From March 2nd to March 9th, 2015, our university's students Luo Siwei, Liu Ya, and Zhu Yifan, along with 13 students from other sister schools, participated in the 65th Annual Meeting of the International Federation of Medical Students' Associations (IFMSA) held in Antalya, Turkey.
IFMSA, established in 1951, is a non-governmental organization recognized by the United Nations and the World Health Organization. It is composed of medical student associations from various countries or regions. IFMSA promotes the exchange of medical students between different countries or regions, organizes annual meetings to provide a platform for discussing international health, and connects medical student associations from around the world to serve medical students and enhance mutual understanding between medical students and healthcare professionals. The Chinese Medical Student Association (IFMSA-CHINA) started preparations in 2009 and officially joined IFMSA in 2011. Currently, participating institutions include Peking Union Medical College, Peking University School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Fudan University Shanghai Medical College, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Huazhong University of Science and Technology Tongji Medical College, Sichuan University West China School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University Zhongshan School of Medicine, Southern Medical University, and Central South University Xiangya School of Medicine, among others.
The theme of this year's conference was "Humanitarian Action." Representatives participated in various sections under this overarching theme, including clinical exchange, research exchange, medical education, public health, reproductive health, human rights, and refugees. Luo Siwei, as the Chinese Research Exchange Officer in the Research Exchange section, engaged in in-depth discussions with exchange officers from other countries on topics such as improving the exchange process and controlling exchange quality, aiming to provide students with a better exchange experience. Zhu Yifan and Liu Ya participated in different groups, exchanging ideas and broadening their horizons with medical students from other countries and regions.
In addition to rigorous plenary sessions and academic discussion groups, the organizing committee arranged various entertainment activities each day, showcasing the diverse cultural and culinary aspects of different countries. The Chinese representatives' performances of traditional Chinese qipao dance and the presentation of Chinese specialty foods allowed more people to understand the ancient and mysterious Eastern culture.
After a week-long conference, our university's representatives gained a lot. They not only learned about the activities of medical students in other countries and regions, as well as the different medical student training programs in various cultural backgrounds but also established profound friendships with participating delegates.
