SCOREview

Volume 2 – Number 1 – March 2010

SCOREview

Official bulletin of the IFMSA Standing Committee on Research Exchange

Research exchange experiences from around the world!

IFMSA

The mission of IFMSA

was founded in May 1951 and is run by medical students, for medical students, on a non-profit basis. IFMSA is officially recognised as a nongovernmental organisation within the United Nations’ system and has official relations with the World Health Organisation. It is the international forum for medical students, and one of the largest student organisations in the world.

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.

Imprint Editor in Chief Tanya Camilleri (Malta - MMSA) SCORE Director 2009/2010 Federica Balzarini (Italy - SISM) Editors Fareen Karachiwalla (Canada - CFMS) Ryan Massay (Jamaica - JAMSA) Navneet Singh (USA - AMSA) Ken Mendoza (Canada - CFMS) Mohammad Dahrouj (Lebanon - LeMSIC) Special thanks to Joshua Copeland (USA - AMSA) Mert Karakaya (Turkey - TurkMSIC) Sami Moubayed (Canada – IFMSA-Québec) IFMSA-Egypt Exchange team 08-09 Design/Layout Elena Tur (Russia - HCCM) Proofreading Melhim Bou Alwan, MD (Lebanon - LeMSIC)

Publisher

International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations 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

Contacts

publications@ifmsa.org Printed in Germany

SCOREview Volume 2 – Number 1 – March 2010

Word from the editor-in-chief Dear Medical Students, It is my pleasure to present to you the 2nd edition of SCOREview: the Research Bulletin of the International Federation of Medical Students’ Association.

The purpose of this bulletin is to promote IFMSA Research Exchanges, as well as to give students the opportunity to share their experiences with fellow medical students worldwide. It also offers future research exchange students a glimpse of what experiences may lie ahead, what skills and knowledge can be learnt and what they have to look forward to. It is also aimed at promoting IFMSA activities globally.

SCOREview is the result of many hours of brainstorming between National Officers of National Member Organizations (NMOs) of the IFMSA during the General Assemblies of our Federation.

The current issue is the result of long hours of dedicated work and international collaboration between medical students.

We wanted to choose articles which are as diverse as possible, from different parts of the globe, to give a complete view of the variety offered. We hope that by showing different projects from different countries, students will be able to see the differences as well as the similarities and can appreciate how vast and diverse research

is and that there is a project out there to suit everyone. We also wanted to outline the various responsibilities and outcomes from the exchanges as well as to provide some insight into travel arrangements, accommodation and arrival that might be helpful to future students. This bulletin is also a great way of showing the host countries’ appreciation for the wonderful experience they provided for the students.

Established in 1951, IFMSA is a major nonpolitical non-governmental organization working in the fields of community health and capacity building for medical students. This bulletin is an international publication, and has the potential of reaching out to over 1.2 million medical students from 95 countries on all continents. We hope that it will contribute to the higher ideal of IFMSA which is to give all future physicians a unique chance to develop cultural sensitivity and tolerance through the research experience of medical students from different backgrounds, cultures and ethnicities.

I hope you all enjoy this second issue, as well as the many more to come. We are open to all suggestions and hope to improve in future issues.

Please do not hesitate to contact the editorial staff in order to share your point of view on any aspect related to this publication.

Tanya Camilleri SCOREview Editor-in-chief

3

Word from the editor-in-chief

12

4

Word from the director

14

5

InterVIEW

6 6 8 10

Letter to medical students Benjamin Purow M.D., Assistant Professor of Clinical Neurology, Department of Neurology, University of Virginia School of Medicine.

International experience

Forensic medicine and toxicology in Greece Katharina Eibenberger (Austria - AMSA) Aeroinotherapy in Slovakia Laura Vilella Bertran (Catalonia-Spain - AECS) Study of endocarditis in Russia Lenka Rokytova (Czech Republic - IFMSA CZ)

16 18 20 22 24

26

Mapping genes in Taiwan André Santa Cruz (Portugal - PorMSIC) Study on chronic liver inflammation and carcinoma in Slovenia Carlo Davi (Italy - SISM) Neurological disease in Croatia Liliya Yausheva (Tatarstan-Russia - TAMSA-Tatarstan) Study on the role of growth hormone in Spain Alexandros Anastasiou (Greece - HelMSIC) Molecular biology in Turkey Marc Andreu Garcia Cruz (Catalonia-Spain - AECS) Healing wounds in Lebanon Michel Zeitouni (France - ANEMF) Study on asthma in Portugal Špela Dolinar (Slovenia - SloMSIC)

SCORE

3

SCOREview Volume 2 – Number 1 – March 2010

Word from the director Dear Medical Students worldwide, I am very honored to present to you the 2nd Edition of SCOREview, the publication of the Standing Committee on Research Exchange of the International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations.

The Standing Committee on Research Exchange (SCORE) was founded in 1991, during the 40th Anniversary of IFMSA. The primary mission of SCORE is to provide intensive and focused research projects, which allow medical students to expand their knowledge of specific scientific areas of their choice, while encouraging the formation of professional and social networks abroad.

The motivation of the student is the key issue to get them involved in their research program; every year they travel all over the world and, besides the cultural experience, they have the great chance to work on a specific research project.

Every year, over 1700 students attend research exchanges in a foreign institute or university through the SCORE program.

The SCORE Pre Exchange Training is the best way of helping them before starting the exchange: they can increase their knowledge, skills, motivation and awareness.

The agenda of this training could include lectures and trainings on Science Philosophy, Research Ethics, Research Planning, Basic Biostatistics, and Intercultural Learning.

4

Among SCORE activities, there is also the creation of a Calendar containing most of the international student scientific conferences around the world.

This project will compile the relevant information from a large number of conferences around the world and for the first time, put it in an accessible place so that it may be accessed by the 1.2 million medical students represented in IFMSA and anyone else interested in scientific similar pursuits.

The past years have been characterized by the development of the SCORE area and the birth of new projects. This huge implementation of activities gave us the opportunity of acquiring more credibility and awareness of the great potential of the research exchanges.

SCOREview is our key to promote our program worldwide, to evaluate our exchanges and reinforce the scientific recognition.

The students can feel protagonists, and at the same time it can be a good way of advertisement.

It gives an in-depth view into the world of research exchange, filled with differing points of view: students, teachers and national officers.

I hope you will enjoy reading this new edition, so join our program and maybe the next article will be yours!

Federica Balzarini IFMSA Director on Research Exchanges 2009/2010

www.ifmsa.org

medical students worldwide

InterVIEW

Letter to medical students For the last two summers, my neurooncology laboratory at the University of Virginia has hosted medical exchange students from the IFMSA research exchange program. While I was intially skeptical about students being able to learn or accomplish much in a 4-5 week period, my concerns proved completely unfounded.

The students have been terrific—bright, enthusiastic, and ready to learn and to do research. Students with limited previous laboratory experience have been able to learn enough to begin doing independent experiments—even important ones that are key to our work. I’ve been deeply impressed with how much science the students been able to absorb from us, and throughout their stay they have asked great questions and thought about things on their own. Our guest student from this past summer will be included as an author on a manuscript we’ll be putting together soon. The students have also had the opportunity to shadow me in my clinic, adding a clinical perspective to what they are learning and doing in the laboratory. We’ve really enjoyed having the students here because they’ve been great

Benjamin Purow M.D. Assistant Professor of Clinical Neurology, Department of Neurology, University of Virginia School of Medicine.

people who fit in well with the lab family; it’s just been a bit sad when they have to head back home… but we hold out hopes that they may return sometime.

5

International experience

SCOREview Volume 2 – Number 1 – March 2010

Forensic medicine and toxicology in Greece

Host country: Greece, University of Thessaloniki Project: Methods of analytical toxicology and clinical forensic medicine Project supervisor: Mr. Ramos Katharina Eibenberger, Medical University Vienna, Austria 5th year of study Spoken languages: German, English

My project was about Forensic Medicine and Toxicology. The major activities were watching autopsies. This was really interesting!

We learned about the mechanism of death.

Another very interesting aspect was to learn about the differences within the law systems and the procedure of the autopsies, but also the similarities. On the other hand we learned about the different drugs and their mechanisms. At first we hit some problems with one of our tutors.

Because another student at this department was not allowed to watch autopsies, but in the end everything worked out very well!

We were welcomed very nicely! And our tutor was very helpful and he did not want us to miss anything in Greece. So he told us whenever we want to go somewhere we are free to do so since we should of course explore the country!

The project was very interesting. I had never watched a forensic autopsy before, so it was very informative.

City and Country Our group consisted of 14 people. We were from Mexico, Spain, Norway, Sweden, Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, Austria and Canada.

This combination of so many different cultures was very exciting! All of us were eager to learn about the different cultures and customs.

Every weekend we decided to go away and explore Greece. So we went to Flogita, Meteora, Ouranoupolis (MT.Athos), Ioannina (Vikos Gorge, Permara Cave), Athens and Mykonos.

Preparations, travel and arrival Since Austria and Greece are members of the European Union, there was no need for a visa!

The arrival was very easy and I had no problems to go from the airport to the town by myself!

The only thing I really needed and which I could not bring from Austria was a fan! But it was no problem to find one in Thessaloniki!!!!

Stay The dormitories were very nice although I lived on the top floor and it was very hot all the time!

I managed to get a fan and then it worked out pretty fine! It was very convenient that all group members stayed at the same place! It was very easy to meet everybody and if somebody was late, it was easy to reach them! We were able to eat at a hospital near the university! The food was very simple and mostly vegetarian, I hoped for more meat! Usually we met to have dinner together at the seaside close to the white tower, which was very nice (watching the sunset, hanging out together).

We had a social program at the beginning of my stay. We met with one of the HelMSIC students to go out with a boat at Thessaloniki harbour and on the first weekend we travelled to Flogita!

During the rest of our stay we always organized our trips ourselves, but that was no problem! We always reached our destinations. At Mykonos we met some friends of mine and we went out for dancing at a nice club which was nice.

6

Angel, one of the clinical exchange students, was a real paparazzi! He took pictures of every moment of our exchange, so in the end we had more than 7 Gigabytes of photos!!!!

www.ifmsa.org

medical students worldwide

International experience

Greece Location

Southern Europe, bordering the Aegean Sea, Ionian Sea, and the Mediterranean Sea, between Albania and Turkey

Area

total: 131,940 sq km land: 130,800 sq km water: 1,140 sq km

Area-comparative

slightly smaller than Alabama

Land boundaries

total: 1,228 km border countries: Albania 282 km, Bulgaria 494 km, Turkey 206 km, Macedonia 246 km

Climate

temperate; mild, wet winters; hot, dry summers

Population

10,722,816 (July 2008 est.)

Religions

Greek Orthodox 98%, Muslim 1.3%, other 0.7%

Languages

Greek 99% (official), other 1% (includes English and French)

Capital

name: Athens geographic coordinates: 37 59 N, 23 44 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

7

International experience

SCOREview Volume 2 – Number 1 – March 2010

Aeroinotherapy in Slovakia Host country: Slovakia, University of Pavol Jozef Safarik, Kosice Project: Aeroionotherapy Project supervisor: Marek Varga, Lubomir Legath, Anton Farkas Laura Vilella Bertran, University of Barcelona - Hospital Clinic, Spain 3th year of study Spoken languages: Catalan, Spanish, English, French

8

The aim of this project is to learn some of the most important methods for the diagnosis of lung pathology as well as to get some knowledge about treatment, especially about aeroionotherapy in children. Children with bronchial asthma go to a cave (twice or three times per week) for three weeks for two hours.

They have to wear very warm clothes because it’s cold there and they are given some sleeping bags and blankets. They sleep in the cave or just lay there. The composition of the air of the cave is supposed to improve their lung function.

No conclusions have been established yet. Our schedule was perfect and the doctor spoke good English. We started working at 9 am and we usually finished at around 12:30 or 13:00.

Our tutor spent a lot of time with us every day, explaining the different techniques available to evaluate the lung function, giving us theoretical knowledge and then we could see how he performed them on the patients. Moreover, we could do some clinical work, such as physical examination, reading ECGs and spirometry results. It was very useful for my studies, as I achieved a deep knowledge about the evaluation of lung diseases and also because some of the

techniques performed in Slovakia are not yet performed in Catalonia. The only problem was that we couldn’t talk directly to the patients, as we didn’t speak Slovak. Finally, it was great to see how different Slovak hospitals were from Catalan hospitals.

City and Country Kosice is a cozy town. It has a nice town center, but the rest of the town is just buildings and more apartment buildings. There are some bars and discos; however, they aren’t very big. There is a very nice outdoor festival of electronic music.

It takes place the last Saturday of July. I strongly recommend that people go there. The contact persons were excellent. They organized some trips for us and really took care of us. All of them were great! They organized a very nice trip to the Tatras (I think it’s a must go there) on a trip called “get to know Slovakia”. I think everybody should go on this trip. The nicest things about Slovakia are the countryside and the slovak people. They’re very friendly even if a lot of people don’t speak English.

Apart from the countryside and mountains I recommend visiting at least a castle and a cave.

I also recommend going to Bratislava. All the other exchange students, from various parts of the world were awesome. Very nice people!!! I didn’t want to leave!!

Preparations, travel and arrival No visa was needed. In Kosice, there was no pick up on arrival by the contact persons. You must take your white coat, white trousers and white shoes with you. It wasn’t mandatory for me and all the people that were doing the project with me, because our doctor just asked us for the white coat, but some students, in other projects with different tutors, had to take everything. Also some American/Canadian people had trouble exchanging currency. I recommend people come prepared with some Slovak currency.

www.ifmsa.org

medical students worldwide

Stay My roommates where lovely. The student hostel was not as I imagined. Some things in the kitchen didn’t work. At first it looked a bit strange but after few days it felt like at home. The students made me feel at home and best of all is that it was located near the hospital.

longer. It is really recommended to go to Tatras and Bratislava. Take advantage of the mountains and the countryside and go to the Kosice summer festival. Eating out is not very expensive. I recommend trying the typical food as halusky, placky and pirohy. I’m still in contact with the people I met. They are adorable.

Meal coupons were provided to eat at the new hospital. The food was quite good. However, the system of marking the coupons wasn’t very convenient because we had to choose what we wanted the day before (there are three dishes).

It’s not very expensive to eat out, you can have a good meal for less than 5 Euros.

It was an excellent exchange and I strongly recommend it.

International experience

Contact persons were very helpful. They went out with us, organized plenty of things for us and helped us if we had some questions about where to buy things or about transport... They had a lot of patience! Excellent social program!!

We visited the most important places in Slovakia which was great! I specially recommend the trip “get to know Slovakia”. Kosice is very well located and public transport is quite cheap. It’s very easy to organize weekend trips to Krakow (7h by train) and Budapest (just 3 hours by train from Kosice). Buses are cheaper than train but take

Location

Slovakia

Central Europe, south of Poland

Area

total: 48,845 sq km land: 48,800 sq km water: 45 sq km

Area-comparative

about twice the size of New Hampshire

Land boundaries

The Slovak Republic borders the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south.

Climate

temperate; cool summers; cold, cloudy, humid winters

Population

2001 census: 5,379,455 (109th world) Density: 111/km² (88th of the world) 287/sq mi

Religions

Roman Catholic 68.9%, Protestant 10.8%, Greek Catholic 4.1%, other or unspecified 3.2%, none 13% (2001 census)

Languages

Slovak (official) 83.9%, Hungarian 10.7%, Roma 1.8%, Ukrainian 1%, other or unspecified 2.6% (2001 census)

Capital

Bratislava

9

International experience

SCOREview Volume 2 – Number 1 – March 2010

Study of endocarditis in Russia Host country: Russia Chelyabinsk State Medical Academy Project: Analysis of risk factors, different mechanisms of development and the results of surgical treatment of endocarditis in children with heart defects Project supervisor: Dr. Stanislav I. Andrievskih Lenka Rokytova, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic 5th year of study Spoken languages: Czech, English, Russian, German, Bulgarian

The name of the project was Analysis of risk factors, different mechanisms of development and the results of surgical treatment of endocarditis in children with heart defects. I attended the operating theatre during different operations, e.g. a child with an atrial septal defect, a child with aortic coarctation among others. Then we observed the condition of the patients and the effects of the treatement. I also attended the doctor’s ward rounds, examinations and wound dressing. I was curious to see how other wards worked and visited Ophthalmology, Vascular surgery, and Neurosurgery.

I used to start at the hospital at 8 in the morning with observing an interesting operation or an interesting case on the ward and examining the patients. During simple operations I was even allowed to assist.

The tutors in the hospital could speak English very well, unlike the nurses but since Russian and Czech are similar, I was always able to communicate. I had one foreign colleague in the same department, but she was on clinical exchange.

In my opinion it is very good to learn how medicine works in other countries and I don’t think that I will have many possibilities to travel or study abroad when I start my job, so I wanted to see as much as possible now. I was interested in the topic itself, even if it isn’t of benefit to my future career. I want to specialize in a different part of medicine than surgery.

10

City and Country There were only two foreign students in Chelyabinsk, me and a girl from Vienna. We both attended the same department, but she was with SCOPE. Lots of IFMSA students were abroad on their own projects, so we didn’t meet many other

students, but our contact people were great. They prepared lots of activities for us, sightseeing tours around the city, cinema, trips to another city Ekaterinburg, to the national reserve Zuratkul, to the lake Turgayak and to the Ural Mountains...

The city of Chelyabinsk is as big as the Capital in my country but it seemed to be a smaller town.

There is one main pedestrian zone with lots of shops, restaurants, bars, pubs and sculptures of famous Russians. There are lots of theatres and ballet halls as well, but unfortunately they were closed during the summer holiday. I liked the large fun parks of Puskin and Gagarin. It was possible to hire a small boat and take a ride on the lake, have fun on the merry-go-round or just go for walk through the green park.

Preparations, travel and arrival I needed a visa. To get the visa, a special document from the Russia Academy was necessary. The only problem was that they sent it to me quite late so I had to arrange the visa in a hurry. My contact person was a friendly girl. She picked me up at the airport and helped me with everything.

Stay I stayed in a hostel for young doctors. I had one room-mate. We shared a bathroom, got a microwave oven and a boiling kettle from the gate-man and an extra key for another flat where

www.ifmsa.org

medical students worldwide

International experience

we could cook and take a shower, because in our bathroom there was no hot water. The hostel was nicer on the inside than the outside. Inside the rooms were fine and newly refurbished.

I got 3000 rubles for meals. Sometimes I ate outside in the student’s canteen, but I preferred to cook for myself at the hostel. The choice of goods in the shops was in general very similar to those my country, prices were lower.

My contact person contacted me about a week before I had to leave, gave me advice on how to get from one Moscow airport to another, and picked me up when I arrived in Chelyabinsk, we met all the time I was in Russia. I went out mainly with the other exchange student, because our Russian friends already worked in hospital on a PhD and didn’t have so much time to party with us. I enjoyed the trips to the nature parks the best.

In the city the best place was the Gagarin park and Kirova Street. Unfortunately Russia is a huge country and I didn’t see as much as I wanted to.

Russia Location

Northern Asia (the area west of the Urals is considered part of Europe), bordering the Arctic Ocean, between Europe and the North Pacific Ocean

Area

total: 17,075,200 sq km land: 16,995,800 sq km water: 79,400 sq km

Area-comparative

approximately 1.8 times the size of the US

Land boundaries

Russia shares land borders with the following countries (counterclockwise from northwest to southeast): Norway, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania (via Kaliningrad Oblast), Poland (via Kaliningrad Oblast), Belarus, Ukraine, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, China, Mongolia and North Korea. It also borders the Arctic Ocean, the Pacific Ocean, the Caspian Sea, the Baltic Sea, and the Black Sea. Russia is close to the United States (Alaska) and Japan.

Climate

Throughout much of the territory there are only two distinct seasons — winter and summer; spring and autumn are usually brief periods of change between extremely low temperatures and extremely high. The coldest month is January (on the shores of the sea—February), the warmest usually is July. Great ranges of temperature are typical.

In winter, temperatures get colder both from south to north and from west to east. Summers can be quite hot and humid, even in Siberia. A small part of Black Sea coast around Sochi has a subtropical climate. The continental interiors are the driest areas.

Population

2008 estimate: 142,008,838 2002 census: 145,166,731 Density: 8.3/km² (209th of the world) 21.5/sq mi

Religions

63% of respondents considered themselves Russian Orthodox, 6% of respondents considered themselves Muslim and less than 1% considered themselves either Buddhist, Catholic, Protestant or Jewish. Another 12% said they believe in God, but did not practice any religion, and 16% said they are non-believers.

Languages

to the 2002 census, 142.6 million people speak Russian, followed by Tatar with 5.3 million and German with 2.9 million speakers. Russian is the only official state language, but the Constitution gives the individual republics the right to make their native language co-official next to Russian

Capital

Moscow (and the largest city)

11

International experience

SCOREview Volume 2 – Number 1 – March 2010

Mapping genes in Taiwan Host country: Taiwan Kaohsiung Medical University Project: Mapping candidate gene to common diseases (including atherosclerosis, myopia, cancer and endometriosis) Project supervisor: Professor Suh-Hang Hank Juo André Santa Cruz, New University of Lisbon, Portugal 6th year of study Spoken languages: Portuguese, English, Spanish and French

The project was aimed at mapping candidate genes to common diseases (atherosclerosis, stroke, endometriosis, cancer, etc). This is achieved through the study of single nucleotide polymorphisms or microRNA regulation.

Methods based on TaqMan probes were employed to genotype. When a new association was found, functional studies using vectors were conducted afterwards.

City and Country Kaohsiung turned out to be a wonderful place.

Locals are friendly and very generous, maybe because they are not used to hosting foreigners.

Kaohsiung offers a lot of different things to do

During the exchange period (30 days), I worked in the lab from Monday to Friday, 7 hours per day. On the first week, I did some bench work, but after that I moved to the statistics office.

All the lab workers welcomed me from the first moment. They were very friendly and committed to my learning. A language barrier existed with some lab workers but it was not crucial. In fact, I could easily adapt, create a good relation with them and became friends with several. This exchange was a great opportunity to deepen my knowledge in the genetics field and broaden my perspectives. I am convinced that this experience and knowledge gained will be very important in my professional career.

12

and there are many places that are worth a visit.

The city is safe even at night and life is really inexpensive.

All the people I met were Taiwanese, since there were no other students attending the program.

This represented a great advantage and benefit in my opinion. On the weekends, I decided to visit other places during my stay: Tainan, Houalien (Taroko National Park, east coast and valleys) and Taipei. Even if I considered going on my own, I always found someone interested on going with me: lab workers or medical students.

I thoroughly appreciated their company and I strongly believe they helped me see the best of Taiwan. My opinion about the country could not be better. I never thought I would see what I have seen.

Preparations, travel and arrival I didn’t spend too much time preparing for my travel. I just downloaded a travel guide and spent a couple of hours packing. I included my laptop and I believe it was crucial to do the lab work and to communicate with my family. I

www.ifmsa.org

medical students worldwide

should have read the travel guide in advance to know the benefits I could have had as a young traveler. After such a long journey, the way I was welcomed was just wonderful. My contact persons exceeded my highest expectations. They were the best I could ever have.

Stay I stayed in the university student’s dormitory.

It was perfectly located, on the campus, just a 5 minute walk to the lab. I had my own bedroom and my own bathroom. The bedroom was large, clean and had free internet access. To sum up, I think my accommodation was very good.

International experience

Social Program, but every day I was invited to a lot of different activities and to do a lot of things.

I believe my program was much better than if I had had something prepared in advance. I went out with my contact persons, their friends (medical students) and with people I met at the lab. Obviously, we keep in touch, as we became very good friends.

When I arrived I was given 3.000 NT dollars (the equivalent to 65 Euros) but no meal coupons. I believe this is the best option, considering the food prices on the streets. In fact, I think that in Taiwan it is much better to walk on the streets and choose a good place to grab some delicious and very cheap hot meals than to have coupons.

Actually, I was the only one attending the program at that time and the first student ever to go to Kaohsiung. There wasn’t an established

Taiwan Location

Eastern Asia, islands bordering the East China Sea, Philippine Sea, South China Sea, and Taiwan Strait, north of the Philippines, off the southeastern coast of China

Area

total: 35,980 sq km note: includes the Pescadores, Matsu, and Quemoy water: 3,720 sq km land: 32,260 sq km

Area-comparative

lightly smaller than Maryland and Delaware combined

Land boundaries

none. The East China Sea lies to the north, the Philippine Sea to the east, the Luzon Strait directly to the south and the South China Sea to the southwest.

Climate

tropical; marine; rainy season during southwest monsoon (June to August); cloudiness is persistent and extensive all year

Population

22,920,946 (July 2008 est.)

Religions

mixture of Buddhist, Confucian, and Taoist 93%, Christian 4.5%, other 2.5%

Languages

Mandarin Chinese (official), Taiwanese (Min), Hakka dialects

Capital

Taipei

13

International experience

SCOREview Volume 2 – Number 1 – March 2010

Study on chronic liver inflammation and carcinoma in Slovenia

Host country: Slovenia , University of Ljubljana Project: Chronic inflammatory liver diseases. Liver tumours Project supervisor: Prof. Dr. Vera Ferlan - Marolt Carlo Davi, Università degli Studi di Verona, Italy 6th year of study Spoken languages: Italian, English

14

My Research Exchange Project in the department of pathology, Ljubljana Slovenia. The project was on chronic liver inflammation and carcinoma.

Methods of investigation included microscopic work with many samples, watching autopsies in order to learn macroscopic features of diseases, watching how to prepare the samples from the surgical theatre, reading books about methods of biopsies and getting information about liver transplantation.

The research was based, over all, on the anatomical presentation of the disease, and on the very different ways of preparing the samples. It was important to see the relationships

between the pathologists and the clinicians, and learn how the clinicians require an exam to join the department of pathology. During the month, I saw every step of the work, and I also participated in order to prepare the samples.

Everyone was very kind to me and very friendly.

They spoke good English, there were no language barriers at all. This experience has been useful in order to learn the importance of the pathologists’ work, and the importance of being quick, but at the same time careful with that kind of work.

City and Country Ljubljana is not very big, even though it is the capital city. I don’t know the outskirts, but the centre is small, and very nice. Cars cannot enter, and there are many small pedestrian roads. A small and clean river passes through the centre. There is a hill with a castle on the top of it, from where the view of the town is amazing. A five minute walk and you reach the wide Rivoli Par. Out of Ljubljana, there are some places to see: A small town, Skofja loka, is 30 km away, where you can see an “old” view of Slovenia, not so touristic, but nice and quiet.

Then there are the Alps, and a very exciting trip is going rafting on the Soca River. You can also go to the seaside, there are only 42 km of seaside, but that part of the Adriatic Sea is clean. We saw Portorose, a touristic centre, and Piran, which is a small old town, with some building in Venetian style. In the inner part of Slovenia, there are a lot of forests and others places we visited: Postojnska caves, which are very deep, and some other castles.

www.ifmsa.org

medical students worldwide

International experience

Preparations, travel and arrival Since Slovenia is in the EU, I only needed my ID card. My arrival was very well organised, they picked up me at the train station (at 3 am!).

The only train from and to Italy is at that hour.

The contact person and the Slovenian student managers of the exchange were very friendly and helpful.

Stay There were two dormitories, one in the centre and one a 20 min walk from the centre. I was in the first one. I was in a big room with other 3 people. The room had a table and a fridge. On every floor there was a kitchen and two toilets.

The bed was comfortable, and my roommates were very nice.

In the kitchen of the dormitory there was everything in order to cook, and to prepare cakes! But every student had coupons for breakfast and lunch. The breakfast was in the “Mandibula bar”, inside the faculty. For lunch, you could take coupons to a lot of different restaurants with different quality.

On the first and second weekend, Slovenian students organized trips. On the first weekend we went to the mountains and on the second weekend we went to the seaside. I think most of

the exchange students came, so we could get to know each other. During the week, we tried to have lunch together, by buying the same coupons and meeting in the same place and time every day. Some of us couldn’t because everyone finished work at different times. During the afternoon and evening, we went to many bars. I am still in contact with the people I met, using facebook or emails. I hope to meet some of them again.

Slovenia Location

Central Europe, eastern Alps bordering the Adriatic Sea, between Austria and Croatia

Area

total: 20,273 sq km land: 20,151 sq km water: 122 sq km

Area-comparative

slightly smaller than New Jersey

Land boundaries

Italy to the west, the Adriatic Sea to the southwest, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north.

Climate

Mediterranean climate on the coast, continental climate with mild to hot summers and cold winters in the plateaus and valleys to the east.

Population

2008 estimate: 2,039,399 2002 consensus: 1,964,036 Density: 99.6/km² (80th of the world) 251/sq mi

Religions

Catholic 57.8%, Muslim 2.4%, Orthodox 2.3%, other Christian 0.9%, unaffiliated 3.5%, other or unspecified 23%, none 10.1% (2002 census).

Languages

The official language is Slovene, which is a member of the South Slavic language group. Hungarian and Italian enjoy the status of official languages in the ethnically mixed regions along the Hungarian and Italian borders.

Capital

Ljubljana

15

International experience

SCOREview Volume 2 – Number 1 – March 2010

Neurological disease in Croatia Host country: Croatia University of Zagreb Project: Visual Evoked Response of the Cerebral Circulation-Functional Measurements Project supervisor: Dr. Marijana Bosnar - Puretic Liliya Yausheva, Kazan Medical University, Russia 5th year of study Spoken languages: Russian, English, German

16

The purpose of my study was to learn the method of transcranial dopplerography and colourintracranial dopplerography of carotid and vertebral arteries. These investigations are very helpful in revealing the affected areas of the brain after a stroke and other neurological conditions. Our investigation consisted of comparing blood flow velocity between patients of the Cerebrovascular laboratory.

I very much enjoyed the work I did in the Cerebrovascular laboratory within the Department of Neurology, University of Zagreb. The attitude of the doctors and the medical staff was very benevolent. They tried to explain everything to me, to answer any questions I may have

had, to use any opportunity to let us deal with the patients and carry out investigations independently. There was almost no language barrier with laboratory staff or other exchange students. We even had an opportunity to visit the medical scientific conference, Neurological and Neurosurgical Departments and Stroke unit of the hospital.

I believe this project will be very helpful in my future medical carrier.

I received good insight into the Croatian medical system that helped me compare neurological services in Croatia with that of my native country. I applied my knowledge in neurology and networked with physicians and colleagues from around the globe.

City and Country My exchange was in Zagreb, the capital of Croatia. Zagreb is a beautiful city in a lovely country, where you can enjoy relaxing moments including quiet walks through the old narrow streets in Gornij Grad, climbing the mountain Medvednica, eating national cakes in Samobor, enjoying brilliant parties on Yarun Lake, and resting on the great beach Zlatni Rat. We also had trips to Zadar and Split - cities on the coast of Adriatic Sea, which were really unforgettable.

Besides Russian students, there were exchange students from Brazil, Spain, Mexico, Italy, Estonia, Lithuania, Ukraine, France, Slovenia, Slovakia and other countries from all over the world. We had almost no language barrier and became good friends.

www.ifmsa.org

medical students worldwide

Preparations, travel and arrival Fortunately, I didn’t require a visa to travel to Croatia. I had a direct flight from Moscow to Zagreb, where we (students from Russia) were picked up by our contact persons and immediately taken to our dormitory. I am very grateful to our contact persons for all their help with showing us around the city, explaining to us the rules of our exchange program, solving all our difficulties and for always being there to support us. We became good friends as a result of their incredible hospitality towards us.

Stay Our dormitory was located near the centre of Zagreb, so it usually took about half-an-hour by tram to get to the hospital, which was in the center of the city. I shared a double-room with another exchange student from Russia. We had a common bathroom for two rooms and other conveniences, but unfortunately we ran out of warm running water on the last week of our exchange, so we had to go to a nearby hostel. In the same building, we had a students’ canteen, so it was not a problem to have a meal.

We were not paid while being on the exchange program, but we had special cards belonging to Croatian students, which allowed us to have quite large discounts on food in the canteen. But when the canteen was closed for the holidays, we had

International experience

to eat out and sometimes it took us time to find cheap food. However, we soon got used to it and eventually it was not a problem for us.

My contact person and I corresponded via email prior to my arrival in Zagreb.

After arriving, our contact persons used to take us on trips through the city and to different parties. They were always in touch with us. We also had common parties with all the exchange students, which helped us to get to know each other. We visited several popular places in Croatia. One of the most memorable trips was the one to Split and to the most famous beach in Croatia - Zlatni Rat. We took a great amount of photos. Even now that all the students have returned home we are in touch by Internet so we can still communicate with the new friends from this exchange program. We are also planning to all meet up once again in the future.

Croatia Location

Southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea, between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Slovenia

Area

total: 56,542 sq km land: 56,414 sq km water: 128 sq km

Area-comparative

slightly smaller than West Virginia

Land boundaries

total: 1,982 km border countries: Bosnia and Herzegovina 932 km, Hungary 329 km, Serbia 241 km, Montenegro 25 km, Slovenia 455 km

Climate

Mediterranean and continental; continental climate predominant with hot summers and cold winters; mild winters, dry summers along coast

Population

4,491,543 (July 2008 est.)

Religions

Roman Catholic 87.8%, Orthodox 4.4%, other Christian 0.4%, Muslim 1.3%, other and unspecified 0.9%, none 5.2% (2001 census)

Languages

Croatian 96.1%, Serbian 1%, other and undesignated 2.9% (including Italian, Hungarian, Czech, Slovak, and German) (2001 census)

Capital

name: Zagreb

17

International experience

SCOREview Volume 2 – Number 1 – March 2010

Study on the role of growth hormone in Spain Host country: Spain University of Santiago de Compostela Project: Growth Hormone (GH) as a survival factor in human leukemia cells Project supervisor: Prof. J. Devesa Alexandros Anastasiou, University of Athens, Greece 2nd year of study Spoken languages: English, Spanish, German

18

The purpose of the study was to investigate the role of Growth Hormone in the development and maintenance of hematopoietic malignant diseases. Some of the methods that were used are PCR, gene transfection, cells separation by surface antigens expression, flow cytometry and western blot. The studies lasted for many months so it was not possible to extract results in the short period of time when I was there.

The schedule was flexible and not tiring or extremely demanding at all. The team that I was working with was really pleasant, helpful and always ready to explain everything that I didn’t know or understand. We spoke in Spanish so it was a little difficult in the beginning but it was an excellent opportunity to practice my Spanish. Throughout the laboratory work, I was able to watch and practice many techniques that

I wouldn’t even see in my country. The project also helped me understand how important it is for a doctor to find the golden mean between complete trust in research results and on the other hand rejection and absolute skepticism.

City and Country Santiago is an amazingly beautiful city which combines a wonderful old part with historical buildings such as the famous Cathedral of Santiago, the Convent of San Martino Pinario and the Hostal de los Reis Catolicos, admirable parks such as the Bonaval and at the same time many places to go out at night. During my stay at Santiago I was really lucky to meet students from many countries including Spain, Romania, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Cuba and United States and I had the opportunity to get to know a little bit more about their tradition and customs. I also took advantage of my week-ends in Spain to visit some of the most beautiful places in the region of Galicia such as the big city of Coruna with the amazing view from the tower of Hercules, the Rias Bajas with the wonderful coasts, islands and sea food as well as the pretty villages Finisterre and Muxia.

Preparations, travel and arrival I traveled to Santiago by airplane and when I arrived at the airport I took a bus to the centre of the city. My contact person waited for me there and took me to the house that I was going to stay in. My contact person was really pleasant, hospitable and friendly and she helped me with everything that I needed during the month. I had brought visa and cash and I should have brought a small iron and some more clean towels.

www.ifmsa.org

medical students worldwide

Stay I lived in a house, which was really close to the faculty of Medicine (5 to 10 minutes on foot), and I shared the kitchen, the living room and the bathroom with 2 men. I also shared the room with a young student. The house had a washing machine, the basic things that I needed during that month and it was relatively clean. I didn’t face any problems with my flat mates and I would say that the stay was ok, although I would prefer to live in an apartment alone.

I ate lunch every day in the restaurant of the hospital, except for the week-ends when I usually travelled so I ate out. The food in the hospital’s restaurant was surprisingly delicious and a lot better than I expected. I only cooked once or twice at the house.

My contact person was really friendly, helpful and always ready to give me a hand with everything I needed. I made great friends with the medical students from the other exchanges and we travelled together around Galicia. I also went out with students from the local organization (Meiga) as well as my contact person. I was really glad that everybody I met in Spain was so friendly and pleasant. I am

International experience

sure that I will keep contact with many of the guys from the exchanges since we have already exchanged e-mail addresses and we are thinking of arranging a new meeting.

I have to admit that in the beginning I was a little bit hesitant about the exchange in Santiago, but after these many moments and wonderful experiences I am happy that I made this choice. I never expected that my first trip to Spain would be so entertaining and that it would bring me so many good memories!

Spain Location

Southwestern Europe, bordering the Bay of Biscay, Mediterranean Sea, North Atlantic Ocean, and Pyrenees Mountains, southwest of France

Area

total: 504,782 sq km land: 499,542 sq km water: 5,240 sq km

Area-comparative

slightly more than twice the size of Oregon

Land boundaries

total: 1,917.8 km border countries: Andorra 63.7 km, France 623 km, Gibraltar 1.2 km, Portugal 1,214 km, Morocco (Ceuta) 6.3 km, Morocco (Melilla) 9.6 km

Climate

temperate; clear, hot summers in interior, more moderate and cloudy along coast; cloudy, cold winters in interior, partly cloudy and cool along coast

Population

40,491,052 (July 2008 est.)

Religions

Roman Catholic 94%, other 6%

Languages

Castilian Spanish (official) 74%, Catalan 17%, Galician 7%, Basque 2%, are official regionally

Capital

Madrid

19

International experience

SCOREview Volume 2 – Number 1 – March 2010

Molecular biology in Turkey Host country: Turkey Marmara University, Istanbul Project: Determination of ENOS gene polymorphism frequencies in Turkish population with essential hypertension Project supervisor: Prof.Dr.Beki KAN, Dr.Oya Orun, Dr.Hьlya Cabadak, Dr.Cevdet Nacar Marc Andreu Garcia Cruz, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Spain 5th year of study Spoken languages: Spanish, Catalan, English, Italian

I have been working for four weeks on different kinds of projects related to molecular biology.

The good point of going around different projects is that I have learnt several techniques.

I have also been working on a project in order to optimize a PCR experiment. I had to change the temperature of annealing, the concentration of DNA and magnesium concentration to decrease the unspecific amplifications. I also worked on a big project that was aimed at finding the mutations that cause diseases in familial marriages. For that purpose I have seen techniques such as SSCP gels, PAGE gels and light cycler. Finally, I also have learnt how to do RNA isolation from a cell culture.

Before beginning in the lab I was a bit worried about the language barrier. This exchange helped me gain confidence with my English and improve it. The responsibilities I had depended on which project I was working on. For example, while I was doing the PCR optimization I was the only one doing the practical work. There are also other techniques that I have only been observing as they required previous experience that I did not have. Despite this, every day I could practice

some lab work because they taught me how to do it or because I already had experience. Usually I spent around seven or eight hours at the laboratory.

This exchange will be very useful in my career because it has given me the opportunity of practicing techniques that I had just studied in the theoretical classes. Although I have been working with different people during the month, all had something in common: they have been really kind and helpful to me.

City and Country This exchange has given me the opportunity to share daily life with people from different countries and cultures, from cold countries like Poland to ones like Sudan. I have learnt many things about other religions, traditions, languages and all the things that we do in our life because of environmental influences. It has being really interesting to share the room with a practicing Muslim boy because he has helped me to understand better this religion and some practices like the Ramadan or the five daily prayers.

We did a lot of sightseeing together in the city of Istanbul. It’s a great city to go for an exchange because it has many things and places to visit and have a great time. I also travelled around Turkey before the exchange but on my own.

Preparations, travel and arrival I didn’t have any problem getting my visa. I got it in Istanbul airport after landing.

20

My contact person was the most helpful person that I have met. She cared about us all the time, even when she was not in Istanbul for IFMSA reasons. She made sure that we enjoyed our stay in Istanbul. She has done all the possible things for us, so I am very grateful to her and she has become a friend. I wasn’t picked up in the bus station but they gave me useful explanation on how to reach to the dormitory.

www.ifmsa.org

medical students worldwide

Stay I have been sharing the room with four other boys from different countries and it has been a nice experience. We have spent a lot of our time together and we have learnt how to respect each other. Our dorm was not very close to the university (more or less forty minutes walking) but we also had the option of going by bus to the main station and then change to another bus to the university. The dorm was being renovated during the first few days and it was a bit messy but we managed.

International experience

in the dorm and exchange students of other Turkish cities joined us. We found several places that will remain in our mind like restaurants, bars, pubs or discos. We spent such a great time in Istanbul that I am sure that I will keep in touch with some of the people that I have met during this month.

In our dorm there was no kitchen and no fridge.

We could only buy things to eat breakfast in the dorm, so almost all the meals that we had were outside. Our Contact Person gave us 50 TL (more or less 25 â‚Ź) for the meals for all the month. The good point is that the lunch in the canteen of the university was about 4 TL (2 â‚Ź).

The first time that I saw my contact person was in the dorm, but after this meeting we saw each other several times! Usually we went out with the group of exchange students and the contact person also joined us, also some other members of IFMSA in Istanbul and even Turkish students

Turkey Location

Southeastern Europe and Southwestern Asia (that portion of Turkey west of the Bosporus is geographically part of Europe), bordering the Black Sea, between Bulgaria and Georgia, and bordering the Aegean Sea and the Mediterranean Sea, between Greece and Syria

Area

total: 780,580 sq km land: 770,760 sq km water: 9,820 sq km

Area-comparative

slightly larger than Texas

Land boundaries

total: 2,648 km border countries: Armenia 268 km, Azerbaijan 9 km, Bulgaria 240 km, Georgia 252 km, Greece 206 km, Iran 499 km, Iraq 352 km, Syria 822 km

Climate

temperate; hot, dry summers with mild, wet winters; harsher in interior

Population

71,892,808 (July 2008 est.)

Religions

Muslim 99.8% (mostly Sunni), other 0.2% (mostly Christians and Jews)

Languages

Turkish (official), Kurdish, Dimli (or Zaza), Azeri, Kabardian note: there is also a substantial Gagauz population in the European part of Turkey

Capital

Ankara

21

International experience

SCOREview Volume 2 – Number 1 – March 2010

Healing wounds in Lebanon Host country: Lebanon American University of Beirut Project: Wound healing in animals 2-Experimental colitis, Inflammatory Bowel Disease Project supervisor: Dr. Abdo Jurjus Michel Zeitouni, Faculty of Medicine, University of Versailles Saint Quentin, France 3rd year of study Spoken languages: French, English, German, Lebanese

The aim of this project was to study the role of fibers C in the healing of wounds. In order to do so, we induced burns and compared wound healing on a group of 28 rats: 14 of which were given capsaicin to inhibit fibers C and 14 that were not injected with capsaicin. In each group of 14 we had 2 subgroups of 7: one treated by mebo, a herbicidal medicine, and one without any treatment.

The work schedule was very adaptable to each team responsibilities. The majority of the work was conducted during the morning hours. Some responsibility was given to me but a lot of my

City and Country We lodged in Hamra, a very nice quarter of Beirut. Beirut is a great city. I found it to be very cosmopolitan and diverse, having traditional areas as well as very Westernized nightclubs, still with a very specific and unique atmosphere.

People from the exchange came mostly from Eastern Europe: Poland, Czech Republic, Slovenia, Serbia, Hungary, and also from France, Canada and Spain, Switzerland and Denmark.

The social programs were just incredible in every regard. We had the opportunity to visit a lot of the country. We always ate at good restaurants, saw wonderful sights, and enjoyed the atmosphere of beautiful sites including the ancient Roman ruins, beaches, Baalback, Byblos, Saida and Sour. We were lucky to experience wine testing in Ksara, Breakfast in Tripoli, trips to the Cedars, Bekaa valley, etc.

Preparations, travel and arrival I did not need a visa since I am of French and Lebanese origin. My contact person was very helpful. My family picked me up at the airport.

work was supervised. I did perform rat wound procedures as well as mice sacrifices and organ harvest.

22

There were absolutely no problems in terms of any language barriers, as everyone spoke English and French fluently. My coworkers were great and the atmosphere was very nice. Everyone was extremely helpful. This was a very good internship and helped me to learn both clinical and molecular biology skills.

Stay We lived in a building in Hamra, with both double room and single rooms. Everything was nice and proper, with a Wi-Fi connection.

It was, however very hot as there was no air conditioning. Our living quarters was in a central location, no more than 7 minutes away from downtown. The quarters was very nice, with a lot of restaurants and enjoyable sites.

The American university of Beirut offered us three meals a day, thanks to a meal coupon. We had no limitations at the self service and were able to take anything we wanted. The quality of the food was superb.

My contact person was great, and I was able to meet and get to know other contact people as well as other AUB students. We took a car with one of the AUB contact students to a trip to the

www.ifmsa.org

medical students worldwide

International experience

cedars forest which offered a wonderful view on the sea. We went out a lot together, from restaurants to nightclubs. It was an extremely warm and supportive atmosphere. I made great friends and I hope I will have the opportunity to welcome them in France.

Lebanon Location

Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Israel and Syria

Area

total: 10,400 sq km water: 170 sq km land: 10,230 sq km

Area-comparative

about 0.7 times the size of Connecticut

Land boundaries

total: 454 km border countries: Israel 79 km, Syria 375 km

Climate

Mediterranean; mild to cool, wet winters with hot, dry summers; Lebanon mountains experience heavy winter snows

Population

3,971,941 (July 2008 est.)

Religions

Muslim 59.7% (Shi’a, Sunni, Druze, Isma’ilite, Alawite or Nusayri), Christian 39% (Maronite Catholic, Greek Orthodox, Melkite Catholic, Armenian Orthodox, Syrian Catholic, Armenian Catholic, Syrian Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Chaldean, Assyrian, Copt, Protestant), other 1.3%

Languages

Arabic (official), French, English, Armenian

Capital

Beirut

23

International experience

SCOREview Volume 2 – Number 1 – March 2010

Study on asthma in Portugal Host country: Portugal University Beira Interior, Covilha Project: Study of the prevalence of bronchial asthma in a school population Project supervisor: Prof. Luis Taborda-Barata, MD, PhD Špela Dolinar, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia 3rd year of study Spoken languages: English, Slovenian

24

The project was based on the study of the prevalence of atopy and bronchial asthma in young adults and elderly in Covilha, Portugal.

Our goal was to identify the prevalence of atopy between young adults and the elderly, to identify differences in sensitization patterns and in features of allergic disease between both groups. The study population was selected with simple randomization of patients of the Health Center of Covilha. The sample was composed of 162 patients: 62 young adults and 100 elderly. The age range was between 19 to 94 years. Data was collected using questionnaires, skin prick tests and blood analysis. Our conclusions were as follows: atopy is more prevalent in young adults than in elderly. Asthma, grass, weeds, trees, cats and dogs allergies were more prevalent in young adults, while HDM and fungi were

more prevalent in elderly. The association of asthma and rhinitis was the same in both groups, but in the elderly group all patients with asthma and rhinitis were women.

At the beginning of the exchange we learned how to perform skin prick tests and spirometry tests. Almost every morning we performed some skin prick tests in the hospital. For the first couple of days our afternoons were free.

Then the main part of the study started, so after the morning in hospital, we spent the afternoon in the Health Centre, applying questionnaires and performing skin prick tests.

I was very lucky, because my colleague was a Brazilian, so she helped me a lot with the language barrier. Also our tutor spoke perfect English and he was always ready to translate and explain if something was not clear. He really wanted us to think about the problems and learn as much as possible during our exchange. I did a lot of clinical work and learned a lot through it, which will most definitely benefit my future study.

City and Country Before coming to Covilha I spent a couple of days in Porto, which immediately charmed me.

When I came to Covilha, I didn’t know what to expect. It surprised me in every aspect. Although a small city, it is full of energy and youth. The people I met were really nice, from the locals to the other exchange students. I can say that the most important thing I gained during my month in Covilha were great friends from all

www.ifmsa.org

medical students worldwide

over the world (Portugal, Brazil, Poland, Holland, Canada, Italy, Czech, Finland, Spain, Slovakia, etc). We had the best time together in Covilha and on our trips inside the country. Some of us visited Coimbra on our free day. The exchange team also organized great weekend trips, one to Porto and the other to Lisbon. We also did a lot of sightseeing in and around Covilha. After the exchange, some of us visited Algarve. Our exchange group was really the best. I loved every single moment and every single place in Portugal.

Preparations, travel and arrival There was nothing too special about my preparations. My contact person was really helpful. He sent me a lot of information about Covilha and the research exchange. When I came to Covilha, he picked me up at the bus station.

He showed me around the city, gave me some tips on everyday activities, introduced me to local students. He really took time for research exchange students, so that we could get used to the city as soon as possible and experience the best of it.

Stay The lodging facility was nice. The location was a bit far from the hospital/faculty and it was at the top of the hill, so sometimes I was quite tired when I arrived home. But the quality was good. I had one roommate. We shared a bathroom with two other exchange students. There were also two kitchens, a computer room and lobby, where we could spend some time together. The only

International experience

problem was that it was forbidden for boys to be in the lobby after 11pm (there were two boys in our exchange group).

I got many coupons for the hospital canteen. I ate there almost every lunch and dinner. The meals were great. The food was quite diverse and there was a lot of it. Sometimes I ate out.

There are many shopping centers in Covilha with many restaurants. There were two kitchens with refrigerators in the residence, so I also bought some food in the supermarket and prepared it myself, usually breakfast.

Our exchange group was very connected. We became good friends and spent almost all our free time together. The Social program was really well organized, so we always had something to do.

We met everyday during lunch and if we had the afternoon free, we went to some park, swimming pool or shopping centre. In the evening we usually hung out in the lobby and then went out. There are many nice places to go out to in Covilha. We usually first went to a Soda bar, and then to a karaoke bar Buffalu’s or some other bar/ disco with local students. Chemistry is cool, with great music, pool and dance floor. International dinners were organized by our contact person, which always proved to be a great time, like all the parties in our social program. I met lots of great people (exchange students, local students and others). We became great friends and of course I am still in contact with most of them.

Portugal Location

Southwestern Europe, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, west of Spain

Area

Total: 92,391 sq km Land: 91,951 sq km Water: 440 sq km Note: includes Azores and Madeira Islands

Area-comparative

Slightly smaller than Indiana

Land boundaries

Total: 1,214 km Border countries: Spain 1,214 km

Climate

Maritime temperate; cool and rainy in north, warmer and drier in south

Population

10,676,910 (July 2008 est.)

Religions

Roman Catholic 84.5%, other Christian 2.2%, other 0.3%, unknown 9%, none 3.9% (2001 census)

Languages

Portuguese (official), Mirandese (official - but locally used)

Capital

Lisbon

25

SCORE

SCOREview Volume 2 – Number 1 – March 2010

What is SCORE? The IFMSA Research Exchange Program is one of the activities initiated and administered entirely by medical students who are members of the Standing Committee on Research Exchange (SCORE).

In 2009, SCORE had over 60 active participating NMOs, offering over 1900 research projects, and has provided over 1700 students opportunities to participate in research exchange.

This program is purely educational for students who are not intended to receive salaries or payment. The official language of the research exchange program is English. In general, lodging, board, and social program are arranged by the hosting local committee of the National Member Organization (NMO). The academic recognition of the research exchange program varies among the medical schools. Some universities recognize exchange projects as a part of their curricula and award their exchange students with academic credits. The participating student should find out before departure if his/her chosen project meets the criteria given by his/her home university Objectives of SCORE SCORE provides medical students from around the world the unique opportunity to participate in exceptionally rewarding and affordable clinical or pre-clinical research in a foreign country.

Research projects organized through SCORE are designed to deepen medical student knowledge in the various fields of medical and clinical research.

The possibility of partaking in research abroad is intended to broaden medical students’ body of knowledge, and introduce them to different approaches to clinical investigation, medical education, health care, and ethical research standards.

26

The maintenance of affordable exchange tuition insures that students from across the world can participate without incurring a financial burden.

Definition of the research exchange project Research exchange projects designed by the program host a foreign medical student for a defined period of time.

A participating student is incorporated into a research team of their choice and participates in research under the direct supervision of a tutor. The student will be guided through the basic principles of research, such as literature studies, collecting information, scientific writing, laboratory work, statistics and ethical aspects related to their discipline. At the end of the project, the student might be expected to write a short essay about his/her results and achievements.

The research exchange projects are specifically defined by their tutor, approved by the SCORE Supervisory Board, formed by a group of experienced committee members who will revise it and decide if the quality and the description is enough to make it a SCORE Research Project.

This allows us to keep a standard academic quality.

Once the project is approved, it will be uploaded to the database (http://www.ifmsa.net/public/searchredb.php) Most projects on SCORE last 4 weeks, but some last more.

Please ask your local officer for more information.

Application You can only apply for a research exchange if the NMO in your country has an active standing committee on research Exchange and has a SCORE contract with a country of your interest. Please contact your Local officer on research exchange and ask him/her about these details.

There are many ways to select the outgoing students. It is up to the National Member Organization to decide how they want to carry out the selection. Please ask your local officer on research exchange about the selection procedure and application deadlines in your faculty/country.

Do you want to be published in the next issue?

Take a chance!

Just fill out your evaluation form and send it!

RESEARCH BULLETIN SUBMISSION FORM Original Title Introduction

1. Name 2. Country of origin 3. Spoken languages 4. Your university and city 5. Year of medical school Research Project 1. Host country 2. Host university/hospital and city 3. Name of project 4. Project supervisor 5. Short description of project - objective (optional, 50 words): purpose, methods, results, conclusion 6. Comments - subjective (100 words) Ideas: schedule, language barrier, responsibilities, did you do any clinical work, coworkers, how this project benefits your studies or future career City and country 1. Comments (200 words) Ideas: from which countries were the people you met, sightseeing, trips inside the country Preparations, travel and arrival 1. Comments (50 words) Ideas: Did you need a visa, how was your contact person (general impression), did someone pick you up at the airport, extra things you should have brought from home Stay 1. Lodging (50 words) Ideas: roommates or flat-mates, location, quality of stay, general impression 2. Boarding (50 words): Ideas: did you get any money or meal coupons, did you cook or eat outside 3. Social program (100 words) Ideas: How did you find your contact person, who did you go out with, best places to go out, are you still in contact with the people you met Pictures Please attach maximum 3 pictures in jpeg format - University/hospital - Lodging - Social/sightseeing

www.esc-berlin.com The European Students’ Conference (Wikipedia: ESC) is one of the largest biomedical conferences worldwide and has been one of the main events at the Charité for many years. The ESC is a forum for scientific exchange and recruiting and adresses * Medical students from various European and international faculties * Young scientists in related disciplines * Experienced scientists * International faculties * Business companies * Medical students and young scientists, who wish to explore the possibilities of working and researching in Germany This not only enhances the international, interdisciplinary, scientific exchange, but also strengthens the cooperation and cohesion of a united Europe.

Every year the ESC takes place at the Charité, Medical Faculty of Humboldt University in Berlin, Germany.

The 5-days program consists of interactive sessions, workshops and lectures. These events will be chaired by distinguished professors, Nobel Price Winners, Ambassadors and nonprofit organizations.

In addition we plan cultural events and activities like Berlin Sightseeing Tour, a trip to Potsdam, a Welcome Dinner and a great Farewell Party to encourage the participants to get in contact for an intercultural and personal exchange of views and personally explore the history and culture of Berlin.

Armenia (AMSP) Australia (AMSA) Austria (AMSA) Azerbaijan (AzerMDS) Bahrain (IFMSA-BH) Bolivia (IFMSA Bolivia) Bosnia and Herzegovina (BoHeMSA) Bosnia and Herzegovina - Rep. of Srpska (SaMSIC) Brazil (DENEM) Brazil (IFMSA Brazil) Bulgaria (AMSB) Burkina Faso (Burkina Faso) Burundi (ABEM) Canada (CFMS) Canada-Quebec (IFMSA-Quebec) Catalonia - Spain (AECS) Chile (IFMSA-Chile) China (IFMSA-China) Colombia (ACOME) Colombia (ASCEMCOL) Costa Rica (ACEM) Cote d’Ivoire (IFMSA Cote d’Ivoire) 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) Georgia (GeoMSA) Germany (BVMD) Ghana (FGMSA) Greece (HelMSIC) Grenada (IFMSA-Grenada) Hong Kong (AMSAHK) Hungary (HuMSIRC) Iceland (IMSIC) Indonesia (CIMSA-ISMKI) Iran (IFMSA-Iran) Israel (FIMS) Italy (SISM) Jamaica (JAMSA) Japan (IFMSA-Japan) Jordan (IFMSA-Jo) Kuwait (KuMSA)

Kyrgyzstan (MSPA Kyrgyzstan) Latvia (LaMSA Latvia) Lebanon (LeMSIC) Libya (LMSA) Lithuania (LiMSA) Luxembourg (ALEM) Malta (MMSA) Mexico (IFMSA-Mexico) Montenegro (MoMSIC Montenegro) Mozambique (IFMSA-Mozambique) Nepal (NMSS) New Zealand (NZMSA) Nigeria (NiMSA) Norway (NMSA) Oman (SQU-MSG) Pakistan (IFMSA-Pakistan) Palestine (IFMSA-Palestine) Panama (IFMSA-Panama) Peru (APEMH) 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) Sierra Leone (MSA) Slovakia (SloMSA) Slovenia (SloMSIC) South Africa (SAMSA) Spain (IFMSA-Spain) Sudan (MedSIN-Sudan) Sweden (IFMSA-Sweden) Switzerland (SwiMSA) Taiwan (IFMSA-Taiwan) Tatarstan-Russia (TaMSA-Tatarstan) Thailand (IFMSA-Thailand) The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (MMSA-Macedonia) The Netherlands (IFMSA-The Netherlands) Tunisia (ASSOCIA-MED) Turkey (TurkMSIC) Ukraine (IFMSA-Ukraine) United Arab Emirates (EMSS) United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (Medsin-UK) United States of America (AMSA-USA) Venezuela (FEVESOCEM)

www.ifmsa.org medical students worldwide