Gearing up for 2012

A new year.  A new beginning.  On the 26^th of November, AMSAHK hosted the AMSAHK Executive Committee 2011 Inauguration Ceremony in the HK Sanatorium and Hospital.  Under the watchful eyes of AMSAHK’s honourary patrons (Professor Griffiths, Professor Patil and Dr. Beh), AMSAHK alumni, sponsors and representatives of student societies from the respective universities, twenty new members and their councilors walked proudly on stage as they accepted their new role in AMSAHK.  With much joy and pride in the achievements of the past year, especially the groundbreaking Joint Conference of 2011, AMSAHK officially departs from her “year of breakthrough” as she gears up for her “year to ignite” the passion for serving the youth and community in the hearts of today’s medical students.  In the coming year, AMSAHK will continue to add onto her previous contributions to the local and international communities through public health promotion campaigns and participation in international conferences, starting with the East Asian Medical Students’ Conference (EAMSC) in Singapore this January.  As AMSAHK’s President Minnie Yung said in her inauguration address, “AMSAHK is looking forward to a fruitful year ahead, one that is filled with energy, hard work and laughter!”

Getting to Know AMSAHK

Who says that the life of a medical school student is confined to grueling hours of anatomy with only coffee and stale biscuits for company?  Whoever he/she is, they probably haven’t met AMSAHK’s new fabulous excos and their equally fabulous councilors!  On October the 15^th, AMSAHK had her first joint-school meeting, and the new excos got to meet their counterparts for the first time!  After some preliminary introductions, many hugs, smiles and even a short birthday party, we got down to business: SCOPH presented their proposal to target the iGeneration and to raise awareness to the dangers of too much technology, ACAD introduced this year’s East Asian Medical Students’ Conference in Singapore, and other up-and-coming IFMSA conferences (International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations) in Ghana (March) and Dubai (late August), and all departments started to gear up for the AMSAHK Inauguration Ceremony in late November.  Not bad for a day’s work!  After a constructive and fruitful meeting, all new Excos, their councilors and old AMSAHK alumni gather for an evening of fine dining and great fun.  I don’t know about you, but I think this year is going to be blast!

East Asian Medical Students’ Conference (EAMSC) 2011

To kick start the new year, 37 of us had put aside our textbooks to attend the first AMSA conference of 2011 – East Asian Medical Students’ Conference (EAMSA) 2011! This year’s conference took place from 19^th to 24^th January in Bangkok, Thailand.

At the conference, we looked into major issues among Thai adolescents via group discussions, role-play, site visits and keynote lectures. The most tiring yet interesting part would be being participating in the street march. With reference to the theme “Adolescence health: Embrace the world, better the future”, our academic department investigated the effect of screen time on the health of young adults in Hong Kong. Congratulations to the team for coming first in the public poster competition!
And how can we forget the social and cultural part?

We have learnt much about the exotic Thai culture though workshops on food, dance, games, massage etc. On the night of cultural performances, we Hong Kong delegates demonstrated our variety of talents by singing in acapella, and a Cantonese song with sign language, as well as dancing in kung-fu and hip-hop style! The night ended with sad good-byes but happy smiles of gaining such a five-star experience, to have met so many inspiring and fascinating people, who have come to be great friends of ours.

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The Year of Breakthrough begins!

This month marked the start of an unprecedented year for AMSAHK – the Year of Breakthrough! For the first time, AMSAHK will be hosting the Joint Conference 2011 in June in our very own Pearl of the Orient. The Joint Conference would combine both the annual Asia Pacific Regional Meeting and the Asian Medical Students’ Conference, promising to be of a grand scale with about 600 delegates from across the world. Additionally, many new, fresh secretaries from HKU and CUHK have been recruited to each department of the AMSAHK family after quality applications and interviews. We have already begun bonding in our meetings and in our yum cha experience.

October 23rd 2010 was an eventful day when all 80 members of the AMSAHK executive committee and Joint Conference organizing committee congregated in a joint meeting at the Hong Kong Sanatorium & Hospital. We discussed details of the Inauguration Ceremony, the Joint Conference and the East Asian Medical Students’ Conference in Thailand, as well as any updates from each department. Many Year 1s and a couple of Year 2s have registered as delegates for the East Asian Medical Students’ Conference in Bangkok in January 2011 and we are already looking forward to it! After the meeting, we were all clad in formal attire as we took the photo and video shoot. In addition to these big meetings, each department had regular intra-departmental meetings to allocate and check work progress. Pumped high with energy, we look forward to a colourful year of break through!

UK Preclinical Exchange

AMSAHK is proud to announce that we have successfully organized a pre-clinical exchange programme with King’s College London, UK in 13th – 21st February! Delegates had the valuable opportunity to visit UK and experience their medical curriculum, which included lectures and visits to hospitals. Other indispensable parts of the trip included sightseeing, a Brighton day trip, musicals, cultural night and many more. Delegates found the programme fruitful, and have made many positive comments on it!

“I’ve always wanted to go to the UK so once I saw this opportunity, I knew I had to take it, go there and meet people from different walks of life, and to learn more about different cultures as well as to experience the different medical curriculum and learning environment there!”
Agnes Wong

“There was great flexibility in the programme, and we could decide on the itinerary by ourselves.”
Ponie Lee

“We visited many places that aren’t tourist hotspots (eg. Camben Town) yet interesting, which is great since some of us had already been to London before and visited many of the tourist hotspots already.”
Noelle Ngai

“There were enlightening social & cultural activities – welcoming dinner, lectures and meals with UK medical students, watching musicals, sharing sessions, site seeing, farewell dinner etc.”
Prudence Tam

“We had Italian food for at least three consecutive days which tasted really good and were really satisfying, and I enjoyed them a lot.”
Dorothy Wong

“The most memorable experience would be the time we spent with the people from
AMSA-UK. They were very friendly and had introduced us to many interesting places there.”
Polly Yu

“This exchange was fruitful. Personally, I had fun and made lots of new friends. I was able to know more about the British cultural through watching musicals, visiting the museum etc. As for professional development, it was also educational from attending lectures, visiting the A&E department at King’s Hospital, exploring the Gordon Museum (it’s a 3 stories’ specimen room!!!). This broadened my knowledge in the medical field. I had a better insight on my future career when I chatted with the UK Med 1-5 students.”
Jodhy Mak

The 23rd East Asian Medical Students’ Conference

During the 14th – 18th January 2010, AMSAHK led a group of 30 delegates to Kuala Lumpar, Malaysia, in support of the 23rd East Asian Medical Student Conference themed ‘Men’s health: Refining the past, defining the future’.

Medical students from over 20 countries gathered in the beautiful city of Kuala Lumpar, Malaysia to discuss and share information and insight into different aspects of Men’s Health. A major academic component of the conference consisted of keynote lectures, presentations, discussions and group work prepared under the theme of Men’s Health and its relevant associations. 4 executive members from the AMSAHK Academic Department presented our academic paper on “The Importance of Sex in Hong Kong Men’s Health”. We further presented our research in the form of a scientific poster and a public poster, for which we are proud to come 2nd and 3rd in respectively. To allow delegates to approach the theme from a more social and realistic context, the Organising Committee had also arranged for clinical skills sessions and clinical visits for our delegates.

Delegates attending the conference came from a diverse international body, and this tremendous cultural diversity is celebrated daily within the discussion and activities of our collaborating groups. During the 3rd day of the conference, this appreciation of differences is furthermore highlight during the Cultural Evening of top-notch cultural performances from the various different countries. Our Hong Kong delegation putting together an impressive mixed performance of Chinese Kung Fu and an Michael Jackson dance. Other social events during the conference include a tour up the KL Tower, walk-around Chinatown and night markets, shopping at the Pavilion, and even an overnight visit to Genting for the Closing Ceremony on the last day.

By the end of the five days, most of us were sad to leave behind newly-budded friendships and the compact but lovely memories of EAMSC10 altogether, in exchange for the dense and heavy-weighted air of Hong Kong..

The Voyage Starts

It was our Inauguration Ceremony today.

We have been sowing seeds for this important event for more than half a month, and the time for harvest finally came.

It was our honour to have Dr. Lo Wing Lok, JP specialist in infectious diseases, Dr. Philip S.K. Beh and Professor Sian Griffiths as our honorary guests. They affirmed the many milestones achieved by AMSAHK since its founding, and eagerly anticipate our missions in the coming future. We were also delighted to receive their assurance of continued support for the association, so that we can carry on our voyage in a favorable wind throughout the journey.

At the ceremony, the alumni video was played, which revealed the passion of our alumni for AMSAHK. The outgoing president, Ms Stephanie Yu, also made her outgoing speech and year end report, which concluded the achievements made by the association in the previous fruitful year. Also, AMSC ’09 delegates shared their feelings and experience from their time spent in the Taiwan conference the past summer.

After the sharing, the handover ceremony was held, which set off our cruise in this Year of Voyage. All members of the incoming executive committee were introduced in the introductive video. Our incoming president, Mr Kevin Yu, gave his inaugural address as well, inspiring much enthusiasm among AMSAnians for the upcoming year.

From this day on, we will be facing more challenging, yet meaningful events. May all of us be united to make the way towards our destination, even through the strongest winds and biggest waves.

Standing Committee of Exchange – Professional Exchange Programmes 2010

Pondering on where to go for the elective? Interested in going abroad for some fun? The Standing Committee of Exchange (SCOE) of the Asian Medical Students’ Association Hong Kong (AMSAHK) is now offering a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for you to go for a month-long overseas clinical clerkship in Germany, Taiwan, Iceland, Ghana and Czech Republic! This exchange is under the Professional Exchange Programme of the International Federation of Medical Students’ Association (SCOPE – IFMSA) . Aiming to promote international understanding and co-operation amongst medical students and all health professionals through international exchange of students, the exchange programme includes not only the regular medical curriculum attachment, but also social programmes to help students broaden their understanding of both medical and social conditions in different countries.

Details

What: Standing Committee on Professional Exchange (SCOPE) overseas clinical
clerkship
Duration: One month
Where: Germany, Iceland, Taiwan, Czech Republic, Ghana
Cost: HKD4500 includes accomodation and food (excludes airfare)

What is so unique about this programme? Why can’t I apply for them myself?

This exchange programme offers you unique educational and cultural experience in addition to the regular medical curriculum. Food, accommodation, and social programmes will be organized for you during the clerkship so you will have one thing less to worry about. There will also be Local Exchange Officers of the host country there to help you throughout your stay!

The fee of HKD4500 covers accommodation and food throughout your entire attachment (airfare excluded) and is definitely one of the most affordable ways for overseas clinical clerkships.

Application

If you would like to apply for the clerkship, please hand in the following
documents:

* IFMSA Application Form : http://www.sendspace.com/file/xw52ep
* Curriculum Vitae
* Motivation essay (Write 200-300 words on why you want to join the SCOPE
clerkship and why you would like to attach the specific department/specialty)

Applications should be submitted through email to neoamsahk@gmail.com or in
hardcopy to the Director of Exchange or Local Exchange Managers of your
university on or before November 27th, 2009.

Selection

There is a total quota of 7 (two exchange vacancies for Germany and Ghana)
spaces split between CUHK and HKU applicants with a maximum of 4 from any one university. Applicants will be selected by a panel consisting of professors from CUHK and HKU.

Should you have any enquiries, please contact:

Karen Chiu ( Incoming Director of Exchange, CUHK)
Tel: 93151045 E-mail: karen.chiu@amsahk.org

Fiona Lau ( Incoming Director of Exchange, HKU )
Tel: 93238318 E-mail: fiona.lau@amsahk.org

A New Chapter Begins

Today was the first time our new executive committee and joint school organizing committee met, for a day of photo shooting and our first interschool meeting.

We gathered at the rooftop of Elements in the morning for the photo shoot. Everyone was in full suit and we all looked very smart, especially with the backdrop of greenery and skyscrapers. It took a while to choose the best location and come up with moves for the video, and each department spent quite a while walking around the platform to find a place that was most appealing to them!

Every thing went very smoothly with the help of our efficient ITD. You can imagine how hard it was for them to run around for EVERY department dressed in FULL SUIT! Let’s give them a big hand to thank them for their amazing effort.

Then, we had a quick lunch and arrived at HKSH for our first interschool meeting. We fresh AMSAnians had our first chance to hold a meeting. It was very different from just sitting there watching, and we felt like we are really a part of AMSAHK.

We went through quite a number of things in the few hours!

Fresh AMSAnians got familiar with the structure and meetings of AMSA International and IFMSC and we also learnt more about AMSAHK.
We also discussed the preparation for our upcoming Inauguration Ceremony on the 21st of November, such as for the speech, the guest list, potential souveniors and much more. ITD had prepared a few designs for our name cards and presented them, and the Academic Department gave us a brief introduction on the theme on the upcoming EAMSC 2010, Mens’ Health. We also did something very important – the selection of our CEOs (Chief Entertainment Officers), who will be responsible for all the relaxing activities in our busy lives!

It was a busy day, but all in all, we AMSAnians enjoyed a rich day together. This is a fresh beginning, and we all look forward to an exciting and fruitful year together!

Wanted: New AMSAnians!

The new school year is here and AMSAHK is seeking enthusiastic, passionate, and generally amazing people to become new AMSAnians and carry on the legacy!

Here are 15 reasons why you should join AMSAHK!

1. The ONLY student association organized jointly by medical students of both CUHK and HKU
2. International Exposure
3. Participate in CONFERENCES
4. Organize an international conference
5. Meet medical students across the Asia-Pacific region and the world
6. Learn from working in an international NGO
7. Organize exchange programmes
8. Launch public health campaigns locally
9. Make friends for life
10. Have joint university fun throughout the year!
11. Feasible schedule
12. Continuity and Guidance
13. Get close to the AMSAHK family with alumni from Years 3, 4, 5 and beyond!
14. Only 2 years in your whole university life to experience things beyond the medical curriculum!
15. Widen your horizon – don’t limit yourself to your medical school

You can find the instructions and the application form on our main AMSAHK website.

Why hesitate? Join us today!