SCOREview Vol. 5 No.2

IFMSA

International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations

Volume 5 - Number 2 - August 2011 Official bulletin of the IFMSA Standing Committee on Research Exchange

SCOREview

www.ifmsa.org medical students worldwide

IFMSA

International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations

IFMSA

The mission of IFMSA

was founded in May 1951 and us 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 Editors in Chief Jovana Nedeljkovic Director of Research Exchange 2010-11 Serbia Editorial staff: Milica Nedeljkovic (Serbia) Contributing authors: Irene García, IFMSA Spain Paola Rondan-Guerrero, IFMSA-Peru Dana Cotong, IMCC Ghalib Al Khodhouri, SQU-MSG Aygul Shafigullina, TaMSA-Tatarstan Agil Huseynzad, AzerMDS Alina Piotrowska, BVMD Ivana di Salvo, SISM Fırat Büyüktaşkın, TurkMSIC Special thanks to: Assist Dr Milica Pejović Milovančević IFMSA-Egypt Exchange Team Anna Thorson, SCOEE Director 1993-94 Gina Romosan, SCORE Director 2004-05 Djuro Smit, SCORE Director 2005-06 Zineb El-Hamidi, SCORE Director 2007-08 Mert Karakaya, SCORE Director 2008-09 Federica Balzarini, SCORE Director 2009-10 Design/Layout Tamara Lebedev (Serbia) Publisher International Federation of Medical Students' Associations General Secretariat: IFMSA c/o WMA B.P. 63 01212 Ferney-Voltaire, Franace Phone: +33 450 404 759 Fax: +33 450 405 937 Email: gs@ifmsa.org Homepage: www.ifmsa.org Contacts publications@ifmsa.org Printed in ...

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SCORE

medical students worldwide

Word from the Director and Liaison Officer As one of SCORE main concerns is Global Health and Neglected Diseases, SCORE has implemented Global Action Project Exchange, a project based on bilateral exchanges. The goal of GAP Exchange is the study of a disease which represents an important public health issue in the partnership country.

Dear medical students, Once again, it is a great pleasure to present to you the 5th edition of SCOREview, the official bulletin of the Standing Committee on Research Exchange (SCORE) of the I nternational Federation of Medical Students' Associations (IFMSA). The Standing Committee on Research Exchange (SCORE) was founded in 1991, during the 40th Anniversary of IFMSA. And this year we are all honored to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of SCORE as well as 60 brilliant years of IFMSA! During these 20 years SCORE has provided the opportunity to attend research exchanges and to gain lifelong cultural experiences and create international friendships for the thousands of medical students worldwide. SCOREview was created precisely to communicate this kind of experiences of medical students and to promote our program worldwide, to evaluate our exchanges and reinforce the scientific recognition of SCORE. SCORE has also implemented some innovations during these 20 years: SCORE Pre-Exchange Training (PET), Research Workshops and Global Action Project (GAP).

SCORE PET and Research Workshops are SCORE projects that involve and educate students before their departure on a research exchange. The aim of these projects is to increase students' knowledge, skills and motivation in order to prepare them for the exchange.

3 Word from the Director and the Liaison Officer 4 InterVIEW Letter to medical students from Assist Dr Milica Pejović Milovančević

Institut for Mental Health, Belgrade, Serbia 5 SCORE Directors 6 Letter to medical students from SCORE Directors Anna Thorson, Sweden, SCOEE Director 1993-94 Gina Romosan, Romania, SCORE Director 2004-05 Letter to medical students from SCORE Directors 7 Djuro Smit, Croatia, SCORE Director 2005-06 Zineb El-Hamidi, The Netherlands, SCORE Director 2007-08 Mert Karakaya, Turkey, SCORE Director 2008-09 Federica Balzarini, Italy, SCORE Director 2009-10 8 International experience 8 Fantastic Copenhagen Irene García, Spain, IFMSA Spain

Recently, SCORE began to collaborate with several Organizations, to promote International Conferences and get support and material for the projects, as well as speakers for our General Assemblies.

The WHO Department on Neglected and Tropical Diseases has been updated with the information of Sudanese Tropical Exchange Project and Global Action Project, and has provided medical students with publications and presentations to better understand the Neglected Diseases.

The collaboration with YES Meeting, Portugal, and the European Students Conference, is very important to be invited in an international Platform and discuss about our Research Works, focused in different topics.

Through SCORE programs a new generation of young scientists is being created; the generation that will overcome all obstacles and go beyond all existing boundaries in the world of medical science today. This generation will make this world healthier and above all safer place to live in.

And you, my dear fellow medical student, can become a small but important part of it.

I hope you will enjoy reading this special edition of SCOREview.

My dear SCOREans, happy 20th Anniversary of SCORE and 60th Anniversary of IFMSA. May this organization with all its Committees provide exchanges for thousands, millions of medical students worldwide in many years to come!

Cheers!

Jovana Nedeljkovic and Federica Balzarini IFMSA Director on Research Exchange 2010/2011 Liaison Officer to Research and Medical Associations 2010/2011

10 Molecular cytogenetics in Finland Paola Rondan-Guerrero, Peru, IFMSA-Peru 12 Research Greece, Research in Greece Dana Cotong, Denmark, IMCC 14 NMO Presentation: Oman, SQU-MSG 16 Happy time in Italy Aygul Shafigullina, Tatarstan-Russia, TaMSA-Tatarstan 18 The genetic adventure in Poland Agil Huseynzad, Azerbaijan, AzerMDS 20 Turkish know how to enjoy life

Alina Piotrowska, Germany, BVMD 22 GAP - Global Action Project Exchange Ivana di Salvo, Italy, SISM 23 PET - Pre Exchange Training Fırat Büyüktaşkın, Turkey, TurkMSIC 24 What is SCORE?

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InterVIEW

SCOREview Volume 5 - Number 2 - August 2011

Letter to medical students There is no population group more important for the future of the country and the world than the student population.

The students are the future intellectual elite, the leaders, movers and holders of all the important decisions of society.

Regarding this, I consider a privilege any kind of activity or work with students because they are inspiring, provocative, energetic, curious and eager for knowledge and skills.

Any kind of multi-cultural exchange between nations is of great importance. Through this kind of experiences we learn about others as well as about ourselves, we learn about differences and we become aware of similarities and universalities. Medicine never knew nor should know the limits of its activity. For a good doctor a question of belonging to another country, culture, race can only be important for better understanding of the needs of his/her patient.

I consider of great importance for the development and expanding horizons of each young man the possibility to meet with students from other countries, to travel and stay somewhere abroad and to learn about life and practice from their fellow students during their course of study.

Through these visits, students have a chance to get to know about, not only the features of the specific department in which they reside, but also the entire organizational system of the clinic, medical school or the entire health care which is of great importance for their future commitments. Only medical knowledge goes beyond the wealth of new knowledge gained this way (getting to know new colleagues, lifestyle in the city or state that they stay in, are some of the benefits of the international student exchanges).

Today, it is almost impossible to do a good research that is not multi-centric or multinational. To conduct such research, besides technological conditions, it is necessary to meet also the basic requirement of knowing the fellow collaborators in the research. If this kind of cooperation is established during college days, success can certainly lead to internationally important and useful results for both participants and users.

I think that student exchange is important for students as much as it is for teachers who help the realization of these exchanges. Involving young people in existing researches helps to improve these researches with new ideas and with fresh enthusiasm and helps them to become more available and useful.

During 2009-2011 medical students from Russia and Brazil stayed at the Institute of Mental Health, department of Psychiatry at the Medical Faculty in Belgrade. They took part as associate observers in scientific research project entitled “Variation in the number of gene copies as a risk factor for psychiatric disorders in children”. The project is conducted under the patronage of the European Union, and involves scientists from seven European institutes: Island, Georgia, Macedonia, Russia, Serbia, Ukraine and Great Britain.

Students have shown interest both in working within the project and in almost all activities related to the field of child and adolescent psychiatry. They were interested also in contents outside the Institute such as scientific debates, book presentations… They wanted to share experiences from their countries with us. Hopefully the students have benefitted from the International Exchange, and we were pleased to provide them both new knowledge and hospitality.

Assist Dr Milica Pejović Milovančević Institut for Mental Health Belgrade, Serbia

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medical students worldwide

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SCORE Directors

SCORE

Jovana Nedeljkovic, Serbia SCORE Director 2010-2011 Federica Balzarini, Italy SCORE Director 2009-2010

Mert Karakaya, Turkey SCORE Director 2008-2009 Zineb El Hamidi, The Netherlands SCORE Director 2007-2008 Karolina Tuomisto, Finland SCORE Director 2006-2007 Djuro Smit, Croatia SCORE Director 2005-2006 Gina Romosan, Romania SCORE Director 2004-2005 Fatma M. Odaymat, Lebanon SCORE Director 2003-2004, IFMSA Honorary Life Member from 06-08-2006 Paolo Fabio Patruno, Italy SCORE Director 2002-2003 Paolo Fabio Patruno, Italy SCORE Director 2001-2002 Predrag Djukic, Yugoslavia SCORE Director 2000-2001, IFMSA Honorary Life Member from 06-08-2006 Frank Fuchs, Germany & Marta Ocampo Fontangordo, Spain, IFMSA Honorary Life Member from 06-08-2005 SCORE Directors 1999-2000 Barbora Dolezalova, Czech Republic SCORE Director 1998-1999 Elba Gonzales, Spain SCOEE Director 1997-1998 Anitta Veijo, Finland SCOEE Director 1996-1997 Ivo van Dooren, The Netherlands SCOEE Director 1995-1996 Tinja Laaveri, Finland SCOEE Director 1994-1995, IFMSA Honorary Life Member from 01-01-1996 Anna Thorson, Sweden SCOEE Director 1993-1994 Annette Boelen, The Netherlands, SCOEE Director 1992-1993 Annette Boelen, The Netherlands, SCOEE Director 1991-1992

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SCORE

SCOREview Volume 5 - Number 2 - August 2011

Letter to medical students from SCORE Directors

Anna Thorson, Sweden SCOEE Director 1993-1994 I had a fantastic time as the former SCOEE director! The possibility to meet with medical students from all around the world cannot be overrated, and I still keep in touch with a few of the friends from the IFMSA years. The creative environment of the IFMSA and the easiness of establishing international contacts was very rewarding and opened up for hope and collaboration even when conflicts were ongoing in certain parts of the world. Also, SCOEE to me meant that the interest I had had from start of vaguely doing something international transformed into an actual understanding of that I wanted to become a researcher in global health. I really think that the SCOEE and IFMSA work directed me onto the path where I am today working as an Associate Professor in Global health and an infectious disease specialist.

Gina Romosan, Romania SCORE Director 2004-2005 So...what can I say about IFMSA? Maybe I can compare it to the first love: you never forget it, even if you move on, whenever you hear its name, you feel a tinkle in your stomach, and all that you remember are the good parts (parties, friends, team work), so, if you now feel sometimes in the late nights when you need to fill in a report that you had enough, trust me, in a couple of years... you'll still fill reports late in the night, but at the end, it won't be any "National Drinking Party" :)I started locally in my second year as a medical student, just in order to do something useful in my student life, I started in SCOPH in the Romanian Orphanage Initiative project then worked into SCORA and I landed in SCOPE and SCORE until I became LC president and NORE for 2 years and then SCORE-D. I enjoyed every day of my IFMSA life, and now I don't refer to the parties, I'm sure we all like them. :), I mean that it changed me as a person, I saw the world with different eyes, I realized how much you can do even as a student, and how powerful can be a team of people that has a common gool. I learned about other cultures and how to run a project, how to run a team and to deal with deadlines and crises.

Many that had worked years in IFMSA, a significant part of the officials, take the "public health" way, and it is understandable, after you have seen how much one can do in this direction and after all the oportunities you discover working internationally, after the contacts you make and the fine CV you build.

For me... it gave me a lot of options, but in the end I followed my first dream, to practice medicine, I became a gynecologist, and since in my last year as a student, I went on a SCORE exchange in Sweden I kept in touch with the professor, and now, after five years, I came back into Sweden to work as a young specialist, so... one thing more to thank IFMSA for.

So... what could I wish you in the end? Enjoy every day of your IFMSA life and have great AM 2011!

A warm hug from SCORE-D 2004/2005, Gina

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medical students worldwide

SCORE

Djuro Smit, Croatia SCORE Director 2005-2006 Dear IFMSA, SCORE-World.

Congrats on 60th / 20th birthday – one is in prime other in best years My name is Djuro Smith, coming from Osijek, Croatia, I was 4years NORE b4 running 4 SCORE-D position in AM 2005.

I was SCORE-D in period from AM2005 (Egypt, Hurghada) until AM2006 (Serbia, Zlatibor) During term as 'D I've really had time of my life! Thanks to all NORE's and great friends all over world for that!

We had FUN (I've cancelled stupid morning games) , oh yeah – we HAD great time!

We could build a new Pyramid with working hours we had!

-We have introduced online e-exchange for the 1st time EVER – many out of SCORE didn't like that which led to my resignation during MM 2006 in Chile – I had to defend my NORE's work while some stubborn NMO's president Refuse my half year report – in same time rejecting all work what my NORE's did – it was unacceptable!

-We propose / made and implement a new BYLOW – before MM 2006 SCORE was without FEE – it was FREE exchange for NMO's while NMO's had to pay only for SCOPE – hehe, NMO's president just overlook that gap for like, what 15 years ? ;) -We embrace 4 or 5 new SCORE NMO's …

MA, it was and still is best time while I was student, and as I felt then I feel today – maybe I was 'D but I was and stay NORE always!

Just to say that I was happy to "serve" under SCORE-D's like Paolo Patruno, Fatma Odayamat and Gina Romosan who all had great influence but most advices I've got from IFMSA Honorary member , also ex SCORE-D , mr. Pedja Djukic. And best of all, while there were ups and downs, friendships I took out of 5year NORE period was friends – life time friends!

Keep on Rocking – SCORE! p.s. If I forgot something/somebody – don't worry I will mention YOU on next edition of SCORE's 120th Birthday! It's a promise!

Zineb El Hamidi, The Netherlands SCORE Director 2007-2008 For many years SCORE members all over the world had the idea to share articles and experiences of researches all around the world in our own self-made magazine. In 2008 a very active and motivated group of SCORE friends put their hands and thoughts together and made this idea work and created the first SCOREview!! I was so proud that i could be part of this wonderful team at that time! And now, many many years later, i still think the best thing that happened to me when i was a medical student, was being part of IFMSA and part of SCORE for 5 years.

It was a unforgetable time and i truly hope u will all enjoy it as much as I did. To all the new and current members.

Keep up the motivation and great work and SCORE the world!

Mert Karakaya, Turkey SCORE Director 2008-2009 Dear SCOREview readers, It is truly a pleasure for me to write down a few words to SCOREview, to a journal that gathers the best works done by future scientists during their research exchanges of IFMSA! First published in 2009, SCOREview was the result of years of brain-storming between the research exchange officers (NOREs) during the General Assemblies of IFMSA. As the SCORE director of the related term, I worked with an enthusiastic team, and could create the very first issue of SCOREview.

The inspiration behid our work to create SCOREview was not only to promote IFMSA research exchanges, but to obtain a platform for medical students to see the possibilites of professional achievement can drawn from research, no matter where it is conducted!

As seen the developments done for SCOREview in recent years, it is not hard to predict that SCOREview will reach a reputable place amongst all medical publications in near future Have a great read!

Federica Balzarini, Italy SCORE Director 2009-2010 Not many years have passed…and I am still involved in IFMSA, but it’sreally nice to look back and think of when I began.

In 2005 I was on my first Exchange in Budapest, Hungary, and I wasn’t even sure of what those strange LORE and NORE were doing… Soon I was on my second Exchange in Germany, and then Portugal, Canada, USA…and I was trapped by these amazing organization, representing first Italy as a NORE and then being elected as SCORE Director during AM09 in Ohrid (The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia). IFMSA completely messed up my life, but in a good way …if I look at myself a couple of years ago, shy and not really talkative, I can feel deeeeply changed. IFMSA gives you a new world to explore, new cultures and people to meet…and at the end of your years discussing about bylaws and projects, probably you will remember the friends you had, the fun and the feeling of having the power to change the world, and even if the reality is a bit different.. it’s really nice to dream sometimes.

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International experience

SCOREview Volume 5 - Number 2 - August 2011

Fantastic Copenhagen Host country: Denmark Institute of Neuroscience & Pharmacology, Copenhagen University Project: Sensory perception and discrimination in congenitally blind and normal sighted control subjects Project supervisor: Ron Kupers and Maurice Ptito

Irene García Medical Faculty of Valladolid (Uva), Spain 2nd year of study Spoken languages: Spanish, English

The project The aim of the project was to test whether blind subjects are better in discriminating odors, tastes and temperatures and to examine the functional role of the occipital cortex in sensory discrimination in the blind. The conclusions and modifications were discussed in weekly meetings with the rest of the staff.

In the initial part of the project I worked with another Spanish student on Research Exchange, Sara, where we were testing normal sighted but blindfolded people. During the four weeks we spent working on the project, we helped develop the testing system and also analyzed and interpreted the scientific data. I was a bit nervous before my research exchange started as I had never participated in any research project before. Nevertheless, the atmosphere that my tutors, Ron and Maurice, created was perfect, because they encouraged us to intervene, which increased my motivation and sense of responsibility.

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I spent most of my time with other people on Research Exchange or with my great colleagues Myléne and Hocine, who joined us, too. We formed a mix of many different nationalities; Canadian, Colombian, Italian, American, Spanish, Mexican, Dutch and so on.

We visited many different exciting places in Copenhagen, but the place I enjoyed the most was Christiania, “an escape area from politics and the EU” inside Copenhagen. The atmosphere there is terrific and architecture amazing and the concerts on Sundays are great. The second place I should mention is the beautiful park Kastellet with the statue of the Little Mermaid. Another wonderful sight is Nyhavn, the new port, where you see the city by boat from the sea! We also explored Mälmo, the nearest Swedish city, Rosenborg Castle, the Tivoli, The Spiral Tower...

I could write a neverending list!

City and country

Preparation, travel and arival

I visited Copenhagen in July 2010 and at that time the city was in bloom and full of life. There are countless parks and concerts, but the thing I loved the most is that you can go everywhere by bicycle.

In an intersection you will find 3 cars and more than 15 bicycles. It is fantastic!

Copenhagen is only three hours from Madrid by flight. Anna Rasmussen, my contact person from IMCC, contacted me before by email and picked me up at the airport and followed me to the institute on my first day, where I was a bit lost. Together we also visited her hometown Helsingoer.

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International experience

medical students worldwide

Stay I was lucky that IMCC sent me to a flat in Griffenffelsgade, close to Noerrebrogade, one of the longest and most famous streets of Copenhagen, located in a lively neighbourhood. It was a modern and cozy apartment located less than ten minutes from both downtown and the Institute.

IMCC gave us food tickets to get one meal a day at the Institute. I had a Netto, the cheapest supermarket in Denmark right around the corner from my place. If we were visiting the city we bought prepared food. Besides, it was summer, so we made as many barbecues as we could!

The volunteers from IMCC Denmark kept a good balance between helping you out and letting you have your own experience. They were really nice and helpful. They organized a welcome meeting and a social weekend, where we saw most of Copenhagen together.

My experience in Copenhagen was so incredible that I find it quite complicate to sum up. Basically, I could participate in a neuroscience project, get to know people from all over the world and discover Copenhagen, one of the cities with the highest quality of life in the world - an amazing experience.

Thank you, SCOREans!

Denmark Location Area

Area- comparative Land boundaries Climate Population Religions Languages Capital

Exchange rates

Northern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and the North Sea, on a peninsula north of Germany (Jutland); also includes two major islands (Sjaelland and Fyn) total: 43,094 sq km land: 42,394 sq km water: 700 sq km note: includes the island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea and the rest of metropolitan Denmark (the Jutland Peninsula, and the major islands of Sjaelland and Fyn), but excludes the Faroe Islands and Greenland slightly less than twice the size of Massachusetts total: 68 km border countries: Germany 68 km temperate; humid and overcast; mild, windy winters and cool summers 5,564,219 (April 2011est.)

Evangelical Lutheran 95%, other Christian (includes Protestant and Roman Catholic) 3%, Muslim 2% Danish, Faroese, Greenlandic (an Inuit dialect), German (small minority) note: English is the predominant second language name: Copenhagen geographic coordinates: 55 40 N, 12 35 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October note: applies to continental Denmark only, not to the North Atlantic components 1 USA Dollar = 5,21Danish Krone (2011)

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International experience

SCOREview Volume 5 - Number 2 - August 2011

Molecular cytogenetics in Finland Host country: Finland Helsinki University, Skin and Allergy Hospital, Helsinki Project: Molecular cytogenetics of Cutaneous Lymphoma and other cancers Project supervisor: Annamari Ranki

Paola Rondan-Guerrero Universidad de San Martin de Porres, Lima, Peru 6th year of study Spoken languages: Spanish, English, French, Japanese, German

The project The name of the project was Molecular cytogenetics of Cutaneous Lymphoma and other cancers, and the main objective was to find cromosomal aberrations involved with the different forms of cutaneous lymphoma. Previous results showed that cromosome 12 seemed to be the most common affected and that translocations or deletions at 12q21 or 12q22 affected the gene NAV3, whose delection was found in the skin lesions of patients with early Mycosis Fungoides and in the lymph nodes of patients with advanced Mycosis Fungoides or Sezary Sindrome. The project involved a lot of laboratory work as well as literature research.

This project was my first option and I am glad I chose it because I was able to do many things in the laboratory.

I had the chance to learn techniques such as Q-PCR, FISH, C DNA, western blot, RNA isolation, hybridization and detecting, in vitro isolation of Lymphocytes, cell transfection, cell cultures and many more. Hopefully there wasn't a language barrier and my coworkers were really nice, we mainly spoke in English but I was surprised that many of them spoke Spanish and even Quechua, a Peruvian native language.

My day usually started at 8am and finished around 3 to 4pm, most of the time I was at the Skin and Allergy Hospital but went many times to another facility called Biomedicum Helsinki where we had some machines we needed for some experiments. I also did some clinical work joining the clinical rounds at the Dermatology ward, the doctors were really nice and explained me every case they were studying.

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City and country The project was in Helsinki, the capital city of Suomi (the finnish name of Finland).

I liked the city but the weather was a problem at first.

Of course I knew it would be cold but I totally forgot about the early sundown. The first week the sun went down around 4pm, which was crazy for me, but the next weeks were warmer and the sun went down later, so I really started to love the city.

I had the opportunity to travel around Finland on the weekends. I went to the cities of Kuhmo, Turku, Jyuvascula, Rovaniemi, Kemi and Lohja. I had some friends in Finland from a previous trip, so I traveled around with them, and get to know students from many countries such as Germany, Russia, Estonina, Kenya, Portugal. My roommate from Egypt joined me on my trip to Lapland, where we crossed the Artic circle, stare at the cute reindeers and visit the famous Joulupukki (the real finnish Santa Claus!).

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International experience

medical students worldwide

Preparations, travel and arrival I needed a visa for Finland. I applied at the embassy and everything about the IFMSA Research exchange was in order for them and I got the acceptance in 1 week. My contact person was very helpful, he helped me a lot by picking me up from the airport.

My contact person helped me a lot to get to know the city, we went to some events like a traditional finish students' party called "sit and sing", a fancy dinner with a lot of singing and drinking games, it was really fun.

But as the finish students were still in classes, I usually traveled and hang out with my roommate around Helsinki, we had good times by getting lost trying to find the sights.

Stay I shared the apartment with a girl from Egypt, we had everything we could need, a microwave, a bathroom, a little kitchen, studying desks, 2 beds, a radio and internet access. Our room was located very close to the hospital where I had my exchange, so it was very convenient for me.

I had incredible coupons for lunch, I could eat everyday at the Hospital Restaurant and at the end of the day I could bring a "picnic basket" back home, which had a lot of things: yogurt, fruit, bread, salad and juice.

We also had some "Tea breaks" at the laboratory so I was never hungry.

Being a part of this exchange is an experience that I will never forget, even if Finland is so far from my country I really want to come back someday. This experience will definitely be useful for me as I am planning to continue doing research when I graduate.

I have to thank to the members of the Finnish Medical Students' International Committee (FiMSIC) and IFMSA for making this exchange possible!

Finland Location Area

Area- comparative

Northern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, Gulf of Bothnia, and Gulf of Finland, between Sweden and Russia total: 338,145 sq km land: 304,473 sq km water: 33,672 sq km slightly smaller than Montana

Land boundaries

total: 2,654 km border countries: Norway 727 km, Sweden 614 km, Russia 1,313 km

Climate

cold temperate; potentially subarctic but comparatively mild because of moderating influence of the North Atlantic Current, Baltic Sea, and more than 60,000 lakes 5,374,781 (2010 est.)

Population Religions

Lutheran Church of Finland 82.5%, Orthodox Church 1.1%, other Christian 1.1%, other 0.1%, none 15.1% (2006)

Languages

Finnish 91.5% (official), Swedish 5.5% (official), other 3% (small Sami- and Russian-speaking minorities) (2006)

Capital

name: Helsinki geographic coordinates: 60 10 N, 24 56 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

Exchange rates

1 US Dollar = 0,70 EUR

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International experience

SCOREview Volume 5 - Number 2 - August 2011

Research Greece Research in Greece Host country: Greece University of Athens, Athens Project: Investigating the role of sperm DNA integrity in male infertility Project supervisor: Dr. Roxani Angelopoulou

Dana Cotong University of Copenhagen, Denmark 2nd year of study Spoken languages: Danish, English, Tagalog and little French

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The project

City and country

I worked on the project: ”Investigating the role of sperm DNA integrity in male infertility”. The aim of the project was to investigate whether or not a varicocelectomy could improve male infertility.

My daily routine in the laboratory was mainly to follow a PhD student. We determined trial subjects' DNA Fragmentation Index by examining their spermatozoa using TUNEL, to assess if they had varicocele.

Working hours were in general from 10:00 to 16:00.

We had a lot of days off due to strikes on public transportation. There were no language barriers at all. The professor and PhD student spoke Greek to each other, but always spoke English when they were discussing relevant topics that would be interesting for me to learn. I also had some hands-on experience with immunohistochemistry and Gram staining. At the end of my stay I gave a presentation on an article written at McGill University in Canada, which highlighted the project goal. I analyzed the results, discussed bias and possible confounding. The aim of my presentation was to find out how we could optimize our own project.

My fellow exchangees were from Brazil, Egypt, Kuwait, Taiwan and Thailand. It was a great experience to meet medical students from almost every corner of the world. Athens is filled with so much history, it was therfore very exciting to visit all of the beautiful sights. Although, there wasn't much time to go sightseeing after lab hours because the sights in Athens closed early in the winter, we did find time to visit amazing Acropolis, climb up the Lykavittos Hill and shop on Ermou Street etc. due to the weekly strikes on public transportation.

In the weekends, we went to cities outside of Athens such as Thessaloniki, Santorini and Meteora – three very breathtakingly beautiful cities which I was happy to have experienced with my newfound friends from all over the world. If there were strikes on weekdays, we also spent the day outside of Athens for example in historical Delphi.

Preparation, travel and arival When arriving at the Athens national airport, I took the metro by myself to the city center, Syntagma.

There were signs everywhere at the airport, so it was easy to find the metro. My contact person picked me up from Syntagma, and followed me to the temporary hostel I would be living in. She was very sweet and helpful, but unfortunately I only met her twice because she was busy with her exams.

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International experience

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Stay I stayed in a dormitory along with the majority of exchangees and other Greek students. It was very clean and modern since it had been renovated in 2004 due to the Olympics. The dormitory was twenty minutes away from campus, and about thirty minutes away from the city center. In a short period of time, I had the sweetest roommate from Kuwait.

The room was very spacious with a beautiful view of the hills, and we each had our own desk and closet. Furthermore, we had a refrigerator and a bathroom in our room.

Unfortunately, there weren't any kitchen in our dormitory. We received the magical pink Greek student card, paso, which gave us free meals at the university's cafeteria. We could eat three free meals a day, but only lunch and dinner was worth eating, which consisted of a main course, side dish, salad and dessert. Whenever we travelled to other cities we always ate out and tried delicious Greek cuisine.

We also went to wonderful restaurants in Plaka, Athens. The Greek student card also gave us free entree on most sights in Greece, discounts on metro and busses, and discounts on train rides, bus rides and boat fairs to the cities outside of Athens.

I was on Research Exchange in Athens in February, therefore there wasn't much of a social program.

All of the Greek students were busy studying for their exams. Luckily, the LEO, George, made time to take us out and show us the nightlife in Athens.

He also warned us about strikes, wrote weekly mails about upcoming festivals in Athens, gave recommendations to which cities were worth visiting etc.

All in all, my research exchange program was fantastic, I made a lot of new friendships, and had a lot of great experiences.

I can only recommend the other students to travel the world with Research Exchange!

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

11,305,118 (2010 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

Exchange rates

1 US Dollar = 0.70 EUR (2011)

13

NMO Presentation

SCOREview Volume 5 - Number 2 - August 2011

OMAN!!!

Come and discover the pearls of Arabian SHORE...

By experiencing your exchange in SCORE Ahlan Wa Sahlan!

Welcome to Sultanate of Oman, a shining and glimmering pearl of the Middle East. Oman is an Arab state in southwest Asia on the southeast coast of the Arabian Peninsula.

Oman is known for its popular tourist attractions.

Wadis, deserts, beaches, and mountains are areas which make Oman unique. Wadis are green, lush oases of palm trees, grasses, and flowers. There are over 500 forts, castles, and towers in various architectural styles. Some other famous acitivities include sand skiing in the desert, scuba diving, rock climbing, trekking, surfing & sailing, cave exploration, birdwatching, bull fighting, and camel races. All this and more, found only in Sultanate of Oman.

Omans leading national university, the Sultan

Qaboos University, the College of Medicine and Health Sciencs has the Medical Student Group (MSG) registered under IFMSA with SCOPH, SCOPE, SCOME and SCORE. Standing Committee On Research Exchange (SCORE) – Oman was founded in 2009 and has been a very active member of the International Federation of Medical Students' Association (IFMSA) ever since. Medical students of SQU are active in biomedical and clinical researches.

SCORE Oman's work is concerned with handling research exchange programs of unilateral or bilateral exchanges with many countries around the globe. They include European countries, GCC countries, South East Asian and others including Canada etc.

SCORE PROJECTS 1. Screening for K-RAS oncogene mutations in Omani patients affected by Diffused Large B Cell Lymphoma (DLBCL) 2. Origin and pattern of spread for anti-malarial drug resistance in Oman 3. The study of genetics - nature of lactose intolerance among Omanis 4. Study of Genetics of type 2 diabetes among Omani population 5. Genetic determination of patient's different response to HAART 6. Elevated levels pf proinflammatory cytokines such as interleukin 1 beta have been detected in rheumatoid arthritis patients and considered to be a key 7. Clinical and Immunological Manifestations of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) among Omani Population: A Comparison Study 8. The Effect of Diuretics on Thiamine Status in Rats 9. The impacts on structural and functional characteristics of blood vessels in dyslipidaemic patients; a randomized clinical trail comparing Simvastatin 14

www.ifmsa.org

NMO Presentation

medical students worldwide

SOCIAL PROGRAM So what happens when you have spent long hours doing research? You will be spending the rest of the day building unforgettable memories that you will take back home, only to return.

Omans beaches are world famous, sit back, relax and enjoy the scenery. We will take your for scuba diving, sailing and surfing around the most famous beaches in Oman. And later at night, what would be more better than watching worlds historical and oldest turtles lay their eggs which if witnessed now, will be only witnessed 500 years later !

When you are done with beaches, we will take your for a round back to the history of forts and magical castles. Discover the stories of kings hidden in the past waiting for you to unleash the magic in the history.Oman boasts the world's biggest cave in the world known as "Majlis Al Jin", meaning the "Gathering of the Ghosts". Discover the oldest and the most mysterious caves in Oman, known as the "Hoota Caves" and "The Golden Cave".Experience the cold and fresh water springs in Oman, discover the falaj system and the freshness of wadis and water pools.

You can go rock climbing, trekking, mountain gearing.

And who can miss the Arabian nights in the deserts with a full moon? Experience the world of desert, terrains, sands and dunes on a bonfire night with all the exchange students. All that and more, only in Sultanate of Oman !

ACTIVITIES SCORE-Oman organizes and handles local research projects within campus, forming a link between students and medical departments.

Clinical and Basic Science research projects are collected from various departments of SQU College of medicine and Hospital. These projects are compiled into a volume list where students chose to apply to assist in the projects.

Upon successful selection of students based on the criteria, the students then embark on a journey of research. When completed, they publish papers and take part in many worldwide medical student conferences.

SCORE-Oman organizes Best Research Idea (BRI) which has proved to be a major success in the past years; winning an award in the EMR 2011. BRI revolves around student research ideas brought upfront by means of a competition.

Medical students are given a time span of a semester to write an original abstract with their ideas. These ideas are then evaluated by the official college committee of research council and 5 best research ideas are chosen among many. These 5 ideas are then presented on SQU – SCORE day to all doctors, professors and medical personnel which attend this event.

The judges then chose among the best 5. The winning idea is allowed to be worked on by the author and its department and aided with financial support. In addition , there are several other local projects.

15

International experience

SCOREview Volume 5 - Number 2 - August 2011

Happy time in Italy Host country: Italy Universita degli Studi di Udine, Udine Project: Diagnostic and therapeutic application of tissue engineering Project supervisor: Prof. Francesco Curcio

Aygul Shafigullina Kazan State Medical University Russian Federation 6th year of study Spoken languages: Russian, English, Italian

The project The purpose of the project was to study the therapeutic application of stem cells isolated from dental follicle, thyroid gland, and corneal tissue; cultivate them and perform their characterization by using RT-PCR, Immunocytochemistry, Westren Blot. It was concluded that the derived stem cells were identified as mesenchymal stem cells and were suitable for further experiments.

I was in lab every day from Monday till Friday, 8.30 – 15.00, but if there were many experiments, it was possible to stay longer. There was no language barrier with tutors, but I had an opportunity to improve my Italian language skills. At my hometown I participate in various scientific projects, devoted to studying stem cells and their application that is why this project was very productive for me.

In the future I'm planning to continue my work in this field, thus all the knowledge that I was able to get in the lab abroad will be very useful for me.

All together we visited a lot of wonderful cities and places like – Venice, Trieste, Bologna, Padua, Florence, Pisa and Palace Miramare on the cost of the Adriatic Sea. Our stay in Udine would not be so interesting, funny and impressive without our Dear Italian Friends (Elena, Silvia and a lot of the other Italian students), who helped us to adopt and get acquainted with their culture, traditions, trips and enjoy every single day in Italy.

I was lucky to attend the International Course in Bioethics, with the duration of two weeks where we discussed problems on Bioethics, like euthanasia, abortion and human rights protection, shared our opinions and could get to know the experiences in different countries. I was impressed and very thankful to the organizers (great staff of Prof.

A.Tenori and Prof. F. Ambesi), lectures and of course the participants, who are my good friends now.

Preparation, travel and arival I needed a visa to enter Italy, but I had no problems with the documents because of great help of my contact person, who prepared everything. Besides this, Elena was very kind and tender, she met me at the railway station and helped me with accommodation and everyday questions.

City and Country Besides me there were 5 other students: Noemi and Mary Cruz from Spain, Chris and Jonny from Austria, Sherine from Egypt. All of them were very kind and friendly so we became friends and spent a lot of time together. After the daily working hours we went sightseeing around Udine and every weekend we had chance to travel around.

16

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International experience

medical students worldwide

Stay I lived in a single room in a Student House with all facilities. My room was cleaned every two days.

Our Student House was quite far from the University and we had to take bus to get there.

SISM organized monthly bus tickets for us so we had no problems with public transport.

I had meal coupons and could eat in the students' canteen with the national cuisine on the menu.

Whenever I wanted I could use the kitchen, mostly I just used the fridge to keep some food and kettle for tea. Sometimes we went out to taste some special Italian dishes.

On the first day the Italian students organized a “Pizza party“ for us, where we tasted various types of pizza. During three days of Social program in Venice we could get acquainted with each other and do sightseeing. One of the evenings in Udine we went to see the Italian Opera “La Traviata”, this performance was in the main Square near the Doumo and we could enjoy Italian “bellcanto” under the stars in the sky. My time in Italy was amazing; I have a lot of good memories and a lot of new friends with whom I am still in touch.

Italy Location

Area

Area- comparative Land boundaries

Southern Europe, a peninsula extending into the central Mediterranean Sea, northeast of Tunisia total: 301,230 sq km land: 294,020 sq km water: 7,210 sq km note: includes Sardinia and Sicily slightly larger than Arizona total: 1,899.2 km border countries: Austria 430 km, France 488 km, Holy See (Vatican City) 3.2 km, San Marino 39 km, Slovenia 199 km, Switzerland 740 km

Climate

predominantly Mediterranean; Alpine in far north; hot, dry in south

Population Religions

60,605,053 (2010 est.)

Languages

Roman Catholic 90% (approximately; about one-third practicing), other 10% (includes mature Protestant and Jewish communities and a growing Muslim immigrant community) talian (official), German (parts of Trentino-Alto Adige region are predominantly German speaking), French (small French-speaking minority in Valle d'Aosta region), Slovene (Slovene-speaking minority in the Trieste-Gorizia area)

Capital

name: Rome geographic coordinates: 41°54′N 12°29′E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington DC during standard time

Exchange rates

1 US Dollar= 0.70 EUR (2011)

17

International experience

SCOREview Volume 5 - Number 2 - August 2011

The genetic adventure in Poland Host country: Poland Medical University of Lublin Project: Chromosomal aberrations in human acute leukemias Project supervisor: Janusz Kocki, MD and Jacek Wojcierowski MD PhD

Agil Huseynzade Azerbaijan Medical University, Baku, Azerbaijan, Spoken languages: Azerbaijani, English, Russian, Turkish

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The project

City and Country

The aim of the project was to analyze chromosomal aberrations in acute human leukemia in Genetics Department of Medial University of Lubin. Tests were held for different kind of chromosomal aberrations, chromosomes in which aberrations occur and different ways of curing these changes.

The research was carried out with the following methods: - uptake of the bone marrow from patients with leukemia - preparation of cytological specimens - hybridization with specific molecular probe - detection of chromosomal aberrations by FISH method There were two of us in this scientific research.

During the project we analyzed chromosomal aberrations in acute human leukemias. In this scientific work we used genetic materials of patients and had some results about the aberrations. With the help of our tutor we worked successfully. Our research program was in English. Supervisor provided us basic knowledge about work, but actually having this basics about leukemias helped us a lot.

I think after this research I began to have interest in the genetic field and my knowledge about it really enlarged. Maybe in the future I will have some other research work in the genetic field‌

Poland was one of the most interesting countries for me. Visiting this beautiful place, I met a lot of kind people there. It was a really great experience for me. This city is the largest Polish city east of the Vistula river. Its' citizens were very hospital and warm people. I reached the city from Warsaw by train. Travelling through Polish towns and villages and looking at the wonderful nature of Poland, was a chance for me to enjoy beauty.

When I arrived to the city, one of the Polish medical students met me. We went to the dormitory and after having rest, we went walking to the Old Town. It was really breathtaking, because every stone in this part of the city had it's own history.

We also saw an amazing castle near the Old Town.

Visiting the interiors, made me feel as if I was a time traveler. Our SCOPE and SCORE group consisted of 21 students from different countries.

We were the biggest group in Poland !

Preparation, travel and arival For visiting Poland I needed visa. I applied for the visa in the Polish Embassy in Baku. In the cooperation with my Contact Person, pdf version of the Invitation Letter was sent directly to the embassy's email. I arrived to the airport in Warsaw and went by myself to the railway station. Two and a half hour later I arrived in Lublin, where I was welcomed by a Polish student.

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International experience

medical students worldwide

Stay The dormitories in Lublin were beautiful and comfortable. I had a roommate from Latvia. He was a very kind person. The dorm was situated near the city and our department. That's why, it was easy to commute.

We had lunch in the dormitory everyday during the exchange. Sometimes Polish dishes were very tasty for me and sometimes less, but the chief really took care about the meals so they could be eatable for all students. We usually had a dinner outside, in one of the magical restaurants of Lublin. For breakfast I usually cooked eggs .

On the second day of my stay, our contact person came to the hostel. She was very friendly and warm to us. Also, there were different students every week or weekend that were responsible for the exchange students. In my opinion, the most caring person was Joanna Wielgosz. She was the internship student in Medical University of Lublin.

Joanna fully organized for us the trip to the settlement near Lublin, to the underground tunnels in Lublin and a trip to Gdansk- one of the most exceptional cities in Poland. Apart from this, we also travelled to Krakow and Wroclaw for the National Meeting of SCOPE/SCORE Incomings.

I think, I have gained a lot of friends in Poland and I will never forget them.

Poland Location Area

Area- comparative

Central Europe, east of Germany total: 312,679 sq km land: 304,459 sq km water: 8,220 sq km slightly smaller than New Mexico

Land boundaries

total: 3,047 km border countries: Belarus 605 km, Czech Republic 615 km, Germany 456 km, Lithuania 91 km, Russia (Kaliningrad Oblast) 432 km, Slovakia 420 km, Ukraine 428 km

Climate

temperate with cold, cloudy, moderately severe winters with frequent precipitation; mild summers with frequent showers and thunder showers

Population

38,186,860 ( 2010 est.)

Religions

Roman Catholic 89.8% (about 75% practicing), Eastern Orthodox 1.3%, Protestant 0.3%, other 0.3%, unspecified 8.3% (2002)

Languages

Polish 97.8%, other and unspecified 2.2% (2002 census)

Capital

name: Warsaw geographic coordinates: 52°13′N 21°02′E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington DC during standard time)

Exchange rates

1 US Dollar= 0.70 EUR (2011)

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International experience

SCOREview Volume 5 - Number 2 - August 2011

Turkish know how to enjoy life Host country: Turkey Dukuz Eülyl University, Izmir Project: Response Strategies of the brain Project supervisor: Prof. Dr Murat Ozgoren

Alina Piotrowska, Alma mater lipsiensis University of Leipzig, Germany 2nd yearof study Spoken languages: English, French, German, Polish, little Spanish

The project The aim of the project was to introduce the student with the Brain Research Area, using real life electrophysiology techniques, as well as some neuro-cognitive background assessment tests.

The scientific target to achieve was to evaluate the response strategies of the brain under easy and hard task conditions using different domains of data. The modified analysis techniques and statistics were also used. EEG was used to observe the physiological brain activity of the test person while some stimuli (somatosensorial, visual and auditory) were given. For each task, there were different pattern of brain responses and they were discussed after the analysis of some of these patterns of brain response strategies, that were common for most of human brains and that depend on type of stimuli and type of task.

The first day I had to choose one of the projects running at that time, after having read some papers and talked to the members. I decided to join the "dichotic listening" research group. Working with a PHD who was busy teaching besides, I could go through every step by myself. Beginning with looking for probands, preparing all the testing and pretesting, doing the actual testing; later analysing the data, converting them into diagrams - which I partly had to make up myself - and finally after discussing them and presenting the results at the end of my stay during a short presentation. My working hours were from 9 am to 5 pm, but actually I could come and go as I wanted, because it was clear that it depended on me how much I would achieve during my stay. It was a very interesting learning about all the techniques, attending extra classes about "data" and an international meeting plus a big congress.

City and Country Since I was the only exchange student at that time, I spent most of the time with the locals who cared wonderfully about me, even though they were having their finals at that time. I was showed 20

around the whole city by all the LEO´s - they "switched" with entertaining me: we went out dancing, drinking, sightseeing or shopping. One weekend we went to a friend´s house in the mountains and did some hiking. Another weekend my parents came over and we visited some of the ancient Greek cities (Ephesus, Milet, Didyma,..)

Finally I prolonged my stay for a week to go to Istanbul with a friend of mine. This trip was a wonderful high light - everybody should go to Istanbul.

Preparation, travel and arival No visa is needed coming from Germany. I arrived around 11pm, was welcomed by my contact person and some other friends. We dropped of the luggage at the dormitory and immediately went out dancing with them. The LEO´s were very committing organised everything, called me up to make sure I was being fine. I only had a pretty bad timing with my shots - I got all of them within a week before my flight - avenging itself right away (rash and sleepiness for the first days). The other recommendation, I can give, is to take a half empty suitcase. No matter if you like spending a lot of money when shopping or not, there are so many things you want to bring home to show to your friends and family that you really need a lot of space for the return.

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International experience

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Stay As already mentioned, I lived in a dormitory, staying in a bedroom with three and shared a bathroom with eight other girls. I honestly could not get used to this situation even though I tried it (using earplug etc...). I only slept about three or four hours each night because of the noise and the light turning on and off all the time. Lunch was provided at the cafeteria and for the other meals we went to restaurants, bakeries or bars. The second day I fell in love with Turkish food. It tastes delicious, it's really cheap and on top of it extremely healthy.

Paradise. =)

My stay turned out to be one of the most enriching "vacations" I have ever had. Meeting so many different people, experiencing all the cultural differences, "their" points of view and approaches to solve problems made me reflect a lot about my own opinions and behaviour.

But mostly I appreciate spending time with a nation that knows how to enjoy life.

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

Climate

slightly larger than Texas 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 temperate; hot, dry summers with mild, wet winters; harsher in interior

Population

73,722,988 (2010 cen.)

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

name: Ankara geographic coordinates:39°55′N 32°50′E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington DC during standard time)

Exchange rates

1US Dollar = 1.60 Turkish Lira

Land boundaries

21

SCORE

SCOREview Volume 5 - Number 2 - August 2011

GAP - Global Action Project Exchange Within IFMSA Exchanges in 2007 ANEMF (France) organized for the first time a project linking research and Global Health: Global Action Project Exchange.

It allowed students who do not have the possibility to study in depth the problems related to neglected tropical diseases and medical research, especially if related to endemic lowincome settings and their impact on the population.

GAP Exchange is based on the collaboration of NMOs and is organized as a bilateral exchange within International Federation of Medical Students' Association (IFMSA). It gives the opportunity to further the medical students' knowledge and skills on efficient disease prevention, control, treatment and research that would better respond to the emerging needs and help us to gain a better control of the disease impact, epidemiology and ultimately patient care/treatment. It is essential that the students are encouraged to further their knowledge and skills on the chosen topic-though a comprehensive program that would take them to a different country to take active part in research project that would encompass clinical work with laboratory practice.

The students are sensitized through such practice, learning more by experiencing-like understanding the links between the social determinants of health and pathology of the illness. Such approach links a number of fields in medicine, public health, medical anthropology, social and political sciences, and law.

The Project can be split into three phases. Firstly, there is a training program on a public health issue of the partnership, secondly, there is a placement in a research laboratory and finally, there is integration into a field work mission, based on international solidarity, which will allow the students to see how the disease affects patients as well as the diseases' clinical consequences.

European NMOs decided to work on Neglected Disease, a group of 13 parasitic and bacterial infections such as dracunculiasis (guinea-worm disease), leprosy, schistosomiasis, lymphatic filariasis and yaws, because these disease are unkown in Occident. Despite global efforts to control “hidden� diseases, they continue to threaten the lives of around 1 billion people worldwide.

22

Some of these diseases have known preventive measures or acute medical treatments which are available in the developed world but which are not universally available in poorer areas. In some cases, the treatments are relatively inexpensive. For example, the treatment for schistosomiasis is USD $0.20 per child per year [1] They are poverty-promoting because of their impact on child health and development, pregnancy, and worker productivity, as well as their stigmatizing features. [2] The incoming students in Europe instead will participate in a research laboratory placement and clerkship at the hospital about cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, nutrition and obesity and feeding problems, alcoholism, prevention of HIV/AIDS, tobacco, women's health, suicide or Occidental disease.

In 2011 France will offer AIDS research with practical session at a Family planning center to the students from another country partnering, IFMSA Spain students will deepen their knowledge in neglected diseases by means of an exchange in which they will do a clerkship in primary care of an endemic region, in a microbiology laboratory in the same city and in the Department of Infectious Diseases of a hospital in the capital of PerĂş, while students from IFMSA-Peru will participate in a research project in neurosciences, in which they will put into practice the research methodology and laboratory techniques that they have studied during their course of Medicine and the specific seminars provided before the exchange, widening their vision on biomedical research in a field which is not extensively developed in their country. SISM Italy will partecipate to the GAP Exchange and is working out all the different aspects of the Project.

We have to encourage students interested in global health issues to take advantage of all the available opportunities that this project offers and to develop the knowledge and skills necessary to work effectively in a global society with cultural and broader understanding of medicine.

With globalization we will sooner or later confront to different disease realities, also in our consulting rooms.

Ivana Di Salvo NORE 2010-2011 SISM-Italy SCORE DA for GAP 2010-2011

[1] http://www.who.int/neglected_diseases/en/ [2] PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases. PLoS neglected tropical diseases journal scope. http://www.plosntds.org/static/scope.action

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PET - PreExchange Training After many years and many research exchanges we came across a problem.

We saw that in many countries research exchanges have been far away from their ultimate goal and the biggest reasons were the lack of students' motivation, knowledge and awareness.

These problems needed solutions and they made SCORE people come up with the idea of PreExchange Training (PET).

SCORE PET is a training program for students who will participate in a research project. The aim is to raise scientific knowledge, technical skills, motivation and awareness of students. During this training program there are lectures and trainings on Science Philosophy, Research Ethics, Hypothesis formation skills, Research Planning, Basic Biostatistics, and Intercultural Learning.

There are certain points that make a research efficient.

And the biggest one is the motivation of students.

As they know more about what is expected and what they will do in their research exchange they become more enthusiastic about being a part of the project.

It also helps us to make them fill in the Evaluation Forms and have publications such as the one you are reading now.

SCORE PET was first organized in Turkey in May 2008 by TurkMSIC with 25 participants. Mert Karakaya, IFMSA SCORE-D 08-09 who was the NORE of Turkey at that time, was responsible for organizing this. He came to the SCORE PET in Turkey in May 2010 and he was really happy that it keeps growing rapidly in Turkey as well as all around the world. Every year we have more and more students attending PET, also more tutors get to know PET and SCORE which effects SCORE's reputation very positively.

After we did the first SCORE PET as TurkSCORE, I was ellected the first SCORE PET Coordinator and I started coordinating SCORE PET from the beginning of the year by selecting a convenient date without exams and looking for impressive tutors who can give those lectures. Then we applied fo and made SCORE PET a National Project of TurkMSIC. We organized SCORE PET successfully by raising the number of participants to 42.

And by 2010 we kept increasing the number of participants to 61. We also added presentations like Evaluation Forms, SCOREview and SCORE's Congress in order to inform students about what they will go through after the exchange. Those successful organizations resulted with SCORE PET becoming an Endorsed Project of IFMSA in August Meeting 2010, Montréal. After the bylaw changes in SCORE at the August Meeting, I was chosen the Development Assistant on SCORE PET which made easier for other countries to get in touch with me and to organize SCORE PET in their countries.

There have been 2 small working groups on SCORE PET and both of them helped us a lot on updating the SCORE PET Manual, reaching more students and improving our agenda. In 2011 we had the highest number of participants (69) and SCORE PET was organized locally or nationally in more than ten countries such as Lebanon, Sudan, France, Canada-Quebec, Holland, Portugal, Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Greece. Also there are some initiatives to organize SCORE PET next year in Indonesia, Spain, Japan, Slovenia, Germany.

From the first training, SCORE PET keeps growing and reaching more outgoing students every year all around the world. And now that we are an Endorsed Project of IFMSA and we write more in publications like SCOREview, it is easier for us to reach more countries and more outgoing students. As we have more feedbacks we see it one more time how beneficial and essential is this training to SCORE in every aspect. It is also becoming a great tradition for SCORE. We get trained well, have great fun and make some great friendships in every SCORE PET We hope that some day SCORE PET will be a “must do” for research exchange.

Greetings from Ankara,

Fırat Büyüktaşkın NORE 2009-2011 TurkMSIC, Turkey SCORE DA for SCORE PET 10-11 SCORE PET IFMSA Endorsed Project Coordinator 10-11 23

SCORE

SCOREview Volume 5 - Number 2 - August 2011

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.

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.

Objectives of SCORE

Once the project is approved, it will be uploaded to the database (http://www.ifmsa.net/public/searchredb.php)

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.

Most projects on SCORE last 4 weeks, but some last more.

Please ask your local officer for more information.

Application

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.

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

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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

IFMSA International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations

Algeria (Le Souk) Argentina (IFMSA-Argentina) Armenia ((AMSP) Australia (AMSA) Austria (AMSA) Azerbaijan (AzerMDS) Bahrain (IFMSA-BH) Bangladesh (BMSS) Bolivia (IFMSA Bolivia) Bosnia and Herzegovina (BoHeMSA) Bosnia and Herzegovina – Rep. of Srpska (SaMSIC) Brazil (DENEM) Brazil (IFMSA Brazil) Bulgaria (AMSB) Burkina Faso (AEM) Burundi (ABEM) Canada (CFMS) Canada-Quebec (IFMSA-Quebec) Catalonia – Spain (AECS) Chile (IFMSA-Chile) China (IFMSA-China) Colombia (ACOME) Colombia (ASCEMCOL) Costa Rica (ACEM) Croatia (CroMSIC) Czech Republic (IFMSA CZ) Denmark (IMCC) Ecuador (IFMSA-Ecuador) Egypt (IFMSA-Egypt) El Salvador (IFMSA El Salvador) Estonia (EstMSA) Ethiopia (EMSA) Finland (FiMSIC) France (ANEMF) Georgia (GYMU) 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) Kenya (MSAKE) Korea (KMSA)

Kurdistan - Iraq (IFMSA-Kurdistan/Iraq) Kuwait (KuMSA) Kyrgzstan (MPSA Kyrgyzstan) Latvia (LaMSA Latvia) Lebanon (LeMSIC) Libya (LMSA) Lithuania (LiMSA) Luxembourg (ALEM) Malta (MMSA) Mexico (IFMSA-Mexico) Mongolia (MMLA) 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) Uganda (FUMSA) United Arab Emirates (EMSS) United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (Medsin-UK) United States of America (AMSA-USA) Venezuela (FEVESOCEM)

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