focus: Sexual Health
CLOSING SPEECH SMSC Basel 2021 Text: Stephanie Hauser | University of Basel Hi there! You have seen me once or twice today, but for those who still don’t know me - my name is Stephanie, I am a sixth year medical student at the University of Basel, and I am very honored to be your swimsa President for this term. It has been a long day hasn’t it? I am sure you must be exhausted from staring into a screen the whole day - or maybe you have become used to it, like I have. But I hope you will indulge me for a few moments and allow me to be nostalgic. Six and a half years ago, I was a brand new medical student, and just by chance, because it was happening in my home town city, right here in Basel, I signed up for the SMSC. I don’t remember why I signed up, definitely not because of the topic. I think it was just one of those “why not?” moments. The topic of that SMSC back in 2014 was “Sex - Gender - Identity”. Now roughly one year ago, when the SMSC Organizing Committee Basel presented their topic for today’s conference, I was hesitant. I did not want Basel to just do the same SMSC over again, but the OC quickly made me realize two things. Firstly, I am probably the only person to attend both events, as I took an additional year to finish my studies. Secondly, this was not at all the same event. In 2014 we talked about Patients, today we talked about People. This time we did not just learn how to improve the health of others, but we learned how to improve our personal health and sexuality!
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We talked about pornography, sexual harassment, the clitoris, sexual pleasure and much, much more. We talked about how sexual health has changed but remains as important as ever. For me that SMSC in 2014 changed my life. There, I joined Achtung Liebe, went on to become SMSC OC President for the SMSC in Basel in 2017 and continued to stay active within swimsa in many different ways. I gave my time for swimsa freely, was at times pushed beyond my limits, and then grew more than I could have ever envisioned. So you see, this SMSC Basel 2021 on Sexual Health, it means a lot to me. It‘s a little bit like this. When I joined medical school, all I wanted was to be a good doctor. Now at the end of my time as a medical student, I still want to be a good doctor. But I also want to be a Leader, a Friend, an Advocate for Change, a Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights Activist. One „little“ SMSC was the catalyst for all of this, and I hope this SMSC could serve as a catalyst for you. I am not asking all of you to become swimsa President or to take to the streets to advocate for equal rights for LGBTQIA* people, as I did. But I am asking you to take a moment to reflect. What do you want to achieve while you are a medical student? What are you really passionate about? Join your local students association, join a project, join a sports team or a climate change group. Make the most of your time.