The Relaunched Medsin Magazine March 2012

medsin magazine RELAUNCHED FOR 2012 - ISSUE 1

medsin magazine Letter from the editors: We are so excited to introduce the new rebranded Medsin magazine. It’s been an amazing year to report on – with Medsin working its socks off from issues of local importance as dear to our hearts as the NHS to the global challenge of the UN climate talks in Durban.

We hope you find inside this crisp new copy sitting in your hands, everything Medsin you ever dreamed of and are inspired to follow up all the ways we suggest you get involved (and there are more than you can shake a stick at).

We’ve made sure that every article names a person you can contact and we’ve even interviewed some so you can believe us when we say they’re a friendly bunch and they’ll be spending their post GHC week clicking refresh hoping you’ve contacted them.

We couldn’t think of a better way of launching the new magazine than at our national conference, this year hosted by King’s Medsin on the theme of conflict and health. You’ll even find a special section in here dedicated to just that.

Thanks to so many of our members for their varied contributions to the magazine. Have a whale of a time at the conference, take this home to read by torchlight in your new Medsin friends’ homes or save it for the journey back home that for some of you is so long. And if you like it as much as we do, why not even get involved in editing the next issue? Contact magazine@medsin.org. Which could be your new email address.

Vita Sinclair & Felicity Jones

Medsin-KCL is thrilled to be hosting GHC2012 at Guy’s Campus, London Bridge, 14th-15th April!

The theme of the conference, Conflicted, was chosen for a number of key reasons: Influence from a recent Lancet special issue on Violent Conflict and Health To unite King’s College London’s strengths in War Studies, Global Health and Psychiatry To explore the big questions: What are the root causes of conflict?

How does conflict affect health?

How do we respond?

In a globalized interconnected world, with resource security increasingly critical, conflict is a burning issue which impacts health equity at a global as well as local level. Whether humanitarian intervention is the right course of action or whether humanitarian aid is more appropriate is an issue which is contentious and well worth addressing. As future doctors and students with a passion for global health, we will be involved with responding to the devastating effects of conflict, be that working with refugee and migrant health populations in the GP setting, working on the front line or indeed at policy level.

Moreover, we are in a position to advocate on behalf of the suffering and the vulnerable. Conflicted: the War for Health refers not only to violent conflict but also conflicting interests in policy.

We’re looking forward to bringing the entire Medsin network together with brilliant speakers, inspiring student-led training workshops and social media like never before. We’re organizing campaign stunts and cohesive advocacy sessions which will unite us Medsin students in taking local action for global health equity. We’ll be providing a platform for Medsin activities groups as well as external organizations to share opportunities and to network.

The riverside social with panoramic views of London and live Cuban band will be a great place to catch up with old friends and make new ones.

MEET THE CO–PRESIDENTS! Hi, I’m Andy and I’m one of the organisers for this year’s GHC! If you’re reading this I congratulate you. Not only on your fine choice of where to be this weekend, but also for reading past the first word. I’m a third year medic who has intercalated in global health here at King’s and being part of such a fantastic organising committee has been an absolute privilege. I hope to meet as many of you as possible over the weekend … if that’s impossible I’ll at least laugh from afar at your feeble attempts at salsa dancing.

Hi, I'm Felicia, a 3rd-year medic at KCL and thrilled to be one of the co-presidents of GHC12.My earliest memory regarding 'global health equity' was when 15-year-old me asked my teacher at the end of one Civics class, "Why don't people care?" (about poverty, war, etc.) This was a question I carried with me until I arrived at university, and learned that there are amazing people who do care - and they are the incredible students of Medsin. It has been a privilege to work alongside Andy, Jules, Irfaan, and our amazing committee. I hope you all enjoy the conference and feel free to stop me and say hi at any point!

Hello, I'm Juliet, one of the Co-Presidents for GHC 2012. Along with the marvelous Zinzi Mangera-Lakew (she's one to watch), I've been working my socks off to put together a quality and diverse workshop programme. There are so many great sessions going on simultaneously, I don't know how people will choose, but luckily we've arranged for some of the workshops to be recorded. I aspire to unite clinical medicine with tropical epidemiology and I'm working on my French. When I get the chance, I like to climb things such as towers for the views and mountains for the elements.

Hello, I’m Irfaan and am the ‘secretary general’ for this year’s organizing committee.

I’m in my fourth year of medicine now and have been a long time fan of Medsin, so much so that I’m doing a global health BSc at King’s next year and somehow agreed to organise the GHC. I’ve experienced a spectrum of emotions during the last few months but with an outstanding team like ours it’s been fun even at the worst of times. I’m sure we have already given you a very warm welcome so I won’t do that again here.

Tea and Trouble in Darjeeling‌

Summer 2011. About lunchtime. Bleary-eyed and somewhat worse for wear I step of the plane into the midday heat. The sweat already begins to dew on the nape of my neck.

This is India‌

I heave my rucksack onto my back and it's only when the crowd starts to thin and I realise I'm alone that the first inklings of panic start to intrude on my consciousness. When finally my lift arrives, I think back to the risk assessment form I dutifully completed before leaving, "I will never get into cars with strangers. I will try not to travel alone." As I am passed between drivers, and my bag disappears out of sight, I contemplate what a catastrophic mistake this may turn out to be.

Fortunately, the people of Darjeeling are without doubt some of the most sincere, endearing, unselfish people I have ever met. I travelled there to complete my intercalated BSc, which involved travelling into villages with a local NGO to meet and interview young women. Scenic and beautiful, Darjeeling attracts hordes of tourists the year round, but nestling between the tea and pashmina stalls is undeniable struggle.

Since independence in 1947, the subcontinent has travelled a turbulent and often extremely violent path towards today. The formation of Bangladesh, and before that East Pakistan, has left a legacy of incredible turmoil and conflict throughout the North-Eastern states. Formerly part of Sikkim, a state which it now borders, Darjeeling district was separated and joined with West Bengal at the hands of the East India Company. Its separation from the rest of the state is marked, not only geographically, but culturally, linguistically, and ethnically.

For decades there has been a struggle towards independence from the state that many feel has neglected its responsibility to the Darjeeling district. The ensuing conflict has affected many, and is an inheritance being passed to the next generation. I arrived at the time of state elections. The day before I got there a young man had been killed in political violence, and a strike had ground the town to a halt. With limited public transport, and no amenities available, it was, as it so often is, the poorest inhabitants that were suffering.

The lack of development in Darjeeling is at times astounding. Meeting women whose children had died of diarrhoea, who had little or no access to essential medicines and who were not educated enough to sign their own name was both humbling and completely infuriating.

Darjeeling is a paradox- a resource-rich, fertile, economically sound district which is still struggling to feed its children and look after its sick. And why? There's never a simple answer, but the legacy of political volatility, governmental inadequacy and conflict, in its many manifestations, continues to exert its influence over Darjeeling and its people.

Rachel Ash 4th Year Medical Student, Leeds University

The International Development Agency Dr John Macdermot, works with THET to develop links between UK and International medical schools Do you think there is a role for doctors in the international development beyond clinical work?

Most certainly there is such a role, and they make an important contribution. In some specialties (eg Infectious Diseases), work undertaken as an SpR in a recognised overseas centre contributes to time in training. In most specialties however, time spent outside the UK is “out-of-programme experience”. Many consultants contribute to work in low and middle income countries – often in the context of a THET-type paired institutional partnership.

Does conflict have a significant impact on the demand for healthcare in the countries you work in?

Yes. I have spent time in Northern Uganda, Somaliland and Sierra Leone. Once the conflict is over, the demand reverts quickly back to normal. The problem is that the medical infrastructure (staffing, buildings and equipment) is gone – and may take many years to re-establish.

Does conflict have a big impact in the way you approach a country you are planning to work in?

I am sure it would, but I have never worked in the middle of an armed conflict. You would need to discuss such issues with MSF or others who deliver emergency medical cover.

How effective do you think cooperation is between different (types) of NGO working in developing countries? Do you think there are ways to improve it?

The issue is complex. There is little doubt that coordination should really be a matter for the local Ministry of Health, National University, Medical College or similar body. Such institutions may have insufficient resource however to undertake the task, in which case it becomes important for the NGOs to make contact with each other.

What experience whilst working with THET has been the most difficult to deal with?

Those working in low and middle income countries tend to feel that they are underfunded and under-resourced.

Curiously however, many overseas programmes actually have difficulty spending the money they have. There are many reasons for this – one of the most common being that it can be very difficult to recruit suitable staff to take the project forward. The impact of such problems can be hard to manage in the longer term. Funding agencies are disinclined to provide second or third rounds of funding, if the money awarded in the first funding round was not all spent!

What achievement with THET are you most proud of or do you feel has been the most successful?

The development of the West African Medical School Consortium, and the Distance Learning MSc in Medical Education at Ibadan University (funded by the EU through their EDULINK programme).

International development seems to move in trends over years and decades. Is there anything you think is going to become increasingly important in global health and development in the coming years?

AIDS: Notwithstanding the huge international budget to provide anti-retroviral medication, about 60% of those in Africa who are infected with HIV, and whose clinical state indicates they should be on treatment, remain untreated.

We ignore these worrying statistics at our peril!

The Emergency Relief Charity Marc Dubois, Director of MSF-UK Interviewed by Khalil Secker, 2nd year medical student at Manchester

How did you come to work for MSF? When I got out of university I went and joined the US Peace Corps. I worked in Burkina Faso and really got into that life. Then I ended up fighting housing discrimination and some of the civil rights stuff going on down in New Orleans for a few years, but I really missed the international aspect of it. MSF doesn’t just deliver emergency medical aid, it also speaks out, it advocates for certain things and that was the side I was interested in. I guess at a certain point you realise ‘This is the organisation I’ve been looking for.’ I was 40 when I joined MSF.

What is the evolving role of MSF in the 21st century? That is, modern challenges that didn’t exist ten or twenty years ago?

The challenge of access, in particular since 9/11. There’s been quite an accelerated polarisation, you might say in particular between East and West, Muslim and non-Muslim and around the sovereignty of countries. Countries saying ‘We want to control our territory, because we don’t want the West interfering in it.’ I mean, what is humanitarian action in a world where governments are talking about humanitarian wars? That word, that label ‘humanitarianism’ has taken on new meanings, a meaning that we aren’t necessarily in agreement with.

Unfortunately sometimes we come across sometimes as a Western organisation, not a global organisation. It’s a real liability and we are struggling in Pakistan, Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia, Sudan – these are all places where we should be much busier, and we aren’t. And the reason is often because of politics. It is a huge challenge maintaining that level of independence that you’re able to gain access.

What has been your most rewarding experience working for MSF? What you see everywhere we go is just the incredible level of humanity in people, the unbelievable grace and generosity that people show their neighbours and friends in a refugee camp when they have nothing themselves. The woman whose sister dies of HIV/AIDS and she’s got four kids already and they are dirt poor, but she takes on another four. You see that and its absolutely uplifting to realise that of course MSF saves some lives, but actually, it’s the people in these countries who save their own lives and save their neighbours lives long before we get in there with the medical care for the ones who are really, really sick.

What do you think needs to be done to provide a more long term solution to humanitarian emergencies?

I think its too easy, especially for us NGO’s, to paint a picture of a poor impoverished world that can’t do anything and we simply need to go down there and give them money. If you actually look at these countries what you find is that by and large there’s a lot of wealth around. Countries need to take decisions…governments need to make decisions that own up to their responsibility to provide things like healthcare and education for their people. There are often quite substantial resources that are often not put into healthcare, so there needs to be a real quantum shift in that.

That’s the responsibility of governments, it’s not our responsibility. We should be out of business! It’s that simple.

National Network For “a fair and just world in which equity in health is a reality for all’ News Welcome to our magazine, welcome to the conference, and welcome those of you who are new to the Medsin network! As Joint National-Coordinators, it’s our job to head up the network, and we’d love to meet each and every one of you over the weekend.

Felicity Jones

So what is Medsin about? Have you ever had moments when you think the world isn’t as it should be? Times when you feel overwhelmed by the scale of local and national inequities and global systems seem built on injustice? We have these moments. And it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and alone, lost in a world where no-one seems to care. But Medsin is a network where people do care. In Medsin we come together, each bringing different skills and abilities into the mix, we organise ourselves, and we use our voices to call out for change.

We’ve just got back from two weeks in Ghana at the March Meeting of the IFMSA. Whilst we don’t believe the IFMSA is yet fulfilling its potential in the global health field, gatherings such as these, bringing together up to 1,200 students from 101 nations, are a powerful reminder that students everywhere are affected by global inequities, that students everywhere care, and that students everywhere are implementing change. We are not alone, we are part of a movement. And this movement has the power to make a difference.

Dan Knights

We believe in this student movement. We believe that every one of us can train ourselves and take action. We believe that together, we can create a movement strong enough to not only challenge the building blocks of global injustice, but to bring them tumbling down. Together, we can be the change we want to see the world. .

1) What made you first get involved in Medsin?

Dan: I had heard of Medsin before I came to uni and always knew I would want to get involved. After working for the church in Mauritius for 6 months on my year out, and having witnessed health inequities first hand, I was keen to start trying to make at least a small difference in global health during my student days - and Medsin was the perfect forum.

Felicity: Similarly I’d already heard about Medsin. It seemed the best way to get stuck in on the issues I care about.

2)What does Medsin mean to you?

Dan: Ha! At the moment Medsin takes up pretty much my whole life so I guess it means a lot! But seriously I am incredibly proud to be part of such a dynamic and forward looking network of young people all pulling towards the same goal.

Felicity: Yes, Medsin has pretty much taken over my life – as my family and friends will testify! For me, Medsin is about caring about something so strongly that you have to act on it now. It’s about refusing to be held back by all the reasons the world tells us to wait; being young, relatively inexperienced, and idealistic, and instead using these factors to drive us.

3) What have you achieved this year?

It's been a busy year so far! Some of our main priorities have been professionalisation of our image as a network , ensuring we run as an efficient organisation, and securing funding to help Medsin grow and expand. Dan’s been particularly working on our new website, with our fantastic web developer, Dan Kingsley. Felicity worked on our new constitution, and has focused on getting sponsorship for our network, and on this magazine! There are countless other projects we've been working on - and it's only just over half of the way through the year - so watch this space for further developments!

4) What are your hopes for Medsin in the future?

Medsin’s potential is incredible. After this year we hope Medsin will have a strong, professional, financially-secure foundation from which to develop exponentially- allowing students to be a true force to be reckoned with in global health!

5) How will I recognise you at the conference?

We’ll be the ones running around looking like we haven’t slept. And we’ll be up on stage to say hello first thing on Sunday, so keep an eye out for us then. Otherwise we’re always keen to hear from you at nationalcoordinator@medsin.org.

An Introduction What is Medsin to Me? Catherine Dunlop, Medsin Bristol It is fair to assume that if you are reading this magazine then you are interested in working towards ‘global health and equality’. Medsin has been committed to advocating, campaigning and educating on issues in this area for nearly two decades. It is exciting to think that the options we have of incorporating these ideals into our careers and lifestyles are many and varied; perhaps relief work or development abroad, working with those less-advantaged in this country, campaigning for change or simply being aware of our lifestyle choices and influence – our purchasing power, carbon footprint and how we can live to create a positive impact on our global brothers and sisters.

The difficulty is, the options for us really are many and varied and so is the need to be met. We encounter a dilemma: in the ever-improving technologies used in the NHS, increasing cost alongside the aging population; in wanting to buy local and fairtrade but on a student budget; and in knowing the importance of advocating for improved global health education in our medical schools yet needing to put the hours in to pass our exams.

It sometimes seems that there is no solution - that problems will remain as they are forever or, God-forbid, deteriorate.

That our naivety will one-day melt away and we will join the crowd that believe that inequalities are set in stone, that we are too small to have an impact, and that we are wasting our time and our efforts. Despite being committed myself to the ideals that Medsin professes, there are days when I genuinely do believe these doubts, and I think that I’m probably not alone. In the realm of ‘real life’ it is a challenge to stand firm when we are standing on our soap box, and to keep walking when the distance we are covering seems small.

But that is why an organisation like Medsin exists, a body of people who can encourage us to keep walking and where the power that we have as individuals is directed and multiplied. That is also why it is essential to seek to be inspired by people who have made an impact in this world before us, and allow their commitment and drive to motivate us to do the same.

The doubting days will always be there for me but in continuing to try to learn more and act where I can, I hope that I will prove them wrong. It is a long process and a hard task but something that we are adding to, not completing on our own.

Medsin: Local, National, Global Felicity & Dan Medsin is a student global health network, which aims to raise awareness of and take action on humanitarian and health issues at a local, national and global level. Our network is formed of local groups (Branches), coordinated and represented by a National Committee, who are in turn supported by professional Trustees.

At a local level, most of us work either within groups covering a range of global health issues (Medsin Branches), or groups focusing on a specific topic (Medsin Activities). These local groups are supported by regional representatives.

At a national level, the National Committee overseas the day-to-day running of the network and represents the network to national external organisations, such as the British Medical Association or the Royal Society of Medicine. We are always looking for more support for our National Working Groups (NWGs)! These are low-commitment, informal, online gatherings of students from across the country working on specific projects.

At an international level, we are the UK member of the IFMSA (International Federation of Medical Student Associations), attending their biannual meetings. We also engage in high level global advocacy, sending delegations to events such as the UN COP17 climate talks in Durban in December 2011.

If you are a student who is passionate about global health equity, there are numerous ways of getting involved with Medsin, ranging from plugging into your local branch or attending a conference to joining a national working group or activity. Read more about the options thoughout the magazine, check out our website, and get involved!

Looking to the Future Report of 2011/2012 Felicity & Dan 2011/2012 has so far been a fantastic year for Medsin, and this is just to bring you up to speed on some of the great work that has been going on across the network in education, advocacy and action. You can read more about this year’s work within each section.

EDUCATION: Key successes in education include the publication of an article about the ideal Global Health Education Curriculum in The Lancet, which was put together by Medsin and a number of Global Health Education Experts over the last few years. Our Global Health Education director, Mike Eliasz, was cited in a recent New York Times article, discussing our work in developing global health education across the UK. We have also been highly successful in promoting ethical electives and pre-elective training through lobbying the GMC. ADVOCACY: Our Policy and Advocacy Director, Anya, has been working hard on collating and designing a new set of advocacy resources, including an advocacy calendar and expanding our policy statements.

As you’ve no doubt heard, Medsin has been a key voice advocating against the Health and Social Care Bill, with many members lobbying MPs, and several press releases, including a letter to the Lancet. Some of our advocating activities have also been highly successful, notably Healthy Planet sending an effective delegation to the United Nations COP17 Climate Negotiations in Durban.

ACTION: Sarah-Jane, our activities director, has worked extensively with our activities to realign them with Medsin’s vision and mission, and generated a new network. They are all doing inspirational work, and have held numerous successful training events and AGMs. For example, Sexpression has just hosted an international conference, NECSE, bringing together 11 European countries to discuss peer education about sexual and reproductive health.

In addition to the successes within these three key areas of our work, we have made a lot of progress in rebranding and developing our network this year, laying the foundations for further development going forward. We have worked to re-brand Medsin in a contemporary and professional manner, through the creation of a new website, which we would encourage you to visit and subscribe to, and it will soon host new and updated resources. This relaunch of the magazine is also part of our rebranding process and all credit goes to Vita, the sub-editors and authors who have worked so hard on it!

As national coordinators, we have also been working to improve Medsin’s governance structures this year. At the Autumn General Assembly in September, a completely new constitution was voted in, closely based on advice from the charity commission, which clearly outlined the role of the Board of the Trustees. This allowed the Board to become fully operational for the first time this year, and with their support we have been able to implement strong financial and administrative management. We have also developed a number of plans to ensure effective future governance, such as training local treasurers in basic accountancy and national auditing of branch accounts.

Last, but certainly not least, this year our network has held a number of key gatherings of the network, including a National Campaigns day, a Training New Trainers weekend, and an advocacy training day, as well as some excellent regional meetings.

You can read about these exciting events throughout the following pages.

We are so proud to be part of this incredible network. Much has been achieved this year, but there is also much more to do.

Our plans for the rest of the year include developing a starter pack of resources for branches and activities, trying to generate significant funding for our network next year, in order to allow us to support a sabbatical National President, and providing a set of training courses to invest in the success of next year’s network, and provide training in each branch. Alongside this, we are working on our three-year strategic plan, which sets out an ambitious yet realistic course for Medsin’s development.

We love to talk about Medsin, and love chatting to Medsin members, so come and find us during the conference to ask any questions you have about our national work or how to get more involved! Or email us: nationalcoordinator@medsin.org.

Developing the Network

Medsin Training: the Backbone of Our Developing Network Sara Naraghi, Current Training Director There are many ways in which Medsin Training can benefit you. This could be on a personal level, as an individual gaining skills in specific areas, or a regional level with a group of people impacting their local communities for good. Maybe you run a Medsin Activity at your university and are stuck with budgeting problems? Perhaps you want to start a campaign, but have no idea how? Medsin Training aims to equip and sustain YOU and therefore the network, with the knowledge, understanding and skills to help you better educate, advocate and act on the issues you care about.

The first way you can get involved with Medsin Training is through coming along to Medsin run Training sessions. These are run periodically through the year, as well as at our conferences and take place across the country. Areas such as Communication, Leadership, Strategic Planning, Finance, Advocacy, and many more are covered. Medsin also advertises many non-Medsin run training events, so it’s worth keeping your eye on the website calendar.

Maybe you’ve done a few training sessions and want to take your skills to the next level? The Training New Trainers (TNT) course is for you. This internationally-accredited course aims to improve your presentation, facilitation, organisation, leadership and communication skills, with a focus on presenting to large audiences. Again these are run throughout the year, teaching students how to become Trainers themselves. Attending a course like this is vital for any Branch or Activity President, as well as anyone wanting to develop their skills in these areas further.

Once you’ve attended a TNT course, it’s important for you to put what you’ve learnt into action and run Training throughout the network! Signing up to the Trainers Database allows you to do this and practice and update your skills!

training@medsin.org .

Voices From Our Regions Co-ordinating Scotland Katie Jobling “Medsin Scotand is a dynamic and innovative region spanning from Aberdeen to Belfast (Medsin’s geography isn’t great) and this year we have been very successful in improving communication within the region and increasing our activity of Global Health Events, North of the border. In February, Medsin-Dundee hosted a Regional Conference on Big Pharma: the good, the bad and the grey. They invited some excellent speakers and people came away from the event feeling well educated (and often quite opinionated) on the topic.

Communication within the region has increased via regular branch president skype chats and through this requests have been made for increased training opportunities and teaching on advocacy, within the region. As a result, on the 2122nd April we are holding a Medsin Scotland Activity Weekend in Glasgow. This will consist of a Training New Trainers (TNT) day and an Advocacy Training afternoon with the aim of equipping people with the knowledge, understanding and skills to become better advocates, Medsin members and Medsin leaders. Overall we hope to give people an opportunity to learn some new skills, find out more about Medsin and see what we are involved with in the Scotland region.

Please feel free to contact me: kejobling@gmail.com.

Co-ordinating the South-East Cam Stocks "In my short time as Medsin's Southeast Regional Coordinator, I have been astonished by the range and depth of activities lead by Medsinners in the region. Whether it's street campaigning for wider access to medicines, a letter against the NHS reforms signed by over 2500 of tomorrow's doctors, or organising superb conferences; the passion of our many dedicated members is shining a light in the world.

Since our first regional meeting in January, the Southeast team of Vita Sinclair, Jesse Banks, (Events Coordinators) Joy Clarke (Policy and Advocacy Coordinator) and myself, have begun to support experience-sharing and greater coordination between the different branches and activities in the region. After a positive response from branches, Vita organised an excellent advocacy training day with Anya (the national Policy and Advocacy Director), including talks and Q&A sessions from Merlin and Keep Our NHS Public. We also created a regional directory of Medsinners, and are developing our strategic plan.

Through more regular communication between branches, better links to the National Committee and by creating strong networks to plan and lead advocacy and education; Medsin Southeast will continue to build on its strengths locally, enabling our member to better effect positive change on an national scale through the wider Medsin Network.”

Medsin and the IFMSA

What is the IFMSA? The International Federation of Medical Student Associations (IFMSA) is an international body which represents 101 countries and 1.3 million medical students worldwide. Medsin-UK is the National Member Organisation of the UK, and thus we represent all medical students in the UK at the IFMSA's General Assemblies, with the support of a representative from the BMA . This March meeting took place in Ghana, and Medsin-UK sent a delegation of 12 students.

Medsin had a great assembly, with all members of our delegation contributing significantly.

By-laws are the statements which govern the way in which the organisation should be run. There were three sets of changes which Medsin were heavily involved in, all of which we managed to pass. The first set re-structured fees countries pay to remain associated to the IFMSA to a fairer and more accurate system. The second required a more evidence-based Curriculum Vitae when standing for a senior position within the IFMSA, as applicants in previous years have exaggerated or even been deceptive about their achievements. The final proposed change was designed to limit the power of the Supervising Council, an unregulated investigative body of IFMSA alumni.

Policy statements set out an organisation’s beliefs and call for specific actions on areas of concern. Six were passed at this meeting, four of which are closely related to Medsin's vision and mission; a statement calling for healthcare facilities to reduce their carbon footprint, another supporting the right of refugees and asylum seekers to healthcare, a third setting out the IFMSA's position on the upcoming sustainable development conference (Rio+20), and our own statement on Economic Governance for Health. Holly from Sexpression and Marion from the BMA also played a key role in redrafting 3 other statements.

Training at the IFMSA Our delegation ran a significant number of training sessions., particularly Mike Eliasz in his role of Think Global Coordinator.

Another success was the workshop by Jonny Meldrum, about advocacy in the European Union.

There were a number of successful advocacy stunts throughout the event but one of the most noticeable took place in the closing ceremony; a statement on the violation of human rights in Syria, which Sarah-Jane, our activities co-ordinator helped to plan.

There were also opportunities for projects from different countries to showcase their work and one of our activities, Sexpression, won one for giving a great presentation!

Additionally, Medsin maintained our reputation for making statements in the plenary sessions about unacceptable or unfair behaviour by making a statement on behalf of 25 NMOs, regarding damage done to a social venue.

All-in-all, it was a highly successful meeting for Medsin, and those of us who were there for a first time were inspired to see how much difference our small group made.

Medsin Alumni Medsin is full of passionate, enthusiastic and motivated individuals. Many of our members wish to continue being actively involved but may be limited by time or work pressures once they graduate.

Graduating members offer a variety of resources with the potential to strengthen the organisation and to facilitate its expansion and development with knowledge, experience, and training skills.

There is fantastic scope for Medsin’s Alumni Network both in offering people opportunities for continual involvement in Medsin and in providing support to others more directly involved in the network.

Currently, we are developing a strategic plan for working towards our overall vision and aims by strengthening Medsin through the Alumni network.

For more information and to get involved please get in touch by contacting Yize (alumni@medsin.org).

Our Partners

From Our Friends at the BMA MSC… Co-chairs of the BMA’s Medical Students Committee

Medsin-UK represents everything that we as Cochairs of British Medical Association’s, BMA, Medical Students Committee, MSC, stand for – that the voice of medical students is heard, and positive change is possible when we work together for a common vision.

Marion Matheson Marion.matheson.bma @gmail.com @marionmatheson

The MSC is the national forum for debate for medical student members of the BMA, and we represent the views of BMA medical student members as well as the wider interests of all medical students.

Elly Pilavachi (Outgoing Medsin National Co-ordinator) Elly.pilavachi@googlemail.com @ellypilavachi

One of the most exciting benefits of the BMA’s MSC is that if, as medical students, we have a passion for something and wish to have our voice heard, our Conference gives us the platform to do so. Motions passed at our recent conference, yesterday in fact, will be sent to the BMA’s Annual Representatives’ Meeting to be voted on, and have the opportunity to become BMA wide policy.

OUR MSC PRIORITIES FOR 2011/12 •

• • • •

• •

Campaigning with the wider BMA to fight against the destruction of our NHS, and calling for the rejection of the government’s Health and Social Care Bill.

Ensuring our voices are heard on the battle against an unfair NHS Pension Scheme.

Working to guarantee a Foundation job for every UK graduate.

Making certain that the new Foundation Programme application system is fair and valid.

Fighting for financial support for all students facing higher tuition fees, including acceptable arrangements from the NHS bursary and Student Loans Company.

Continuing work to widen participation into medicine for prospective students, regardless of background.

Ensuring your welfare as medical students is supported throughout medical school.

3. Education For “a fair and just world in which equity in health is a reality for all’

1) What made you first get involved in Medsin?

I came to medical school having been involved in activism and politics since I was about 14 by which time I was pretty burnt out and disillusioned. That was until I ended up at the Medsin conference at UCL. It introduced me to a new way to view health and the people I met re-inspired me. I have been passionate about global health ever since. Since then I have worked with Medsin for nearly 4 years on local, national and international levels. .

Mike Kalmus-Eliasz Global Health Education Director

2) What does Medsin mean to you?

Inspiration. Through being involved in Medsin I have met so many incredible likeminded students and some of my closest friends are people I met through Medsin.

I’m inspired by the opportunity to get people who would not normally engage with campaigning to do so and the fact that we actually do bring about change both in terms of medical education, but also on policy. .

3) What have you achieved this year?

I’ve been collating Medsin's global health resources which are slowly being uploaded to the new website. I have also been working closely with Ben Warner and the Medical Schools Councils electives group to develop new guidelines on how electives can be used to teach global health. .

4) What .are your hopes for Medsin in the future?

For global health education I hope to see us driving the transformative medical education agenda and putting advocacy into the medical curriculum. As a network I hope we continue to grow, opening up the world of opportunities that Medsin brings to encourage people to learn about and engage with global health issues on the local, national and international levels. .

5) How will I recognise you at the conference?

I'll be the slightly scruffy looking guy wondering about in a red Medsin t-shirt that says Mike. Alternatively come grab me at Global Health Education workshop or after my talk on Sunday morning or email me: ghe@medsin.org.

Welcome to the Education section of the magazine! Tim Crocker-Buqué, Medsin Trustee and FY2 Doctor .

Medsin has led the way in undergraduate global health education (GHE) for many years. Last year, Medsin's Global Health Education Project published the minimum core outcomes in global health expected of medical students in the Lancet, which were mapped to Tomorrow's Doctors. During this process, we realised that Medsin as an organisation provides a large amount of Global Health education and training yet records of their precise contents or who delivers it do not exist.

Currently, we are working towards recording all these in a new database, which will enable us to better tailor the learning experiences we provide and ensure that work is not duplicated.

Our long term aim is to provide a Medsin Global Health course as an introduction to the field, which can be undertaken by any Medsin member. We hope that at some point in the future, this can be accredited by one of our partner academic institutions. We are also calling for students to lead the way in transforming curricula at their medical schools to include more global health education in all years. Mike is also collating GHE resources, compiling information about GH careers, a speakers database and changing curricula! If these ideas excite you, contact education@medsin.org and get involved!

Why Education?

Global Health Education is Coming Prof John S Yudkin MD FRCP, Medsin Trustee and Emeritus Professor of Medicine, University College London Global Health Education is coming - if it hasn't already done so. In 1999, when some UCL students went to ask their Dean to include more global health content in the curriculum, they were surprised to hear any enthusiasm. But since UCL initiated the first of the UK's Intercalated BScs in 2001, its International Health iBSc has been amongst its most popular BScs, particularly with students from elsewhere (sadly no longer possible). This may have triggered some schools to start similar degrees. It is evident that some pushing is still needed, but the door is ajar.

Why this interest by students and faculty? Partly because it's increasingly realised that medicine is global - people move (migration, travel); diseases move (who's seen 'Contagion'?, but don't forget epidemic obesity and diabetes); and healthcare moves (telemedicine, medical tourism). But this is also because we're recognising the connectedness of the things which cause disease (for example the agribusiness and tobacco industries, or Apple's suppliers' employment policies in China), and the bodies which try to improve health (WHO, the Global Fund, or the pharmaceutical companies).

And medical schools are also starting to see the relevance of global health for their research agenda, with increasing funding for research into HIV/AIDS, vaccines and TB. Medical schools listen to students. And they listen particularly to students who are well-informed and enthusiastic.

Medsin is an amazing organisation that brings together well-informed and enthusiastic students from different medical schools to learn from each other. But nobody is born with a massive understanding of global health, and Medsin's role is to educate as well as advocate. So if you want to learn about global health, or if you already know something about it and want to change the world (or even your medical school), then Medsin is for you.

Education Overseas; Medsin’s Bilateral Exchanges Francesca Burns and Leon Cohen, National Exchange Officers

Standing Committee on Research Exchanges (SCORE) Charlotte Hellmich, Medsin Bristol SCORE is a bilateral exchange programme that gives medical students the opportunity to conduct research projects abroad and experience medicine and research in different countries. These can be lab based or clinical research projects lasting 4 weeks or more. Currently more than 60 countries are taking part in SCORE exchanges but unfortunately SCORE has not yet been set up in the UK. It would be great if we could change this!

So if you think this is something you would like to get involved in and want to find out more please email me: nore.uk@gmail.com.

SCOPE (Standing Committee On Professional Exchange) was the first IFMSA standing committee, since the foundation of the organization in 1951. It is a bilateral exchange programme where students undergo four weeks of clinical placement in a different country. Placements can be offered in any clinical field of medicine, and students have the opportunity to participate in social and cultural programmes organised by the host committee.

SCOPE offers an immense educational and cultural experience; students have described it as a unique and inspiring opportunity which encourages you to think outside the box. A student returning from Spain says: 'I think seeing a different health care system and how it is run allowed me to form my own opinions on the advantages and disadvantages of the two systems which has generated a new interest in the politics of healthcare'.

We currently have five branches of SCOPE in the UK – St Georges, Barts, Peninsula, Nottingham and Southampton and are looking to expand the programme nationwide. In order to set up exchanges at your school you need a dedicated team of Local Exchange Officers (LEOs) to look after the incoming students and organise the outgoing students. As a LEO you have the opportunity to attend Sub-Regional Trainings in exciting European destinations which in 2011 included Budapest and Istanbul. You will have the opportunity to meet other LEOs from different countries and participate in workshops and trainings in areas such as leadership and time management. exchanges@medsin.org

Changing Your Curriculum Advocacy in Education: The Global Health Education (GHE) Toolkit Anna Blennerhasset, Medsin QUB, Past Global Health Education Director A few years ago many medical schools would label Global Health as an “airy fairy” topic, appearing in only in optional modules or in a line or two or an epidemiology lecture. However Global Health (GH) has come on in leaps and bounds since then. More and more medical schools are offering BScs and Masters in GH, whilst textbooks are dedicating chapters to the global health aspects of their subject. Much of this progress was driven by a body of motivated and enthusiastic students.

Realising the necessity for a medical education that encompassed more than biomedical science, students worldwide pushed for GH inclusion in their curricula. Medsin UK have been at the forefront of this campaign. From a submission to the GMC’s Tomorrow’s Doctors Guidelines in 2009 to the development of a GHE Toolkit last year, Medsin continues to promote a higher level of understanding of Global health education among universities across the UK. I could try and explain what GH is, but the truth is it is an extensive and varied field, one that means something unique to each individual. Instead I will encourage you to look up our GHE Toolkit – a step-by-step guide on getting GH into your curriculum. There are some spoilers below but contact ghe@medsin.org or our website for more info!

Strength in numbers at Glasgow university Beth Thomas Medsin Glasgow initiated a campaign to allow students to intercalate at other universities, as Glasgow does not offer an intercalated course in international health. We hadn't been allowed for a number of years due to a policy created by our previous dean. Despite numerous previous attempts to by-pass this policy on a case-by-case basis, our campaign was the first to show that this was an issue that mattered to the student body as a whole.

We initially met with the dean who said that he would try to help us but that he wasn't sure if it could happen in time for the next year of intercalated students. We then made a petition (via change.org) and within 4 weeks had over 120 signatures (over 1/10 of the student population). Just before our petition was due to end, the dean sent an email to students saying that we would be able to intercalate elsewhere, so long as the course we were wanting to do was not offered at Glasgow.

They then also introduced a global health intercalated degree for next year's students.

For me, our campaign showed how much more attention people in authority have to pay to a large group rather than a few individuals, but also that the people in charge do appreciate how important global health education is and are open to ideas from students about how they can improve it in their curriculum.

A Step-by-Step Plan To Changing Your Curriculum Find a key academic & other keen students. Try public health professionals, those who have worked overseas or for NGOs. Prove evidence of demand. Do a questionnaire or survey of your medical school to show students want it.

Make a strategic plan. It sounds simple but a full strategic plan will allow you to work much more effectively – e.g. SWOT analysis and set SMART goals – email training@medsin.org!

Get a meeting with the Dean. Write a strong proposal.

Be prepared, professional, positive & prepared to listen.

Utilise the GMC’s inclusion in Tomorrow’s Doctors!

Find & use your local BMA rep! The BMA have committed to increasing GH teaching through Medicine in the 21st Century.

Electives – an example of Global Health Education?

The Ethical Pitfalls of Electives Ben Warner, Medsin Dundee, Ex-Medsin Secretary It is compulsory for all UK medical students to undertake an elective as part of their curriculum. While it is not usually mandatory for them to undertake it abroad, an overseas elective holds many benefits, in particular, an ideal opportunity for first hand learning in global health.

While benefits are often extolled, the ethical pitfalls of such placements are too often overlooked, particularly where students from the richer North undertake electives in understaffed hospitals in the global South.

The expectation is that students are to learn from it, and, therefore, require supervision, not only for the sake of safety (to ensure students do not practice beyond their competence) but also to meet the aims of the elective.

But this supervision takes time away from overstretched staff in countries suffering a shortage of health workers.

Medsin’s national exchange officer, Leon Cohen on exchange with students from all over the world in Sicily

Exchanges also highlight some of the inherent injustices in the system. In recent months, Medsin has struggled to obtain visas for medical students from outside the EU, who require a ‘Tier 4’ visa, which are disproportionately difficult – and expensive – to obtain for a short-term clinical attachment.

This contrasts with the expectation that UK medical students will be able to undertake their medical electives almost anywhere in the world, so long as their medical school deems it safe.

While arguably necessary in order to achieve a valuable global health learning opportunity, electives involving overseas travel also incur carbon costs. It is our hope, that with adequate teaching, this is offset by the opportunity for students to reflect on the visible impacts of climate change in the developing world in a way which is not possible in the country where they study medicine and change their carbon practices as a result.

In 1993, an editorial in the Lancet called for ‘a greater degree of formal exchange of students between universities’ as a potential solution to the ‘largely one-way flow of students… now seriously straining the system’ of international electives. Though it highlighted the unique benefits of a clinical elective abroad, it warned that medical schools around the world accepting students for two to three months, often for free, was unsustainable. Yet today, nearly 20 years later, despite an ever-growing interest amongst medical students in global health and an unchanged appetite for travel, that system remains surprisingly similar.

This year, Medsin has focused on improving this state of affairs via its Global Health Education work and by promoting a more sustainable alternative: bilateral exchanges through the IFMSA’s Exchanges programme, which Medsin facilitates in the UK. Working with the GMC, the BMA, and the Medical Schools’ Council, Medsin has also been helping to redefine and clarify the purpose of electives within the medical curriculum, drafting learning outcomes and putting forward policy statements to these bodies. Through this work, we hope to seize the opportunity that electives provide to formalise global health education within the already overcrowded core curriculum, while also applying greater rigour to this long-accepted period of training to ensure that ethical issues, both in terms of the impact of UK medical students travelling overseas and the inequitable difficulties faced by students attempting to come to the UK, are fully addressed.

Global Health Education for a Global Health Career Alma Mata What is a global health career?

Dr Vanessa Jessop Global Health is ‘an area for study, research, and practice that places a priority on improving health and achieving equity in health for all people worldwide’. Global Health recognises that solutions require global interdisciplinary cooperation, transcends traditional boundaries, and is aimed at both individual patient and population-level care and prevention. The breadth of career opportunities open to those with an interest in Global Health is increasing to include policy writing, educational reform ,research and broader contributions through journalism, for example. Documenting Global Health injustice and involvement in Global Health advocacy ,both at home and overseas, are just as important a part of global health as clinical work with the voluntary and NGO sector and the links it is possible to develop with overseas institutions as a result.

All specialties have a role to play in Global Health. For clinicians, interests may be as diverse as preventing road traffic accidents and reducing the burden of non-Communicable Disease, through promotion of vaccine preventable illness to challenging climate change. Alma Mata has provided careers days to expose students and juniors to the array of Global Health career opportunities, however an introduction to Global Health at an early stage of student teaching and junior doctor training is vital to nurture these developing pursuits, providing a structure for students and junior physicians to frame their role in Global Health. Key to this is an awareness of how to navigate the current postgraduate structure, based on early identification of career opportunities and pathways.

Travel after foundation years.. And back into medical training Dr. Sarah Wysling “Following my foundation programme I took time out of formal training, I was lucky enough to work a season at a high altitude clinic, in the trekking region of Nepal. A charity based project, under the International Porters Protection Group, the clinic treated visiting tourists at cost allowing provision of healthcare to local residents and trekking porters.Through the time I spent at the clinic, I saw a variety of presentations and worked along Nepalese staff. The limited resources and lack of investigations helped me to improve my clinical judgement and prioritisation skills. I also gained from working in another country, which enabled me to be considerate of the needs of people from different cultures and my ability to adapt to varying environments and societies.

Following this year I was keen to consolidate my experience formally and completed an MSc in International Health and Tropical Medicine. I not only gained great theoretical knowledge from this course, I also had the opportunity to undertake a project on Malaria in Uganda.

I am currently in the first year of Acute common stem training program for emergency medicine. My application for which was greatly enhanced by my time spent abroad. Those interviewing also showed great interest in my experience and ambition to seek new challenges. I hope in the future to continue to incorporate this interest into my career.”

A GP with a very special interest Dr. Emily Spry “Global Health was a major focus for me during most of medical school, including time as President of first Medsin (2001) and then IFMSA (2003). I remained on the Supervising Council of IFMSA for a while after graduating. In 2007, I started GP training and soon after applied to take a year as an Out of Programme Experience between the second and third year of GP training, once all the hospital jobs were under my belt.

I looked at lots of options but ended up volunteering with the Welbodi Partnership, a small UK charity trying to improve child healthcare in Sierra Leone, in partnership with the Ministry of Health and national childlren's hospital in Freetown. My partner and I drove from London to Freetown and both volunteered for a year, so the whole thing was a great adventure for us. I did a largely non-clinical role, which involved running the charity's programmes and lots of training and capacity building. It was exhausting but fascinating!

On coming back to London, I became a trustee of the charity, which I really enjoy. I have finished my GP training and am doing a Masters in Public Health at LSHTM this year, with plenty of trips back to Sierra Leone. I hope to continue to combine UK GP work and my involvement with the Welbodi Partnership into the future. You can read Emily’s Freetown Blog at: blogs.bmj.com/bmj/category/emily-spry.

Global Health Education for Global Health Careers

Global Health Academia and beyond…

Dr Oliver Johnson “Like a lot of people in Medsin and Alma Mata, I studied medicine because I wanted to work in international development. Unfortunately I realised that clinical medicine wasn’t for me sometime during my first lecture at medical school, so the question quickly became about when I was going to quit, rather than if. I spent the next couple of years hanging around the LSE and campaigning with groups like Medsin and was then lucky enough to get a place on the International Health iBSc at UCL. A fantastic experience – not just because it gave me background in areas like political science and economics, but also because (alongside Medsin) it linked me to a strong Global Health network.

After a fair amount of indecision, I decided to finish my medical degree – and I’m incredibly glad that I did, as even that small amount of clinical experience has given me a much better insight into how health systems work and being able to call myself a doctor also opens a lot of doors. In my last few years at university I helped set up a Global Health iBSc at King’s and the timing worked out so that a Teaching Fellow post opened up just after my finals. As I was sure I didn’t want to be a clinician by this stage, I didn’t think there would be much added value in doing foundation training, and worried that quitting after FY2 would leave me in a medical no-man’s-land.

I’ve now moved to a new part-time role at King’s, helping to develop the University’s Global Health strategy and to set up a new capacity building partnership in Sierra Leone. Alongside this, I’m working for the new All-Party Parliamentary Group in Global Health: a unique opportunity to network and get involved in policymaking. I have no idea what I’ll do next, but as these jobs are giving me great experience in policy and programmes and access to strong mentors, I think they’ll be useful training for whatever I go on to.”

Proof Clinical medicine and global health is possible!

Dr Sarah Lou Bailey “After seeking early experience as a medical student with my local infectious disease unit in Leicester and during electives in Cameroon and Cuba, I solidified my decision to pursue a career in Infectious Diseases and Global Health. I opted to intercalate in International Health at UCL to gain a foundation of Global Health knowledge. I graduated from Leicester Medical School in 2004 and undertook junior doctor posts in and around the East Midlands and Manchester. In 2007 I started an Academic Clinical Fellowship in Infection in Brighton. During this time and having secured a small research grant from the British Infection Society, I undertook a research project in Lima, Peru, to investigate missed opportunities for tuberculosis diagnosis.

I followed this with research experience in Lusaka, Zambia, focusing on tuberculosis-HIV co-infection, during which time I developed an interest in the overlaps between tuberculosis and diabetes, and more broadly between Infectious Diseases and non-communicable diseases. After returning to Brighton, I was appointed as a Clinical Lecturer in Infectious Diseases and Global Health at Brighton and Sussex Medical School. During this post I developed and ran for its initial year an MSc in Global Health, whilst continuing to develop my research interests and clinical experience. I followed this by undertaking my own MSc in Epidemiology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. I am due to complete this in 2012 and pending funding plan to return to Zambia to continue my research training, before ultimately returning to complete my Infectious Diseases training.”

For more Information…

These examples show the diversity of career pathways in global health, and each highlights the relevance of Global Health Education in helping shape career progression. To find out more about Alma Mata or careers in global health, log on to www.almamata.net and join their mailing list. Graduating soon? Get involved with this network!

3. Advocacy For a fair and just world in which equity in health is a reality for all’ 1) What made you first get involved in Medsin?

I heard about, and joined Medsin, soon after getting to Uni at Newcastle. I was initially interested in the Stop AIDS Campaign but accidentally ended up at ‘Medsin explained'. The Medsin Nottingham conference took place that term, but at that point, I didn’t have any friends in the society, and was too scared to attend. Luckily, the next conference was in Newcastle so I had no choice!

Anya Gopfert Policy and Advocacy Director

2)What does Medsin mean to you?

Less free time, and quite a bit more stress, but an opportunity to meet and work with other people who share my crazy thoughts on the world.

3)What have you achieved this year?

We have been developing policy statements based on the Global Health Curriculum suggested in the Lancet 2011. Policy statements should precede Medsin's action, education and advocacy. They will enable action without the time consuming consultation of the whole Medsin network. This should make Medsin more responsive, and efficient as a campaigning organisation.

4) What are your hopes for Medsin in the future?

I hope that we can have advocacy or action on every issue in our policy statements or that matter to our network. Medsin needs to be a channel for students to collectively act on issues that they see as important, either in the UK or from abroad. .

5) How will I recognise you at the conference?

5“4, female, brown hair. Wearing bright green jeans (or funny coloured tights) and a constant smile. Responds to cake, chocolate, and "Anya!!".

Or get in contact at: policies@medsin.org

Welcome to the Advocacy section of the magazine!

So what IS Advocacy? Advocacy is engaging in any political or decision-making process. It’s speaking up for what you believe in, whether that is challenging a friend’s opinion, signing a petition, or discussing voting or policy with a policy-maker over a cup of coffee. Advocacy aims 'To create a network of people in order to influence the thoughts and actions of those around you, or those that can make the change you desire.‘ In Medsin we use a variety of advocacy techniques to stand up for what we believe in: “A fair and just world in which equity in health is a reality for all”.

One of these techniques is the use of policy statements – pieces of writing which set out what we believe in. We are trying to use these as a platform for Medsin members who are interested in a topic to get together, educating themselves and planning action which will ultimately lead to the development of a campaign. In this way, we can clarify our goals in our policy statements educate ourselves in our working groups and then advocate with confidence though our campaigns.

In this issue, you can read about our new Rio + 20 working group. Rio + 20 is a sustainable development conference taking place in Rio this year which , following on from the success of our delegation to the UN climate talks in November, we are hoping to send a delegation to – see page 23. Also in this issue is our maternal and child health working group which next year we want to be a fully-fledged campaign with branches across the UK, more on page 25.

Other issues a little earlier in their development are non-communicable diseases and mental health. Both at the policy statement stage, Medsin is looking for keen individuals to take them to forward to working groups, in recognition of the growing burden of non-communicable diseases in the 21st century in both developed and developing countries.

Why Advocate?

What Advocacy Still Means to Me

Dr Rhona MacDonald, Executive director of Maternal and Child Health Advocacy International and Medsin trustee

Millions of men, women, and children needlessly die every year from preventable and treatable infectious diseases, diseases of poverty, such as malnutrition and medical and surgical emergencies, such as road traffic accidents or complications of pregnancy. Inequity and “health injustice” are as much to blame as the HIV virus and the mosquito for mortality and morbidity globally. People with access to adequate care and health resources do not die from HIV. You should be interested in making a difference, because you can. You live and breathe medicine and health, so you have more knowledge than most about the issues involved. You also have lots of opportunities to see the world. And, I know it may not feel like it sometimes, but as a student on a health related topic, politicians view you as the health care professionals of the future, and will often open their door to you.

And can I be quite controversial here? I think that you should do something to help make a difference not only because you can, but because you should. I coined this statement a while ago: “complacency equals complicity!”

Energy, enthusiasm, and time often come and go. Other pressures can sometimes rearrange your priorities. And sometimes it is hard to stick your head above the parapet and to have everyone stand back as you stand forward.

Please just remember that there is always something that you can do to help to make a difference and tackle social and health injustices that are responsible for killing men, women, and children around the world.

Get involved!

Every article has an e-mail address you can contact to find out more or join any of our campaigns. All of our members are friendly so get in touch!...

Join the fight to save our NHS and plan what to do next . policies@medsin.org Join our new working group on sustainable development in the lead up to the Rio + 20 sustainable development conference. healthyplanet@medsin.org Help start a brand new working group on non-communicable diseases or mental health. policies@medsin.org Start a pharmaware survey of medical students involvement with pharmaceutical companies at your university. pharmaware@gmail.com Join the stopAIDS mailing list and find out more about their regular and enthused demonstrations! students.stopaidscampaign.org Get in touch with UAEM and find out how you can get your university to support ethical patenting and drug development UAEM_UK@googlegroups.com Start up a branch of our new maternal health or hands up for healthcare workers campaigns. policies@medsin.org E-mail education@medsin.org for help finding speakers or advice on films to show to get your branch informed and motivated to get campaigning!

Medsin and the NHS The mental challenge of the NHS campaign Anya Gopfert, Current Policy and Advocacy Director I’m writing this as I’m about to set out on my greatest physical challenge yet; cycling from Leeds to Berlin in 8 days. My mind blows at the thought of aching legs, a sore bum, and a week of camping in freezing conditions. But the physical endurance required for this will hopefully be nothing compared to the mental slog which has been the last 18 months.

After the emotional rollercoaster that has constituted the fight to save the NHS, I feel like nothing can faze me. In fact, emotional rollercoaster does not begin to describe what thousands of campaigners have gone through. Endless time has been spent by so many. I wish someone could prove the love of for our NHS by adding up the hours spent slaving away at a computer, the number of emails sent, how much money the postal service has made from the lobby of the Lords, the phone bills…

At the time of writing this, I do not know what has happened in the second half of March. And I hope, and I would like to believe that someone somewhere has seen sense and the Bill has been dropped. But whatever the outcome it cannot be said that people haven’t tried.

I don’t pretend that our NHS is perfect but this Bill is not what it needs. The NHS that I want to work in is one free of any profit motives where energy can be used to ensure high quality patient care. I have gone through a huge learning curve, constantly and repeatedly astounded at the inability of the government to listen. But it has not, and will not, take away my desire to protect the NHS, and everything that it stands for.

Tomorrow’s doctors and a look to the future Joy Clarke, South-East Policy and Advocacy Coordinator On 15th March, “Tomorrow’s Doctors,” added their voices to the growing furore calling for the Health and Social Care Bill to be dropped. The open letter to David Cameron, which was drafted by Medsin UK and distributed via their networks, collected 2000 signatures in just over 24 hours, and represented students from each of the 31 UK medical schools.

However, despite widespread opposition, on Tuesday 27th March the Bill was made law. So where do we go next? Andy Burnham is ‘promising’ to repeal the Bill if Labour is elected. Scores of doctors are standing against coalition MPs at the next election to change parliamentary legislation from within.

There are also whispers of legal challenges.

But what can we do as “Tomorrow’s Doctors” to prevent the erosion of patient care?

We need to stay vigilant and fight potentially damaging changes to services at a local level. We need to push for more education on health systems and financing so we can have a hand in designing the future landscape of health service delivery. We need to strengthen our own networks both within student bodies and among medical professionals and civil society groups so we can become a more powerful lobby for change.

While storm clouds still loom over patient care, the Bill’s passing is but a transient loss. The coalition has awakened a new generation of doctors to scrutinise legislation, question motives and to work with others to seek out better pathways for progress.

So the Bill has passed – what’s next? If you want to continue to fight contact policies@medsin.org.

Advocating Internationally Medsin at the UN Climate Talks Maya Tickell-Painter, Joint National Coordinator This year, for the first time, Healthy Planet sent a delegation to Durban, South Africa for the United Nations’ climate change talks. We went to raise the issue of the health impacts of climate change.

The HP team worked as a part of 'YOUNGO' , a group of all the youth-NGOs working on climate change. YOUNGO divides its work into issue-based working groups. The Medsin team worked on water, gender, technology transfer, adaptation and capacity building. However, in classic Medsin style, the team took part in other advocacy actions as well…  Making a human red ribbon for World Aids Day.  Dressing up as doctors and taking the temperature of the planet  An amazing love song to the Kyoto protocol- composed and performed by our very own LJ and Vita, with accompanying video made by Jonny.

The major event on our calendar at the moment is the “Rio+20” conference on sustainable development in June this year, which will be held in you guessed it, Rio! Medsin will be working to take a delegation to the conference and make sure that the voice of health professionals is being heard. Sound awesome? We are looking to recruit a team of completely new people, no need for existing knowledge.

Email healthyplanet@medsin.org to find out more.

Pharmaware – International links, local change Emily Ward & Beth Hall, Joint National Coordinators

Currently our NHS spends around 14% of its annual budget on pharmaceuticals, a huge proportion in comparison to the training we are given. PharmAware, was set up by students in recognition of the huge role the pharmaceutical industry plays in our healthcare system. Just some of the areas we look at include: issues such as Ghostwriting, where a 'famous' physician is paid to put their name on a publication that they have not written and may never have seen, campaigns against European laws to introduce direct to consumer advertising and awareness about substandard medicines, both domestically and internationally.

One of our main goals this year is to understand how much interaction medical students have with the industry and the impact this has on them which builds on the established links between industry advertising and promotion and drug prescriptions. In the last year, we collaborated with Professor Sierles who conducted a large study of medical schools in America, looking at drug promotion targeted at medical students, the training they receive and attitudes towards it. We have been allowed to adapt the original questionnaire for use in UK. The more evidence gained, on the levels and impact of interactions between drug companies and medical students the more weight behind our efforts to increase the amount of training the GMC recommends on this topic in the medical curriculum.

As a small campaign we are looking for more volunteers in Medsin branches to help us get universities on board. To get involved, e-mail pharmaware@gmail.com or come to our AGM in October!

Know your pharmaceuticals

Hands off our Medicines – Student StopAIDS Cat Currie, Intern, Student StopAIDS

On 6th February, activists gathered in London to campaign against the harmful provisions the European Commission is pushing for in its Free Trade Agreement with India, which would block access to cheap, generic drugs for the developing world. India’s generic medicines industry has become vital to the health of the world’s poor, with millions relying on high quality, affordable Indian-produced medicines to survive.

Demonstrators, dressed as greedy EU bureaucrats, depicted ‘EU greed blocking the poor’s access to vital medicines’. A mocked-up ‘pharmacy for the developing world’ was closed, as people in HIV Positive t-shirts queued in vain for medicines. Others carried gravestones saying “Killed

by EU Greed”. Stop AIDS Campaign Coordinator, Diarmaid McDonald said: “ In listening to Big Pharma , the EC is using its wealth to force India to accept terms that would strangle its vital supply of affordable medicines. This is an attack, driven by greed, on the health of the world’s most vulnerable and it must stop.”

We then moved our attention to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, to demand that the UK take the lead in stopping the harmful FTA provisions. Campaigners handed in a letter to representatives of Vince Cable urging him to speak up for the people of the UK and not for Big Pharma.

To get more involved with stopAIDS, visit their fantastic website students.stopaidscampaign.org and sign up to their mailing list.

Universities Allied For Essential Medicines Joe Rylands UAEM is an International group of students and faculty campaigning to increase drug availability worldwide by: 1. Increasing research and awareness of the neglected tropical diseases and to find ways to change the pharmaceutical industry's focus towards helping people in lower income countries.

2. Changing the university drug patenting system so that when research from the university leads to a drug or product, that drug or product can be produced off patent in low or middle income countries.

3. Educating students and professors alike to advocate for change on the way in which pharmaceuticals are developed and distributed worldwide.

UAEM in Britain has been around for 3 years, now running as an affiliated Medsin project. Edinburgh is the UKs oldest branch and successfully lobbied its university to change its ethical licensing policy. However UAEM Edinburgh said of the policy ‘it is still far from ideal hence we are still campaigning to improve our position’. Oxford, Manchester and Dundee have all since followed suit and UAEM is aiming to get more Universities to change their patent licensing across the UK. There is now a UAEM drop box of resources to help you get involved more easily. We are always looking for keen people to get involved so please contact us at uaem_uk@googlegroups.com

New Campaigns Maternal and Child Health

Anya Gopfert, Current Policy and Advocacy Director The fight for the rights of women is centuries old. Progress has been made but the battle continues, in corners of the world that we’ve never even imagined. People are doing wonderful things, women are rising in status and power in many communities.

But inequality in healthcare persists. Evidence consistently shows that women have less decision making power than men, less economic power, access healthcare less and are more illiterate The burden of gender inequity in healthcare not only affects mothers and women.

Poor health in pregnancy and lack of access to healthcare affects the health of newborn babies throughout their life. The consequences and impacts are numerous and the cycle of low birth weight and malnutrition is vicious and relentless; every day 1400 women are estimated to die in childbirth and 2100 children from preventable causes.

Maternal and child health outcomes are addressed in the Millennium Development Goals. Indeed, goals 3, 4, 5 are devoted solely to women and children. Progress has been made, but it has not been universal and it is unlikely that most countries will meet any of the MDGs in these areas. The time has come to step up the action and take the campaign to a global level. Medsin has the enthusiasm, willpower and ability to influence these issues.

If you are interested in working on this issue email policies@medsin.org

Hands up for Healthcare Workers Vita Sinclair, South East Events Co-ordinator Medsin has a strong history of campaigning on core health issues like the right to medicines or treatment for neglected tropical diseases. And we pride ourselves on believing that as much as is possible within the constraints of a full time medical degree, we understand what we are asking for when we call for health equity- what that world would look like and what it would include.

We know it includes a healthcare service which the people who need it can access to receive the treatment they need no matter where they are in the world. And we know that for access to good quality healthcare to become a reality, we need healthcare workers. In fact, we need an estimated 4.3 million more than we currently have. 57 countries are now defined as being at crisis point due to a lack of healthcare workers.

This year Medsin are working with Merlin, a British charity delivering healthcare around the world, to continue their Hands Up For Healthcare Workers campaign. Our goal is to raise awareness of the importance of healthcare workers in improving health worldwide and find solutions to the severe shortage in so many parts of the world. We want branches, interested individuals and anyone with ideas to get involved and help get the campaign off the ground.

Starting a campaign can be difficult and at Medsin, it is early days for the healthcare worker campaign. But we know that if you start with education - and there is a lot to learn, from intentional legislation to local level examples of success - it becomes clearer where to act and we can do so with confidence.

If you are interested in working on this issue email policies@medsin.org

3. Activities For “a fair and just world in which equity in health is a reality for all’

1) What made you first get involved in Medsin?

I got involved with Medsin in my second year. Global Health was one of the main things that drew me towards studying Medicine in the first place, and it was a great feeling to be one of a host of people who were as passionate about it as I was. The following year I became the Events Co-ordinator at our local branch and was also one of the GHC11 Conference Co-Ordinators.

Activities Director Sarah-Jane Lang

2) What does Medsin mean to you?

The thing that has kept me coming back for more is that very first feeling of being part of a vast group of students all sharing the same vision. So to me Medsin is a group of students, each using their own talents and in many different arenas, but all striving together to achieve a shared vision.

3) What have you achieved this year?

It’s been really rewarding working with both the activities who re-affiliated at the beginning of the year and those still working towards affiliation. All praise goes to the individuals who form each Activity and all the amazing things they are doing right now to work towards our shared vision. .

4) What are your hopes for Medsin in the future?

I hope that connections between different aspects of the network would continue to grow and that each member would be able to gain easier access to the huge. wealth of knowledge and opportunities that Medsin possesses. Then, with this strengthened network Medsin would be able to move even closer to that all important vision.

5) How will I recognise you at the conference?

Unfortunately I am unable to be at the conference because I shall be on my Honeymoon, but many of the individual Activities will be represented.

I always welcome emails, so get in contact at activities@medsin.org

Welcome to the Activities section of the magazine!

The role of Medsin Activites is to mobilise students to take action in a whole range of areas impacting upon Global Health. They include anything from direct interventions in local communities to campaigning on an international level.

Our activities are open to all Medsinners, so get in touch and get involved!

Activities are brought together and affiliated with Medsin by our joint vision of “A fair and just world, in which equity in health is a reality for all”. This joint vision enables the activities to work together to achieve results that wouldn’t be possible in isolation. Collaboration occurs on many levels from joint training to problem solving to sharing experiences, contacts and expertise. Examples include Sexpression training SKIP members on how to deliver peer education on sexual health and relationships, or SKIP sharing first hand information they have collected overseas to inform other activities campaigning in those areas.

These examples illustrate why both local and international action are important and synergistic. Using our skills here in the UK brings great rewards, and allows us to better understand the needs of the populations we work with. We are then able to take this information and passion and feed it into international actions that can expand out onto the world stage and enable us to move ever closer to that “fair and just world”.

Why Act? The Generation of Change Danny R. Hutley, International Policy and Strategy Officer, UK Youth Climate Coalition Why do people refer to us as "the next generation"? The world around us is changing fast. Whether it's in Burma or Egypt, Malaysia, Hackney or Wall Street- it's young people who are out there, engaging with local communities, spelling out our vision of a fairer global society.

In 2009 a small group of Medsinners in Southampton decided we wanted to change the world. We stopped waiting until we were more knowledgeable and more experienced, and simply got together at the pub with a pile of post-it notes. Amongst these small square pieces of neon sticky paper were scribbles correctly predicting several activity successes for that yearchanges in global health curricula, the student’s union adopting a stance on access to medications and more. It didn't matter that there were only a small number of us, it didn't matter that it was the same people involved in each activity. We were powerful, we made change happen, and we had a lot of fun doing it. This is why Medsinners are internationally respected: our passion for change is made powerful through our experience in building movements in activities at a local level.

2009 taught me how to effect change locally through activities, and gave me the skills I use every day in my current international campaigning work. But that year taught me something much more important: that building a community of friends who want to change the world is the single most effective and longlasting thing you can do at University.

It's our generation that will be called upon for leadership in creating a new economy, a sustainable approach to our planet's resources, and a fairer global society. Find the people that will make that happen, and start building a community for change. Then, every time someone refers to you as the "next generation", you can tell them that actually they are part of the last generation.

We are the current generation, and we have the power to change things now.

We are the generation of change. Contact: drhutley@gmail.com.

Activities Successes Healthy Planet Healthy Planet has had a successful past 18 months, expanding nationally and internationally. It has evolved from a small centrally run campaign to one with eight national branches, a national committee and an increasing international presence.

Healthy Planet now has an international committee to support its seven international branches in Denmark, Austria, Malta, Switzerland, New Zealand and Australia.

Combined with Healthy Planet’s recent presence at the UN climate talks in Durban, we are now poised to make a bigger contribution than ever to the international climate movement both nationally and internationally.

Email healthyplanet@medsin.org if you are interested in setting up a branch at your university.

Students for Kids International Project (SKIP) In February, SKIP Newcastle played host to the first Annual BLUE BOY AWARDS, at an exclusive West Jesmond pub. This year stars that graced the carpet included George Clooney and Angelina Jolie (SKIP Edinburgh), Fred and Wilma Flintstone (SKIP Cardiff) and the cast of Fame! (SKIP Southampton). The Executive Board provided security and press coverage.

Prizes were awarded to Lucy Frost (Trainer of the Year, Supporting Alumni), Sam Mulroy (Volunteer of the year, SKIP Newcastle), SKIP Southampton’s Counterpart intervention (Intervention of the year). The highly coveted Branch of the year award went to….. SKIP Glasgow, for their ability to tirelessly face new challenges and always come out fighting.

Check out the website at www.skipkids.org.uk for photos & further details.

Sexpression: UK .

In the last few months, Sexpression: UK has undergone some exciting changes. We now have a new committee and a brand new logo. We have also have elected our first Advocacy Director with the aim of getting Sex and Relationships Education be made available to all young people at a high standard, regardless of background, education or religion. We support universal access to SRE free from social and political pressures.

The highlight of this year so far has been when our previous Co-ordinator and current youth advisor to the Family Planning Clinic, David Lawrence, appeared on the BBC’s Sunday Morning talk show “Big Questions” when he went up against Nadine Dorries and Alastair Campbell on the subject “does sex education encourage teenage sex?” It was a definite victory for raising awareness of our organisation and our cause.

In the next few months we will be attending our General Assembly, having already set up a buddy scheme and a branch agreement with our local branches to integrate our National Committee into the everyday work of our volunteers.

Check out our website at www.sexpression.org.uk.

StopAIDS On the 6th of Febuary 2012, StopAIDS activists gathered to campaign against the harmful provisions which the European Comission is pushing for in its Free Trade Agreement with India (more on page 24) Following international pressure the announcement regarding the Free Trade Agreement specifications has been postponed until the end of the year. Watch this space for more actions saying “No to the FTA!” Find our more at students.stopaidscampaign.org.

Expanding Activities UAEM

Pharmaware

Universities Allied for Essential Medicines (UAEM) aims to maximise global access to public health goods, and promote research into neglected diseases. In order to achieve these objectives, university students involved with UAEM from around the world are working to change the way universities commercialise drugs and other medical technologies, for instance by participating in the discussions of the WHO's Intergovernmental Working Group on Public Health, Innovation and Intellectual Property.

The number of UAEM branches is growing steadily and this year has involved a restructuring of UAEM toward branch specialisation . So if you’re not sure what a new branch at your university can do, we’ve got plenty of ideas! To find out more about UAEM, visit: www.uaem.org.

PharmAware aims to promote ethical interactions between health professionals and the pharmaceutical industry. We run training workshops for students on key pharma topics, such as drug promotion and marketing, research and critical appraisal and quality and safety of drugs. This year, we are hoping to conduct surveys across UK med schools looking at students’ levels of exposure to drug promotion and the training they receive. We are currently a small national committee consisting of two co-ordinators; Emily Ward and Beth Hall, but would love more people to get involved and take on specific roles. Visit www.pharmaware.co.uk for more info or email us on pharmaware@gmail.com

Crossing Borders Crossing Borders was first established in 2004 by concerned students with the aim of removing barriers to healthcare for refugees, asylum seekers and undocumented migrants in the UK. Today, it is an international network of students who continue to strive to fulfill this goal, which is as relevant now as it was then.

We currently have two well established branches at the University of Sheffield and the University of Birmingham that are doing amazing things! One example is the creation of a leaflet to educate newly arrived migrants on accessing healthcare. Other successes include befriending schemes, clothes drives, collaborating with GP practices and campaigning for signatures towards various petitions.

The needs of this socially marginalized community cannot be underestimated and students can make a huge impact! To get involved or start a branch at your university, contact crossingborders@medsin.org www.facebook.com/crossingbordersuk.

Don’t see your activity here?

Unfortunately over the last year a few activities have failed to re-affiliate and are no longer represented at a national level. If you are a new activity and would be interested in doing so, or if you're still around just fell out of touch, please contact our activities coordinator on activities@medsin.org to get the ball rolling again.

Equally, some activities no longer have a national coordinator, so if you would be interested in taking this on for an activity like Homed or Entitlement, contact us too!

Taking Action: From Local...to International Acting Sustainably Overseas Zinzi Mangera-Lakew, Medsin KCL Medsin's ethos of 'think global, act local' and our passion for Global Health Education means many of us will spend time working abroad. All health systems work with vulnerable people with finite resources, so sustainability should always be considered before any undertaking any intervention. Not to do so could create more harm than good, if full consideration is not given to funding streams or the routes through which personnel are trained and sourced in a long-term capacity.

Furthermore, though work may deliver positive outcomes elsewhere, we cannot automatically assume a “one size fits all” model. Actions abroad need to be responsive, and demonstrate clear cultural understanding to ensure sustainable success.

Creating strong local partnerships are invaluable to this, as is the sharing of skills; so as not to put further burden on weak systems or leave a damaging gap when a project ends. Medsin is exploring models of sustainable overseas action such as collaboration with THET and bilateral exchanges.

My experience in Mtwara, Tanzania with THET Faaria Hussain – 2nd year geography student from KCL Last summer I had the opportunity to go to Mtwara, Tanzania through the ICS scheme (DFID, through THET).

There were great benefits of working through an established link. Our group had been teamed up with the charity PaLM (Partnerships London-Mtwara) who have been working in this town since 2006. This meant that they had built a strong network of people we could work with in country and understood the needs of the locals. When in country we were in regular contact with PaLM and this proved crucial to our success, as they could provide valuable local information and help us come up with new strategies for problems they had faced before.

There are many cases when development projects can cause more harm than good. We worked with PaLM to ensure that we were not taking the jobs that could be done by the locals and that all our skills were transferred. For instance, after creating a website for Mtwara’s COTC (Clincal Officer Training College) we worked with the I.T. staff to ensure they knew how to edit and maintain the website after our departure.

Acting Locally… Mike Tonkins, Crossing Borders, Sheffield A Step-by-Step Plan To Setting up a Branch of an Activity Find a friend. If you’re interested in setting up a branch of Crossing Borders – or any other activity – the very first thing to do is find someone else who is also interested, enthusiastic, and has the time to help you. As GK Chesterton observed, there are no words to express the abyss between isolation and having one ally.

Do your homework. Find out as much as you can about what else is going on in that area. Who are the relevant student organisations, charities, voluntary bodies, and what do they do?

Communicate. Build links with as many of these organisations as possible, drawing upon their knowledge and experience. In Sheffield, we found everyone we approached to be astonishingly enthusiastic and happy to advise us.

Plan. From the very start you will have had an idea of what you’d like to accomplish, but only by exploring the field fully will you understand what is required and how it can be achieved.

Publicise. You’re now in a good position to start getting more people on board.

Decide who your audience is, design a cracking poster or presentation, and go and talk to them.

Launch. Your first event – whether a speaker, charity gig or sponsored event – needs to be meticulously planned, well advertised and flawlessly executed. Make sure it goes with a bang!

Consolidate. Don’t bask in your success for too long! You need to maintain momentum and enthusiasm, and the best way to do this is to plan your next activity.

Feature: Medsin Activities and the IFMSA Medsin Activities & the IFMSA Beth Hall, Joint National Coordinator of Pharmaware One of the most exciting aspects of being involved in Medsin are the opportunities it brings on an international level.

From electives and exchanges, to WHO internships and international conferences, there is great scope for collaborate beyond UK borders. The IFMSA, in particular, is a fantastic platform for Medsin activities to network and expand.

A few months prior to an IFMSA general assembly, there are call-outs to apply for slots in the project presentations sessions or to have stalls at the projects fair. For example, at AM2011 in Copenhagen, PharmAware used a project presentation slot to show a promo video and gave short presentations in SCOME and SCOPH sessions.

There is the chance to set up a Small Working Group (SWG) on the topic of an activity. SWGs are a fantastic way for delegates who are particularly interested in an activity to learn more, come up with new ideas and potentially to set up a similar project in their own in other countries. Often SWGs are used to write new IFMSA policy statements, which can be a very effective way for activities to put relevant global health issues on the IFMSA agenda.

Activities can also apply for “endorsed” status. This tends to involve rather a lot of form-filling in prior to the GA and then a presentation during one of the main meetings, followed by a vote by each NMO. Some of the perks are:  use of the IFMSA international bank account  guaranteed attendance at GA’s (the biannual meetings of the IFMSA)  first preference to relevant conferences and meetings the IFMSA has access to, that are related to your project  collaboration with larger international organisations which partner with the IFMSA (e.g. WHO)  enhanced advocacy (primarily through the opportunity to engage students internationally) For the real keen beans, activities can apply to run one of the Pre-GA workshops. These provide training to a group of delegates over 3 days so require a lot of planning. Unfortunately, there can be politics involved in which are chosen.

I, and I am sure many fellow activities co-ordinators, would highly recommend attending a GA to medsinners who are involved in specific activities. It can be hugely beneficial to the individual, and to develop an activity internationally.

Find out more by emailing ifmsa@medsin.org or activities@medsin.org.

With thanks…

This year we have had some fantastic sub-editors who we owe an arm and a leg to for interviewing, editing, designing and proof-reading for the magazine. We therefore thought the magazine would be incomplete without a tribute to them, and of course, a shout out for more of you to get involved next year…

Yuhan Ong is a second year medical student from Aberdeen and was a subeditor for the education section Ayesha Kumar is a medical student from Manchester and was also a subeditor for the education section

"I’m Simon, I should be a 4th year medical student at Leeds, but took a year out there to intercalate in International Health, which if you're wondering, was an excellent decision! If I weren't a medical student, I would happily be paid to travel around the world eating local specialities."

I'm Fiona, 2nd year medical student at Dundee University who has been passionate about Medsin and its policies from the start of my studies. I look forward to continuing being involved throughout my course and witnessing its expansion and amazing work! Along with Medsin and medicine, I also love my coffee, music and playing the ukulele.

Zinzi Mangera-Lakew is an EMDP1B Student from King's College London, who is currently involved with organising the spring GHC12: Conflicted and is an active member of the KCL Homed branch.

Ways to get more involved…

• • • • •

Become an editor or subeditor for the next edition of this magazine!

Get involved in one of Medsin’s working groups on the NHS, non-communicable diseases, maternal health, healthcare workers, sustainable development , reforming medical curricula, creating GHE resources and more!

Join or start up an activity at your branch – see the activities section for a description and contact details for each.

Or.. Apply for a position on our national committee. Elections are at the 28th and 29th of April. Check out our website, medsin.org for more details of how to apply and send your application to nationalcoordinator@medsin.org And if National committee seems like something for a little further along in your Medsin career, next year Medsin are looking to develop our regions even more and want regional co-ordinators as well as a regional team to help.

See the website for how to apply and send your application to nationalcoordinator@medsin.org”

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