Medical Society: Policy, Public Health and Leadership Chair

I would like to run for Policy, Public health, and Leadership chair as I believe I am well-equipped to bring out the most from this role. I have previous experience from being the chair of Vascular Surgery for Surgical Society. Within this role, I led a team of nine and held numerous events including talks and a systematic review series in collaboration with a prominent journal. Previous to this year, the Vascular Surgery subcommittee did not have social media or a logo giving me the opportunity to establish both. Moreover, I have also experience from being on the pilot committee of BMMA as an outreach officer as well as experience from being on the Student MedAid London committee. Within these roles, I've had to liaise with doctors, organise events and research opportunities for students. I believe my experience as part of the Student MedAid London committee is valuable to this role as although the primary focus is global health, this is very intertwined with national public health and has similar problems and issues to address. As part of this role, I wrote a blog post about cardiovascular health in migrant populations both internationally and nationally, detailing public health solutions. Additionally, it involved coordinating healthcare equipment donations which also give me an idea of how the system and different CCGs work. I have always had an interest in wider policy-making and the healthcare system in the UK and this could not be a more interesting time to tackle such a role. 

Hi everyone, my name is Ian Rodrigues! I think I am well-suited to the role of Policy, Public Health and Leadership Chari. In the past, I have given talks on the growing problem of Childhood Obesity and return articles on topics such as the mental health of medical professionals and ethical implications of legalising drugs for medical use, euthanasia and abortion. I also completed an EPQ asking "Could we achieve a health care system that maximises both equity and efficiency?"

I am a 3rd year medical student currently doing an iBSc in Neuroscience, but I would like to take a step back from the fine focus of academia and take a more systemic view of how health is maximised at the level of leadership. I feel very passionately about the movement of money within the NHS, and hope to unwind what seems like a despicably complex process. Lastly, with strikes happening within the NHS I believe this field is more relevant than ever. I am someone who believes varied opinion and debate is crucial to optimising outcomes when it comes to health policy, and I would love to translate that approach to events held in MedSoc.

I have plenty of ideas for this role, including the workshops on the most effective means to influence health policy as a medical student and junior doctor, as well as talks shining light on less-spoken about topics like social stigma associated with prescription of psychiatric drugs.