National Committee 2019/20

Hallo!

I’m Harpreet and I’m really excited to be taking on the role of National Director for this year. I’ve been part of SfGH for over 4 years and have seen our network go from strength to strength. This year I’m particularly excited about the launch of our new strategic Plan 2019-2021. The team, headed by Lucy (ND 18-19) has been working really hard over last year and it’ll be wonderful to be able to start working on it as a network. I’m looking forward to meeting all of you at both national and local events over the year – please do say hi!

Director of International Affairs- Hamza Ejaz

I have been part of the National Committee for two years now, serving the role of the National Exchange officer. As part of this role, I worked closely with the International Team and the Director of International Affairs to represent the U.K at international events. These experiences increased my interest in the International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations (IFMSA) and other international organizations working with us. It motivated me to strengthen the voice of the U.K at such international platforms and help ensure the needs of the U.K students are well represented at these platforms.

I am looking forward to working with our international partners on joint projects; selecting and preparing delegates for our delegations to international conferences including IFMSA March and August General Assemblies. Furthermore, I am really excited to work with and support the work of the National Director and the whole National network.

Director of Branch Affairs- Muha Hassan

Hello!

I’m Muha, a final year medical student at Keele and I’m delighted to be acting as the Director of Branch Affairs for Students for Global Health this year.

Branches run sessions to educate, advocate and act on various global health issues through training, campaigning and many other activities that occur locally, nationally and internationally. I’ve been a SfGH member (formerly named Medsin) for the past four years and I’ve also been on the local (Keele) and the national committee.

My main role is to support the development of the branches across the network, so for the year ahead, I will be working closely with your regional coordinator to ensure your branch is well supported by the network. I’m also working on the branch development fund, which a pot of money set aside to support new and expanding branch projects.

Being part of SfGH is a fantastic opportunity to meet other students from diverse backgrounds and we all have at least one thing in common: a passion for global health! I would strongly encourage members to engage with their local branches and to get involved in the issues they’re passionate about. I hope to see you at one of our SfGH events!

Director of Finance- Angela Lam

Hi everyone!

I’m Angela your Finance Director for 2019-2020. Finance is so important to keep the network going and to support our branches. There are three areas that I would like to focus on this year:

1) financial sustainability,

2) alumni engagement, and

3) financial training.

Communications Director- Zofia Witkowska

Hi all!

My name is Zofia and I’m currently in my fourth year of Medicine at UCL. I extremely happy to be your new Communications Director!

My adventure with SfGH started with attending March Meeting 2019 in Slovenia. This experience has had a huge impact on my life and motivated me to work towards increasing engagement of our fantastic students both within our organisation and internationally. Hence, I couldn’t be more excited for being able to connect you all to superb events organised by SfGH and our various partners!

Global Health Education Director- Sana Hasan

Global Health Education is all about making sure you – our members – get the information you need in the way you need it. Our aim to ensure that if you want to learn about Global Health, you know where to start. Want a book recommendation? Get in touch! Want to put on a Short Course at your university? Check out the Hub, where all our educational resources live. Want to get involved in a new podcast for SfGH, run by its members? Drop us a line. We want to ensure the network is run by you, and also gives back to its members. If you’re interested in learning more about the world around you, this is for you.

Policy and Advocacy Director- Lopa Banerjee

I’m so excited to be your Policy and Advocacy Director this year and hear about the campaigns you care about, as well as discuss how we can make an impact to these causes as a network of passionate and empowered students. We’re also hoping to update current policies, make new policies (including on Universal Health Coverage, Mental Health and LGBTQ+ health), and contribute to policies more globally published by the International Federation of Medical Students Association (IFMSA).

So, if you’re interested in taking part in a campaign or learning more about policies, on any global health topic, please get in touch!

Training Director- Antonis Tofias

Hello fellow SfGHers!

My name is Antonis and it is with great pleasure that I am introducing myself as the National Training Director of the network for the academic year ahead! I am a third year medical student from Bristol who’s been in SfGH since the first year of my studies!

The reason I joined SfGH was to be part of a network that gives people a platform to facilitate change! As a student on a budget, I felt that there’s not much that I could do to tangibly help achieve sustainable equity in health across the globe. What I could do however, was share my enthusiasm and passion for training! Advocate for the change I want to see in the world – share my knowledge and experience, through non-formal education, and empower students who are able to, to drive change themselves!

This year I am mostly looking forward to meeting all the new inspiring trainers that will join SfGH UK’s training network!

I am a strong believer in the butterfly effect and a hopeless activist – if as a network, we inspire just one person to become an advocate of change, then this challenge is worthy of our efforts!

Secretary- Catherine Dominic

I joined NC for the opportunity to work more closely with SfGH from within and really understand and the structure and working of the organisation, as well as to meet wonderful people and learn lots about organisational skills. I am excited to continue developing the database and to see the map project finalised, as well as ensuring all the governance documents are up to date!

National Exchange Officer (incoming)- Chaitra Dinesh

Chaitra dressed in traditional Taiwanese clothes at the August Meeting 2019 in Taiwan. An international event where we sign contracts with the countries that we want to exchange students with

I am super happy to be carrying on as National Exchange Officer for incoming students this year. I am looking forward to working on building strong foundations for new branches setting up exchanges and improving the current exchange programs. I’m super excited to work with everyone in the exchanges team and the national committee to increase the awareness of exchanges! My passion for global health started with exchanges and keeps growing every year – meeting inspiring people has been my motivation to apply for this role. I hope to serve you, SfGH members, to the best of my ability.

National Exchange Officer (outgoing)- Catarina Alves Soares

This year we have the opportunity to expand exchanges and I’m so excited to be part of this effort! I joined national committee with a vision to increase opportunities for UK medical students to go on exchange, and I’m keen to get the wider network involved in our work.

I’m looking forward to a year of getting to know the network better and learning about global health, as well as hopefully seeing exchanges set up at more medical schools across the country!

National Officer for Research Exchange (incoming)- Shayo Oshodi

I am a final year medical student at Newcastle University and the incoming Research Exchange Officer for this year. I’m excited about providing more international research opportunities for both UK and students from abroad. In my free time I enjoy training in Muay Thai and trying out pretty much any sport I get the chance to.

National Officer for Research Exchange (outgoing)- Anuradha Ponnapalli

Hi everyone! I’m Anuradha and I’m the NORE for the year 2019-2020.

I am currently going into my 2nd year doing medicine at The University of Manchester, after completing a degree in Biomedical Science at Newcastle University.

I am really excited to be taking on my role as NORE (outgoing), playing a greater role nationally and working with my international counterparts. 

I hope to encourage more people to take an interest in research and increase the involvement of people of different disciplines within the SfGH community. If you are curious about Research Exchanges, please do get in touch!

Affiliates Coordinator- Kate Beckett

My name is Kate and I am the new Affiliates Coordinator for 2019-20! I first joined SfGH back in 2016 and have since spent two years on my local committee and attended an IFMSA March Meeting. I chose to run for Affiliates Coordinator because I strongly believe our Affiliates are one of the most important and under-celebrated parts of SfGH (see the Affiliates section of the website if you’re not sure who they are!) These groups of inspiring young people are incredibly successful in educating others and running meaningful projects/campaigns around specific global health issues. I am very excited to work alongside them this year, aiming to promote unity and cooperation between our organisations and combine our efforts to fight for fairer and more equitable health for all!

South-East Regional Coordinator- Isobel Francis

I can’t wait to hear about and be a part of all the exciting things the South East get up to this year, especially the two National Conferences being held in the region! I love the enthusiasm that everyone brings to their local branch and am excited to be around people who are passionate about health equality.

Midlands Regional Coordinator- Annabel Pilecka

Hello to the Students for Global Health Network!

My name is Annabel and I am extremely excited to be your Midlands Regional Coordinator for this next year!

Who am I? A bit about me: I am a fifth year medical student from Keele who also adores going to the theatre, reading plays, collecting cacti and discovering new places.

What is my role? My role is to inspire, connect, network the Midland regional branches- bring them together to advocate change and spread the enthusiasm for all things Global Health. By bringing together people, with their inspiring ideas and positive morale, I believe we can work together to make change both locally and nationally.

What shall I bring to the committee? Enthusiasm! Energy!

Am I excited to start? Well if you could not tell already, yes I certainly am.

I look forward to working with you all this next year. Any questions please don’t hesitate to contact me on the above email.

I look forward to working with you all this next year!

Northern Regional Coordinator- Rena Kaur

Hi everyone, I’m Rena!

I’m really looking forward to getting to know and supporting the Northern branches – new and old – in any way they need. This year I really want to focus on collaboration in the region, for example I will be encouraging the sharing of event ideas, resources, as well as highs and lows between the branches.

I’ve had the best few years on my local committee and am excited to build on all of our achievements and continue to work towards our vision!

Scotland and Northern Ireland Regional Coordinator- Sophie Ettinger

Hey!

I’m Sophie, Scotland & Northern Ireland’s Regional Coordinator, and looking forward to the year ahead! I have had a blast the last couple of years attending SfGH conferences, SGA, EuRegMe and being on my local Aberdeen committee – so  I am most excited to contribute to SfGH on a national level. I’d love to see our region grow and improve collaboration between the branches themselves.