EAMSC09 - The experiences of organising an international student conference
Today’s blog has been written by Alessandro Demaio, Co-chair of the East Asian Medical Students’ Conference 2009, which is happening this month. The conference theme is ‘Engaging Asia-Pacific Youth in the Fight Against HIV & AIDS’ and we are very excited by AMSA’s invitation for us to set up a TheLancetStudent corner at the conference. We also have published a veiwpoint written by Steve Kuperberg writing about the importance of ethics and values in Primary care.
Every year, the Asian Medical Students’ Association, or AMSA, hosts two international conferences. Held throughout the Asia-Pacific region and organised solely by medical students for medical students these events are the highlights of the academic year.
The larger annual conference, or Asian Medical Student’s Conference (AMSC) is hosted mid-year and usually attracts around 350-500 young doctors-in-training. Over 7 days, students attend talks, forums and discussion groups, undertake and deliver training, present academic papers and posters of the highest quality, and more. In addition to a rigorous academic program, there are cultural events and formal dinners, parties and social outings, site visits and free time. The overall result is a week of fun, friendship and learning.
In January of each year, AMSA hosts its smaller conference of around 300 students known as the East Asian Medical Students’ Conference (EAMSC). Although the name is now a thing of history and students come from across the region and the world, this event is not just a smaller version of the AMSC. A highly-exciting, action-packed program delivered over 4 short days gives students barely a moment to rest and sends these young community leaders home buzzing with enthusiasm, information and the email addresses of their many new friends!
In a few short weeks, it will be time for the 2009 EAMSC. Being held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia’s capital, this conference is proudly being hosted by Monash University. It will be the result of 10 months of hard work from a large group of highly dedicated and committed individuals.
But it hasn’t been smooth sailing to get to this point. I would like to explain a little more the journey involved in bringing this conference to realisation and give you all a snapshot of the past 10 months.
In January of 2008, I was mid-way through my tenure as Overall Chair (President) of the Asian Medical Students’ Association, an organisation that represents medical students from across the Asia-Pacific region. I had just returned from a conference hosted by our Thai colleagues in Bangkok and was completing my final year elective, as an intern at the World Health Organisation Headquarters in Geneva. I received a rather distressed email from a national representative. At this time, there was considerable political unrest in her country and our organisation was at risk of being deemed ‘illegal’. The representative was from the country originally hosting our 09EAMSC and, with just months to the conference, her email sent panic through my executive. After long tele-conferences trying to work through the situation it was concluded that the risks of the conference being cancelled were too high and that a new host must be found, and found fast! As I had just returned from visiting a colleague in Cambodia, my first thought was that they may be in a position to step in and take the reins for January 2009. Unfortunately, despite further midnight teleconferences, this was not going to be 100% stable and I started to think more laterally.
Being a Monash University student, it occurred to me that maybe my own university would agree to host this conference. I was not keen to necessarily take this responsibility but acknowledged that this may be our only opportunity to guarantee the success of the fast-approaching conference.
Thankfully, Monash is both globally-minded and very willing to support its students’ ventures and so happily committed to hosting the event. Furthermore, it was decided that we would host the conference at our Malaysian campus to make travel simpler for the incoming students and limit the costs involved. In April, I flew from Melbourne to Kuala Lumpur, met with the students who had agreed to form the Organising Committee, finalised the agreement with the very supportive campus administration and put the minds of our entire international Executive to rest.
With an Organising Committee formed and half the usual time to organise this international event, we set to the enormous task of making the conference a reality. Task number one; the topic. At this time, there was much media attention and public discussion surrounding the huge although insidious epidemic of HIV and AIDS affecting many countries in our region. Having just returned from the WHO and with this disease largely unrecognised in many parts of Asia, it was decided that we would make “tackling HIV” our topic.
Unlike previous conferences, the 2009 EAMSC sets out to empower and engage the attending students in the issues surrounding HIV & AIDS in their own communities. To do this, the 4 days will be as much a course as a conference. Our hope is to equip these 300 medical students with the knowledge, the skills and the will to return to their homes, their villages and their countries to further the messages and aims of our conference; education and protecting young people from HIV. Thus, the title of the 2009 EAMSC is Engaging Asia-Pacific Youth in the Fight Against HIV & AIDS.
In July of this year, merely a few months into the preparations of our own event and with the many responsibilities of Overall Chairperson, I attended our midyear conference in Tokyo, Japan. During this weeklong experience I was overseeing the organisation and the conference of 500 students, delivering speeches, meeting and assisting delegates, holding international management meetings and sub-conferences and delivering training to my successors. Ensuring we made the most of this time, I brought two students from Monash Malaysia charged with principle roles in the Organising Committee to observe and learn from the Japanese experience and give us time to prepare for our own.
After an exhausting but exhilarating experience in Japan, I was fortunate enough to attend the World AIDS Conference in Mexico City. A dynamic, vibrant and academically-concentrated event, this 1 week saved months in the preparations for Kuala Lumpur. Over the 7 days, I was able to approach and confirm speakers, sponsors, attendees, collaborators, facilitators and more. Fortunate, as the conference was now less than 6 months away.
Ensuring a budget in the green was one of the major challenges for the Organising team. AMSA is an organisation totally committed to an inclusive ethos. This includes limiting conference registration to a very meagre amount which varies according to a nation’s GDP. Inclusive of all meals, accommodation and activities this ensures students from all backgrounds can attend and whenever possible this fee is waived. For this to be possible, private sector support is paramount and as such was an early focus for us. Gladly, we found a great deal of social responsibility in the companies we approached and as well as concreting the success of the conference one company was even generous enough to provide scholarships for 7 of our students to attend.
Whether you are organising a small medical society gathering or an international conference on a tight budget and with limited time, the secret is team work. I do not for a moment take responsibility for this event but rather acknowledge the 95% of work that was done by a huge team of dedicated and incredibly capable students both at our Malaysian campus and in Melbourne, Australia. Through their portfolio teams and team leaders, these young doctors showed absolute professionalism and commitment. Without this team, this conference would not have been possible. Their effective leadership and delegation, support and flexibility, and camaraderie were all essential ingredients in efficiently orchestrating Malaysia 2009.
The problems faced throughout the organisational process were varied and great. Constant changes and challenges were presented but through effective and honest communication these were swiftly overcome with minimal disruption. Probably the largest challenge for the team was the fact that we were working in different countries, time zones and even on opposite sides of the earth. But once again, communication was the key, through regular online meetings, teleconferences, emails, sms texts and more. However from this experience, I now know it is possible for two conference convenors to work from far ends of the globe but still be efficient, supportive and ultimately effective.
So as I now write these words, during a Christmas in Paris just weeks from the conference beginning, I am confident, proud, and excited to be on the home stretch for the 09 EAMSC. I am confident that our event will be a huge success and enjoyed by all. I hope that our aims and dreams will be realised and that we will make the difference we set out to. I am proud of the team I work within, my colleagues and my university for having the commitment and foresight to support this event. I am excited that all the hard work, challenges and midnight meetings over the last 10 months will soon be made worthwhile as we begin the training of these 300 young community-leaders and future doctors as HIV, sexual health and youth ambassadors. Finally, I am encouraged by the altruism and social-commitment shown by my colleagues, peers, collaborators and sponsors.
I want to leave you with some simple yet powerful words that I live each day by; become the change you seek in the world. . I call to all medical students in all regions of every continent; think large, act bold and work together. With this advice, anything is possible.