The MMSA Annual report '13 - '14

MMSA Annual Report 2013 - 2014

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CONTENTS

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President Robert Cachia

Vice President - External Tara Giacchino

Vice President - Internal Thelma Xerri

Secretary General Steve Sammut Alessi

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Supervising Council Julian Agius, Fabrizia Cassar and Kelly Gatt

The MMSA Board of Directors 2013 - 2014

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The MMSA External Representation

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The MMSA First Time Achievements

Financial Officer Lisa Buttigieg

Exchanges and Research Officer - Incomings Daniel Fenech

Exchanges and Research Officer - Outgoings Janice Azzopardi

Medical Education Officer Rebecca Stoner

Sexual and Reproductive Health Officer Phoebe Debono

“Individually we are one drop... ...but together we are an ocean”

Public Health Officer Adriana Grech

Human Rights and Peace Officer

Ryunosuke Satoro

Kristina Bartolo

Peer Education and Training Officer James Mario Gauci

Public Relations Officer Gabriel Joshua Ellul

Leisure Officer Darryl Pisani

Electives Coordinator Thomas Gatt

Credits

Cover design and Layout - Gabriel Joshua Ellul Editors - Gabriel Joshua Ellul Printed in Malta, 2014 Copyright - Malta Medical Students’ Association - www.mmsa.org.mt

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PRESIDENT

to increase the credibility and quality of the association.

ROBERT CACHIA

Representing the Student It is in the essence of every student association to represent its members and to be their voice whenever pertinent issues arise. This year we made a special effort to listen to what the members had to say in numerous issues in order to ensure representation. One of the most pertinent issues which cropped up this year was probably the Barts – Queen Mary of London Medical School which is to open in Malta in the future.

Many of our members voiced their concerns about this issue and therefore the MMSA made sure to represent its members by holding meetings with numerous entities including the Ministry of Health, in order to ensure that this project would not in any way effect the medical education and future of medical students studying at the University of Malta.

Dear Friends, As another term comes to an end we look back and reminisce our numerous achievements not only as a Board of Directors made up of 15 members but also as an association made up of more than 650 members. We should always remember that it is the family spirit of our association that makes it the most successful organisation on the University of Malta campus.

The role of the MMSA President is quite vague however it is up to each and every individual president to set a number of objectives for the particular term according to the current needs of the association. In general the president is the main person leading the association, the person in charge of motivation of the numerous teams and the one responsible of overlooking all the work being done within the student body, especially when it comes to sensitive issues that affect the association in the long run.

My main aims set for this year were as follows: - Putting the student at the centre of attention and making sure that the MMSA is representative of the student body.

- Fortifying the basis of the pentameric structure by testing it first hand and ensuring that it is improved upon.

- Create a strategic plan to ensure that the association is pursuing the correct aims relating to the needs of the association and the public health sector rather than to tradition.

- Giving more exposure to the MMSA on both a national and international level in order

IFMSA General Assemblies As part of my duties I attended two International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations (IFMSA) General Assemblies.

The August Meeting was held in Santiago, Chile, in August 2013 where MMSA was represented by 5 delegates during the international conference with the theme of “E-Health: Bringing future into the present”. Several interesting and important topics were discussed and the renowned exchange contracts were signed giving about 80 Maltese medical students the opportunity to go abroad for a month-long exchange during summer 2014.

The March Meeting was then held in Hammamet, Tunisia, in March 2014 at which the MMSA was represented by 16 members.

The delegation worked very hard and this time was able to attend all the 8 concurrent sessions during the conference themed “Health beyond 2015: Get Involved!” in continuation with the

like to thank all those who came before me and introduced me to this family of medical students, those who worked with me throughout these five years, and all those who will continue contributing to the growth of the association. I look forward to seeing the MMSA grow further as those successors harvest the fruit of the seeds we sowed.

Best regards Robert Cachia President

fact that the Millennium Development Goals will expire in the year 2015.

These international conferences allow us to have our voice heard on an international level, participate in international projects and deliver ideas and knowledge back home. This not only contributes to the capacity building of our association but also gives us numerous opportunities to expand our work in new fields within the sectors of medical education, human rights, public and sexual health.

The MMSA Strategic Plan This year we embarked on a long term project which aims to produce a long term plan for the MMSA to follow. The strategic plan aims to rectify the works of the association in accordance to the current needs both of its members and of the public health sector. It aims to increase the quality of our work as an association while making

our processes more efficient and effective. At the end of the day our ambitions point towards bettering medical education and improving the health system.

In short, the strategic plan assesses the current needs and a long term plan is created according to these, which are based on information gathered from numerous stake holders. It also contributes to the continuity of work done from one term to the other. Such a plan not only makes the association more reliable and effective but also more professional and significant.

Conclusion I am writing this few words today as a graduated doctor, and nothing gives me more satisfaction in life than looking back at these past five years and knowing that I did more than just study. Contributing to such a prestigious association was not just an amazing opportunity to me but also an honour. I would

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VICE PRESIDENT EXTERNAL TARA GIACCHINO

Dearest MMSA Member, To be completely honest, I found it extremely hard to get myself to sit down and write this report; this is my last task as a Vice President for External Affairs and marks the end of a wonderful 2 year experience as one of the MMSA Board of directors. The MMSA has been a huge part of my life for the past 4 years and what feels like a full time job for the past 2 years. The MMSA has given me so much that words can never be enough to fully justify and explain the experiences and skills I have gained. So yes, this is my last goodbye to our beloved association, a very emotional and full of pride goodbye.

This past year was a special one; one which will be remembered in the whole of the MMSA history.

This year marked the introduction of the pentameric structure creating new roles including my role as the MMSA Vice president for external affairs. My job was to represent the MMSA and make liaisons with as many people/organisations/associations as possible. I worked hard and I believe that with the help of my great VPe team, the MMSA Board and MMSA members I have achieved good results. No matter how hard I worked or how frustrated I might have got at times, I enjoyed every second of my term.

Why? Because I believe so much in the MMSA and its potential; this made my job second nature to me and gave me the drive I needed to work to my fullest ability for the MMSA and its members.

I would like to share with you the main projects I worked on this year; 1.

Freshers’ Week 2013 Once again, the MMSA took part in KSU’s annual freshers’ week and together with a great team of people we came up with a jam packed fun week with different themes and

activities every day including Muffin Monday, Tattoo Tuesday, Wild Wednesday, Theatre Thursday and Fun Friday! This event was our first introduction to other student organisations for the upcoming year so I wanted to make sure we start with a bang!

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Science in the City The MMSA actively participated in this event organised by iCreatemotion were over 70 MMSA members participated. We chose the theme ‘Patient-centred Healthcare‘ and offered Blood Glucose, BMI and Blood Pressure Monitoring to the general public as well as teddy Bear Hospital, Healthy Eating Campaign, sexual health education; SCORP also Launched a brand new SMILE campaign to raise awareness about mental health issues such as schizophrenia depression etc A flashmob also took place to raise awareness about the importance of exercise as well as a Fashion Show with the theme Zero is not a size!

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Health Checks I was very proud to have been contacted by various companies who requested MMSA members to carry out a number of health checks on their staff including BMI, blood pressure and blood glucose monitoring. Once again, many MMSA members participated and each event was a huge success. We also participated in the KSU health days carrying out health checks for students on campus and campaigned about mental health issues.

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Discover University The MMSA was also invited to take part in the event ‘Discover University’ held on Sunday 10th November.

We set up a stand themed ‘ Your Health. Our Priority’ were many activities were held targeting health issues including BMI and Blood pressure monitoring, Anti Tobacco, Mental and Sexual Health Campaigns. We also had fun interactive educational activities for children and sold a number of our very own Maltese Medical Translator.

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MMSA Twinning Project This was definitely one of the projects I was most proud of. With the help of Julia Shabaan and a fantastic group of hardworking people, we finally launched the first ever MMSA Twinning Program during which we welcomed 10 Dutch stu-

dent from Maastricht and organised a fun packed week for them which included a cultural, social and educational program. The Dutch students spent a day with a consultant at Mater Dei Hospital to give them a feel of life as a Maltese medical student. Thanks to the hard working Maltese twins they also got to visit places like Valletta, Mdina, Gozo, Wied iz Zurrieq etc and got to taste some delicious Maltese food and experience our crazy night life! I am so proud of this program and I am so grateful to my team of MMSA members who helped me make this possible.

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MHSA Multidisciplinary Conference We were invited by MHSA to collaborate with them and various health based associations in the organisation of the first ever “Multidisiciplnary Approach to Health Care” conference. The MMSA invited a medic and a surgeon to represent the medical profession and we also helped to lead one of the workshops which involved the different health care students tackling cases together.

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Medico Legal Seminar The MMSA collaborated with the Ghaqda Studenti tal- Ligi in the organization of a workshop which dealt with 2 medico-legal cases discussed by a lawyer and doctor.

The law and medical students were encouraged to ask questions and give their opinion; the second part of the workshop involved a short debate between three MEP candidates. This workshop marked the first ever event organised by a medical and law based organisations .. it couldn’t have gone any better!

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VPe Office At the very beginning of my term, I felt the need to set up a VPE team to form part of my office; this team included an International Coordi-

nator, CUAMM, EU and UN Liaison officer. Each member worked hard throughout the year namely; Julia Shabaan found a several international opportunities for medical students and organised a Palermo Research exchange as well as the Twinning Program. Giulia Magro and Mubarak represented the MMSA during a CUAMM project meeting in Brussels and furthermore Mubarak and I met with several MEP candidates this year were we discussed the work of the MMSA as well as how we can benefit from the EU and its funds. Ryan researched various UN initiatives and how the MMSA can comply with them.

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Gender Issues Committee I was extremely proud to form part of this committee as the student representative; this committee tackles gender issues and respecting gender rights on campus. I attended a meeting nearly once a month and contributed to the various discussions and helped to organise the Meeting with Students in the common room. Furthermore, with the help of KSU , I helped to find a room in students house which can be used by mothers to change their babies nappies, warm milk, breast feed etc. We are in the process of launching this initiative with the hope that this room will one day be a clinic on campus.

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Kassel Exchange For the second year running, in collaboration with the German Maltese Medical Society & Red Cross Hospital Kassel , I have worked to send 9 Maltese students over the summer months to carry out a traineeship at the Red Cross Hospital in Kassel Germany. For the first time ever, these 9 Maltese medical students also carried out a German course in collaboration with the German Maltese Circle and each of them obtained an A1 certificate.

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Organisations Gathering Together with the VPI we organised Organisations gathering were over 30 students organisations were invited; together we commemorated the past term and our successes and also introduced the MMSA BD elect. This is event was a golden opportunity to meet with other associations, get to know about their work, suggest collaborations and bounce ideas off each other, all in a very comfortable friendly environment.

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Brussels Trip I was extremely lucky and honoured to have been chosen with other student association representatives to visit the European Parliament in Brussels. As the MMSA representative I was filled with pride speaking about MMSA and our work especially when discussing with EU student based organisations like EDU. It made me realise that our work is of an extremely high standard. I really enjoyed getting to know about the work other associations do and it was great to share ideas and experiences and comforting to know about common struggles that we face as student organisations.

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Kokka Habrieka Award I was so honoured and flattered to be awarded The Kokka Habrieka award during the KSU Kokka Night 2014; being nominated was an honour let alone actually being awarded the Kokka. Words can never be enough to describe how truly grateful and appreciative I am. This award however doesn’t only represent my hard work but the hard work of the hundreds of MMSA members who work full of passion and pride and who make the MMSA the strong association it is.

Finally to conclude, it has been a long, tiring but exciting 4 year journey; one which I am extremely thankful for. From day 1, I have loved the MMSA and the idea of student representation. When we look back at our University days, these are the things we are going to remember. The work we did with our students associations, the events and campaigns we organised, the initiatives we introduced, the places we visited, the people we met and most importantly the fun we had and the great friends we made.

I choose to believe that we are a very particular and special group of University students; we are a group of students who have been privileged with the opportunity to work for a student organisation.

This privilege wasn’t given to us. We wanted it. We worked for it. And we definitely earned it. We are that small percentage of students on campus who believe that they can make a change. So I encourage you to get involved, work hard and most importantly work TOGETHER. Be innovative. Be That Change and Make That Difference!

Thank you to the present and past MMSA Board of directors with whom I have been privileged enough to work with. Thank you to each and every MMSA member: you guys are the beating heart of this association!

I look forward to seeing the MMSA grow and flourish and continue to be the best most active student association on campus.

Yours Truly Tara Giacchino Vice President for External Affairs

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VICE PRESIDENT INTERNAL THELMA XERRI

Dear all, It is with great pleasure that I am writing this report as my final duty as the MMSA Vice President for Internal Affairs (VPi) for term 2013-2014. Following the pentameric reform MMSA undwerwent during the last year, this was the first year that the Vice President’s office was split into internal affairs and external affairs and I can truly say that following this year, the reform in this office was very successful and allowed both the VPi and VPe to create effective roles with their own responsibilities in MMSA Administration.

KSU CONF Report The Classification Board for Offices, Notice Board in Students’ House and Fresher’s stand (CONF) is a report compiled by most if not all university organi-

sations and it is the main duty of the VPi. For the second consecutive year, MMSA was classified as the top organization on campus with 1717.1 points, ahead of SDM and Scubed by over 700 points, who classified second and third respectively.

The report took one month of archiving and another one month for compilation and resulted in 300 folders of evidence and a 910 page report.

This allowed MMSA to keep our office at student house and gave us the opportunity to choose the stand with the maximum exposure during Freshers’ Week.

Following the CONF report, I created a new event report form for standing committee (SC) and administrative events based on the CONF template to make it easier for the next VPi to compile a standard report. The new report forms were created in the beginning of the term and were used from September – they are more user friendly with an emphasis on evidence in order to ensure a better track record for future coordinators. The templates are also personalised by the SC logo respectively.

The Admin Workshop I was one of the participants of the first Admin Workshop

held in 2012 and this gave me the push to take a more active role in MMSA’s administration.

This year, I organized the Admin Workshop for 2013/2014 on 13th December at KSU Common Room. The limit of applicants was 15 but I extended it to 23 to accommodate all the applicants, with the help of 10 facilitators. The training wokshop consisted of 6 small working groups: strategic planning, corporate identity, policy making, follow up & feedback, contacting externals and sponsorships & funds. I was very pleased with the overall attendance and delivery of the workshop and its success is reflected on the number of the Board of Directors-elect 2014/2015 who had attended the workshop.

The VPi Office This year, I focused on the new MMSA Policy Committee chaired by Alexander Grima.

Together we recruited 6 other members and after extensive research, presented the first MMSA Policy Paper on Healthy Aging during the Annual General Meeting in April 2014 which passed and is being adopted as we speak. The Policy Committee also gave its contribution to the MMSA bylaws, creating a new section regarding policy making within the Association.

The Feedback system was strengthened by the coordinator for the term Giulia Magro who created two new feedback databases, one regarding points and one regarding exchanges.

She also liaised with the President and created the Strategic Planning survey and with the SecGen for the Fresh Feedback Questionnaire and Report. All

the complaints and feedback received throughout the year was archived anonymously on a database which is available on the VPi Quarterly Reports on the MMSA website.

An Alumni coordinator, Maria Bonnici, was once again appointed. She continued the recruitment of Alumni via communication platforms such as emails, servers and Facebook through an online database form. A new alumni Facebook group was also created and a report with all the present alumni was compiled in December including their contacting details and with what they would like to help out with. This was sent to all the SC teams. Moreover, this year we presented the first MMSA Honorary Alumnus Award during the MMSA TRD in October 2013 – this was given to Dr. Pierre Schembri Wismayer as a thank you for his constant support to MMSA. The Projects coordinator, Matthew Baldacchino, had immense experience in SC projects and coordinated the SC sessions during TRD 2013 and oversaw the projects fair at the March Meeting in Tunisia. He also reviewed all the SC Smart Plans and gave his recommendations along with the President and myself, in the beginning of the term. Additionally, he created a World Diabetes Day Project Plan and a World Cancer Day Kit which was shared worldwide with IFMSA and other NMOs. Organisations’ Gathering Once again, the MMSA organized this event at KSU Common Room on the 24th April 2014.

The event was a collaboration between the two MMSA Vice

Presidents’ and it was a great opportunity for the Executive Board to present the newly elected Board of Directors for the term 2014/2015 whilst also showcasing are events, campaigns and successes throughout our term, with emphasis on our liaisons with other associations and to promote our new Policy Paper.

Other Other VPi duties I took care of consisted of general administrative work such as creating/ updating emails for MMSA, creating coordinator databases, office inventory at the beginning of the term, coordinating the compilation of the SC Smart Plans 2013-2014 and the call for teams, archiving of all MSMA event report forms throughout the term and helping in the compilation of WorkPhase 2013 and VO application along with the VPe. Moreover, this year I started collecting and archiving original receipts, working hand in hand with the Treasurer.

I also formed part of the SECSE Advisory Board, after applying for Malta to be the host for the first IFMSA SECSE the following year and helping in the coordination of the amazingly successful event.

VPi consists of liaising and giving a helping hand to the BD members when needed. Apart from liaising with the VPe regarding MMSA representation on campus, Freshers’ week and KPS meetings, I also worked closely with the Presented throughout the term and with the SecGen especially on MMSA news and TRD. It was also my responsibility to update the MMSA Face-

book page daily and to promote our events/campaigns on a regular basis.

The VPi role is what you make of it – this was the first piece of advice I got from the former Vice President when I decided to run for VPi. It is impossible to put down everything that happened during this term, as it was a jampacked year for MMSA! Such a role has its ups and downs, but its special moments surely surpass any hurdles that we encountered. I am truly grateful to MMSA for accepting me when I was still a fresher trying to find my way. In MMSA, I found a new family which encouraged me to take a more active role by running for Sexual & Reproductive Health in 2012/2013 and now VPi in 2013/2014. SCORA will always be in heart but taking a more challenging role as the first MMSA VPi allowed me to give back what I had learnt over the past four years to the association I love so much.

Thank you all for entrusting me with this role a year ago and I hope I fulfilled your expectations. I wish good luck to the next VPi and the Board of Directors 2013/2014. Enjoy all the moments and opportunities MMSA offers and do not miss out on any chances! We only live once so make the most of it!

Yours sincerely and sadly, for the last time as an Executive Board member, Thelma Xerri Vice President for Internal Affairs

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SECRETARY GENERAL STEVE SAMMUT ALESSI

Dear members!

The year 2013/2014 was one which brought with it a new, healthy change to the post of secretary general. This was a very difficult and intense year being the first in which the pentameric system was implemented. However both the executive board and the team of officials made a great effort to ensure a smooth transition within the association. Throughout the entirety of the term I have made it my main goal to involve more and more students in the MMSA mainly through the slogan “One Team. One Family.”

Through my initiative, letters to the freshers were sent out in Maltese, English and also Modern Standard Arabic for all the Kuwaiti students to feel more welcome at home. I can easily say that this year has been a very productive and rewarding one, to say the least.

The Training and Resource Development Seminar 2013 (TRD 2013): The 13th edition of the TRD broke previous records and set the bar higher in terms of the event quality. It took place at the Seabank Resort in Mellieħa and involved a total of 285 medical students. This made it in fact the largest TRD that has ever been organised yet. It also involved a great number of students in the planning process, as it had the largest O.C. ever seen. Several positions facilitated the delegation and execution of work including the TRD President, Financial Coordinator, Logistics Coordinator, Sessions Coordinator and Media & I.T. coordinator. These worked relentlessly for numerous weeks to ensure good communication and ultimately an outstanding event.

It was also the first rebranded TRD to include an online application system to facilitate the process of applications. The agenda was also relatively different as it included an opening TRD Show, several teamwork

activities and free time to enjoy the Resort. It also included an innovative International stand, as well as the customary standing committee and training sessions. The agenda also included a suturing session on pig trotters; this allowed students to further understand the different surgical techniques which are practiced locally. This TRD differed from previous years as it not only managed to break-even financially, but actually succeeded in making a profit amounting to a thousand euro. It is then through some of this money that I have worked to open the first contingency fund for the association. This TRD managed to serve its purpose by uniting several medical students; however despite the amount of hard work and dedication, student apathy might have still been present as on several occasions students failed to attend some organised sessions.

lective decision to hold only the AGM, as in previous years an EGM used to be organised to forward any amendments to the bylaws and statute. This resulted in a very long AGM which included the presentation of the candidates as well as the amendments to the bylaws and statutes. The AGM was promoted very well and in fact the turnout of students was quite high. This event had several preparations including collection of all the proposed amendments and recruiting the AGM team; it is also through this event that an Election Committee was chosen. The election committee was then assigned the task of watching over the MMSA elections which ensured a fair, impartial and honest election. I also took care of the promotion of candidates during the elections to guarantee an educated vote was being taken by the electorate.

Other Administrative roles as an EB member and Sec-Gen duties : TRD was definitely one of my hardest tasks and yet the most rewarding event, however the role of Secretary General also includes several other duties. I had the task to take minutes for all the Executive Board meetings, Board of Directors’ (BD) meetings and any other meetings which needed to be recorded. I made sure that these minutes were sent in an orderly manner and uploaded to the website for access to members accordingly.

I also was the legal representative for the entirety of my term, which led me to sign contracts in a professional and systematic way always keeping a copy of reference for the association.

Sending out MMSA News was another one of my duties which I carried out all throughout the year. It was through the several editions submitted that I ensured that the BD was in close contact with the medical students subscribed to the newsletter.

I also made an effort to be present at the majority of events organised throughout the year and always offered a helping hand. I further guided the corporate identity team by attending several meetings and trained medical students to understand the statutes and bylawsmechanism that constitutes the beating heart of MMSA. I also attended several events to represent the association both locally and internationally, including both the IFMSA Pre-GA and GA in the March meeting of Tunisia 2014. I also began the Fresh Feedback project together with the Feedback Coordinator which allowed feedback and data to be collected from the freshers in an unbiased manner which is to be followed up next year. By close liaison with the VPEe and other members of the board, I organised the very first Appreciation Night, which was aimed at thanking the members of the association for their hard work and dedication in a rather formal setting through the awarding of certificates.

This year the BD took the col-

This year has been an incredible

year which has been very rewarding. I feel that several students got involved in the MMSA. I have definitely witnessed lots of enthusiasm in the nurturing of the pre-clinical students who have the essential enthusiasm and will-power to make MMSA even stronger than it currently is. I would like to thank all the people I have worked with throughout the entire year for all their hard work and dedication. MMSA will always have that special place in my heart.

Very best regards Steve Sammut Alessi Secretary General

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FINANCIAL OFFICER LISA BUTTIGIEG

Dear all, As some of you may know, this was my second term as treasurer of the MMSA. Yet again, the Malta Medical Students’ Association invested heavily in its students. This was not only through the ‘Travel Assistance Fund’ and the ‘Physical Activity Fund’ but also through the vast array of campaigns that were designated to complement the students’ studies by benefitting their education and personal growth. With our heads held up high we can say that the student body was, will and remain the topmost priority for this association.

Travel Assistance Fund As years go by, this fund has become more popular with MMSA members, with more than 30 students applying for this fund.

We used the same TAF protocol that was revamped last year to make sure that money is distributed fairly to the student. Improvements were made so as to make the TAF protocol and application more student friendly.

Criteria on which the application was based, were made available to the student. The TAF application was renewed so as to make it easier for the applicants to fill it in. With pride, I can say that the whole Executive Board cooperated so that all applications were marked appropriately and the applicants received the right amount of money that they deserved.

Physical Activity Fund The student also found himself at the heart of other changes and initiatives implemented by the Executive Board. The Physical Activity Fund (PAF) was made available to the student. This includes a 25% refund on all expenses of a physical nature, including the purchase of equipment such as gym equipment or sport shoes. This fund is not as popular as the TAF fund, but there were quite a few students who applied for it. More work must be done to make this fund more known to the student.

Other Student Benefits The MMSA, like any other year, invested heavily in its exchange programme. This attracted students to Malta and hence more students were sent abroad on exchanges. Furthermore, fourth and fifth year medical students were given 50% refund each of their Basic Life Support (BLS) course. The aim of this was to help the students in their last few months of studies before they become doctors.

Administrative Changes These funds and benefits were given, because there was a finance team who worked throughout the year. This year was a success because a hardworking team was set up. The team was made up of the financial officer, financial assistant and standing committee financial reps. Each member in the team worked hard to achieve sponsorships and funds for the MMSA. The MMSA had sponsorships for each Standing Committee: SCOPH’s main sponsors were ‘ATG co. Ltd’, ‘Technoline’ and ‘Raymax’; SCORP’s main sponsor was ‘Citadel Health Insurance plc’; SCOME’s main sponsor was ‘Papillon Caterers’; SCOPRE’s main sponsors were ‘Sidroc Services’, ‘Svea’ and ‘Servier’. These sponsors helped in cash and kind.

This system of a finance team and sponsors for each Standing

I would like to thank all the MMSA BD for their help and support throughout this term.

Such a strong united team, capable of surmounting individual differences and opinions to work collectively for the good of the MMSA, is difficult to come by.

It was an honour and a pleasure being part of this team. I would also like to thank the whole finance team who helped out throughout this year. Last but not least, I would like to thank all the students who trusted me with this job and gave me such an amazing opportunity.

Many thanks and kind regards, Lisa Lauren Buttigieg Financial Officer

Committee was used so as to increase sustainability. In previous years, arrangements were made where the MMSA had one corporate sponsor. This was not sustainable since a major part of the MMSA’s income depended on that sponsor. With this system, the MMSA has built relationships and partnerships with various companies – were no agreement of exclusivity was made.

This year was a good financial year. The MMSA obtained two ‘Youth in Action’ grants, the ‘Workphase’ grant, the ‘Small Iniatives Scheme’ and an Agenzija Zghazagh grant. I based my work on last year to achieve better results.

These grants did not only help us financially, but gave added value to the MMSA’s events.

Most of this year’s campaigns and publications were part of a fund hence part of something bigger which added importance to the event/campaign.

Electives First of all, I would like to thank this year’s elective coordina-

tor, Thomas Gatt, for his continuous support throughout the year. This year there was a marked increase in the number of students who stayed at our recommended accommodation.

Minimal refunds were given to the students, this year. Moreover, many students opted for the return pickup which started last year.

Media projects As a finance team, we worked hard with the media team to gather sponsorships for most of MMSA’s publications. This was a great success financially and increased the motivation of the whole finance team to work harder throughout the rest of the year.

Conclusion This hard work bodies well for the next term and with a solid financial position at the end of June, we can safely say that the MMSA will continue to grow and push its boundaries. The MMSA’s vision is to continue investing more in the student and the public and it definitely has the resources to deliver that dream.

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EXCHANGES AND RESEARCH OFFICER INCOMINGS DANIEL FENECH

MMSA has for its past years invested strongly in its exchange program, by providing an excellent experience to foreign medical students on all fronts: academic, at hospital; logistically; and socially. Such good care has managed to put Malta on the map for students when choosing an exchange destination, and an ever-growing list of medical student associations wanting to engage in exchange programs with Malta.

Apart from taking good care of foreign students for the sake of hospitality, MMSA gains the opportunity of sending MMSA students to the countries where foreign students come from, making it an exchange.

ties enable us to bargain for better prices which ultimately benefit the students.

This has resulted in MMSA getting handsome recognition for the good exchange programs during General Assemblies of the mother federation, IFMSA, as well as on its website and social media. It is therefore only fitting for me to admit that to keep up with this role is already an undertaking in itself.

Last but not least, we started a system of collecting feedback by giving feedback forms with the welcome package for the students to fill discreetly at the end of the exchange. The form included feedback on MMSA as well as the doctor they were attached to, so that we can learn from our past and improve on it. Students give us feedback all the time, but a feedback form picks up more honest information, being discreet.

Improvement However, to keep fresh, one must keep moving forward and improve on what has already been done, not for the sake of change, but because there is always more to improve.

During my term, I worked on standardizing the work MMSA had been doing in exchanges, bettering on what has already been done, as well as starting new endeavours.

Improvements were made to the social program, increasing activities, sending the students the list earlier, as well as making a design out of it rather than just a list, all to hype the students

Best regards Daniel Fenech National Exchanges Officer - Incomings up more; the restaurant at which the students were provided lunch was changed to one with more choice and better quality of food for the same price; students were also emailed earlier with all the details of what they will require for the exchange in terms of vaccination records to present, clothes to bring, money they will have to pay, how they should prepare for the hospital and other related material.

tion. This also made it easier for doctors to pass on their complaints to MMSA, and hence for us to duly respond by providing a solution wherever we can.

New endeavours included fitting all eleven rented apartments for students with Wi-Fi Internet, which is only appropriate for the year we are living in but is surprisingly still rare on IFMSA exchange programs. Other improvements on apartments made sure that students do not have to pay or worry about anything else such as gas cylinders, cooling for the summer months and cleaning.

Knowing how lost students are when they arrive to a new country, we saw it fit to provide the students with a welcome pack which included everything about Malta and the exchange itself, including their apartment’s key.

Everything was placed in a folder which included the student’s name on the front of the folder for the pickup person to have ready to use for recognition at the airport, therefore decreasing the work load of having to print the student’s name before the pick-up.

Another challenge was to contact consultant doctors with whom students are attached at hospital directly, instead of sending a letter. Letters sometimes did not reach the doctors, and removed human contact from the student-doctor interac-

Nearly all money due by students was taken care of online before the students arrived to our island, decreasing the amounts of cash we had to handle ourselves and making the situation less amateur.

We struck a deal for fixed, low prices with a transport company to provide transport for social program activities. The large amount of students and activi-

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EXCHANGES AND RESEARCH OFFICER OUTGOINGS

I also started working on a Points Protocol for BD Members. This document provides a framework by which fair and accountable points are allocated to BD members in the same way points are allocated to all MMSA members in general. This protocol further promotes transparency within our association. I hope that the following PREO-Out will continue working on this protocol together with the next Board of Directors and Supervising Council and implement any amendments where necessary.

JANICE AZZOPARDI

Dear all, Whilst going through various MMSA event photos and reports, I stumbled across a long, long list of all the events’ point forms I inputted throughout my term as Professional and Research Exchange Officer-Outgoings (PREO-Out). This year has surely been a productive year, not only in terms of numbers, but also in terms of quality of the events, workshops and seminars that were organized by the help of many active members within our association. Hence, I would like to take the opportunity to thank each and every MMSA member for his/her contribution within our association; all your time and effort have been of

asset to our association and is greatly appreciated!

This year was also a very successful one in terms of the Standing Committee on Professional and Research Exchanges. Following last year’s implementation of the division of the Standing Committee into an Outgoing and Incomings officer roles, Daniel and I worked together to ensure MMSA offers several topnotch exchange opportunities to its members as well as host foreign students in our lovely country.

Points System and Protocols Having been in use for two years now, the online points’ database runs very smoothly and is a means by which members can monitor their points online, promoting transparency and fairness. Unfortunately, the Points system has its downside, in that work done within the MMSA may become points-oriented. In fact, trying to shift the focus off points is one of the challenges faced by the Outgoings Officer! It is important that we, as MMSA members,

keep in mind that points are NOT and should NOT be the motivation behind all the work done within our organization but the sole purpose behind our time and effort should be that to improve the association even further.

I continued to work on the Points Protocol that was devised by the previous PREO-Out and implemented changes wherever necessary to ensure a fair distribution of points across the various Standing Committees within MMSA.

Pre-Exchange Training (PET) Workshop The PET Workshop was organized for the very first time last November. What inspired me to hold this workshop in the first place, was hearing about other PET workshops organized in various European countries, whilst attending Exchange (SCOPE and SCORE) sessions during the European Regional Meeting (EuRegMe) 2013. This workshop provided information about the different exchange opportunities available through the MMSA and the International Federation of Medical Students’ Assocation (IFMSA). It addressed the queries MMSA members may have with regards to exchange applications, all the required documents, cards of acceptance amongst others. A number of medical students were invited to share their previous exchange experiences and to give tips and advice on exchanges in general, the clerkship itself, living in another city and various other topics. The event was a success and served as a teaser for medi-

cal students of what to expect whilst on an exchange.

Professional and Research Exchanges The IFMSA General Assembly 2013 was held in Chile and here 63 SCOPE and 16 SCORE bilateral contracts were signed. Such bilateral contracts entail an MMSA member being sent abroad on a professional/research clerkship in exchange of a foreign student coming to Malta for a clerkship in Mater Dei Hospital/University of Malta. The students are provided with accommodation, pick-up transport from the city of their exchange and a meal a day and/ or allocation of pocket money.

Most of the exchange countries offer a well-organized social programme, ensuring the students get to know other exchange students and the culture of the country, visit places of interest and have time to enjoy what the respective country offers its tourists.

Together with these 79 exchange opportunities, 9 students were offered the possibility of completing a clinical traineeship/ internship in the specialist units of Red Cross Hospital in Kassel, a university-teaching hospital linked to Philips University in Marburg, Germany. This opportunity was made possible via the work of Tara, the current Vice President for External Affairs, in collaboration with Red Cross Hospital. Furthermore, four 4th year Maltese students had the opportunity to go an elective in Forth Valley Hospital in Stirling, Scotland.

The Points Ranking was efficiently released as planned, in the first week of December 2013 and

exchange application forms followed. This year, students had the chance to choose up to 5 desired countries from the list of countries available. This helped to make the allocation of exchanges a fairer system, based on the student’s contribution within our association. Allocation of exchanges for summer 2014 was finalized in less than two days after the deadline of exchange applications. Such an efficient system gave students the opportunity to send their Application Forms and Card of Documents earlier and hence having a greater possibility of obtaining their desired city and department of choice in their respective country.

Exchange Feedback Guide The MMSA truly values its members’ feedback. Students who went on an exchange in summer 2013 were invited to fill in a feedback form regarding their exchange experiences. Their replies served as an insight of the various countries’ exchange opportunities and helped in the signing of contracts during the General Assembly in Chile. The replies were organized and together with the help of Thomas, MMSA’s current Elective Officer, a Feedback Guide viewable by all MMSA members online was issued.

Policy Paper on Research opportunities for Medical Students Together with Daniel, MMSA’s current SCOPRE-Incomings officer, I worked on a policy paper on the research opportunities currently available for medical students. This paper provided an insight to the present situation and suggested ways by which

the medical research field may be ameliorated. It was then presented as a preliminary report in front of a panel of researchers and members of parliament in a National Conference on Research and Innovation organized by the Malta Council for Science and Technology in collaboration with Pulse. We do hope that our suggestions regarding medical research local opportunities and facilities are taken seriously and that further opportunities will be made available to medical students in the nearby future.

Conclusion Without any doubt, the MMSA is still one of the most active associations on campus; an association that makes you feel welcome in your second family amongst your future medical peers. I do hope that each and every MMSA member reading this report will do his/her outmost to make sure our association continues to grow even further! Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all my fellow BD members for their constant support and without whom this enriching experience wouldn’t have been the same! A heartfelt good luck goes to the new Board of Directors ’14-’15. May you have a similar wonderful experience and bring about further improvement within our association!

Kind regards, Janice Bartolo National Exchange Officer - Outgoings

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Ideas’ Cafe Ideas’ Cafe is the main feedback forum held in the term, where students come together and discuss the problems faced in our medical education and come up with suggestions for improvement, which is then passed on to the faculty for them to see what the student thinks about the course. We also introduced the ‘What Would You Change Initiative?’ where students were asked to take a photo with a board with their biggest concerns in the course. These were then promoted on the SCOME page to raise awareness about the importance of feedback for improvements to actually be made. The report is currently being compiled and will be passed on to faculty for their reference.

MEDICAL EDUCATION OFFICER REBECCA STONER

Dear SCOMEdians, This year was a productive one for SCOME - we decided to focus more on the representational aspect whilst still including the project based seminars and workshops. The SCOME team this year consisted of about 21 members, we held 3 SCOME meetings, coordinated a total of 16 events, uploaded 659 photos on the Facebook page and received 1161 emails on the SCOME inbox.

Needless to say, it was a busy but rewarding term.

I myself learnt a lot more about SCOME than I had come in knowing, mainly about how much

work goes on behind the scenes.

SCOME stands for the representation of the student body, so this involved encouraging and receiving feedback from the students, compiling reports and suggestions for improvement, advocating for changes which were needed and working by contacting various external sectors to try and make our voices heard.

The MMSA is there for the student, and by representing them and lobbying for their best interests and informing them of what is going on so they could contribute informed feedback, we try to reach this aim.

Although all the events this year were productive in their own way, each generating their own feedback, passing on valuable skills and knowledge, below I will focus on the biggest events held and what was achieved.

SCOME Chats Small meetings held throughout the year with the SCOME team, to discuss the main events we would be planning this term, to work on the skills needed to co-

ordinated such projects such as how to contact externals, looking for sponsors, strategic planning and budgeting. We then worked on the strategic pan of SCOME, starting with the vision and how we could work towards this common goal. We ended the meetings on a positive note, with a treasure hunt and the SCOMEies award ceremony.

MEDIK T MEDIK-T was one of the most productive workshops this year.

We tried to shift the focus onto

the medical education theory aspect, including different types of learning, curriculum development and quality assurance whilst also covering trainings in the skills needed to work in this field such as advocacy, strategic planning, communication and public speaking. During brainstorming activities many new ideas for projects were discussed and a new vision and mission for SCOME was established. This was a highly rewarding and productive weekend, and I feel that all participants took a lot home with them.

Practice Makes Perfect A few workshops were held this year, and we intend to expand upon this in the coming term based on the positive feedback received from the events. This year, workshops held included bandaging, casting and suturing where students had the opportunity to work hands on on oranges, bananas and even pigs legs! Next year, we intend to expand to include ECG reading, imaging, venipuncture amongst others, so be sure to keep an eye out for these workshops next year! These much needed workshops fill in the gaps in the current curriciulum, giving us the chance to practice skills we unfortunately do not have time for in our limited curriculum.

Minima Medicamenta SCOME’s biggest publication this year, consisting of multiple interesting and unusual clinical cases written by medical students.

They also include detailed explanations about how the cases present, how they are tested for and managed, along with other interesting facts about the conditions.

100 hard copies were distributed, but the online copy can be found on Issuu. Be sure to get a copy, as these are not only interesting to read but will prove to be useful in the clinical years. This is a great opportunity to get involved in such a professional publication, so try to get involved in it next term!

Foundation Programme Seminar, Careers Convention Seminar, Audits and Publications Workshop A number of informative seminars were held this year, to cover the less curriculum based academic

part related to medical education.

The Foundation Programme Seminar covered the different requirements needed to apply, how to go about applying, and personal experiences about completing the foundation years in Malta and in hospitals abroad. The Careers’ Convention Seminar consisted of various specialists sharing their experiences and answering any questions students had about pursuing a career in their respective fields - these included Neurosurgery, Urology, Orthopaedics, Dermatology, Cardiology, Emergency and Gynaecology. The Audit and Publication seminar covered how to perform an audit, how to go about publishing and presenting it. These are important aspects of our future medical careers and I feel a lot was gained from attending these workshops.

Most of all, I feel that the most rewarding aspect of the year was working along side an amazing

team, who was extremely hard working, dedicated and motivated.

The experience I earned working along side such a great group of people was invaluable, and I will always treasure the great memories and successful work we achieved. I am extremely grateful for all the hard work - months of planning, last minute panicking, excessive meetings, hundreds of Whatsapps and texts sent - it all payed off. Thank you for an amazing term and I look forward to seeing the excellent work done by the next SCOME officer Sarah Catania - I have no doubts you will do an amazing job!

I encourage everyone to get actively involved in SCOME - It has done so much great work already and has the potential to do so much more.

Lots of SCOME love, Rebecca Stoner

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SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH OFFICER PHOEBE DEBONO

I cannot continue writing this report without expressing my gratitude towards all the members of my team without whom SCORA (Standing Committee on Reproductive Health Including AIDS & HIV) wouldn’t have been successful as it has been.

Campaigns and collaborations The summer of 2013 kicked off by helping Dr Tania Melillo and the Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Directorate in her work to carry out the Sexual Health Survey. It was the third consecutive year that MMSA SCORA has helped with this survey. This year we decided to expand it to include Gozo. The National study focused on sexual knowledge, attitudes and lifestyles in young Maltese adults in the ages between 18-25.

Dear all, With great pleasure I am writing this annual report, being my final task as the MMSA Sexual and Reproductive health Officer for the term 2013-2014. When trying to tackle the issue of sexual health in the Maltese Islands I began to notice that there was some improvement in the way people responded to sexual health promotion. There is still a long way to go especially when is comes to sexual health promotion in secondary schools and possibly in future even in primary schools. Although not everyone was open so SexEd the majority, being young adults and older teenagers responded well and we were re-invited several times to tackle different topics and is-

Mr and Mrs Breastestis This campaign grew immensely since last year. Several sessions were given in different colleges in Malta. The topics discussed during sessions included breast cancer and testicular cancer amongst others. Students were given free bookmarks designed specifically

by MMSA containing information about the topics discussed.

sues.

The Southern European Cooperation on Sexual Education (SECSE) This project is an opportunity where IFMSA members from different NMOs, having various peer education and sexual programmes, can get together and share teaching and education methods. This gives members the chance to strengthen their NMO peer education programmes related to sexual health education while also strengthening

their skills and motivation to be well-rounded peer educators. I was carried out for the very first time in 2013 and Malta was chosen to be the proud host. It was a great success attracting IFMSA members from various southern European countries.

Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign This year for the very first time we included the Breast Cancer Awareness campaign. This campaign was divided into three different events including outreaching on campus, an interactive discussion involving some of Malta’s leading experts on breast cancer and finally the Pink Party.

The former two were done in collaboration with Europa Donna and Action for Breast Cancer Foundation.

World AIDS day Campaign (WAD) - Getting to Zero This is one of the biggest MMSA campaigns. This year the coordinators strived for the quality of the various events. The campaign took off with an outreach on campus spread out over two days. During the outreaching leaflets on sexual education, red ribbons, and condoms were given out for free. There was also a photo competition with the winner getting a mobile phone. Muffins were also sold during the outreach with all proceeds going to charity and wrist bands were made specifically to commemorate this day. A candle vigil in the streets of Valletta followed and the campaign closed with the Play Safe party at Mangano in Baystreet.

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Reproductive neoplasms campaign This year we decided to target the public in Mater Dei Hospital.

New leaflets with up to date information were designed. MMSA members gave out leaflets as well as explained the information to patients and relatives attending the hospital (mainly on an out-patient basis). The public seemed genuinely interested in the information being given.

Valentine’s day campaign The campaign was a success in the previous two years and so it was held once more, also being a success. The campaign was held on campus and once more MMSA members strived to educate students on sexual health.

To help attract people to our stand we also had various materi-

als such as condoms and chocolates amongst others.

TRD SCORA sessions were done mainly to introduce new first year MMSA members to SCORA, the team and the different campaigns.

Various SCORA campaigns were also presented in international IFMSA gatherings such as the General Assemblies and EuRegMe in Poland.

Finally I would like to thank all the people who helped me and supported me throughout my year as the MMSA SRHO namely Thelma Xerri, Dr Keith Pace and the SCORA team. I have gathered many memorable experiences and skills during the last year and I am very pleased that I was given this opportunity to give something back to the MMSA. I would also like to wish the best of luck to the next SRHO, Victoria Camilleri.

Yours Sincerely, Phoebe Debono National Sexual and Reproductive Health Officer

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PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICER ADRIANA GRECH

Dear friends After one exciting year, packed with different activities and campaigns, I can safely say that I am very happy and satisfied with what SCOPH in Malta has managed to achieve in the term of 2013-2014. The SCOPH team succeeded in working perfectly together with one aim; that of promoting health to the Maltese population.

Summer period The term kicked off with a Beat the Burn workshop in which a group of students were trained

to outreach and to give NPET sessions about this campaign.

Following this, there were 5 outreaching activities in 5 different localities including one in Gozo, 3 NPET sessions and also the ‘Ripple’ magazine launch which was held in Valletta.

This summer we introduced talks about basic first aid which were given to kids in 4 different summer schools.

These sessions were very satisfying to give and we had very good feedback both from the children and from their supervisors. In the first two weeks of September, the first Emergency First Responder Course was organised in which approximately 20 new students became certified first aiders. A second similar course was held in November.

Apart from these sessions, several healthy eating and Teddy Bear Hospital (TBH) sessions were held all throughout the year. During these sessions new ideas were implemented and also new charts and colouring sheets were made for both campaigns. The hardworking TBH coordinators acquired a grant which was spent on buying new toys to replace the old ones, and make sure that the standard of the TBH sessions was kept high and a 100% safe for the kids.

New to SCOPH this year Reaching the Outreacher was a new workshop which was organised this year on the 6th of November. This was organised with the aim of passing some

basic information about each SCOPH campaign and also to train attendees on how they should approach the public during SCOPH’s outreaching events.

All campaign co-ordinators gave their input and it was an extremely successful event with over a 100 students attending.

This year, a SCOPH syllabus was also compiled, thanks to all the co-ordinators who once again worked very well together. Special thanks goes to the SCOPH assistant, Martina Gerada. The writing of such a syllabus had long been overdue and it highlights the aims and objectives of each of the SCOPH campaigns. I hope that it will be kept up to date and edited in the coming years as this standing committee evolves.

On the 23rd of November SCOPH organised an Antibiotics Awareness Campaign in collaboration with the Infection Con-

trol Unit, mostly Dr. Michael Borg, who came up with the idea.

This year, the Christmas campaign was boosted by visiting the children’s wards all throughout the year rather than only in the Christmas period. This campaign was given the name SMILES4KIDS and it involved students visiting the playing area twice a week, together with organising the Christmas campaign in which students give out presents to those in the wards of Mater Dei. On the 14th of December, health checks were held in Arkadia, Gozo. This event not only increased SCOPH’s target population to include Gozitans but also made it easier for Gozitan medical students to take part in a SCOPH event. Another health check in Gozo was done later on the 27th April in Saint Augustine Square, Victoria.

This year SCOPH also had its

very own camping event as part of the Climate Care campaign.

The idea for this came up in the SCOPH-SCOPET workshop which was held in December.

With a lot of work and preparation, the campaign included two outreaches on campus, and a camping event called CAMPaign for Climate Care in which a treasure hunt was organised and also approximately 20 trees were planted at the Ghajn Tuffieha campsite. Moreover a profit of about €150 was made and this was donated to charity.

Last but not least, a Car Wash was organised on the 30th of April in Car Park 6, in collaboration with Betapsi, ESN, MHSA, MPSA, Pulse and SDM. A sum of €535 was collected and these were donated to Puttinu Cares.

IFMSA – recognised World Days Of course a SCOPH term would not be complete without the well-known “World Days” which includes World Heart Day on the 29th of September and World Diabetes Day on the 14th

of November. This year’s WHD was held in Great Siege Square, Valletta. We collaborated with the Health Promotion Unit who had representatives present on the day and the stand was also visited by the minister of health Dr. Godfrey Farrugia, together with members of different local media.

World Diabetes Day was also a very big success that was held in St. George’s Square, Valletta and which had approximately 135 students attending! As in previous years, students provided the public with free blood glucose, blood pressure and BMI testing and were trained to do so in a training session held some days before. A flashmob was also held on the day.

Global hand washing day was also celebrated and for the second year, an art competition for children aged 9-11 was organised by the Teddy Bear Hospital coordinators.

Other Winter Events As part of the Let’s Get Physical

campaign a number of activities were organised to keep medical students active throughout the year. Two football tournaments was organised on the 20th of October and on the 6th of April, together with a tennis tournament which was held on the 29th of March. SCOPH also took part in the President’s Fun Run which is organised every year in aid of L-Istrina.

Throughout the year, SCOPH had many requests from local councils, schools, MDH and other entities, for us to provide them with the free health checks we usually carry out. As SCOPH grew in its popularity and we were getting more and more requests, the need was felt to recruit an extra co-ordinator and thus the campaign MMSA goes Local was created.

Several Blood and Organ donation outreaches were also organised and this year they were held in KSU Common Room rather than outside Car Park 6, which was more convenient for most university students and staff.

The anti-tobacco and substance abuse campaign was involved in every outreaching event this year and also had its own event on campus in collaboration with the climate care campaign called Care for our Air. Finally SCOPH’s annual Healthfest this year was held on campus and also at The Point, Sliema. There were many activities in both places, such as sports, games and free Bollywood sessions, apart from the usual free tests which SCOPH provides to the public.

I always believed that this standing committee has a great deal to offer, both to the MMSA student and to the public. I do hope that the future SCOPH teams believe this too and try their hardest to make SCOPH reach its full potential each year.

Best regards Adriana Grech National Public Health Officer

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nisia.

HUMAN RIGHTS AND PEACE OFFICER KRISTINA BARTOLO

Dear MMSA members!

Another year passed by, and I look back with a smile on my face, proud of what we’ve achieved as MMSA. Together with the SCORP team, I did my best to encourage and empower students to take an active role and to help others in need, as it is our responsibility to cultivate a better world: a world with protected human rights to better the health of our society.

Our year kicked off with the Ġnejna Bay Beach Clean-Up, which was a great event for medical students to unite and volunteer some of their time for a better, cleaner society. We collaborated with Nature Trust Malta and rubbish was removed from the sandy beach and the seabed. Volunteers raised awareness on the ecological significance of the sand dunes which characterize Ġnejna Bay. A staggering amount of 400kg of waste was collected from this clean-up.

Mental Health is something that I am very passionate about so a new project called Share your Smile was adopted, which is a TNP project from Korea. The main aim is to make people smile and make them realise that a SMILE, a kind word, or the smallest act of caring, have the potential to turn a life around.

We had events throughout the year in various locations to raise awareness on mental health, particularly depression and suicide, and to eliminate stigma and discrimination associated with such conditions. In the launch of this campaign on World Mental Health Day, around €160 were collected for Richmond Foundation. This project was in collaboration with BetaPsi, Mount Carmel Hospital and Richmond Foundation.

Raising awareness on human rights and equality is one of the main aims of SCORP, and thus, we celebrated men’s rights on International Men’s Day by hav-

ing fun activities in quad, e.g. arm wrestling competitions and taking photos to promote Movember campaign. Information on testicular self examination, violence on men and eating disorders in men was provided throughout the event.

Children’s rights are always kept close at heart and this year’s World Children’s Day was celebrated with 3 major events. We collaborated with the Commissioner for Children for ‘Festa tat-Tfal’, which was a public event held at Verdala Palace for primary school children, where we promoted children’s rights through fun activities. A bake sale was also organised on Campus, which managed to fundraise over €130 for The Ladybird Foundation. The campaign ended with a volunteering opportunity at the paediatric wards of Mater Dei Hospital which brought a lot of humour to the children! This campaign was presented in the Activities’ Fair at the MM 2014 IFMSA General Assembly in Tu-

December was focused on World Human Rights’ Day. MMSA-SCORP took part in the ‘Know Your Rights’ video campaign organised by the IFMSA. Different NMOs created videos to describe one of the fundamental human rights, and we did a video for the Right to Asylum.

On campus, we collaborated with Aġenzija Żgħażagħ, AIESEC, Kellimni.com and Organisation for Friendship in Diversity to organise a huge event. It was a true celebration of human rights and diversity as we created a Global Village at quad, where students of different nationalities set up stands to showcase their respective cultures. These stands included food, traditional dances and clothing, information, and more. On this day, the No Hate Speech movement also launched its website which fights against online cyber bullying.

The next big event on the SCORP calendar was International Women’s Day. In preparation for IWD, the coordinators came up with the idea of interviewing successful local females Dr. Raina Zarb Adami and Ms. Gertrude Abela. They are both successful and serve as a great

inspiration for us. A stand was set up at University to celebrate womanhood and emphasise on equality and women’s rights.

We were giving out freebies, e.g. wristbands, makeup sachets and vouchers. This event was in collaboration with Europa Donna Malta, National Commission for Promotion of Equality, and Commission on Domestic Violence.

Other volunteering opportunities were provided to medical students in the second semester. Medical students helped in fixing and cleaning up the damage at Inspire Malta’s Animal Park that was caused by the brutal act of vandalism. Moreover, students took part in the Fundraising Walk organised by Richmond Foundation to promote mental health, whilst also providing health checks to the general public. MMSA-SCORP was also part of the massive national beach clean-up event organised by Let’s Do It Malta.

This was part of an international clean-up occurring in around 20 different Mediterranean countries at the same time! MMSA students joined in to create a clean and beautiful archipelago.

A SCOPET-SCORP workshop was coordinated to motivate medi-

cal students and increase their knowledge on human rights so that they would feel compelled to stand up for what they believe in, speak up for any injustices or when someone’s rights are being compromised, and to not be afraid to convey their thoughts and voice their opinions.

Throughout the year, I was involved in the KSU working group on Immigration, where we issued a policy paper on what University students think about irregular immigration. I also represented MMSA-SCORP in the European Regional Meeting 2013 and in the March Meeting 2014 IFMSA General Assembly, where I had

the amazing opportunity of living in the international SCORPian spirit.

Finally, I would like to thank the SCORP team and the Board of Directors ’13-’14 an amazing year where we made it our mission to provide medical students with as much opportunities as possible, for them to meet people from different strata of society with different realties. These experiences will definitely allow us grow holistically, eventually becoming better doctors.

Yours truly Kristina Bartolo National Officer for Human Rights and Peace

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PEER EDUCATION AND TRAINING OFFICER JAMES MARIO GAUCI

year has been an extremely eventful one for me and I feel that I have grown particularly on a personal level.

The Standing Committee On Peer Education and Training revolves around education. We employ different activities and events as a tool to deliver powerful messages.

Peer Education Sessions A substantial part of SCOPET duties involve peer education sessions in which MMSA members go to different schools.

We deliver numerous presentations on various subjects aiming to make them as interactive and interesting as possible.

TBH During our teddy bear hospital sessions we aim to lessen the fear that young children might have when visiting their doctor.

We urge them to take on the role of the clinician together with us as we “heal� their sick teddy bears.

Dear MMSA member I am pleased to be addressing you as the former Peer Education and Training Officer. The previous

Healthy Eating Our healthy eating campaign focuses on the importance of healthy diets. We strive to highlight how healthy eating especially from a young age can prevent the development of

processes such as atherosclerosis and conditions like diabetes.

Ergonomics The ergonomics campaign is a great initiative that puts emphasis on small yet vital measures that are very often ignored.

These include the appropriate seating position one should adapt when sitting at the desk.

TNT Training New Trainers was held at Villa Psaigon between the 11th and 13th October 2013, in collaboration with the IFMSA with the aim of providing training to medical students. The main aim was to elaborate on the basic training skills and knowledge that a trainer should have in order to plan and conduct training sessions. Proper presentation techniques were discussed together with the essence of group dynamics and facilitation techniques. Public speaking skills and conflict management were dealt with whilst also focusing on team building skills. Moreover, a great emphasis was put on feedback and evaluation.

NPET Weekend During NPET weekend MMSA members were given an overview of the different presentations that were held. The participants

were given tips as regards appropriate presentation skills.

Workshops SCOPET-SCOPH Workshop This workshop was held on Saturday 21st December 2013.

The aim was to offer support the SCOPH, by coming out with ideas during brainstorming on how to improve already existing campaigns, as well as devise new campaigns, which can help SCOPH grow further. Furthermore, the training workshop, trained the participants on how to work in a team when organising a public health event, and it enabled them to gain better insight of what goes on within this standing committee. This training workshop could have well been a first step for members who want to become actively involved within SCOPH as it enables them to gain better insight of what goes on within this standing committee, both locally and internationally.

SCOPET-SCORP Workshop This workshop was held on the Saturday 12th April. The aim of this SCOPET-SCORP collaboration was to organize several training sessions in order to provide further insight into SCORPian concepts. Notions such as

the definition of human rights, the aims of SCORP and its role within the IFMSA were clarified, especially given that the majority of those attending were first years. Discussions revolving around contentious topics such as LGBT rights were also held.

I hope that this has given you a brief overview of the exciting framework underlying the SCOPET team. Hopefully this will spur you to assume an active role in the MMSA family.

Best regards, James Mario Gauci National Peer Education and Trainings Officer

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work is made known to the Maltese public. I worked handin-hand with many local news stations to fulfil this role, and throughout the year, the work of our medical students was portrayed in multiple news portals, both online and on paper.

Special thanks to Matthew Pizzuto for his work as my Press Coordinator. Thanks also goes to Daniela Zammit, who singlehandedly managed to feature medical articles from our student members on a number of national publications.

PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER GABRIEL JOSHUA ELLUL

Dear reader!

When I contested for the post of Public Relations Officer I knew that the role I was applying for required a lot of hard work. Little did I know that it would help me grow so much in just a matter of months.

Our MMSA has something special: it unites us, despite our many roles, our busy calendar, and our challenging studies. And I found this fact all the more true when it comes to the work of the Public Relations Office.

The role forces you to surpass your personal boundaries, to contact all the different facets of our association, to promote them in the best possible way.

This helped me grow. It helped me appreciate what the MMSA truly stands for: that despite the many shortcomings we encounter throughout the year, it is all worth it.

Publications One of the main tasks assigned to the PRO is to annually publish a number of publications, namely the Fresher’s Booklet, Sphygmo, Murmur and the Annual Report. To help me with this task, I formed a Publications Team whose role was to serve as part of the editorial board for each and every publication.

We also issued calls for each upcoming publications, inviting tens of medical students to

participate by contributing to the magazine. We also chose particular themes for our main publications: this year’s Sphygmo had a TV theme, with every article being associated with a particular television show.

Murmur on the other hand was fully dedicated to our identity, as Maltese students and also as MMSA members.

A special thanks goes to all the members of the Publications team, especially my Secretary Kurt Apap, who painstakingly designed most of the year’s publications, with the help of Malcolm Falzon.

months of the year saw a complete revamp of the website, which was officially launched during our Training and Resource Development Seminar. This was followed by the creation of profile accounts on Twitter and Google+, along with an improvement in the overall appearance of our Youtube channel.

A Facebook Officer was also appointed to promote our association’s identity on Facebook.

In this regard, I would like to thank Leonard Callus, our previous ITO and Maria Croucher, who worked as Facebook Officer for the past year.

Our website With the appointment of an IT Officer, whose sole responsibility is to take care of the website and every aspect of the MMSA which is related to IT, we have managed to make great strides in promoting our association’s work on the web. The first

TheSynapse In an effort to provide new opportunities to our students, we managed to start a healthy collaboration with TheSynapse.net.

Thanks to TheSynapse editorial board, especially the chief editor, Dr. Wilfred Galea, medical students now have the chance

to publish their research papers on a web-portal which has over 4,000 medical professionals as members, from all over the globe. Following monthly meetings and weeks of hard work, the MMSA managed to publish a series of half-page articles on the magazine published regularly

by TheSynapse team. We also played an important role in the official launch of TheSynapse app, where students are invited to register their own profile and thus have free access to countless medical articles.

More information about this can be obtained from www.thesynapse.net.

Our own radio show This year also saw the advent of a new radio show for the MMSA. Working with Insiter, the PR team started to produce weekly broadcasts, termed “MMSA on the Waves” which were then featured online on InsiterFM. We later shifted to producing our own programmes by ourselves, using our own equipment, with the programmes being uploaded directly onto our revamped website. This initiative has also been taken up by the upcoming PRO. Special thanks goes to Matthew Zammit and Matthew Valentino, for their help in making this new initiative work.

Press Exposure My role as PRO also involved promoting our association in the local media, ensuring that our

Corporate Identity Report One of my main aims for the past year was to devise a Corporate Identity Report which

would give our MMSA a sense of direction when it comes to how we should portray ourselves. I’m extremely glad that with the help of an entire team, led by Ryan Falzon, we have managed to make this feat possible.

With a word count of more than 14,000 words, the report outlines the priorities which our association should address when dealing with its PR aspect.

I would therefore like to thank all the members of the Corporate Identity Taskforce for their hard work, with countless meetings and long nights. Their help made this possible.

Last but not least, I would like to dedicate this article to the entire PR team, of more than 40 students, for their invaluable work throughout the

year. Apart from the students mentioned above, this year’s PR team also consisted of tens of other students, some working as photographers, others as proof-readers and others as PRRepresentatives, working hand in hand with members of the Board of Directors to ensure that our work gets portrayed professionally.

I would not have managed to pull through with all this work in an entire year if it wasn’t for your help. You have my deepest gratitude for making the past year one which I will surely never forget.

Thank you!

Gabriel Ellul Public Relations Officer

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LEISURE OFFICER DARRYL PISANI

Dear MMSA Member, Before we delve into the hectic and event filled year that was MMSA Leisure, I would like to take a moment to thank you for making this year such a success. I hope that we lived up to ever increasing expectation of a top-notch MMSA Leisure term.

Lift Off! Boat Edition with Afterparty With Lift Off being shifted from a beach party to a pool party the previous term, the Leisure Team decided to go one further and kick off this year’s Leisure calendar with an end of exam boat party titled Lift

Off! Boat Party Edition. This event took place on the 1st of July aboard the luxurious Hera II with tickets selling at €15. On-board attendees were treated to a fully stocked bar run by members of the team to ensure the best bar offers, food, top Dj’s and a picturesque sunset at sea. Moreover members of the Leisure Team handed out free water-pistol shots, Jello shots and set up a beer bong challenge to give all those aboard a taste of what is to come in the coming term. Since no MMSA Leisure event should ever end at midnight, and due to the limited amount of tickets available the team decided to organise Lift Off! The Afterparty. This event took place at One38 Lounge and started just before the boat arrived back in Sliema and was aimed at offering all those who didn’t manage to obtain a ticket a great night out with MMSA Leisure whilst also serving as an afterparty for all those aboard.

Splash! MMSA Pool Party Our second event was Splash!

MMSA Pool Party. The aim for this party was to allow the first years to mingle, socialise and be welcomed into the medical family in a relaxed setting by the pool. Later the party moved indoors with the choice of songs shifting to more upbeat selection to get everyone on their feet dancing away. This event took place on 10th August at the newly refurbished Amazonia Complex in Bugibba. The event had a rough start due to winds picking up making not ideal summer weath-

er for a swim. Having said that the event picked up as the night progressed with a few deciding to dive in and many more filling the club to the brim for the indoor party.

End of Summer Foam Party Once again MMSA Leisure drew the curtain on a busy summer with its annual End of Summer Foam Party.

For the first time since its creation

the Foam party had to be relocated due to refurbishment works at Fuego. The event was held at Bar Native in Paceville on September 26th.

Though there was a change in venue the traditional elements behind the party’s success were all present i.e. unbeatable bar offers, great music, drinking games and obviously foam.

TRD Parties Knowing how important these parties are to the medical students especially the first years experiencing their first TRD the Leisure Team decided to leave the decision of the themes up to the students.

Students were asked to send in their theme ideas and then vote for their favourite themes with the top 2 themes being chosen as this year’s themes. Thus the first themed party was Around The World where some attendees dressed up in traditional costumes from around the world. Others took a more literal approach dressing up in satellites, airplanes, airhostesses and even astronauts. The event took place on the 26th October at Maya Beach Club just opposite to the hotel.

Transport was offered from the event. The second themed party Dead and Famous. This theme was much more straight forward although some managed to think outside the box turning up as Maltese lira coins, flamingos and even a cadaver. The second party took place at Costa Del Sol in Mellieha the following day. What was particularly special about this venue is the presence of a retractable roof which allowed the party to be held beneath the stars. A shuttle service was set up to take students to and from the event to the hotel and transport for people not staying at the hotel was also on offer. As was the case in previous years a costume competition took place at both parties with the winners chosen by the crowd winning a bottle of vodka.

Paintball Showdown This was the first collaboration and the first event of its kind for MMSA Leisure. The Leisure Team along with the events team from S-cubed worked together to produce a paintball tournament pinning teams from MMSA against teams from S-Cubed. The top 2 teams from

both associations were then given the chance to face each other in the grand final. Refreshments were served during the event held on November 23rd at Paintball Malta in Kalkara.

Christmas Gathering The annual Christmas gathering also known as the Consultant’s Party was held on 20th December at Medical School Foyer at Mater Dei Hospital. This event gave the students an opportunity to meet their lecturers in a relaxed environment. Food and drinks were served at the event. Moreover this event is also meant as a token of appreciation for all the hard work the lecturers do throughout the year. It also gives the lecturers themselves an opportunity to meet their fellow lecturers in a stress-free environment.

Christmas Party Keeping with tradition the MMSA Christmas Party was held at The Playground, Paceville on December 23rd. Once again MMSA Leisure took complete control of the bar; to offer the best prices and best bar offers, such as a reduced price on bottles between 22:00 and 00:00. Furthermore guests showing up in a Christmas hat were given buy 1 get one free token, Santa was on hand giving out crackers with offers inside and Captain Morgan gave out freebies to those present. Tickets were sold at €5 and transport back home was organised.

The Aftermath After an absence of one month due to exams MMSA Leisure came back big with The Aftermath on 7th February. This event was another successful collaboration with S-cubed and MHSA. This after exam party was held at Stardust, Sliema where all those present were treated to great music from top local DJs, great offers at the bar on bottles

and trays and free glowstick bracelets for all those attending. Tickets were sold for €5. This event exceeded all expectations from all three associations. An undeniable success for all.

Ballo Dei Nobili The MMSA Ball is perceived by most as the pinnacle event for not only the Leisure Officer but for the whole Leisure Team. It has grown into the most renowned and sought after event on the university social calendar by not only medical students but the entire student body.

It really is a showcase of the capabilities of MMSA Leisure. With so many hours of planning and preparation being directed to towards this event, Ballo Dei Nobili truly showed that MMSA Leisure could pull off an event few associations could manage. Ballo Dei Nobili was held and the grandiose Sacra Infermeria Hall at the Mediterranean Conference Centre in Valletta on the 15th of March. Guests were treated to top local Djs Da Sciba and Nate, and for the first time two livebands, Chris’s Mum (whose band members are all medical students) and No Snow no Alps. Food and free flowing drinks were served all night. Tickets were sold at €25 early bird tickets (initially to medical students and then to all students) and €30. Tickets included transport back after the event. A shuttle service from Valletta was terminus to MCC was offered at €1. Though increasing the number of tickets and opting for a bigger hall the event was once again a sold out event.

Football Tournament MMSA Leisure’s next event was organised in liaison with SCOPH. The MMSA Football tournament took place on Sunday 6th April at At-

tard Football Ground. Turnout for the event was very good with 16 teams ultimately showing up. Medals were handed out to top 3 teams.

Price for participation was €30 per team with all proceeds going to charity.

Alcocrawl The MMSA Leisure calendar came to a close with its second edition of the MMSA Alcocrawl which took place on 14th April. As oppose to last year The Alcocrawl started from Baystreet and ended in Sliema.

Participants were given instructions about how the amalgamation of a pubcrawl and treasure hunt would work. Participants Paid 3 euro per person to participate. The event was extended to 70 persons this year from the previous 40. The response was even better than we expected with slot being filled immediately and with a waiting list of teams ready to take part.

Looking back at the year I’ve had as Leisure Officer I realise how far I’ve come from that first event. Being Leisure Officer sometimes felt like a part-time job, but looking back I can’t help but smile and be filled with pride and satisfaction at the year I had within MMSA Leisure and MMSA Board of Directors. I have grown personally, sometimes unknowingly, while trying to promote growth within this association. I would also like to thank the Leisure Team whom without which none of this would have been achievable.

You were all brothers and sisters at arms in the wee hours of the morning as we packed up after an event.

Regards Darryl Pisani Leisure Officer

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ELECTIVES COORDINATOR THOMAS GATT

Dear MMSA Members, The Electives Programme is one of the cornerstones of our association. In collaboration with Medical School, the MMSA welcomes foreign medical students who visit our country to carry out a clinical clerkship at Mater Dei Hospital. The role of the Electives Office is to process the applications for each individual student, assign them to their respective departments, offer accommodation, organize airport transfers and make their stay in general more enjoyable.

Team In an effort to promote active student participation, this year an attempt was made to form the largest ever electives team.

Helping in the smooth running of the elective programme for this term were the Assistant Electives Officer, Kurt Chircop, as well as the Electives-Finance Reps, Sophie DeGiorgio and Abigail Galea. I would like to take this opportunity to thank them for their constant effort and dedication. Without them, things would definitely not have ran as smoothly.

Applications This year we further increased our focus onto online applications, since this avoids all the delays and hassle of card copies. This year the application form was updated to a more efficient format, and students responded much better to being able to apply via soft copy.

After an excess of 3000 emails, over 500 applications were received and approximately 420

students were accepted for the programme throughout the term. This figure does not exclude student cancellations. A comprehensive list of electives FAQs was also compiled with the help of medical school, in an attempt to save time dealing with students questions.

Accommodation About 100 students were housed in the MMSA apartments in Ta’ Sliema this year.

The accommodation rates were increased towards the end of term to account for an increase in the rent, which should see an increase in the profit gained from such student accommodation. This year, we also looked into the possibility of expanding our accommodation and we have shortlisted a number of alternative locations which may be used in the future.

Student Pickups Through the summer, MMSA members helped out with a number of elective pickups from the airport. This helps elective students become acquainted with local medical students who may serve as a contact person in future. Throughout the year we also made use of John’s Garage Limited, who helped us with the pickups, providing us with special rates.

Electives Media This year, I wanted to work specifically on the image that the elective programme portrays.

Amongst other things, we’ve set up a Facebook page that has amassed over 500+ likes and can be used to target a wider audience. We have also set up a Facebook group which includes all incoming elective students so that they may communicate between themselves. This will facilitate communication as well as promoting other MMSA events.

Student Feedback Section In an attempt to further improve the programme and aid in

advertising, a student feedback section on the website was set up so that visiting students may leave a couple of lines feedback regarding their experience with us. A total of 14 students gave their feedback, and all of it thus far has been positive and encouraging. This year, the feedback was collected by the electives team, however in the future this feedback will be linked to the role of the feedback coordinator.

Social Programme This year, incoming elective students where given the opportunity to join the exchanges social programme throughout the summer months. A number

of students made us of this option and had the opportunity to bond with both local and foreign medical students. Elective students were also invited to a few MMSA parties throughout the year.

This past year has been one of the most hectic of my student life thus far, but yet I do not regret a minute of it. Sure, working within MMSA may be time consuming and at times just sheet frustrating. However despite this, the lessons learnt throughout this past term have been invaluable, I believe that MMSA teaches you skills that you cannot learn anywhere else. It helps you mature as a

person, work better as part of a team and also gives you the opportunity to bring your creative ideas to life.

I would like to take this moment to thank all the members within the MMSA who in some way have contributed to our as-

sociation. I hope that your student activism will continue to grow. To all those who have yet to take their first step towards being active within our association, know that it is never too late to make your mark on one of the strongest association

campus.

Finally, I would also like to thank all those who have contributed in one way or another to the elective team, as well as all those who have given me the privilege of serving this term

as your Electives Officer. It was truly an honour.

Best regards, Thomas Gatt Electives Officer

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SUPERVISING COUNCIL JULIAN AGIUS FABRIZIA CASSAR KELLY GATT

First and foremost, we would like to thank the Executive Board (EB) of the MMSA and the predecessors of the Supervising Council for all their invaluable work within the MMSA. Thanks to all the hard work put in by each member, the MMSA has grown into one of the most influential student organisations on campus.

This year marked the birth of a new online feedback collection system, via which the student can anonymously give any negative or positive feedback via MMSA’s website. This feedback was divulged with the EB anonymously and action was taken to rectify any negative feedback brought forward, whilst also congratulating the EB on the positive feedback received from MMSA members as well as from external bodies.

We, the undersigned, were appointed by the EB members as per the MMSA statute. It has been quite an interesting and busy year to say the least.

This year, the MMSA has gone through a detailed restructuring of its EB. Apart from this, the MMSA has worked closely with other organisations on campus as well as outside university to further improve the Public Health of the Maltese population.

Restructuring of MMSA EB The Supervising Council took an

Supervising Council’s Roles: The Supervising Council’s role is to oversee the actions of and the decisions made by the EB throughout their term. Most of this supervision can be achieved via accessing the MMSA domain mailbox -supco@mmsa.org. mt- which was accessed by all council members. All official correspondence was carried out after consultation with all three members. Should the need have arisen, the council’s role involves guiding the EB in the proper interpretation of the statute and bylaws. Apart from helping out the MMSA’s EB, the SupCO also handled enquiries from all MMSA members and

took any necessary actions accordingly.

By rotation, one member of the Supervising Council had to represent the council members and be present throughout each and every EB meeting as an observer.

Their purpose was to help the EB reach timely decisions on some hot issues that arose throughout the term. Again, all correspondence on behalf of the Supervising Council was only given once all council members had agreed on it. The

council also had to go through the EB meeting minutes which had to be sent within three weeks following each meeting.

Another important role was to review and analyse the EB’s Quarterly Financial Report. Any discrepancies were subsequently pointed out and ironed out.

bylaws were regularly uploaded.

The Council’s tasks also involved monitoring the MMSA website and ensuring that updated content such as EB and General Assembly meeting agendas minutes, statute and

The Supervising Council together with the Feedback Coordinator, Ian Baldacchino, also continued to work on the feedback collection system set up by our predecessors.

In order to ensure transparency of its work, the Council wrote a quarterly report at the end of each term which was made available on MMSA’s website.

Feedback collection

active role in the restructuring of the MMSA’s EB. The work done to structure the EB into the Board of Directors (BD) and the officers has helped to better re-allocate resources and man-power within the MMSA structure, as well as to cut down on unnecessary bureaucracy which, in previous years, led to decisions taking an unnecessary amount of time to be taken. It has also allowed the MMSA to divide the MMSA’s resources better and further increase the good standing relationship of the MMSA with other associations.

Medical Maltese The SupCO was very active in handling some of the issues which cropped up regarding the excellent medical Maltese dictionary set up by Mr. Robert Cachia. This dictionary is an invaluable tool and an indispensable read for day to day clerking at Mater Dei hospital as it enables one to use proper Maltese terminology.

Overall, we can confidently say that this was an unforgettable experience for us and we are

proud to have been part of such an amazing team. Thanks go to all the MMSA members who have put their trust in us by electing us into office and allowing us to offer our services and knowledge to the MMSA EB, as well as the members themselves.

We wish the newly elected BD, officers and the SupCO members a prosperous and positive year ahead.

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THE MMSA BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2013 - 2014

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THE MMSA EXTERNAL REPRESENTATION 1. Health Promotion Department 2. MDH Health and Wellbeing Committee- MDH Health Checks 3. MHSA : Multidiscplinary Conference 4. GHSL : Medicolegal Seminar) 5. GIC & KSU: Health and Wellbeing Clinic 6. KSU: KSU Health Days and Freshers’ Week 7. Icreatemotion: Science in the City 8. University of Malta : Discover University 9. Melita PLC Health Checks 10. Betapsi; Share a Smile for Mental Health 11. AISEC: No Hate this Christmas on Human Rights Day 12. We Are: NPET WEEKEND 13. SCUBED: Paintball 14. SCUBED and MHSA- the Aftermath Party 15. EMSA: Twinning Project Malta 16. CUAMM 17. German Maltese Medical Society & Red Cross Hospital Kassel and German

Maltese Circle: Kassel Exchange 2013

THE MMSA FIRST TIME ACHIEVEMENTS 1.

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MMSA-EMSA Twinning Programme Medicolegal seminar and collaboration between medical and law-based student associations Full blown participation in the yearly Science in the City event in Valletta MDH Health and Wellbeing Committee- MDH Health Checks for staff KOKKA Habrieka for our Vice President for External Affairs, Tara Giacchino Discover University Representation in the Gender Issues Committee on Campus MMSA representation during a CUAMM meeting in Brussels MMSA representation in an EU organised trip to the European parliament Health and Well Being Clinic in collaboration with KSU and the GIC