International Medical Students Share Unforgettable Experiences

This past March, I found myself in Hammamet, Tunisia, with 800 other medical students from around the world. We were there attending the general assembly of the International Federation of Medical Students Association (IFMSA).

 

The week of group discussions, lectures and training sessions is usually the highlight for IFMSA students. Our experience in that small but beautiful country bordering the Sahara desert was unforgettable.

 

The International Federation of Medical Students is the largest medical student organization in the world, with 1.2 million members in 95 different countries. The sheer size of the organization makes it an excellent vehicle for promoting intercultural connections. From Taiwan to Chile, medical students work under the IFMSA banner to coordinate clinical and research exchanges, as well as to host IFMSA-supported international projects.

 

Research Exchanges Have Been a Big Success

 

During my last two years as a medical student at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health (SMPH), I served as a national officer for the United States, overseeing IFMSA basic science research exchanges.

 

After riding camels in the Sahara, Vasu Sunkara connects with new and old friends from the International Federation of Medical Students Association.

This was as part of the American Medical Students Association (AMSA). Working with students at the universities of Virginia, North Carolina, SUNY Upstate and Wisconsin, I helped promote the growth of the AMSA-IFMSA research exchange program.

 

The premise behind the exchanges is that students from IFMSA member countries travel to each other's countries to do research projects for one to two months. It is a true "one-for-one" exchange overseen completely by medical student officers. This keeps the costs low. A typical American exchange has fees that do not exceed $600. The fee includes one month of free lodging and often a food allowance.

 

Our team invited American professors to host IFMSA international students in their labs for the summer, marketed IFMSA exchanges to first-year medical students at our schools, oversaw the receipt of application payments to AMSA and screened applications for students applying to the program.

 

It was a lot of work, but completely worth the effort. In one year, we increased the number of projects by 150 percent, recorded the best year for the number of outgoing students, had a Nobel Laureate in medicine (Dr. Oliver Smithees) participate for the first time in IFMSA history and expanded the program to the University of Iowa.

 

The UW-IFMSA example has been one of the biggest success stories. With the support of faculty members such as Drs. Richard Moss and Gary Lyons, we currently have four research projects available for incoming students. This summer we welcomed to Madison our first group of IFMSA students - from Turkey, Spain and France.

 

We also sent Jason Chiang, a second-year student at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, to Egypt this summer. Jason is the third UW student who has benefited from the program in the last three years.

 

International Students Leave a Lasting Impression

 

The general assembly in Tunisia provided me my most memorable experience. The fellow IFMSA students I met were truly remarkable individuals. Smart, gracious and ambitious are just a few of the words that come to mind in describing many of them. Two students impressed me the most.

 

Mariana, from Portugal, was one of the most dynamic people I met at the conference. Her confidence and poise were tempered by her efforts in not letting anyone feel left out. She organized a working group that met multiple times during the general assembly on how to promote the research exchange program internationally.

 

At the conclusion of the working groups, each group was asked to present their findings to the entire audience. While the other groups restricted presentations to only one or two people, hers was the only one in which she had every person within the group speak up. 

 

Not surprisingly, her consideration and hard work were quickly recognized by the entire group. She was given the best new officer award. In accepting the award in front of 40 clapping people, her surprise was real. In listening to her words of thanks, I realized that here was a truly genuine person who worked not for fanfare or out of making herself seem bigger than others, but simply out of an interest in making things better. It was inspiring.

 

Abubaker, from Sudan, introduced me to a country I knew only through the limited perspective of programs on CNN. He had single-handedly led the creation of a new IFMSA project, the Sudanese Tropical Education Project (STEP).

 

Based at the University of Khartoum, STEP not only provides clinical and basic science instruction in the pathogenesis of diseases such as Leishmaniasis and tuberculosis, but also provides participants the chance to observe patient care.

 

Organizing this took the coordination of many fellow medical students as well as the administrative support of his medical school. There was also the matter of ensuring no visa delays for participants. Abubaker handled all these issues with poise and professionalism. I was impressed that at only 20 years of age he had successfully overseen such a large project. It made me realize how much a medical student can accomplish.

 

Program Leads to Personal, Professional Growth

 

The impact of those two students on my thinking has been significant. And Jason, who is now running UW's AMSA-IFMSA with undergraduate Kyle Swinsky, felt something similar on returning from Egypt.

 

He says: "Immersing myself in the health care setting of a developing country opened my eyes to an entire world where both resources and infrastructure were lacking. Despite these shortcomings, the Egyptians I encountered were some of the most generous and compassionate people I have ever met. I was amazed by a health care provider who would take care of not only his patients, but everybody he saw inside and outside of the clinic. After my short stay was over, I had a group of lifelong friends and colleagues. The personal and professional growth that I gained from this exchange is impossible to quantify."

 

Faculty, as well, have seen the value of the program.

 

Says Dr. Lyons, "My student, Annaick Desmaison from the Faculty of Toulouse Purpan, has been outstanding. I wish she could stay. She is one of the brightest students I have interacted with. Although she had little previous lab experience, she accomplished a great deal in eight weeks." 

 

The IFMSA enriched my medical school experience tremendously. It does this for thousands of students and faculty around the world. As the program rapidly expands I hope that even more students, faculty and staff will get to see what makes this organization so special.

 

By Vasu Sunkara, MD '09
This article appears in the fall 2009 issue of Quarterly.

Date Published: 11/11/2009