CANDIDATURE FOR

VICE-PRESIDENT FOR EXTERNAL AFFAIRS

CLAUDEL P-DESROSIERS

MOTIVATION LETTER

Dear IFMSA Family,

It is a real pleasure and honour for me to present to you my candidature for the office of Vice-

President for External Affairs of the International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations.

The reasons motivating my candidature are in fact quite simple. I have found in IFMSA what I

truly feel valuable in an organisation: energy, passionate members, effective mobilisation, endless

diversity and a sincere strive for change. It is with those things in mind that I will carry out my

term, should I be elected.

My name is Claudel P-Desrosiers, I am a medical student at the University of Montreal and the

current IFMSA Think Global Initiative Coordinator. I am also the incumbent IFMSA-Quebec

President, leading a national team of more than 70 officers for a second term. I have always had a

strong interest in global issues, with a personal background in politics, social activism and human

rights. I have developed, through a constant involvement in the local, national and international

spheres, an expertise in global health, advocacy, social change and youth implication. IFMSA has

allowed me to meet passionate students who transformed my hope of being a physician into a

dream of being a dedicated global health doctor for whom the profession is not only a title, but a

social commitment.

My two terms as IFMSA-Quebec President have been an amazing journey. One highlight has been

a constant personal growth that has allowed me to develop good leadership and team

management skills. My competencies in various fields, including strategic planning, fundraising,

social media and advocacy have flourished. I have constantly pushed my limits further, only to

bring the organisation to a more professional and sustainable level. Working in this stimulating and

empowering setting at the national level lead me to firmly believe that I had the capacity to give

the same level of energy to the International Federation. I believe I am prepared to assume the

functions of an IFMSA Executive Board Member, and I think that External Affairs are a good fit for

my skills and past experience: this is why you are reading these lines today.

As the coordinator of the IFMSA Task Force on Mission and Vision, I have contributed to the

successful adoption of the first vision in more than ten years for the Federation and of an

updated mission that truly represents the members globally. This year, I have the chance to co-

lead the Think Global Initiative: our priorities are to engage with members and to answer their

needs by increasing our presence at IFMSA meetings, by strengthening the policy work part, by

revising our social media strategy accordingly, and by equally involving the five regions.

Being active in IFMSA in the past years has helped me gain a firm and valuable insight on the

Federation’s strengths and challenges. Our Federation is at a turning point with the development

of a strategic plan for 2014-2017. Hence, the plan of action that I have developed answers those

needs and abides with IFMSA’s new strategic plan. The four focus points, detailed below in my

plan of action, are: sustainable fundraising and partnerships; building capacity in external

representation; IFMSA outreach and visibility; and team dynamics.

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MOTIVATION LETTER

To actively improve what is present while solidifying what has been done for the past 63 years is

on top of my priorities. Identifying problems and delivering creative solutions are some of my

skills. I offer professionalism, dedication, time and energy. I commit myself to be a reliable and

supportive person, a fun and dynamic team player, and a trustworthy board member that strives

for excellence. Above all, I am always keen to learn and to grow as a person and as a leader.

During the 2014-2015 term, I will have the full support of my university, my NMO, as well as that

of friends and family. I will be taking a year off school, which will profit me with a flexible

schedule. Moreover, this will allow me to best manage my responsibilities and availability, as well

as to easily travel and engage with you, NMOs, and with IFMSA key partners.

The Federation has a long history of empowering medical students to tackle global issues that

know no boundaries and that matter to our generation. As IFMSA grows stronger with the years

thanks to the dedication and work of its members around the globe, I firmly believe that External

Affairs are a key for our partners globally to see our massive potential and willingness to shape a

sustainable and healthy future.

We are doing fantastic things that we should be really proud of. Our energy, motivation and

innovative ideas are needed. Being part of a team that represents 1.3 million medical students

worldwide is perhaps not an easy task, but I strongly believe I have all the required skills to

provide our Federation with an efficient fundraising plan, capacity-building oriented strategies, and

an advocacy platform that will allow its members to reach their goals and to turn their dreams

into reality.

Dear NMO Presidents, IFMSA delegates and

members, I truly hope you will enjoy reading

this candidature.

Sincerely yours,

Claudel P-Desrosiers IFMSA-Québec President 2012/14

IFMSA Think Global Coordinator 2013/14

claudel.pdesrosiers@gmail.com

+1.438.838.0594

“ What I’ve experienced is that I can’t know

the future. I can’t know if anything I do will

change what happens tomorrow. I can’t know

with certainty, but what I do know is if I do

nothing, nothing will change.”

– Dr James Orbinski

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PLAN OF ACTION

If elected as Vice-President for External Affairs, I would like to implement the following four

points as key priorities throughout the 2014-2015 term. That being said, I will commit myself to

solidifying the work of the past years and to adapting this plan of action to the upcoming IFMSA

3-year Strategic Plan.

Sustainable Fundraising and Partnerships

Building Capacity in External Representation

IFMSA Outreach and Visibility

Team Dynamics

Please notice that the following is a preliminary plan of action. Therefore, feedback and

suggestions for improvement are more than welcome, as I am dedicated to working for a

Federation that represents its members’ global interests. I suggest a full review of this action plan

after elections and before the beginning of the term, as to ensure continuity and common

orientations with the EB-elect. I will always ensure that my primary focus stays in sync the

NMOs’ needs and expectations.

Sustainable Fundraising and Partnerships One of the Vice-President for External Affairs’ main tasks is to lead the IFMSA Fundraising

Strategy. Ensuring a sustainable fundraising strategy will allow the Federation to meet a number of

basic needs, from a permanent paid secretariat to more technology, projects and training support.

Furthermore, building viable partnerships maximizes IFMSA’s impact and will ensure united voices

to shape the healthy future we want.

Regarding Fundraising:

Screen possibilities to identify funding targets and update the grant database (with IFMSA

President and Liaison Officers);

Follow-up on the fundraising strategy developed by the 2013-2014 VPE team to ensure its full

implementation and success (with IFMSA Treasurer);

Develop and update “how-to” guides on fundraising, approaching potential sponsors, writing

grant applications and marketing (with VPE Assistant Team);

Evaluate opportunities of funding from IFMSA Alumni and Physicians around the globe (with

the IFMSA Alumni Director);

Offer assistance to the General Assembly and Regional Meeting Organizing Committees for

the needed fundraising (with VPE Regional Team);

Become more familiar with the current grant applications and recent successes and more

problematic issues prior to the start of my term;

Follow-up with the US Tax Exemption & ECFMG Issues (with IFMSA Treasurer).

Regarding Partnerships:

Carry out impact assessments of IFMSA policies and projects as a powerful tool to engage in

long-lasting partnerships with agencies and organisations;

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PLAN OF ACTION

Establish new contacts with large multinational organisations and non-profit organisations

working in the same fields as IFMSA;

Explore the benefits of establishing contact with diverse agencies (promotion, trainings,

international events, etc);

Support the work of NMOs wishing to contact governmental agencies at the national level

and support the work of IFMSA Liaison Officers in extending their network of partnerships.

Building Capacity in External Representation One of my key priorities for 2014-2015 is building capacity in terms of external affairs, from

helping newer NMOs in developing a fundraising strategy to offering a constant support to

IFMSA delegations to meetings. Doing so will enhance our skills, competencies and abilities as so

to achieve measurable and sustainable outcomes. It’s one essential key for a stronger and more

united Federation.

Toward National Members Organisations:

Encourage and support NMOs to partake in meetings happening at the National level;

Offer online and in-person trainings to NMOs on external representation, fundraising, policy

writing, corporative identity and media strategy;

Develop guides and training videos that can be easily disseminated at the local and national

levels on external affairs (with the VPE team).

Toward IFMSA Delegations:

Provide training on external representation to IFMSA delegates when needed (background

knowledge, lobbying and public speaking skills);

Take part in preparations of major external events (such as the World Health Assembly and

WHO Regional Meetings) to ensure the voice of delegations represents the various views

and perspectives of NMOs;

Support established preparation workshops (such as the Pre-WHA) and transfer this

concept to other events if found relevant;

Integrate the delegations in IFMSA Policy Plan (including follow-up strategy);

Support delegations by ensuring quality and integrity in IFMSA statements and submissions

for panels, side-events and/or workshops.

IFMSA Outreach and Visibility IFMSA has the incredible capacity of gathering perspectives on medical students’ most pressing

issues from all around the world. Our daily work, from our standing committees’ activities to our

exchange programs, is shaping the future medical leaders. Mastering the concepts of outreach and

visibility will only positively impact the Federation’s work. Many tools are to be used, such as

press releases, corporative identity, website, blog, social media, and policy papers. I believe the

Vice-President for External Affairs to be a key player in getting the word out about the

Federation and increasing our visibility worldwide.

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PLAN OF ACTION

Marketing, Promotion and Corporate Identity:

Strengthen the press release system and develop a system to track their impact by gathering

data and gauging the response of readers online;

Activate an IFMSA online store directly on the website as to sell IFMSA promotion material

(t-shirts, pens, stickers) outside of IFMSA events;

Maintain the Corporate Identity of IFMSA at all levels of the Federation and recognize that

our identity is more than a font and logos: it goes all the way to how we conduct ourselves

and communicate with externals and partners;

Produce appealing and high-quality publications from MSI to the monthly E-newsletter, and

assist the Publications Team in raising the profile to external partners (with IFMSA PubSDD);

Review IFMSA’s current promotional materials and develop new tools and materials if found

necessary (an IFMSA App for instance);

Support and maintain a generic IFMSA General Assembly sponsorship prospectus and

promotional booklet (with Organizing Committees).

Media Strategy:

Analyse our current social media techniques to sharpen our presence on the web;

Develop a media strategy containing multiple means of utilizing social media to target

externals, local members and potential partners;

Determine successful ways to manage IFMSA social media platforms; (Facebook, Twitter,

Youtube, WordPress, etc);

Evaluate the possibility of promoting IFMSA through the use of videos (activities, updates);

Develop media contact in countries where IFMSA is holding General Assemblies and

Regional Meetings (with the Organizing Committees);

Follow-up with Microblau and the website management platform so it fits with our needs and

expectations (with IFMSA NTSDD);

Distribute IFMSA Policy Statements through the means of immediate press releases after

their adoptions at General Assemblies.

Team Dynamics Being part of the IFMSA Executive Board is more than being a leader of the Federation; the

beating heart of the position lays in good team dynamics, within the Executive Board, the Team of

Officials, the VPE International Team and the NMOs. From the very moments following elections, I

will work on team building, bringing a positive and energetic attitude along the way. I am a reliable

person who goes beyond obligations and I promise to do my best to administer this great

Federation responsibly.

Core Values: Cooperation, Reliability, Respect, Professionalism, Teamwork

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PLAN OF ACTION

Toward the Executive Board:

Efficiency in decision-making;

Professional communication;

Team spirit and leadership;

Constant availability.

Toward the Team of Officials:

Support the work of the Support Divisions (individual and group meetings, assistance upon

request);

Support and lead the Officials in matters related to external representation;

Implement the 2014-2017 Strategic Plan (and revise the later, if pertinent);

Include the Officials in decision-making processes, when relevant;

Foster a positive attitude towards fellow team members.

Toward the VPE Team:

Continuously work for the betterment of IFMSA together with the VPE teams (fundraising

team, media production team, policy statement review committee and press coordinator

team);

Assure constant availability and support; provide resources to strengthen the team’s overall

work.

Towards NMOs and IFMSA Members:

Focus on providing concrete support for all members of the Federation;

Develop tools to strengthen NMOs’ work at the local and national levels in terms of

external representation and fundraising;

Work together with the IFMSA President and Liaison Officers to maximise our relations with

external partners as so to offer new and constant resources to NMOs and active members;

Offer a communication channel for all whom have questions and/or more specific needs

regarding external representation, policy writing and fundraising;

Ensure meaningful NMO Management Sessions during IFMSA General Assemblies and

Regional Meetings.

Remarks on the Redefinition of the Vice-President’s Tasks As this candidature is being submitted, I am fully aware that some bylaw changes might be

submitted in due time to better define the tasks of the IFMSA Vice-President for External Affairs,

and that a discussion on the matter is most likely to happen during the March Meeting 2014

Presidents’ Sessions. The above plan of action is based on the current tasks as according to

bylaws 7.2.5, but I would be more than happy to revise it after the March Meeting according to

NMO Presidents’ wishes and opinions.

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CURRICULUM VITAE

EDUCATION 2011 – … Medicinae Doctor, University of Montreal

Expected Date of Graduation: June 2017 (one-year delay)

2009 – 2011 Pre-University Degree, Health Science, Humanities and Arts

Cégep de l’Outaouais (graduated with honors)

SCHOLARSHIP AND AWARDS Exceptional Contribution to Quebec Society, Quebec Government, November 2013

Youth Ambassador of Montreal, Youth Forum of Montreal, June 2013

Laureate Forces Avenir, “Personality of the Year”, October 2012

Lieutenant Governor Youth Medal, Province of Quebec, May 2012

Social Involvement Scholarship, March 2012

Leader per excellence Award, Cegep de l’Outaouais, May 2011

$ 4,000 Scholarship from the Millennium Scholarship Foundation, Canada

STUDENT WORK – HEALTH, MEDICINE & IFMSA 2012/14 Vice-President for International Affairs, Quebec Federation of Medical Students

2012/14 President, International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations – Quebec Have represented all Quebec medical students both locally and internationally. Have leaded a national team of

more than 70 officers. Have developed the organisation advocacy division and has instituted the first strategic plan.

Have lead more than 5 delegations to international meetings. Our mission is to improve health here and abroad.

2013/14 Coordinator, IFMSA Think Global Initiative

Think Global is an IFMSA initiative project that wishes to develop a network of young medical students who are

empowering to act on global health issues. It equips students with core knowledge and understanding of global

health issues and skills to take action, so as to train global leaders and advocates for medical students worldwide.

2011/14 Active Member of the International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations Coordinator, pre-general assembly workshops (MM2013, AM2013, MM2014)

Coordinator, pre-regional meeting of the Americas (RM2013, RM2014)

Coordinator, IFMSA Task force on Mission and Vision 2012-2014

Co-coordinator, IFMSA Small Working Group on Post-2015 2013-2014

Delegate to the UN Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals 2013

Consultant, IFMSA Small Working Group on Projects 2013-2014

Projects Regional Assistant for the Americas 2012-2013

Member, IFMSA Small Working Group on advocacy support division 2012-2013

Certified IFMSA Trainer since February 2012

Full name: Claudel Pétrin-Desrosiers

Date of Birth: April 10th, 1992

Place of Birth: Gatineau, Québec, Canada

Nationality: Canada

ADDRESS

3210-4 Edouard-Montpetit

Montreal (Québec) H3T 1J9

Languages: French and English

Phone : +1.438.838.0594

Other : +1.819.595.8737

Email: claudel.pdesrosiers@gmail.com

Twitter : @c_pdesrosiers

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CURRICULUM VITAE

RELEVANT CONFERENCES AND MEETINGS 2014/03 IFMSA 63rd General Assembly, Tunisia Co-coordinator of a preGA on post-2015 and of the theme events sessions

2014/02 IFMSA-Quebec Training Weekend Main Coordinator and trainer for the advocacy and policy stream

2013/10 World Health Summit, Berlin Germany Co-author of the abstract “Place of Health in Sustainable Development Negotiations

2013/10 Autumn National Congress, IFMSA-Quebec, Quebec City

2013/09 Autumn Meeting, Canada Federation of Medical Students, Vancouver

2013/08 IFMSA 62nd August General Assembly, Santiago Chile Co-Coordinator of the preGAs“To ensure IFMSA Excels” and “The Future we Want”

2013/06 UN Open-Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals, NYC Delegate to the IFMSA and the Major Group of Children and Youth

2013/05 Spring National Congress, IFMSA-Quebec, Sherbrooke, Canada

2013/04 Canadian Conference on Medical Education, Quebec Co-author of the abstract “Peer education projects: two-way learning”

2013/04 Global Health & Innovation Conference, Unite for Sight, USA

2013/04 Global Health Colloquium, IFMSA-Quebec, Quebec

2013/03 Annual Conference of the Consortium of Universities for Global Health Co-author of the abstract “Global Health Ambassadors In-Training”

2013/03 IFMSA 62nd March General Assembly, USA Co-coordinator of a preGA on global health equity, advocacy and climate change

2013/02 National Summit on Higher Education, Quebec Served as the only representative for all Quebec medical students

2013/02 IFMSA-Quebec Training New Trainers Weekend Main coordinator and trainer for leadership, advocacy and management sessions

2013/01 IFMSA Regional Meeting of the Americas, Salvador Co-coordinator af a preGA on global health equity

2012/11 Annual Days of Public Health, INSPQ, Montreal (Québec)

2012/10 Global Health Advocacy Training Weekend, CFMS, Ottawa

2012/10 Canadian Conference on Global Health, CSIH, Ottawa (Canada)

2012/09 Autumn Meeting, Canada Federation of Medical Students, Winnipeg

2012/08 IFMSA 61st August General Assembly, India

2012/04 Spring National Congress, IFMSA-Quebec, Montreal, Canada

2012/03 Global Health Colloquium, IFMSA-Québec, Montréal

2012/01 IFMSA Regional Meeting of the Americas, Peru

2011/10 Autumn National Congress, IFMSA-Quebec, Quebec City

OTHER RELEVANT EXPERIENCE 2013/14 Blogger for the Huffington Post Canada-Québec Permanent and institutionalized blog. Topics: health, students issues, global challenges, politics.

2012/10 World University Services of Canada (WUSC), Ottawa Invited Speaker on Effective Mobilizing, Advocacy and Youth Voices for Social Change

2012/13 Spokes-person and writer of Pour un Printemps, Quebec Citizen book calling for change on the Quebec Social Uprising of Spring 2012.

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CURRICULUM VITAE

2011/12 Youth Parliament of Québec Acted as a National Assembly Member in a non partisan simulation at the National Assembly of Quebec

2010/12 Volunteer and Training, Chantiers Jeunessse, Quebec Participated in work camps (Germany, Turkey). Coordinator of the pre-departure training.

2009/12 Amnesty International, Quebec

Invited Guest Speaker at the Annual Youth Congress. Trainer on Health as a Human Rights. Local campaign

leader and investigator on the winter 2012 national campaign.

2005/12 Solidarité-Haïti (NGO based in Quebec) Leader of the Youth Branch. Coordinator of two fundraising shows. Guest speaker at the various events

2000/12 Violin Player, Teacher and Performer Have played in more than a dozen shows and fundraising events

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS / MEDIA

Climate and Health: a call for action from tomorrow’s global leaders, Plos, November 2013

Place of Health in the Sustainable Development Negotiations, The Lancet, October 2013

Youth Voices Must Resonate, Huffington Post Impact, 2013

How does health fit into the post-2015 world?, Canadian Coalition for Global Health Research, 2013

Claudel P-Desrosiers, the hope for change, Inspiro Media, June 2013

Refugee care: we are standing up to say that this is wrong, Huffington Post, June 2013

De leur côté du rideau (From their side of view), Idées, Le Devoir, February 2013

Claudel P-Desrosiers, Personality of the Year, Forces Avenir, October 2013

Protecting Health from Climate Change, Medical Students’ International 26, August 2012

Sustainable Development and Human Health, Pulse, June 2012

Pour un Printemps, Citizen Book (Promotional Trailer), Boite Rouge, May 2012

Croire que le changement est possible (Change is Possible), Info07, May 2012

Apposer sa signature au nom des droits et libertés (Sign for liberty), Info07, March 2011

IFMSA BLOG POSTS

AMSA-Philippines answer to supertyphoon Haiyan, November 2013

Protecting and Promoting Health in the face of climate change, November 2013

World Health Summit: a global health experience, October 2013

Taking steps forward: adoption a vision and mission, September 2013

Youth Voices must Resonate, June 2013

4th open group group on SDGs to kick off in New York on Monday, June 2013

PreRM: Global Health Equity and Health Systems in Americas, January 2013

GENERAL FIELDS OF INTEREST

Global/Public Health, Advocacy, Politics, Youth Empowerment, Social Equity and Music

PERSONAL SKILLS

Attentive leader, dynamic and creative team player, hard worker, endless energy and motivation.

Please do approach me during the March Meeting for any questions you may have and/or

email me at claudel.pdesrosiers@gmail.com!

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ATTESTATION OF C.V. COMPONENTS

Dearest National Member Organizations,

As the incumbent IFMSA-Québec Vice-President for Internal Affairs, I would like to express our

NMO’s unconditional support of Claudel P-Desrosiers’s candidacy for the office of IFMSA Vice-

President for External Affairs, for the upcoming 2014-2015 term. On behalf of IFMSA-Quebec, I

attest all elements detailed in Claudel’s curriculum vitae to be true, that is to say that she has in

fact held all the positions listed and participated in the activities aforementioned.

Throughout the years, I have had the opportunity to witness Claudel’s progression as an

outstanding student leader and activist. Her constant leadership and integrity have always been a

personal source of inspiration. Her passion, sense of duty and teamwork ethics have governed

every project she has invested herself in. Her success in developing new partnerships with

national health agencies was a notable achievement, as it placed IFMSA-Québec in a strategic

position to get itself known throughout our province and to introduce an advocacy platform in

our NMO.

Working closely with her, I couldn’t help but witness her passion, devotion and love for the

Federation through the multiple positions she held within it, starting as a Local Officer for Global

Health and quickly taking upon her more and more responsibilities: coordinating pre-GA

workshops, participating in small working groups, leading a successful taskforce, taking part in

IFMSA delegations to the UN, and more recently leading the Think Global Initiative; all this while

leading our NMO with brio. Claudel’s degree of active participation and constant collaboration in

the Federation, both nationally and internationally, throughout these many years is a

demonstration of her immense passion for our family. She brought much needed fresh air to

IFMSA-Québec, allowing us to celebrate this year our 10th anniversary with great success.

Claudel is a true inspiration to her colleagues. Her recent nomination as a Youth Ambassador of

Montreal testifies to her ability to serve as a model of social activism for not only the medical

students within our NMO, but also for all the youth of Québec.

In accordance with Bylaw 3.12.3., I hereby confirm the veracity of all positions and realizations

mentioned in Claudel’s candidature. I, along with the 3700 medical students of my NMO, proudly

and warmly support her candidacy to the office of IFMSA Vice-President for External Affairs.

On behalf of the IFMSA-Québec 2013-2014 Executive Board,

David Alexandre Galiano

Vice-President for Internal Affairs , IFMSA-Québec

vpi@ifmsa.qc.ca

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SEE YOU IN TUNISIA!

IFMSA UNITES MEDICAL STUDENTS WORLDWIDE TO LEAD INITIATIVES THAT IMPACT POSITIVELY THE COMMUNITIES WE SERVE. IFMSA REPRESENTS THE OPINIONS AND IDEAS OF FUTURE HEALTH PROFESSIONALS IN THE FIELD OF GLOBAL HEALTH, AND WORKS IN COLLABORATION WITH EXTERNAL PARTNERS. IFMSA BUILDS CAPACITY THROUGH TRAINING, PROJECTS AND EXCHANGE OPPORTUNITIES, WHILE EMBRACING CULTURAL DIVERSITY SO AS TO SHAPE A SUSTAINABLE AND HEALTHY FUTURE.