills trainings: External representation (Policy Making) , SWG explanation: Involvement, Internal Development, Regional Collaboration, External representation, Plenary simulation, Brainstorming session: “NMO Presidents: challenges and experiences”, IOGs: What, Why and How, IOGs changes proposals, Online communication, Exchanges and financial sustainability, SWG on Regional Collaboration Report Q&A, RM 2018 candidates debates, Americas’ Strategic Plan review Q&A, Regional team plan of action: Survey, Priorities and work ahead, Advocacy training, External Representation opportunities, MoU/ToR/AWP, open space for discussions.
17 Countries
Facilitators Fabrizzio Canaval Regionao Director for The Americas
Manuel Mendive Internal Development Assistant
Iara Porro General Assistant
Leonardo Guimaraes Involvement Assistant
Mayara Secco External Representation and Policy Making assistant
Geamfran Espino Plenary chair. IFMSA-Panama
Outcomes: Increasing comprehensive knowledge of the participants about IFMSA structure in the IFMSA and the Americas region, increasing knowledge in the IFMSA and Americas Strategy, Mapping regional needs in regards of our main work areas, building capacity around external representation in the federation (advocacy and policy making), Working in effective ways to follow up in the NMOs' challenges, involved and informe the NMO presidents in the Regional Collaboration SWG of the region, increasing comprehensive knowledge about external representation in the region, which opportunities the members have and how to get involved, increasing comprehensive knowledge about our IOGs and the importance of them to build capacity in our region. All this will be follow up upon the outcomes met in the Regional Team Meeting with all the regional team.
Photo: President Sessions
27
Standing Committee on Medical Education (SCOME) Participants
Topics covered: The general topic that we talked about was the improvement of the region through the resources IFMSA provides. Like policy documents (session on policy making), activities and projects and its enrollment on IFMSA Programs (project design session and Programs 101 session), also advocacy in medical schools and student representation, and using the activities and policy documents to advocate for better education. At the end, a motivation and empowerment session to give the participants the boost to start working for their NMOs and for the region.
9 Countries
Facilitators Ximena Paredes SCOME Regional Assistant for The Americas
Pablo Estrella IFMSA SCOME Director
Ximena NuĂąez Teaching Medical Skills Program Coordinator
Patricio Caro Member IFMSA-Chile
Outcomes: Participants understood the usage of resources IFMSA provides, this was shown as activities they developed during SWGs activities during sessions. A month after the RM, me as RA, will have OLMs with NOMEs from the countries that were represented during RM, in order to see if participants took everything to their NMO and if they have been working on the activities they planned during RM.
Photo: SCOME Sessions
26
Standing Committee on Human Rights and Peace (SCORP) Participants
Topics Covered: Introduction to SCORP Human, Rights 101, Advanced Human Rights, Refugees, Migrants and IDP, LGBTIQ+, Women's Rights, Mental Health, Medical Ethics, Sustainable Development Goals and Disaster medicine Outcomes: the sessions was awesome because we chose the topics related to the regional needs to start improving our SC, also the participants were very motivated because each topic had relation to the medical training for students.Wwe made projects to develop here in the region based in IFMSA programs.
Photo: SCORP Sessions
12 Countries
Facilitators Jose Espino SCORP Regional Assistant for The Americas
Guillermo Young Delegate. IFMSA-Mexico
Tricia Scales Vice-president, IFMSA-Grenada
Juan Daniel Echeverri NORP. ASCEMCOL-Colombia
Juan Pablo carrion Delegate. AEMPPI Ecuador
32
Standing Committee on Sexual and Reproductive Health including HIV/AIDS (SCORA) Participants
Topics Covered: Comprehensive Sexuality Education, women’s sexual and reproductive health and rights vulnerability in times of crisis and disaster, sex education and the role of the medical student in the community, feminism to fight machismo, identifying GBV in a medical setup, obstetrics Violence, program Session, youth centered care with focus on HIV and establishing Regional Collaboration
14 Countries
Facilitators Gabriela Cipriano SCORA Regional Assistant for The Americas
Camila Zapata NORA ASCEMCOL-Colombia
Carlos Arian LORA IFMSA-Honduras Outocmes: Two webinars for February and March. Help the CSE group on Externals the development of their project.Women’s sexual and Gabriela Noles PAHO department of ethnicity and health reproductive health and rights vulnerability in times of crisis and disaster. Provide the information that we weren’t able to deliver due to lack of time. Sex education and the role of the medical student in the community. Groups formed for peer education on how to address SRHR within a medical setup. Feminism to fight machismo: Two webinars for February and October. Each participant made a commitment note. Identifying GBV in a medical setup: One regional activity to be enrolled in GBV program. Obstetrics Violence: Policy making on OV. Program Session: 5 new activities enrolled on SCORA related programs. Youth centered care with focus on HIV: Group formed to create infographics on how to setup comprehensive care. Establishing Regional Collaboration: Eleven collaboration groups formed.
Photo: SCORA Sessions
25
Standing Committee on Public Health (SCOPH) Participants
Topics: Introduction to SCOPH: what is SCOPH, its Mission, basic concepts of the SC. Levels of prevention: Concept of prevention and differences between 4 levels of prevention. Non communicable diseases: Risk factors, how to recognise them, and discussion on actions taken by every country. IFMSA Programs: Benefits, reasons and how to enroll. Communication and External Representation: Model of communication, Communication Gap, What is a Policy statement and the process of doing external representation. Rural Health and Universal Health Coverage: concepts of Coverage, access, and discussions on Health systems for every single country. Activity Management1: Vision, mission, goals, objectives and methods. Mental Health: Concept of Mental Healht, Mental Health and SDGs and real scenarios on Mental illness. Children's Health: Impact of the environment, stress on youths’ health, and about different solutions.
12 Countries
Facilitators Juan Sebastian Valderrama SCOPH Regional Assistant for The Americas
Michelle Houde Delegate. IFMSA-Quebec
Lemniz rodriguez Delegate. IFMSA-Panama
Bruna Schimitd NPO IFMSA-Brazil
Externals Gabriela Noles PAHO department of ethnicity and health
of unhealthy lifestyle, of the media, of
Outcomes: Increase of members engaged in SCOPH Activities --> Giving guidance and advice for these activities, as well as encouraging participants to enroll them into IFMSA programs. Increase of members running for leading roles within the SCOPH --> Motivate them to use their skills to apply for positions. Sharing knowledge learnt --> Help them out with sessions during their NGAs and other events. 3 Small working groups on Mental Health --> Monthly OLMs and constant communication with them. Increase of members attending international events --> Motivating participants to apply to attend GAs and also run for being part of Sessions Team.
Photo: SCOPH Sessions
45
Exchanges Sessions (SCOPE & SCORE) Participants
13 Countries
Topics covered: Team Building Activities: We started our Facilitators Exchanges sessions with a brief introduction and expectations Larry Leiva of the participants by themselves.Introduction/ IT Updates: The SCOPE Regional Assistant for The Americas first day was mainly focused on introducing our participants to Erwin Barboza what our professional and research exchange programs. How to SCORE Regional assistant for the Americas Activation/Regulations: It was presented a session on how to Paula Reges start an Exchange Program according to the regulations. Q&A SCOPE Development Assistant SCOPE/SCORE - GAP: Solved all doubts regarding most common processes of SCORE and SCORE, including GAP Eugenio Sanhueza NORE. IFMSA-Chile Projects development: Global Health Training: Discussion about global health education along with the PAHO External, Gabriela Gabriela Macedo Noles. Academic Quality in Exchanges: We had a presentation NEO IN IFMSA-Brazil of the 9 steps for the academic quality and how they can External implement all these in their own NMO. Promotion of exchanges: Gabriela Noles We talked with our participants about the new technologies we PAHO department of ethnicity and health have available for the promotion of our exchanges. Exchanges Fair: All NMOs represented and promote had a stand in which they could showcase their NMO’s Exchange Programs: SCOPE/SCORE Regulations Change Simulation Simulation of approving or denying a motion to modify/add/remove an article to the International Regulations. Communication and Team Management: We reminded the basic structure that Exchanges SCs have and how to work as a team. Exchange Platform: Explained how to go through the database efficiently and work in a proper way. Handover and continuity: We talked about how important is to provide a proper handover to the person succeeding the position. PRETs in the Americas: How to make a PRET, logistics, being a host of it. Outcomes: We had as outcome the involvement of the participants on the IT work; hype the knowledge on how to promote and make marketing the NMO Exchange Program throught the Exchange Fair we organized. We want to see improvement on the presentation of NMOs stands during GAs in the future. Participants also solved doubts regarding the Exchanges platform database, for what we expect to decrease the number of database related issues from the NMOs attended the session. Participant reached to be aware of the importance of improving the Academic Quality on their Exchange Program, throuhtout this we want to increase the number of academic quality tools at the national and local level. Show the importance of Global Health Education within the IFMSA Exchange Programs and promote the awareness amongst the medica students.
Photo: Exchanges Sessions
6
Alumni Session Participants
Topics Covered: • Intitutional memory • Regional Relationship and Empowerment • What can Alumni Offer to IFMSA • What can IFMSA offer to alumni? • The growth that IFMSA gave you? • Addition and presentation of IFMSA after the reform • Addition to Alumni communication channels
4 Countries
Facilitators Carlos Acosta IFMSA President
The Following are the outcomes 1. Alumni mentoring for preparation of external delegations to. • Aspect of more proximity • Benefit of experience • Function as Godparents of delegations to prepare them 2. In terms of reports • Alumni would like to receive regional reports in the servers as well • This can increase the impact of official’s activities and link them to alumni • Alumni can have a better mapping of IFMSA activities 3. Promotion • Help in things that are more impact • That the VPPRC has more marketing power and that it knows how to promote with the alumni • Promote international, regional and national events 4. Effective contacts to • Know the background of the person • Share contacts through IFMSA • How to give information about entering a master's degree • Channeling the “after IFMSA life” 5. SCOPE / SCORE exchanges to. • Link alumni interesting in hosting / beings tutors • b. Benefit of the content and knowledge of the IFMSA structure • c. SCOPH exchanges 6. Interest to. Be in more than one category ... implement different points of view and help more holistically 7. Work on policy statements together both regionally and internationally
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JOINT SESSIONS
50
SCOPH exchanges and research applicability Participants
- GAP projects, why and how to apply. - SCOPH Exchanges: why, and how to apply. Outcomes: Participants understood the usage of resources IFMSA provides, this was shown as activities they developed during SWGs activities during sessions. A month after the RM, me as RA, will have OLMs with NOMEs. People motivated to apply for SCOPH exchanges and GAP projects. Our job will be orienting participants to start up with these projects withing their own NMO and motivate them to keep applying.
Photo: SCOPH exchanges and research applicability
14 Countries
Facilitators Erwin Barboza SCORE Regional Assistant for The Americas
Juan Valderrama SCOPH Regional Assistant for The Americas
Larry Leiva SCOPE Regional Assistant for The Americas
35
Sex Education in Medical Students, their roll in their communities Participants
The specific topics we talked about were: Stadistical data on Sexual related diseases and health issues, we made strong enphasis to show how this is important to medical students. Later we introduce how to advocate, and to improve Sex Education for medical students, this was based on 3 main ideas, first, showing data of how many hours do medical students get to talk about Sex Education, second, we talked to the participants on the things we can do as medical students and how to improve our medical curricula; finally we talked about some projects and activities that are already being held around our region so they can inspire to do more.
13 Countries
Facilitators Ximena NuĂąez PC Teaching Medical Skills
Kamila Zapata NORA ASCEMCOL
Carlos Chavez LORA IFMSA-Honduras
The main outcomes were: 1. During the theory we shared the problem statement for this topic, and meaningful student involvement tools. 2. In the activity, we had the chance to see that participants were much more open to the topics than expected, and that most of their arguments are really strong to advocate in their schools. 3. During Q&A discussion we were able to share experiences, and the process you need to pass in order to get your curricula improved, without giving up.
Photo: Sex education in medical education, their roll in their communities joint session
60
Women’s sexual and reproductive health and rights vulnerability in times of crisis and disaster Participants
18 Countries
The United Nations Handbook for Estimating the Facilitators Socioeconomic and Environmental Effects of Disaster (2003) Gabriela Cipriano emphasizes that one consequence of disaster “is the SCORA Regional Assistant for The Americas decapitalization of women and the reduction of their share of Jose Espino productive activities in the formal and informal sectors.” SCORP Regional Assistant for The Americas Women are disadvantaged in two ways: “Not only do they sustain direct damages or production losses (housing and means of production), but they also (...) lose income when they have to apply themselves temporarily to unpaid emergency tasks and an increased amount of unpaid reproductive work, such as caring for their children when schools are closed (…) Such reproductive work is usually granted a lower status than paid work. (…) It is also a continuous job (…) which limits women’s mobility and can sometimes even prevent them from exercising their rights as citizens.” The topics discussed in the session were about how gender inequity affects women differently from men in the setting of disasters. We defined what a disaster is, its categorization, its consequences is. Next, we defined what gender based violence is and how disasters affect women and girls differently from men and boys. We were aiming to emphasize the importance of the medical student in this setting to take action to prevent violence towards women and girls in disasters since our region has been hit so hardly by natural disasters.
28
Bioethics and Human Rights in Medical Curriculum Participants
12 Countries
As introduction we talked about Medical ethics in general. And Facilitators afterwards, the participants were divided in 3 groups where Jose Espino they had to answer the following questions, to get input for the ISCORP Regional Assistant for The Americas SWG that is taking place in the Federation. How aware are Pablo Estrella you of bioethics? Are bioethics taught in your curriculum? IFMSA SCOME Director How/in what form or method are bioethics taught in your curriculum? How is the quality of education you received in bioethics, in your curriculum? Are human rights taught in your curriculum? How in what form or method are human rights taught in your curriculum? Do you think that the principle o bioethics and human rights should be universal in application or should be altered from region to region or country to country or according to religious principles or according to the cultural sentiment? How would you suggest or prefer to be taught about the principle of autonomy and consent? And also about confidentiality; vulnerability; discrimination; benefit and harm; right to health; organ donation. The participants proposed ways of approaching medical faculty boards in order to advocate to develop and improve ethics in their medical curriculum, like the following examples: - research papers with data on why it important and how you medical ethics can be taught in medical school - documents with data and how it will be beneficial for patients if the doctors are more prepared
35
Educational Activities for Exchange Students Participants
15 Countries
We started with the explanations about what are Educational Facilitators Activities and why they are important for the whole learning Erwin Barboza experience provided by exchanges. Then we discussed the ISCORE Regional Assistant for The Americas characteristics an activity performed with exchange students Larry Leiva should have, such as being catchy, demanding creativity, SCOPE Regional Assistant for the Americas motivation and interaction. This way, they are key-points for Ximena Paredes helping with cultural understanding, development of further SCOME Regional Assistant for the Americas skills and also important for introducing IFMSA aspects to students worldwide. After this, the participants were divided into three groups, one responsible for organizing a sketch of an activity done for students before the exchange, the second was responsible for organizing something for being done during the extension of the exchange and the third group responsible for an activity to be performed as soon as the exchange student arrives in the city. With this dynamic we aimed to have discussed concepts related within SCOPE and SCORE and also relevant aspects when dealing with the structure of an activity, using SCOMEdians background. Was really good to see all the participants involved and sharing their acknowledgement in order to have good presentation and discussions. We received a great feedback from the session, when participants were really motivated for performing what was learnt back in their NMOs and LCs.
Photo: Educational Activities for exchange students joint session
Theme Event | Mental Health Day 1: Mental disorders and mental health in medical students. Speakers: Prof. Dr Julio Torales – Professor of Psychiatry and Medical Psychology. National University of Asunción . Dr. Israel Gonzalez – Psychiatry resident at Hospital de Clínicas. National University of Asunción. In the first day, we get a little introduction about what are the most common mental disorders in general population and the importance of talking about mental health among medical students. Then, we focus in mental disorders between medical students, the causes and how to identify when someone has a mental health related issue and how to approach them. Day 2: Addictions in medical students Speakers: Prof. Dr Julio Torales – Professor of Psychiatry and Medical Psychology. National University of Asunción. Dr. Israel Gonzalez – Psychiatry resident at Hospital de Clínicas. National University of Asunción. In the second day, we talked about substances that medical students use to deal with stress and other factors that can guides to mental disorders. Statistics about alcoholism, consume of marijuana, cocaine and other drugs among medical students. At the end, we seek the better strategies to fight this addictions, the mental disorders related to and prevent worst consequences.
Photo: Theme event – Mental Health
Activities/Poster Presentation and Activities Fair Activities Presentation: BurnOut Off - IFMSA Mexico Lets chat about sex baby! - IFMSA Chile TRANSformation - IFMSA Brazil Global day of action for aacces to safe abortion - IFMSA Honduras Being positive is not negative - ASCEMCOL Colombia
5 Activities presented
1st Place: Let’s chat about sex baby! IFMSA-Chile
Photo: Let's chat about sex, baby; IFMSA Chile
Poster Presentation: National Efforts to reach SDGs
7 Activities presented
1st Place: IFMSA-Quebec 2nd Place: IFMSA-Guatemala Photo: Poster presentation at Americas Regional Meeting 2018
3rd Place: IFMSA-Peru
Activities Fair: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
There Is No Health Without Mental Health; IFMSA-Mexico Step by Step Against the Diabetes; IFMSA-Mexico BurnOut Off; IFMSA-Mexico OSMOSE; IFMSA-Quebec Let's chat about sex, baby!; IFMSA-Chile How to care for your LGBTIQ patient?; IFMSA-Brazil I Health Symposium on Neglected Populations; IFMSAQuebec TRANSformation - Widening knowledge and boundaries; IFMSA-Brazi SCOPHIncomings: Accidents with pestilent animals in a riverside community; IFMSA-Brazil Global Day of Action for Access to Safe and Legal Abortion; IFMSA-Honduras La Batida; IFMSA-Panama Zombies Hungry for Organ Donation; IFMSA-Quebec Smiles at the traffic lights; IFMSA-Argentina B(+)N(-): Being Positive is Not Negative; ASCEMCOL Red Training; ASCEMCOL 120/80; IFMSA-Mexico Cleansing Tides; IFMSA-Panama Give a smile; IFMSA-Panama
Photo: Activities Fair at Americas Regional Meeting 2018
18 Activities presented
1st Place: La Batida IFMSA-Panama 2nd Place: I health Symposium IFMSA-Brazil 3rd Place: OSMOSE IFMSA-Quebec
PAHO | Ethnicity and Health Session This session was conducted by Gabriela Noles and Venus Caballero, who work for PAHO and are currently developing works related to human rights, gender, ethnicity and health (Gabriela is at the Regional Office and Venus works in Paraguay). The session was about two-hours long, and initially covered a historical overview of the policies tackling these topics within WHO. Here, it is important to highlight the first Meeting about Indigenous Health Policy in Americas in 1993, and the 2014-2019 PAHO Strategic Plan on Gender, Equity, Human Rights and Ethnicity. They also provided us with an overview on current policies about Ethnicity and Health, and depicted some features from the Pan-American Sanitary Conference, held in 2017: 1) Adoption of Policy on Ethnicity and Health; 2) Involvement of different countries in the process; 3) 5 priority lines: a. production of evidence on the topic, including the use of qualitative methodologies, b. promotion of policy action respecting human rights, c. social participation and strategic partnerships, d. recognition of ancestral knowledge and traditional/complementary medicine, e. capacity development at all levels. Speakers pointed out some challenges ahead: deal with different ethnic populations, need for political support and to reach a consensus on the topic, as well as to enhance the protagonism of vulnerable groups. It is important to mention that PAHO is pioneering this discussion within WHO and they mentioned 2 possible paths to collaborate with IFMSA: a) through providing technical support for our work on the topic; b) put us in contact with national officers.
Photo: PAHO Ethinicity and Health Session
Other Sessions Regional Collaboration Session The Session on Regional Collaboration took place during the second working day of the Regional Meeting with the participation of around 100 delegates. The session was facilitated by members of the Small Working Group on Regional Collaboration: Arturo Escobar (IFMSA-Mexico), Bruna de Oliveira (IFMSA-Brazil), Patricia Avalos (IFMSA-Bolivia), Lena Zotova (IFMSA-Quebec) Erick Dupont (IFMSABrazil), Ernesto Caballero (IFMSA-Paraguay), Miluska Ramirez (IFMSA-Peru), Rodrigo Sanchez (IFMSA-Peru), Alicia Maldonado(IFMSA-Peru), Leonardo Guimaraes (Involvement Assistant for the Americas) and Manuel Mendive (Internal Development Assistant for the Americas). Objectives: • To involve NMO members in the elaboration of strategies as possible solutions for the main issues of the region in each one of the focus areas of the SWG on Regional Collaboration. • Empower NMO members to get involved with the Regional and International work. Dynamics: • There was an initial presentation of the SWG on Regional Collaboration explaining who we are, what we are working on and our plans ahead. • The session was divided into 4 subgroups: 1- Local Committee Development 2- Financial Management 3-Involvement 4-Publications. Members of the SWG were distributed among the different groups to help guide the discussions. • Presentation of results by each subgroup. The flipcharts that were used by each subgroup were collected and will be further analyzed by the SWG so as to help the team shape the working plan ahead according to our Region’s needs and recommendations.
Photo: Regional Collaboration Session
Opening and Closing Ceremony The openning Ceremony was an amazing momento during the first day, we had the presence of different authorities from the university, TO members, Regional Team members and the delegates waiting for it. I was held in the main theater of Pacifico's University. During the openning ceremony we had speeches from the OC chair, president of IFMSA Paraguay, IFMSA President, authotity from the university and RD Americas. We also had 2 musical numbers and a welcome cocktail in the last floor of the university with a beautiful view of Asuncion city. For the closing ceremony we had a very short moment after the IFMSA Awards, the ceremony was to give the RD an space to give a final speech to the Americas members and enocurage them to collaborate and work together in order to build a better IFMSA and a better region.
Photo: Opening Ceremony at the Americas Regional Meeting 2018
Americas Awards • Best Head of Delegation: Lenna Zotova, IFMSA-Quebec • Best Delegation: IFMSA-Quebec • Great Contribution: Geamfran Espino. IFMSA-Panama • Best SCORAngel: Marianela Martínez. IFMSA-Honduras • Best SCOREan: Richly Tran. IFMSA-Quebec • Best SCOPEan: Jorge Millán. ASCEMCOL-Colombia • Best SCORPion: Gonzalo Díaz. IFMSA-Chile. • Best SCOMEdian: Artur Carvalho. IFMSA-Brazil • Best SCOPHero: Mabel Ríos. IFMSA-Perú. • Best Trainer: Rodrigo Sanchez - IFMSA-Perú
Plenary The regional plenary moved smooth and according to the bylaws and our regulations. The presentations, presentors and processes were on time and very well regulated by the regional team. During them we voted upon important documents as the Regional Team's reports, the Annual Working Plans with external organizations and the strategic planning for the americas region 2018-2020. The plenary agenda was the following: Plenary 1: -Roll Call -Opening of the Plenary -Election fo the Plenary Team -Adoption fo the Agenda -Presentation of external opportunities for the americas region -Presentation of external documents -Activities Presentation -RM candidates
Plenary Team Geamfrn Espino Chair IFMSA Panama
Erick Torres Vice-Chair. IFMSA-Mexico
Fabiola Hurtado Secretary IFMSA-Panama
Luis Gatti Secretary-Assistant IFMSA-Paraguay
Rodrigo Sanchez Secretary-Assistant IFMSA-Paraguay
Rodrigo Isaurralde Returning Officer IFMSA-Paraguay
Juan Melo Returning Officer IFMSA-Panama
Vanessa Diaz Secretary IFMSA-Peru
Plenary 2: -Roll Call -IOGs changes proposals -Assistant's Reports -Presentation and voting on the AWPs -Voting on the RM19 host -Any other bussines -Closing
Photo: Plenary Team at the Americas Regional Meeting 2018
The Regional Meeting in numbers Evaluation processes: • Pre- and post- knowledge evaluation • Logistics evaluation
1. PRE- AND POST- KNOWLEDGE EVALUATION Background: For the first time in IFMSA we have decided to try to measure the impact we are making to our members in terms of knowledge gained during the Regional Meetings. The process itself was discussed during TOM1, and Officials agreed that they will make sure to instruct their Regional Teams to provide the questions for the Regional Meetings. Every session had its own set of questions, made by the Regional Assistants (with input from other relevant Officials). The questions were based on the agenda of specific morning session. The questions for pre and post evaluation were the same, with the addition of a couple of questions regarding logistics in the post-evaluation questionnaire.
Data collection: The form for pre-evaluation was sent 3 weeks before the meeting, with the deadline of 2 weeks to fill it out. The post-evaluation was sent 1 week after the end of the meeting, also with a 2 week deadline for completion. We received in total 149 responses for the pre-evaluation and 153 responses for the post-evaluation. One of the questions in the post-evaluation was regarding the percentage of attendance to the sessions, which was in order to make sure the consistency of their attendance and remove the participants with less than 70% attendance from the calculations. In the end, we had 119 participants who filled out both pre- and post-evaluation and satisfied all the criteria. The number based on the sessions is the following: • Presidents: 17; SCOME: 15; SCOPE&SCORE: 26; SCOPH: 19; SCORA: 24 and SCORP: 18
Data analysis: The method to analyze the data use was t test for dependent samples, since we cross-checked the responses in the pre- and post-evaluation to compare the difference. We used p<0.05, as it is usually used in research in order to prevent the coincidental results. According to it, most of the sessions have scored in the span from 0.01 to 0.05, which means that there is a statistically significant difference in knowledge before and after the regional meeting. Exchanges sessions had p of 0.082, which means that it is not included in the 95% percent, which is usually used to reject the null hypothesis.
Concusion: This data analysis shows that there is statistically significant difference in knowledge of the participants of Americas Regional Meeting 2018 in almost all the sessions. Since this is the first time an analysis like this has been done, we will wait until the end of the year to make a similar analysis on all the Regional Meetings and General Assmeblies. There are a couple of things that need to be considered: the assessment of questions asked during the evaluation; basic level of knowledge of the participants; attendance of the participants to specific sessions etc. which all influence the results of the evaluation.
2. LOGISTICS EVALUATION
Agenda and Sessions Evaluation
Agenda and sessions evaluation 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0
Session facilitation Very Dissatisfied
Agenda layout
Dissatisfied
Neutral
Satisfied
Very Satisfied
Comments: â&#x20AC;˘ Time management was not the best in some of the sessions, which cause disaturbances in the schedule â&#x20AC;˘ Participants would love the have more open spaces and free discussions. Session satisfaction
Session satisfaction 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0
Theme event I did not attend
Activities fair
Activities presentation
Very dissatisfied
Joint sessions Training sessions
Dissatisfied
Neutral
Satisfied
Plenary
Very satisfied
Logistics evaluation 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0
1
2
3
4
5
Comments: • Some of the participants had issued with following the change of plans, so recommendation is to try to communicate it better. • To be mindful of the environmental aspect of the meeting. • To make sure that the merchandise is of high quality. • To be mindful about the quality of food, in line with the healthy lifestyes.