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Introduction to SCOPH The Standing Committee on Public Health (SCOPH) brings together medical students from all over the world to learn, build on skills, cooperate, explore and share ideas when it comes to addressing all issues related to public health, including global health issues, health policies, health promotion and education activities. History Back in 1952, medical students of the International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations (IFMSA) formed the Standing Committee on Students’ Health (SCOSH), driven by a strong will to take an active part in preventing and making policies concerning health problems. During the following years, the wide variety of activities led to the change of the name to the Standing Committee on Health (SCOH) in 1963. Afterwards in 1983 the name of the committee changed once more to the name we use to this day, the Standing Committee on Public Health (SCOPH). Since these six decades have past, SCOPH members are implementing, maintaining and improving a wide variety of community- based projects on a local, national, regional and international level. Through these activities we reach our united vision for a healthier society and further development our own potential to become competent and talented health professionals. Medical students, the future health professionals As SCOPH members we have a chance to develop skills and knowledge though personal evolvement such as organization skills, teamwork, leadership, communication, time and self-management – skills not often taught in medical schools but essential for any future health professional. Medical students involved in SCOPH projects gain a much better understanding of public health matters in their community as well as current situations in other countries of the world. This provides them with a global overview of the health issues and methods that are needed to solve these cross-cutting issues. Moreover, SCOPH creates a sense within medical students about their role within public health as future health professionals and due to our experience and knowledge we are able to empower our environment directly and advocate for worldwide good health. We help to spread the message of wellbeing and help to create awareness about potential risk factors. The goals we want to achieve today and tomorrow

SCOPH Vision Mission Goals 02-2009

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Page 1: SCOPH Vision Mission Goals 02-2009

Introduction to SCOPH

The Standing Committee on Public Health (SCOPH) brings together medical students from all over the world to learn, build on skills, cooperate, explore and share ideas when it comes to addressing all issues related to public health, including global health issues, health policies, health promotion and education activities.

History

Back in 1952, medical students of the International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations (IFMSA) formed the Standing Committee on Students’ Health (SCOSH), driven by a strong will to take an active part in preventing and making policies concerning health problems. During the following years, the wide variety of activities led to the change of the name to the Standing Committee on Health (SCOH) in 1963. Afterwards in 1983 the name of the committee changed once more to the name we use to this day, the Standing Committee on Public Health (SCOPH).

Since these six decades have past, SCOPH members are implementing, maintaining and improving a wide variety of community- based projects on a local, national, regional and international level. Through these activities we reach our united vision for a healthier society and further development our own potential to become competent and talented health professionals.

Medical students, the future health professionals

As SCOPH members we have a chance to develop skills and knowledge though personal evolvement such as organization skills, teamwork, leadership, communication, time and self-management – skills not often taught in medical schools but essential for any future health professional. Medical students involved in SCOPH projects gain a much better understanding of public health matters in their community as well as current situations in other countries of the world. This provides them with a global overview of the health issues and methods that are needed to solve these cross-cutting issues.Moreover, SCOPH creates a sense within medical students about their role within public health as future health professionals and due to our experience and knowledge we are able to empower our environment directly and advocate for worldwide good health. We help to spread the message of wellbeing and help to create awareness about potential risk factors.

The goals we want to achieve today and tomorrow

SCOPH’s vision is to work towards a healthier society that is empowered by knowledge, skills and opportunities to live a full life of complete physical, mental and social well-being. In order to achieve this vision, medical students from 102 National Member Organizations work together as a team at a local level as well as both nationally and internationally.Internationally we exchange ideas and knowledge to improve and evaluate our work and personal skills. In addition, our Standing Committee acts as a platform that represents medical students around the globe through Advocacy and Policy Making - thus being a worldwide voice for medical students.Locally there are a large number of projects carried out, each orientated on the needs of the population in a specific region. Chronic Diseases, including Cardiovascular Diseases, Diabetes mellitus and Cancer, Tobacco smoking, Alcohol and Substance abuse, Malaria, TB, Tropical Diseases, Mental Health,

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Child’s and Adolescents Health, Ageing, Road Safety, Natural Disasters, Nutrition, Poverty, Violence and Social Inequalities, Rural and Remote Health and Regional Health Problems are some of the main topics that SCOPH focuses on.

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SCOPH Vision, Mission & Goals

Vision

The Standing Committee on Public Health works towards ensuring a healthy global society that is empowered through its knowledge, skills and opportunities to live a life of complete physical, mental and social well-being.

Mission

In order to work towards our vision, we promote community based outreach activities at a local level, which are inspired by the best practice within our federation and through the development of our own skills and potentials, as medical students and future health professionals, we voice our actions together through the powers of advocacy. Below represents the core purpose and values of SCOPH.

- Disease prevention within our society- Health promotion and education within our society- Raising awareness about Global Public Health issues within medical

students and our society- Advocating for health policies as the voice of worldwide medical students- Developing skills and knowledge of medical students as the future health

professionals- Working as an international team and collaborating with external public

health organisations to use the potential of over one million worldwide medical students

Goals

The focus of our efforts is to try and tackle the key public health issues according to local needs. The coordination and performance of these activities are based on the fundamental WHO World Health Days thus combining our efforts and energies with health professionals around the world.In order to achieve our goals SCOPH needs an organised and sustainable way to support its members with information and know-how. The backbones of this ongoing process are the national and international SCOPH meetings as well our platforms for communication and information keeping. Our goals include:

- SCOPH World Days (external goals)- SCOPH Main Focus (external goals)- SCOPH Projects & Activities (external goals)- SCOPH Meetings (internal goals)- SCOPH Management (internal goals)- SCOPH Evidence-based guidelines

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SCOPH World Days:

In order to combine our efforts with worldwide health professionals we focus the coordination and performance of our specific activities according to the main WHO World Health Days.These Days are promoted through our communication media (e.g. Yahoo-Group) to give guidance to our National Member Organisation’s (NMO’s). This supports the flow of information and exchange of experience but is only meant to act as guidance and is not enforced. The World Health Days SCOPH supports are:

October 10th: World Mental Health Day

November 14th: World Diabetes Day

November 20th: Universal Children’s Day

February 4th: World Cancer Day

March 24th: World Tuberculosis Day

April 7th: World Health Day

April 25th: World Malaria Day

May 31st: World No-Tobacco Day

June 14th: World Blood Donor Day

SCOPH Main Focus:

Below, represents a list of topics that are seen as current priorities within SCOPH in that we focus on and combine our efforts. Nevertheless the possible activities within our Standing Committee are numerous and flexible. Current SCOPH health issue priorities include:

Tobacco

Obesity & Diabetes

Tuberculosis

Malaria

Child’s and Adolescents Health

Mental Health

Alcohol and Substance abuse

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As well as: Cancer, Eyes health, Blood donation, Organ donation, Ageing and health, Road safety, Rural and remote health, Environmental health, SCOPH Exchange and many, many more

SCOPH Projects & Activities:

The first part of these projects & activities is a list of the Initiative Projects of SCOPH. These projects combine many approaches and ideas and provide an introduction to a specific topic.

The second part of these projects is a list of the most common activities within SCOPH. They are common because of their relevance, simplicity and attractiveness of their basic idea.

TIP (Tobacco Initiative Project)

TON (Transnational Obesity Network)

Anti-TB Campaign

ICOM (IFMSA Campaign on Malaria)

MHIP (Mental Health Initiative Project)

APYN (Alcohol Policy Youth Network)

TBH (Teddy Bear Hospital)

Smile X (Clown Doctor Project)

Teddy Bear under the Christmas Tree (Donation Project)

Smoke-free Party

Smoking-ologist

Blood Donation Campaign

Marrow Project (Bone Marrow Donation)

1st Aid Course

ISNAH (International Students Network on Ageing and Health)

National Health Week (National Awareness Campaign in Africa)

SCOPH Exchange (Volunteer Exchange Projects)

SCOPH Meetings:

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2 General Assemblies: March Meeting + August Meeting (SCOPH Sessions of 16 hours each, organised by the Director and the Dream Team)

2 pre General Assemblies: March Meeting + August Meeting (Specific Workshops of 3 full working days about different kind of topics, organised by a volunteer)

5 IFMSA Regional Meetings: Africa, Americas, EMR, Europe and Asia Pacific (SCOPH Sessions organised by the Regional Assistant, length is different)

SCOPH Focus Meetings: EuToCoM (European Tobacco Control Meeting)

NMO National Assemblies: National Meetings in over 100 NMOs of IFMSA

NMO SCOPH Meetings and trainings: open for national or international attendance

SCOPH Management Tools:

The strength of SCOPH on the international level is within the potential to support medical students on a local and national level.

To fulfil this function it is necessary to keep relevant information in a sustainable way, to offer an introduction and further information of our Standing Committee and its activities to all our members. Therefore it is necessary to share this information effectively as well as to offer communication platforms to share our ideas and experiences.

The responsibility to offer this information- and communication-platforms in an updated and high-quality status lies with the SCOPH Director. Every SCOPH member has the right and obligation to claim this status through an application and democratic voting session.

Information

SCOPH Website (available at www.ifmsa.org)

SCOPH Manual (a compilation of all information about the Standing Committee on Public Health)

SCOPH Projects Booklet (descriptions and guidelines for the main projects and activities of SCOPH)

SCOPH Power-point (a Power-point as an introduction to SCOPH and especially the goals, topics and projects we focus on; to be used at internal or external meetings)

SCOPH – The Movie (a movie as an introduction about our Standing Committee; for internal and external use)

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SCOPH Movies (informative movies as introductions to the main public health topics and projects we are working on; to be published at You-Tube)

SCOPH World Reports (compilation of the half-year NPO Reports as a global SCOPH Database)

SCOPH Development Kit (a guideline for new National Member Organisations to start a Standing Committee on Public Health)

SCOPH DVD (a compilation of all relevant documents and materials; to be handed out at GAs and RMs)

SCOPH Leaflet (an introduction to SCOPH including basic information about the projects, world days, scoph structure and communication, scoph leadership and project management)

Communication

SCOPH Yahoo-group ([email protected])

SCOPH Facebook group (SCOPH-IFMSA at www.facebook.com)

SCOPH Newsletter (‘The Morning SCOPHian’ - an internal newsletter to be used as communication platform)

SCOPH Letter to LPOs (a technical letter with information, announcements and instructions for active members on a local level)

Regional MSN Meetings (facilitated by the SCOPH Regional Assistants, open for all regional SCOPHians to share ideas and experiences)