The Asian Medical Students Association and xenoMED
Some of the Asian Medical Students Association.
Hi there! Today was another very busy Lancet press day so I want to hand over to two people who are rapidly becoming my email buddies: Alessandro Demaio, head of the Asian Medical Students Association who wants to say a bit about the association here, and Angel Magar from Nepal who wants to tell you about xenoMED, a great initiative that he has started for medical students and doctors in Nepal. So over to you guys Rhona 
The Asian Medical Students’ Association is a peak representative organisation for medical students from across Asia, the Asia-Pacific and beyond. Training doctors from 11 Member Nations and 2 Associate Nations combine to share knowledge, undertake activities and social services and create international and trans-continental friendships.
AMSA was officially founded in Manila, Philippines in 1985 and from that day has been an active, dynamic and exciting student-led, not-for-profit, non-political organisation.
Today, with members and friends spanning the globe, AMSA has an active student-exchange program, regularly undertakes national and regional projects, provides humanitarian assistance at times of need, produces quarterly student publications and liaises with the World Health Organisation, the Association of Medical Doctors of Asia and many other international and regional medical student organisations. Since it was first established in 1979, and the first conference was held in Mahidol University of Thailand, the Asian Medical Students’ Conferences have been a key focus for the organisation. Now held biannually in January/February and July/August, these events see over 700 students from across the world combine to learn from each other, teach their fellow peers and develop lasting friendships. Alessandro Demaio, Australia.
I started xenoMED in October 2005. XenoMED is a nonprofit, independent Online Nepalese Medical Community started in 2005, to provide a virtual place where all Nepalese Medical Students, Doctors, Physicians, Health Professionals and organizations would come and share their experiences, knowledge and information with each other. Beside this, it also provides the latest medical breakthroughs, Nepalese health news, new research & findings in the field of medicine as it happens around the world.
Interaction among medical students & doctors is the core concept behind this online community, but we tend to launch them more towards academic and competency of our profession. That is why the forums and topics have been developed in such a way that it meets the needs of the present situation. Links to hundreds of leading biomedical journals and websites, e-books and software as well as other useful materials have been made available.
XenoMED believes that the culture of interactive learning must start right through the student life. The concept of research & publication, journal clubs and continued medical education (CME) must be clear to today’s professionals. We intend to develop an attitude of academic way of thinking and evidence-based practice. However we would like to launch some charity programs in the future as well. Angel Magar Nepal
October 13th, 2007 at 6:55 pm
Xenomed, being of one its own kind has helped those who wants to pursue medical education for their information, counselling to medical students helping them share their idea, sharing knowledge , potency and medical disscussion to Senior doctors, physicians as well.
Dragging medical students from the first semester, enlighting them and attracting them for research & publication, journal clubs and continued medical education (CME) has also become a fundamental prospective of this site.
A lot to begin, a lot to be done.
Thanks to Xenomed.com
October 15th, 2007 at 11:04 am
AMSA and xenoMED are definitely doing an impressive job.
AMSA has really come a long way and its contribution to the welfare and benefit of students genuinely deserves much appreciation from deep down the heart.
xenoMED on the other hand, even in its short span of existence has gained much popularity among the medicos not only in Nepal but across the whole world. More than 15,000 registered users – the figure says it all. With a large group of medical professionals, xenoMED has established itself as a site of the medics, for the medics and by the medics. “Share and be shared” as the motto goes!
Going through this blog I felt - xenoMED, AMSA and now this student lancet are just perfect examples how we should use the blooming information technology for our benefit and how we can easily get our message across the globe with the help of few clicks. How different things would have been without these technologies? I just wonder.
I enjoy student lancet very much and i wish it a very good luck.