Po-Chin Li - Candidature for IFMSA Regional Director for Asia-Pacific 2018/2019

CANDIDATURE FOR IFMSA 2018/2019

Regional Director for Asia-Pacific

PO-CHIN LI

PO-CHIN LI – RD AP 2018/2019

MOTIVATION LETTER Dear IFMSA, Dear Asia-Pacific family, I am Po-Chin Li. With utmost pleasure and honour, I hereby present to you my candidature for Regional Director for Asia-Pacific 2018/2019.

In my past two-year journey in this global community of medical students, I had many chances exploring different aspects of IFMSA. My four-times service as plenary team members enabled me to glance at the Federation’s administration as well as legal work; as for my membership in IFMSA Task Force on United Nations 2017-2018, I worked with my colleagues worldwide on programming capacity building activities, drafting external policies on international issues, and connecting Standing Committees as well as IFMSA Programmes to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

This year, I am even more honoured to serve as your Chairperson in APRM Plenary. A brand new Regional Strategy 2018-2021 and the updated Internal Operation Guides (IOGs) are both expected and will guide our future work for the region. It is like a dream come to true to be able to witness all of these great changes happening in region Asia-Pacific.

Having gone so far, however, I can never forget the inspirations I had during my first attendance to the IFMSA General Assembly. It was in the Regional Session of March Meeting 2017 that the NMOs were raising their needs and desires to prosperous interactions within the region, believing which could lead to a more dynamic region and help domestic development.

As a fortunate medical student that have gained so much from IFMSA, I think it is time to share and feedback to this region I love.

Page 01 І Motivation Letter

PO-CHIN LI – RD AP 2018/2019

It is undeniable that the geographic nature is a big challenge to Asia-Pacific region. Remote from Atlantic area, where most opportunities are, medical students in Asia-Pacific need to spend more on traveling and attending; sadly, these burdens persist even when we try to promote intra-regional activities as the NMOs are widely separated all around Pacific Ocean. The language barrier also tends to be a major obstacle when interacting.

Recognising the aforementioned difficulties and some other challenges our region is faced with, I have some plans to be realised and further transform Asia-Pacific region as well as the NMOs regardless of their activeness.

With the actions we are taking together, let us expect the NMOs as well as medical students in Asia-Pacific to be more active, more social-engaging, and more ready to be future doctors that take care of both the health of human bodies and our societies.

I do believe that NMOs in Asia-Pacific are diamonds spreading around Pacific Ocean and Indian Ocean, and we can truly shine right like a diamond!

Po-Chin Li

Page 02 І Motivation Letter

PO-CHIN LI – RD AP 2018/2019

PLAN OF ACTIONS 1. From Strategies to Changes The implementation of strategies lies much in the well function of regional team and the collaboration of NMOs.

2. Active Members, Sustainable Membership It is of top priority to ensure meaningful youth participation in each field and to prevent loss or instability of membership.

3. Capacity Building: Step by Step The ideal capacity building is a circulation and the best way to see the result of capacity building is to apply it.

4. External Cooperation in Asia-Pacific Alliance with regional health stakeholders as well as student organisations is a key to exploration of opportunities.

5. Be our guests Equip NMOs with capacity to host international event with good quality and promote the active hand-over of such experiences.

Page 03 І Plan of Actions

PO-CHIN LI – RD AP 2018/2019

From Strategies To Changes The brand new Regional Strategy 2018-2021 will be adopted in APRM 2018. With IFMSA Strategy 2017-2020 as well as this Regional Strategy, there are clear goals for our region. The fundamental of implementation to these strategies and targets lie in the well function of Regional Team and the well communication among NMOs. Leadership of the Regional Director plays an important role in coordination of these tasks.

1.1 Leadership in Regional Team Regional Team members play important roles in achieving strategies and working plan. When recruiting regional team members, however, we also ask for their own Plan of Action. I would like to strike a balance to lead them to achieve the goals I set but also empower them to conduct their own projects with enough time, ample support, and adequate opportunities.

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Protecting the mental health of Regional Team members Improving the communication, especially when constructing annual working plan, by meeting in person or efficient Online Meetings Ensuring that team members are also learning and realising their expectations during the one-year work rather than being abused

1.2 Coordination of NMOs With 20 NMOs locating across 7 time zones and even separated by ocean, it has always been a issue for the Regional Team to coordinate the contact to all NMOs. The regional team is not only to guiding NMOs to implement IFMSA affairs but also to support domestic activities, including advocacy, domestic cooperation, and important national projects. It is also my goal to improve the communication among Regional Assistants and National Officers to ensure well promotion of SCO programmes at national level.

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Subgroup update-meeting with NMO presidents Forming small NMOs buddies based on their similarity, experience, and plan on important national projects for the following year Improving interactions and feedbacks among Regional Team and Presidents as well as National Officers Page 04 І Plan of Actions

PO-CHIN LI – RD AP 2018/2019

Active Members, Sustainable Membership NMOs and medical students are the core of IFMSA, and are the ones to cause changes in our societies. To maintain the membership of NMOs is the first-step to further develop internal and external engagement of medical students. According to the history, most NMOs are suffering from financial challenges during their activities. Given that the formula of membership fees might be modified in August Meeting 2018, it will directly challenge NMOs’ abilities to endure this change.

2.1 Social Engagement of Medical Students As the global community promoting the idea of “Health in all policies,” we expect medical students and healthcare students to engage more in the promotion of public health, human rights, and SDG advocacy. Since each NMO is at different level of social engagement, it is Regional Team’s mission to help NMOs evaluate the potential ways and short/mid term gaol for social engagement.

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Evaluating NMOs’ situations and help construct national strategies as well as short-term goals for social engagement Aiming at Standing Committees or programmes-based development on social engagement and advocacy Referring to IFMSA Global Priorities for issue selections to receive more advice and experiences at different communities and different level

2.2 Sustainable Membership We are now gathering 20 NMOs in Asia-Pacific. Some are very active, yet the others are struggling from different difficulties. Failure to attend GAs or submit membership fees, and even worse, not being able to upgrade from candidate members to Full/Associate Member will all bring about losing our partners. Of all the potential threats, financial instability tops the rank for most of the NMOs. • • •

Working with newly adopted candidate members to construct upgrade plan for no more than 3 years to protect their memberships Contacting NMOs with debts to IFMSA for assessing payment plan for no more than 2 years to protect their memberships Following up with NMOs hosting international events to provide necessary assistance especially on financial affairs

Page 05 І Plan of Actions

PO-CHIN LI – RD AP 2018/2019

Capacity Building: Step by Step Capacity building is an important aspect of IFMSA missions. To me, capacity building is not just workshops and sessions. It should be equipping medical students with the abilities to be a global health leader or global health worker, including soft skills for interactions as well as hard skills for issues.

The best way to examine the results of capacity building is to apply it. With different levels of capacity built, there should be different opportunities within the region.

Step 1. Orientation Via preGA, preAPRM, SRT, and national workshops, students are oriented with their career of future global health leadership.

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Connecting fellow medical and healthcare students Bringing back inspirations and experiences from global partners

Step 2. Local activists These future doctors may need to entre next step as being the local activists and involving in local researches and campaigns.

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Accumulating experiences and knowledges toward specific issues or fields Gaining interests in global health issues and the international collaboration

Step 3. External Representation Capacity building on external representation consists of policy drafting, representation skills, and global participation.

• • •

Equipped with policy drafting capacities and engaging in advocacy Proposing recommendations and inquiry to influence official policies Involving in the platform and activities of international health forum

Step 4. Global Health Leadership This final level is to ensure the circulation of capacity building of peer education.

These global health leaders will also serve as the pioneers of our missions.

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Conducting orientations for new global health leaders Implementing the concept of “ Think Globally, act locally.”

Page 06 І Plan of Actions

PO-CHIN LI – RD AP 2018/2019

External Cooperation in Asia-Pacific As mentioned in the previous pillar, our external work can also function as a part of capacity building for our members. From internship opportunities to external representations, different level of partnership with different types of alliances can ensure our members to engage more according to their own capacities.

4.1 Official Recognitions Several important organisations are working on global health issues within the region. WHO West Pacific Regional Office (WPRO) and South-East Asia Regional Office (SEARO) are two of the most important partners for us. Yet we still need to take more efforts for internship opportunities. Also noted that some potential opportunities with Junior Doctor Network (JDN) Asia-Pacific and Confederation of Medical Associations in Asia and Oceania (CMAAO) in recent years.

Besides those parties, Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) as well as Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Health Working Group (APEC HWG) are another two important actors as they consists of governments.

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Looking for regional internship or volunteer projects UN branches and WHO Expanding cooperation with JDN Asia-Pacific and CMAAO Seeking opportunities to attend the meeting and projects of global health platforms in regional organisations including APEC & ASEAN

4.2 Student Organisations Partnership with medical students’ organisations in the region, e.g. Asian Medical Students’ Association (AMSA) and Pacific Medical Students’ Association (PMSA), can help us to better collect the voices of medical students worldwide.

As we are pursuing meaningful youth participation in public affairs, it is crucial that we are acting not just as medical students. Possessing adequate knowledge toward different fields surely help form a broader visions toward global as well as local issues. Such ambition is to be fulfilled by collaboration with fellow youth organisations as we believe the power and effects of peer education.

• • •

Developing active relationship with AMSA and PMSA Exploring potential multidisciplinary partners Hosting joint sessions and activities to strengthen cross-field peer education with students of law, pharmacy, dentistry, veterinary, etc.

Page 07 І Plan of Actions

PO-CHIN LI – RD AP 2018/2019

Be our Guests Asia-Pacific region is hosting series of IFMSA events in the following year. Ranging from Standing Committee exchanges, to annual APRM, SRTs, and even August Meeting 2019, prosperous activities surely provide with medical students ample opportunities; yet how to ensure the quality and long-term development powers remain a crucial challenges to both Regional Team and NMOs.

5.1 Quality Events It is NMOs’ targets to enhance the quality of their own SCOPE/SCORE projects as well as hosting materials. Other Standing committees are also launching different exchange programmes respectively. The annual APRM , GA and other IFMSA events are all good chances hosting global medical students and recruit more active members yet might easily endanger the financial stability. Regional Team shall be actively working with the OC to ensure positive outcomes.

• • • •

Continuously assisting NEO/NOREs to improve exchange programmes Supporting NMOs in organising fruitful IFMSA events including SC exchange programmes, Sub-Regional Trainings, ACTION, WHO Simulations, etc.

Collaborating with GA and APRM OCs to explore potential partnership and sponsorship at international level Guiding the hosting NMOs to conduct their event in an eco-friendly, financial sustainability, and multicultural-inclusive manners

5.2 Cultivating Potential Hosts It is observed that the NMOs hosting big events in the region are a small group of NMOs. The other are either have less experiences or not capable of burdening the risks of hosting an events. The exchange of OC knowledge and experiments at smaller scales can help NMOs in preparing for organising higher level events.

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Inviting NMOs with relevant experiences to compose manual for event organisation on research, promotion, fund-raising, and IFMSA recognition Supporting volunteer NMOs to host events first at local or national level as experiments and recruitments of interested personnel Working with subgroups of NMOs to evaluate the possibility of hosting APRM to diversify the geographic as well as cultural distributions of regional events Page 08 І Plan of Actions

PO-CHIN LI – RD AP 2018/2019

CURRICULUM VITAE Personal Information

Positions Held

Page 09 І Curriculum Vitae

Name: Po-Chin Li Nationality: Taiwan (Republic of China) University: National Cheng Kung University Tainan City, Taiwan E-mail: pochin.li.tw@gmail.com Mobile: +886-932081777

IFMSA Task Force on United Nations 2017/2018 IFMSA General Assembly Plenary Team - Constitutional Credential Committee: MM18 AM18 - Secretary Assistant: MM17 AM17 IFMSA Asia Pacific Regional Meeting Plenary Team - Chairperson: APRM 2018 - Secretary: APRM 2017 FMS-Taiwan Secretary General 2016/2017, 2017/2018 FMS-Taiwan NGA 2018 OC Chairperson FMS-Taiwan NEO Assistant 2015/2016 2017 Taiwan WHO Simulation Conference Chairperson National Cheng Kung University - Speaker of Student Council 2017/2018 - Director of Welfare and Rights 2017/2018 - Director of Academy 2016/2017 - SCOPE Local Exchange Officer 2015/2016

PO-CHIN LI – RD AP 2018/2019

External External Representation Representation

Language Skills

IFMSA General Assemblies - August Meeting 2018 Montreal - March Meeting 2018 Egypt - August Meeting 2017 Tanzania - March Meeting 2017 Montenegro IFMSA Asia-Pacific Regional Meeting - APRM 2018 Seoul, Korea - APRM 2017 Tokyo, Japan World Health Organisation (WHO) - World Health Assembly 2017 Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) - Health Working Group (HWG) Meeting 2018 - Infectious Disease Preparedness Seminar 2018 World Medical Association (WMA) - General Assembly 2016 - Global Conference on One Health 2016 Confederation of Medical Associations in Asia and Oceania (CMMAO) - 32nd General Assembly 2017 - joint banquet with student representatives 2017 Asian Medical Students’ Association (AMSA) - East Asian Medical Students’ Conference 2016 Mandarin: English: Japanese: Cantonese: French:

Native Fluent Basic Basic Basic

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any question!

Page 10 І Curriculum Vitae

See you in Montreal.