Naomi Etoni Dongo: I wrote a list of some extracurriculars I wanted to do before finishing medical school
“Sometime in 2022, I wrote a list of some extracurriculars I wanted to do before finishing medical school.
I am excited to have finally ticked everything off.
My journey to the final activity has genuinely been the most tasking, and also the most rewarding.
In the past weeks, I’ve physically attended the Global Health Education Track of the 12th Youth Pre-World Health Assembly by IFMSA (International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations).
Emphasis on ‘physically’ because the Pre-WHA Sessions actually started online as far back as in March 2024.
With about 70 participants across 39 countries, the program aimed to provide a platform for youth to gain knowledge in globalhealth and engage meaningfully in global health spaces. This year’s theme was ‘New Voices in Global Health Leadership, Policy, and Diplomacy.’
More than 45 esteemed speakers, from a range of Organisations; World Health Organization to NCD Alliance and the SDGIA ORG joined our sessions, which held from May 19th to 25th, delivering insightful discussions on key topics within the 77th World Health Assembly including Social Participation in UHC, Health Emergencies, Maternal, Child and Adolescent health, Building meaningful partnership in Global health and Youth Engagement in Health.
For some excerpts;
On Day 2; we took a tour of the World Health Organization (WHO) Headquarters in Geneva.
We also had a Workshop with the Tuberculosis Unit of the WHO on The Road to ending TB; a particularly insightful session for me as I had a discourse with some members of the team about adapting this road map to the realities in subsaharan Africa.
On Day 3; We got a tour of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies – IFRC Headquarters in Geneva.
As someone who has had little exposure to the Red Cross, it was interesting to learn the history of the Red Cross, and participate in the session that educated us on how the Red Cross operates, interlinks to healthcare and also work on a case study on how they would respond to the lingering crisis in DRC Congo.
The rest of the day, was occupied with two more sessions; one on International Cooperations and Partnerships, and the final one on advocacy.
We’ve discussed Global Health, and Advocacy Topics extensively that I’m filled with so much knowledge that I know I’ll have to slowly digest over time.
Apart from taking from the speakers, I’ve also tried to give back by sharing my own unique experiences, perspectives and lessons learned from my personal journey in advocacy.”
