Newsletter 154

Content

Action of the week

Fund the Global Fund

Tell Gordon Brown to keep the promise and Fund the Global Fund. "We cannot allow our promises that became pledges to descend into just aspirations, and then wishful thinking, and then only words that symbolise broken promises. " Gordon Brown, July 2007

With less than a month until the Global Fund Replenishment Conference (25th-27th September), we really need as many individuals to be taking our e-action, which sends a letter to Gordon Brown urging him to lead the fight against AIDS by contributing £700m over the next 3 years. Please click here now.

National News and Events

  • Wanted: London Co-Ordinator
  • Wanted: Alumni Director
  • Wanted: Campaigns Co-ordinators
  • Medsin AGA Revised Registration Deadline!
  • Stop AIDS Speaker Tour, and Driver wanted!
  • Project reports now available
  • Overriding Trident Bike Tour/ IPPNW Meeting
  • Join a delegation of IPPNW doctors and students (medAct)
  • Healthy Planet National Meeting
  • FASLANE Grand Finale
  • Nuclear Weapons: The Final Pandemic conference
  • UAEM Conference
  • TBH Nottingham Questionnaire
  • Medsin National Conference Website LAUNCHED!
  • The Lancet Student
  • We need you at Brown's First Test in the Fight Against AIDS!
  • Malaria and Neglected Diseases Campaign
  • Torture, turkeys, typhoons and trident

International News and Events

  • IFMSA March Meeting Applications NOW OPEN!
  • IFMSA Alumni
  • International Students Conference on Humanitarian Action
  • Medical Peace Work online course, volunteer testers wanted

Website and News

The website is for YOUR events being held by YOUR branches, projects and campaigns. It is really, really easy to submit events and news, so please do, and let everyone know what wonderful things you are up to!

National News and Events

Wanted Section

To apply for any position, please send your letter of motivation (no more than 500 words) to the committee. Deadlines have been extended to Midnight, September 21st. Voting will take place at the AGA.

Wanted: London Co-ordinator

Do you want to be the Branch Coordinator for London next year? The aim of the job is to maximise the benefit of London’s unique position as a city that is home to five Medsin branches. This job includes: chairing meetings for all the London coordinators, working out how everyone can best work together – for example, joint events and making sure events don’t clash.

Wanted: Alumni Director

Have you been involved in Medsin but have now graduated? Do you think you have what it takes to co-ordinate the Medsin Alumni? If you would like more details, contact the committee

Wanted: Campaigns Co-ordinators

Join the campaigns team!

Medsin works on a number of campaigns, which reflect our aim to raise awareness of global health issues and reduce health inequalities. Our campaigns fundraise, raise awareness, lobby, and motivate students to take action on important issues.

Its an exciting time to be on the campaigns team, as our campaigns are going from strength to strength, working alongside major national campaigning organisations, including Oxfam, Student Partnership Worldwide, People and Planet, Stop AIDS Coalition and Trade Justice Movement.

3 positions are unfilled in medsin's campaigns team: Fair Trade coordinator, Health Systems coordinator, and Trade Justice coordinator. Each coordinator heads up their campaign but gets loads of help from the other coordinators and the campaigns director. Want to apply or just find out more? Email Pete and Jen

Medsin AGA News

Medsin's Autumn General Assembly 2007 will be held at Boldrewood Campus in sunny Southampton on 22nd and 23rd September. For the first time we have an opening speech from MedAct, 'The role of civil society in global health'.

As always the weekend will include:

  • updates on different aspects of the network
  • outlining plans for 2007/08
  • much discussion through mini meetings & debate
  • voting session
  • training .....as well as a few surprises!

Registration fee: £10 for 2 lunches, breakfast, tea/coffee biscuits and refreshments, accommodation.

  • Deadline for registration is now Midnight Wednesday 19th September. Register a.s.a.p for accommodation. Registration form and more information Click here

Stop AIDS Speaker Tour, and Driver wanted!

The Stop AIDS Speaker Tour urgently needs a driver aged 23 years or over.

If you are available from 14th-27th October 2007 and would like to drive the amazing Speaker Tour Team around the country please get in touch ASAP. We will not be able to pay you but will give you a £35 daily allowance to make sure you're not out of pocket.

Goes without saying that you'll need a clean license and to feel confident driving as there will be lots of that to do!

Any leads at all please let me know. Any friends, relatives… You can call 0207 490 0152 or drop me an email and I'll call you back.

Project reports now available!

Reports from Medsin-UK projects are now available on the website here. Have a look at all the fab things that projects did in 2007.

Overriding Trident Bike Tour

To raise awareness about Trident and as a run up to the ground breaking conference by The Nobel Peace Organization International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) and the British Royal Society of Medicine - "Nuclear Weapons - the Final Pandemic: Preventing Proliferation and Achieving Abolition" in London, October 3rd-4th, 2007. The conference will present the latest scientific evidence on the health effects of nuclear weapons.

From September 28th-30th of 2007, a group of medical students, doctors and political activists will cycle the English countryside from Dover to London in order to reach this conference, informing the public on their way about the dangers of nuclear weapons, holding Target X installations and meeting with mayors and media on the way.

Take a look at the website and register online. You will then receive all necessary information, including the meeting point and time, further information on what to bring with you, some advice on bicycle gear and information concerning accomodation.

Click here for more informtaion.

Dialogue with Decision Makers

An INCREDIBLE opportunity.... Join a delegation of IPPNW doctors and students on:

  • Thursday 4 October 11am Delegation to the Foreign Office
  • Thursday 4 October 4 pm Delegation to the House of Commons with MPs
  • Monday October 8 10am The European Commission
  • Monday October 8 3pm NATO HQ
  • Tuesday October 9 10am The European Council *Tuesday October 9 2pm The European Parliament

What you need to do: Send us passport info, and get briefed at the Nuclear Weapons Conference in London on 3rd or 4th October. Please contact ippnw.

Healthy Planet National Meeting

There is an open meeting and social for anyone who is interested in being involved with, or hearing more about Healthy Planet. You are welcome to come along to the meeting whether you think you would like to be involved or would just like to know more about the campaign.

Healthy Planet is set to be a bigger and better campaign than ever next year, and this will be an opportunity to find out more about the campaign and how you can get involved. You can hear about and have a say on plans for next year.

If you are travelling from outside London, we will be able to find accommodation for you - just let me know in advance.

Date: Sunday 23rd September Time: 5.30pm Venue: 5 Smith Square, London SW1P 3HS, near to Westminster and Pimlico tube stops

If you can come along to the meeting, or would just like to know more about the campaign, the meeting or the plans, email Sarah.

FASLANE Grand Finale

Join medical students, doctors and other anti nuclear weapons campaigners for the final day of FASLANE 365 on October 1st. FASLANE 365 was the year long blockade of the Trident Nuclear Weapons Base @ Faslane, Scotland. If you haven't yet been to Faslane, and you are for a nuclear weapons free future, then try and make it to this grand event. Contact Leslie Morris (Medact). Leslie will be coordinating accomodation etc

Nuclear Weapons: The Final Pandemic Conference

Preventing Proliferation and Achieving Abolition, an International Conference hosted by the RSM and IPPNW. When: October 3 and 4, 2007. Where:London Complete programme is available here Registration is now open, and is available online here.

Fees- students/nonstudents: two-days £45/£200, one-day £25/£130. Lucky you're students eh! (apart from the alumni... :p)

UAEM Conference

I am pleased to announce that the 2007 UAEM conference will be held Friday, Sept. 28 - Sunday, Sept. 30 at Harvard University in Cambridge, MA, USA. Join students from across the US, UK and Canada in calling for universities to play a more active role in improving access to medicines in poor countries.

A limited amount of funding is available to help with travel expenses; accommodation with a student host will be provided if necessary. Click here for more information

TBH Nottingham Questionnaire

The Teddy Bear Hospital Questionnaire is now up on the website, please take 2 minutes to fill it in and contribute on behalf of your university.

Medsin National Conference Website Launched!

The Medsin National Conference Website is finally Launched. Find out about the conference, keep up to date on all the latest conference news and book your ticket for the weekend. All at www.medsin07.org

National conference 26-28th October, Dundee

The Lancet Student

All of you who replied to last weeks call out to blog/contribute/review for TheStudentLancet.com will need to re-reply to the e-mail address student@lancet.com. Apologies for any inconvenience casued.

We need you at Brown's First Test in the Fight Against AIDS!

Event: Brown's First Test in the Fight Against AIDS Date: Sunday 23rd September, 12pm-2pm Venue: Punshon Methodist Church , Bournemouth (opposite Bournemouth International Centre). Speakers: Michel Kazatchkine, Executive Director of the Global Fund, and Shriti Vadera, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for International Development

Lunch provided

Please click here for more details.

Please RSVP ASAP to Katy or Stop Aids.

Malaria and Neglected Diseases

Following a name change at the SGA, the new e-mail address is mndc@medsin.org

Torture, Turkeys, Typhoons and Trident

How are these relevant to your everyday professional life? How are these major global threats ? Are doctors part of the cause or the cure? Find out some answers and widen your clinical knowledge. Meet leading medical experts in the fields of conflict, refugee and torture care, environmental change, avian flu. Restore your professional morale – there is more to life than MTAS. A study day addressing global health issues and their impact will be held on Thursday 11th October 2007 at Charles Hastings Education Centre, Worcestershire Royal Hospital, Worcester. Registration & Coffee 8.30 for 9.00am. STUDENTS £5! If you would be interested in attending please e.mail Jenny Murray Many Thanks, Dr. Frances Hogwood – Course Organiser.

International News and Events

MM08 Registration NOW OPEN!

The IFMSA March Meeting will be held in Monterrey, Mexico on 1-7th March 2008.

If you're interested in going to Mexico, learning about global health, meeting people from other cultures and developing skills please fill in the application form available here and email it to the committee by midnight on Friday 5th October.

There are always many more applications than places. For that reason you should spend time on your application form - you need to sell yourself. Feel free to change the sizes of the boxes in the word document, but bear in mind that the National Committee have to read lots of forms, so it's not advisable to waffle.

If you have any questions please email Gemma and have a look at the work of IFMSA. All Medsin members are invited to apply to be part of the Medsin delegation attending this meeting. Further details are available here

IFMSA Alumni

As part of the new services that IFMSA Alumni is giving, there is a new service being offered to our IFMSA Alumni members.

Now, you can get your e-mail account as IFMSA Alumni and have yourname@ifmsalumni.com!

If you are an IFMSA Alumni, and you want to have IFMSA Alumni e-mail, then contact us at alumni@ifmsa.org

IFMSA, a life long relationship.

International Students Conference on Humanitarian Action

Invitation to International Students Conference on Humanitarian Action 2007 (ISCHA07) from Friday 5th to Sunday 7th of October in Cologne, Germany - This is a great chance to learn more about humanitarian aid work with the chance to meet and greet with experts from big NGOs such as IRCC and MSF and hear speakers from the likes of the UN and the Worldbank. There is also the opportunity to present your project as well as hearing about other projects from many different countries and work together to come up with innovative ideas for humanitarian work. The conference will be in English and you can also get a chance to explore Cologne. For more information check out www.ischa07.de or email the team

Call for volunteers to test the Medical Peace Work online course

Medical Peace Work is an EU-funded project with aims to strengthen a new field of medicine and health sciences that deals with the role and professional responsibilities of health workers in violence prevention and sustainable peace building. The main focus of the project is production and collection of internet resources for medical peace education. They are currently finalising the e-learning course and are looking for volunteers who are willing to test the site and fill in an evaluation form.

If you have any questions regarding the project or would like to volunteer, please give them an e-mail

Last updated on Monday 17 September 2007 at 19:21.