MATTHEW BALDACCHINO CANDIDATE FOR IFMSA-SCOPH DIRECTOR 2014-2015
proposals package CANDIDATURES FOR IFMSA TEAM OF OFFICIALS 2014-2015 TERM
contents foreword ……………………………..………….. p. 2 motivational letter …………………………. p. 3 past experience …………………………….… p. 7 trainings …………………………………....….. p. 15 curriculum vitae ………………………..….. p. 21 attestation of veracity ………….………. p. 22 plan of action …………………….………….. p. 24 conclusion …………………………………….. p. 32
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foreword Dear IFMSA friends, and colleagues, It is with great pleasure that I announce my candidature for the position of IFMSA SCOPH Director 2014-2015. Included within this proposals package, you can find information about my past involvement in the IFMSA sphere, my plan of action for the upcoming term, as well as qualities and skills that make me an ideal candidate for the position. In the meantime I welcome any queries and suggestions you may have so please do not hesitate to contact me. Yours,
Matthew Baldacchino - Candidate for SCOPH-Director 2014-2015 matthewbaldacchino.mb@gmail.com; +356 99 206 320
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motivational letter For those of you who do not know me, we really should have a chat sometime! My name is Matthew Baldacchino, and I have just finished my fourth year of studies as a medical student in Malta. From the moment I first stepped into medical school almost four years ago, I knew that there had to be something more to medicine outside the hefty books, endless hours poring over notes, and inevitable brain fade; and right on cue, a bright young MMSA EB member strode into class and blew us away with her motivational retelling of all our student association and the world beyond it (i.e. the IFMSA) has to offer. I have yet to hear another person deliver this speech with quite the same flair that she did, but I instantly realised I had found my place. Just shy of four years later, beyond the innumerable outreaches, Teddy Bear Hospitals and the hours of free blood pressure monitoring, SCOPH and the IFMSA have not only changed me, but has helped me grow as a person. The sheer amount of time spent participating in all aspects of medical student sphere has not only given me a great sense of satisfaction and a good batch of friends I hope to keep for the rest of my days, but has also worked out to be a wonderful learning experience.
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Becoming an active student working towards the betterment of health on not only a local but also a global scale has made me appreciate the intricate links between different aspects of health and adopt a more holistic approach to the medical sphere, and what better way to do so than work within SCOPH. Working my way up through the proverbial ladder from MMSA participant, to coordinator, to National Public Health Secretary, and then MMSA National Public Health Officer, and finally to IFMSA SCOPH Regional Assistant for Europe, I can honestly say that I
MMSA Board of Directors 2012-2013
have experienced it all – teamwork, active decision taking within a board of directors, leadership quality development both locally and internationally, international relations, and motivational experience; this is my chance to share it all with you as a leader in the standing committee on Public Health.
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My experiences within the IFMSA began at my first IFMSA meeting way back in April 2012 at the EuRegMe IX in Prague, Czech Republic. As a newly-elected NPO, the IFMSA was still a big scary world I had yet to learn about. However, the facilitators at my very first SCOPH session were so engaging and welcoming, and the participants so motivated and sharing in my situation, I kicked myself silly for never joining in the fun beforehand! SCOPH has always been a huge part of my life since joining the NMO but the IFMSA proved that the world of public health opened itself up to me being so much more than just projects, and six IFMSA meetings have shown me the opportunity to drive a real world change. We are not simply medical students, but we are also the future leaders of health in the world. SCOPH has taught me that from the day that we become medical students, we are bestowed a duty as purveyors of health not only for ourselves, but also for the public – my experiences within the SCOPH international team and the European Team have allowed me to experience this in the best way possible. I have seen the SCOPH team through both good times and the bad, and despite the effects these have on myself as a person, my experiences have has helped me to know the strengths and weaknesses of such an intricate standing committee and its place within the Federation. On this final note, I ask you, dear IFMSA members, to trust me as the next
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SCOPH director to uphold the IFMSA’s image and devote my entire person to bettering SCOPH and to help create a more united and effective standing committee. Despite my entering into the final year of studies within medical school in Malta, I am confident that I can deliver and be the motivated director this standing committee deserves. With the support of my friends and family, the entire MMSA, and hopefully you, I leave you with the warmest regards and the promise of a wonderful stay in Taiwan, to read through my proposal. “We do not need magic to change the world. We carry all the power we need inside us; we have the power to imagine better.” J.K. Rowling
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past experience The four long years I have worked within the MMSA and IFMSA have been marked by involvement in all standing committees and aspects of the association, which is an important and vital quality for any member of the IFMSA TO to be as proactive and holistic as possible, as well as taking the initiative to benefit from as many training opportunities as possible. Having started out as a simple attendee in mainly SCOPH events within the MMSA, never would I have dreamed that I would one day be able to conduct my own events, yet shortly after having attended a few events, including the MMSA 2010 National GA, World Diabetes Day training in 2010, and having participated fully in the ClimateCare campaign and HealthFest 2011, I was helping out with SCOPH-SCOPET Health campaigns in sixth forms and secondary schools, working with peers who were older and more knowledgeable than me and I knew there and then it was time to make a difference. Shortly after being brought into the 2011-2012 SCOPH team as the National Public Health Secretary, I was made one of the coordinators of the then Reach-on-the-Beach campaign which took place in
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September 2011. My duties as Secretary included attending all standing committee meetings, the planning of campaigns and the SCOPH calendar with the National Public Health Officer and representing SCOPH at external events, thus allowing me to begin building on my growing MMSA repertoire.
MMSA HealthFest 2012
Beat the Burn 2012
A true understanding of the IFMSA’s structure and meaning can only be attained by attending and involving oneself in as many of its events as possible. In the 2011-2012 term, I made it a point as Secretary to attend all of the SCOPH events and training seminars, represent SCOPH at the 2011 edition of TRD, as well as attend several other awareness programmes by all other standing committees including SCORA events (World AIDS Day 2011 celebrations, Valentine’s Day campaign 2012), SCOME events (Career’s Convention, Don’t Do a House, De La Salle Career’s Day, Breaking the Silence) and SCORP (Mental Health).
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I also attended the 2012 Medical Education Development International Kit Training (MEDIK-T) workshop which was the real fuel to the alreadyburning spark within me to contest in the MMSA Elections later that year. MEDIK-T helped me to develop and hone skills such as public speaking, presentation skills, advocacy, policy writing and project management, which not only helped me to develop professionally, but also further broaden my understanding of the MMSA. With these tools in hand, I contested for the position of Public Health Officer 2012-2013. In March 2012, shortly after being elected as MMSA Public Health Officer 2012-2013, I coordinated one of MMSA’s largest events, HealthFest 2012 which proved to be an amazing experience and eyeopener for me in terms of campaigning and project management. In April 2012, I represented Malta and SCOPH for the first time within the sphere of the International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations (IFMSA) the IXth EuRegMe in Prague where I attended SCOPH sessions, won the best IX EuRegMe Prague SCOPH project for HealthFest 2012, and attended training sessions on leadership and management.
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In the 2012-2013 term, as Public Health Officer, I strived to achieve excellence in my standing committee, whilst working for the betterment of health awareness programmes in the Maltese Islands. Through reimagined campaigns such as Beat the Burn (for which I headed a team of highly motivated coordinators), and a more streamlined an organised set of projects for the term. One of my many achievements was that new lines of communication were set between SCOPH and several international organisations including the World Heart Federation, the International Diabetes Federation, and face-to-face contact with the entire European SCOPH team and the international director for SCOPH, giving me clear and strong insight into administrative planning and learning.
World Diabetes Day 2012
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Aside from this, I also broadened my training set and attended the 2012 TNT sessions and the 2012 NPET sessions. I have since been giving training for both programmes and have become a qualified and certified IFMSA trainer and peer educator. Furthermore, I attended the 2012 Admin Workshop to further my insight into administrative training. To reflect this, I helped out with administrative work during my term as Public Health Officer by participating in conferences, helping out with BD reports, attending and helping out in coordinating our national GA and attending other standing committee events, and delivering training wherever possible including the MHSA (Malta Health Students Assocation) T.R.A.I.N. workshop and the 2013 MEDIK-T sessions. Throughout the course of the 2012-2013 SCOPH term, I also worked hand in hand with several local associations, both faculty-based and otherwise, such as MHSA, MADS (Malta Association of Dental Students), the Health Promotion Unit, the Ministry of Health and the Malta Diabetes Association. These experiences, especially my opportunity to train MHSA members in Project planning and Time management, were invaluable to me and further underlined my drive to work holistically with all members of society in the hope of better health awareness.
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In March 2013, I represented MMSA once again at the 62nd IFMSA March Meeting pre-General Assembly and 62nd March Meeting General Assembly in Baltimore and Washington DC, taking up sessions in Presidents’ Workshop and SCOPH, as well as presenting one of our own projects, Beat the Burn, for IFMSA endorsement at the GA plenary sessions. During the MMSA 2013-2014 term, I began working hard within the different sectors of the association having free reign to do so since my term as IFMSA March Meeting 2013, Baltimore Public Health officer was now over. I remained ingrained within the SCOPH team as a Beat the Burn coordinator where I was involved in the Beat the Burn outreach training and syllabus-formation, and also worked within the SCORA team as one of the World AIDS Day 2013 coordinators. Furthermore, I worked within the MMSA VPi office as the MMSA Projects Coordinator which allowed me clear insight into all standing committees and I was heavily
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involved in the project outlines for this term alongside the MMSA President Robert, MMSA VPi, and each of the respective standing committee directors. As part of the MMSA team, I was also involved in designing the CI for the MMSA Freshers’ Week 2013, designing the new edition of the SCOPET Booklet (which I later presented at the IFMSA 62nd August Meeting in Chile), and was part of the TRD 2013 Core Organising IFMSA August Meeting 2013, Chile Committee as the TRD Sessions Coordinator heading the team taking charge of the TRD agenda, leisure layouts and standing committee input which allowed me interaction with a very large number of contributing and motivated MMSA members. Furthermore, I also took the opportunity to share in my experiences wherever possible by delivering training at TNT 2013, NPET weekend 2013 and MEDIK-T 2014.
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Outside of the MMSA, I was working within the IFMSA for the 2013-2014 term. I had the prestigious opportunity to work within the OC for the very first edition of the IFMSA Southern European Cooperation on Sexual IFMSA March Meeting 2014, Tunisia Education (SECSE) project which is a SCORA-SCOPET initiative that was held in Malta, by working as the Public Relations Coordinator, and since October, I worked within the IFMSA-SCOPH Core Dream Team as the SCOPH Regional Assistant for Europe between October 2013 and April 2014. My role as RA working within both the SCOPH international team and the European Team have given me immeasurable experience with international coordination, communication and structure. Adding on to this, I attended the 62nd IFMSA GA August Meeting in Santiago, Chile representing MMSA at the IFMSA-Reform preGA sessions, as well as actually delivering SCOPH GA sessions to IFMSA members; and I also was present as SCOPH Regional Assistant at the 63rd IFMSA GA March Meeting in Hammamet, Tunisia where I attended a preGA on
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International Public Health Leadership, and delivered SCOPH sessions and European Sessions, as well as gave training on Cancer Awareness and Peer-to-Peer Education.
SCOPHeroes at the March Meeting 2014
In April and May 2014, I attended the pre-meeting and XI EuRegMe in Poland as Delegate Head for the MMSA where I delivered sessions on Public Health in Peer Education and attended Presidents’ Sessions respectively. I also delivered a session on Time Management as part of the training programme.
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The list of my work so far is nowhere near complete within these few pages, but these insights into my work will hopefully lend to the wellrounded characteristics and experience that goes with the role of being the SC Director for Public Health.
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training experience trainings delivered IFMSA IX EuRegMe Time Management Training Session (May 2014 in Warsaw, Poland) IFMSA pre-IX EuRegMe Public Health in Peer Education (April 2014 in Krakow, P) IFMSA GA SCOPH Sessions (General) (March 2014 in Hammamet, Tunisia) IFMSA GA Peer Education training (SCOPH) (March 2014 in Hammamet, Tunisia) IFMSA GA Cancer Awareness training (SCOPH-SCORA) (March 2014 in Hammamet, Tunisia) MMSA MEDIK-T weekend 2014 (February 2014, Malta) MMSA NPET weekend 2013 (December 2013, Malta)
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MMSA Training New Trainers (TNT) weekend 2013 (October 2013, Malta) MMSA MEDIK-T weekend 2013 (February 2013, Malta) MMSA NPET weekend 2012 (December 2012, Malta) MHSA T.R.A.I.N weekend 2012 (November 2012, Malta) MMSA Training Tuesdays 2012 (Novemeber 2012, Malta)
trainings received IFMSA XI EuRegMe Presidents Sessions (May 2014 in Warsaw, Poland) IFMSA GA SCOPH Sessions (March 2014 in Hammamet, Tunisia) IFMSA preGA International Public Health Leadership training (March 2014 in Hammamet, Tunisia)
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MMSA Pre-Exchanges Workshop (November 2013, Malta) IFMSA SECSE 2013 (September 2013, Malta) IFMSA GA SCOPH Reform Sessions (August 2013 in Santiago, Chile) IFMSA preGA IFMSA Reform sessions (August 2013 in Santiago, Chile) IFMSA GA SCOPH Sessions (March 2013 in Baltimore, U.S.A) IFMSA preGA Presidents’ Workshop (March 2013 in Baltimore, U.S.A) MMSA Administration Workshop 2012 (December 2012, Malta) MMSA NPET weekend 2012 (December 2012, Malta)
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MMSA Training New Trainers (TNT) weekend 2012 (October 2012, Malta) IFMSA IX EuRegMe SCOPH sessions + leadership & management training (April 2012 in Prague, Czech Republic) MMSA MEDIK-T 2012 (February 2012, Malta)
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curriculum vitae Please consult the CV document sent out to the IFMSA-general server.
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attestation of veracity The CV attached, list of MMSA and IFMSA events attended, training given and received and the following positions and IFMSA meetings have all been verified in the name of the Malta Medical Students’ Association. 2013-2014 EuRegMe XI Poland (head of delegation) preEuRegMe XI Poland MM2014 Tunisia preMM2014 Tunisia MMSA Projects Coordinator World AIDS Day 2013 Coordinator Beat the Burn Coordinator MMSA National GA 2013 Sessions Coordinator IFMSA SCOPH Regional Assistant for Europe (until April 2014) SCOPH Support Person MM2014 SECSE 2013 Malta Public Relations Officer SCOPH Team AM2013
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AM2013 Chile preAM2013 Chile 2012-2013 MM2013 USA preMM2013 USA MMSA National Public Health Officer Beat the Burn Coordinator 2011-2012 IX EuRegMe Czech Republic MMSA National Public Health Secretary HealthFest 2012 Coordinator Reach on the Beach Coordinator
Gabriel J. Ellul MMSA President 2014-2015
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plan of action My plan of action, aside from the age-old obvious duties of running SCOPH sessions and making them as exciting as possible, attending TOMs and helping out in any RM SCOPH sessions if possible, will be revolving around the following main points: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
Ensuring direction NMO involvement Internal development External development Broadening SCOPH horizons
ensuring direction The first step in making sure that SCOPH continues to deliver is to making sure we maintain and build upon the vision and mission of the standing committee. The discussion on the vision and mission has been going on for some time now, and is part of the work being heartily carried on by the SCOPH We Need SWG, along with SCOPH’s very own IOGs which I was involved in setting out during MM2013.
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Discussions on this SWG’s outcomes will no doubt continue beyond AM2014, and I am a fervent supporter of renewing SCOPH to give it a brighter future. Thus, I aim to: 1. Keep the SWG active to maintain a long-term assessment of SCOPH (for at least three terms including the 2013-2014 term) 2. Maintain a Forum of Interest to be addressed at General Assemblies or Regional Meetings, whereby NPOs can deliver constructive ideas about how to better and perfect SCOPH structure and IOGs 3. Instil that the first edition of SCOPH IOGs be finalised by no later than AM2015 should they not be finalised during AM2014, and ensure a revision of IOGs during the AM of every other year (or when the need arises) to ensure that the IOGs do not reflect the opinions of a small minority 4. Develop a long-term plan to side-along the annual strategic plan of SCOPH thus ensuring that we set our sights on more fruitful outcomes rather than solely marking yearly health days
NMO involvement The phrase “think global, act local” has been thrown around the Federation for as long as I can remember; unfortunately in my experience as both an NPO and SCOPH RA, some NPOs, especially newer
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hopefuls, tend to operate on more of a work-locally-and-then-come-toIFMSA-meetings-twice-a-year system. The understanding of global health lies beyond the importance of understanding the core of SCOPH but also helps unite common goals between countries and regions. NPOs have yet to learn how vital inter-NMO and interregional cooperation can prove to be. I have witnessed many an NMO present the same project under a different name simply because they either have no idea how SCOPH works in the IFMSA due to poor handover sessions, or poor attendance to Regional SC online meetings and regular reviewing of e-mails. The newly updated projects database is one such achievement that should help assuage this problem. Thus, to ensure proper NMO involvement, I would like to propose a series of changes: 1. Voting rights during SCOPH sessions were lightly touched upon during the MM2013 discussion on SCOPH IOGs; I would suggest a minimum requirement of active participation from NPOs between one GA to the next to be eligible for voting, noted down in some form of yearly record to ensure both adequate participation as well as willingness to bring about change 2. Encourage inter-NMO involvement; although IFMSA tends to shy away from such things as Facebook groups in preference of Yahoo or other planning services, they are extremely useful for nonofficials within the IFMSA team. Thus although a general SCOPH
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group exists, yearly SCOPH regional subgroups used for communication purposes will benefit quick conversation and facilitate announcements for the region. 3. Create an easy introductory guide for new NPOs to introduce the concept of SCOPH and its inner workings rather than wasting precious time during RMs and especially GAs to discuss the beginnings of SCOPH, etc.; quick Q&A can be held in the place of the current often hour-long “Introduction Game� 4. Involve NPOs and other SCOPH members in what they want to see in GAs or RMs at the end of a previous international meeting, once again in evaluation and in the early planning stages of the next meeting to create as holistic a session as possible; this will help create a broader understanding as well as maintain some form of institutional memory 5. Monthly SCOPH update; a practice which I upheld as NPO proved vital in highlighting the current events happening around the SCOPH world. A similar practice is currently in place and a formalised update will ensure clear-cut information to all.
internal development At the crux of every good team is a sense of cohesiveness between its members and the belief in a strong leader. I have been in my fair share
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of teams in both the MMSA and the IFMSA and I have to say that cohesiveness tended to be lacking in many, but not all, the teams. The SCOPH Core Team i.e. the SCOPH-D, LOPH, General Assistant, RAs and DAs need to feel that they are truly forming part of a willing, united and encouraging team and should not feel pressured or threatened in any instance. A welcoming approach I feel is desperately needed is to revamp the current reporting system and inner workings within the SCOPH team: 1. Checkpoints to report individual progress should be encouraged by highlighting individual goals and wishes for the region and SC but be used solely as a guide 2. Team meetings should ideally be held once a month with dates planned beforehand, but should be planned such that they are necessitated and not carried out simply for the sake of meetings 3. Monthly reports are expected and should highlight achievements within the region or area of work 4. Early recognition of potential ideas to renovate SCOPH sessions during GAs and RMs to make them as exciting as possible Members of the core team should feel proud of the work they are achieving and not pulled down by the constant pressure of having to deliver boatloads each month. As highlighted above the necessity for meetings should be discussed within the group and frequent
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communication for small problems is preferable over full-blown meetings. Each assistant should also involve themselves in: 1. Getting to know their NMOs by sending out an email introducing themselves along with a NEW contact sheet for all NMOs to fill in 2. Send out emails at least once a month to highlight important updates, encourage contact if in need, and send out important notices when necessary 3. Holding online meetings; these should be ENCOURAGED and NOT FORCED – we aim for quality and not quantity to ensure the best for our Standing Committee, and NMOs are less likely to respond and participate in excessive meetings 4. Reviewing IOGs internally and adding to the proposed Forum of Interest
external development SCOPH is no island within the IFMSA but relies on the participation with other SCs, support divisions and external organisations. The LO for Public Health will be working hand-in-hand with the association as has been done in the past, to encourage both individual opportunities for IFMSA members, as well as allow SCOPH to grow through partnerships and increased benefits for projects and advocacy initiatives.
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As highlighted in the next point of the plan of action, we should use external organisations to not only fuel our orange spark but also broaden the horizons and opportunities for SCOPH beyond that of projects and campaigning. The worst-kept IFMSA secret is inter-SC competition; the walls between our SCs must come down and we must continue to embrace in joining particular projects at the hip: SCORA and SCOPH have worked beautifully in the past as they have with SCORP and SCOME. I look forward to working with each of these standing committees as well as looking to SCOPE and SCORE to finally set our SCOPH exchanges on a formal route.
broadening SCOPH horizons It is my wish to see SCOPH grow, not in size, but in purpose and innovativeness. In my heart, I know SCOPH has the potential to continue and develop into an even more wonderful experience: 1. Let us move away from the concept of having only talk surrounding our projects during sessions and look into advocacy and policy statements; we should not only have SWGs but full devoted sessions for people to broaden their opportunities 2. Let us bring back the debates during SCOPH sessions; I experienced in my first EuRegMe and I have found that constructive
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3.
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5. 6.
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discussion about public health issues both nationally and regionally can help us educate each other and fuel changes back home Let us look into specific training for public health; I wish to liaise with the TSD (training support division) to make our Intenrational Public Health Leadership and Public Health in Peer Education sessions (which I first delivered in Poland) flourish and develop Highlight the use of peer education in public health (SCOPH has the potential for wondrous peer education sessions for children and adults alike) Encourage internships in public health and association with WHA, WHO and other such meetings and organisations Instil the idea of developing soft skills in GA and RM sessions e.g.: how to outreach in public; what is the best way to speak to a child about melanoma; how do we tackle an unwilling patient in a public outreach, etc. Educating members on pursuing public health in the technological and media sectors; what better way for young doctors to involve themselves than by getting down and dirty with technology and the internet?
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conclusion At this time, I would like to thank you and show my deepest appreciation for having read through this proposal. I am both proud and extremely honoured to present to you my candidature and I can only hope that I may share in your trust and represent you as IFMSA SCOPH Director for the upcoming term. As with the other roles I have previously held, I make it a point to deliver what I promise, and I am positive that each of these proposed actions are both plausible and achievable, that they represent the best and much needed leadership for IFMSA standing committee on public health, and that this makes me the ideal candidate for this position. SCOPH has been my all, and now I want to give my all back to this glorious SC. As proactive medical students and the future of public health leadership, I would like to say that for us, only the sky is the limit. Good luck to all candidates and my warmest wishes to you all once again! Here’s to an amazing General Assembly in Taiwan, I can only hope you will enjoy every bit for me!
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