Inside the Issue: Welcome Executive Director
SNO section
Conference on the Move 2018
Best Posters TUFH 2018
TUFH 2019
New At-Large Board Member
Board Members international
The Board of Directors is very pleased to announce that thanks to additional resources provided by the
ECFMG/FAIMER Board of
Directors, we are able to
reorganize and strengthen
the Secretariat. Nick Torres
is he new Interim Executive
Director of The Network:
Towards Unity for Health
with Alberta Steans Parsons
shifting to an important role
as administrative manager.
Aricia De Kempeneer will
continue to coordinate key
administrative support and
Raymond Yuan as our admi-
nistrative assistant.
You can hear about Nick’s background and his views for The Network: TUFH in this video.
You can reach Nick at [email protected]
Greetings Network: TUFH Community,
TUFH2018 was another great conference. At the
University of Limerick, in Ireland 366 people from 42
countries came together to network, learn, discuss
and all work Towards Unity For Health!
I would like to thank the Organizing and Scientific
Committee; SNO; the Keynote Speakers; the present-
ers; and the participants for making it a productive and
enjoyable conference!
TUFH2019 promises to be an excellent Conference
where we will celebrate our 40th Anniversary in
Darwin, Australia. More information on page 5. The
call for abstracts is open, so submit your abstract now
and don’t miss TUFH 2019!
Make sure to follow us on social media to see TUFH 2018 TUFH-Talks, pictures, updates for TUFH 2019,
exciting news and research, etc. on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn!
I hope you enjoyed TUFH 2018 and look forward to seeing you at TUFH 2019!
With the New Year coming in, I want to wish all of you a healthy, happy and successful 2019!
Sincerely, Aricia De Kempeneer
Editor-in-chief
Newsletter Date: November 30, 2018 BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Secretary General
Henry Campos
Vice-Secretary General
Elsie Kiguli-Malwadde
Former Secretary General
Jan De Maeseneer
Regional Representatives
Geraldine Beaujean (Europe)
Godwin Aja (Africa)
Khalifa Elmusharaf (EMRO)
Dimity Pond (Western Pacific
David Marsh (North America)
Paulo M. Carvalho Jr (Latin Am.)
Kamayani Mahabal (Southeast Asia)
At-Large Members
Francisco Lamus
Bjorg Palsdottir
William P. Burdick
Nighat Huda
Executive Director
Nick Torres
Education for Health
Michael Glasser
Student Network Org.
Vishnupriya Vijayalekshmi
Newsletter Editor in Chief
Aricia De Kempeneer
Office of the Secretariat
Alberta Steans Parsons
Aricia De Kempeneer
Raymond Yuan
Successful TUFH 2018 and Exciting TUFH 2019!
Submit you abstract for TUFH 2019 now!
Welcome to New Interim Executive Director Nick Torres
Cultural Dinner and Dance TUFH 2018
Page 2 Community Update
Conference on the Move in Limerick, Ireland By Alberta Steans Parsons, Raymond Yuan and Aricia De Kempeneer
GEMx– SNO Exchange 2018 By Veronika Duwel and Esther Hallal
Hear all about Esther Hallal expierence as one of the student
winners of the GEMx-SNO Exchange 2018!
TUFH 2018 offered 16 inspiring Community Site Visits for the Conference in the Move, each paired with an exciting Cultural Visit!
Click on the logo to read more about some of the visits!
Reginaldo A. O. Freitas Júnior
Mugahid Elmahi
Dhafer Ahmed Alshehri
Best Poster Winners TUFH 2018 By Aricia De Kempeneer
Page 3
Being the President of SNO, a Unique Life Experience.
By Veronika Duwel and Alejandro Avelino
Page 4 Community Update
Join SNO for free as a student
“I am Alejandro Avelino Bonilla, during the 2017-2018 period I was president of the Student Network Organization and together with
a wonderful team, we directed this group. We, not only, made SNO what it is today, but we also created a beautiful, international
family. We faced great challenges together from the beginning, from rethinking of the organization goals and managing it, to the plan-
ning and execution of the first exclusive activity for students, SNO summer school. We also had more than twice as many members
and we had a historic student attendance at the most recent conference in Limerick, Ireland. All these achievements position the
students as invaluable members of The Network: TUFH, not only because of our numbers, but also because we are the present and
the future. For me, it has been an invaluable experience, because it has allowed me to grow personally and professionally. I have met incredible
people who have accompanied me in the process and shared with me their experience, work and friendship. After all, that is what the
SNO and The Network: TUFH are about; sharing and receiving, listening and be listened to, discovering the wonderful results of
working with other people, with other professionals and with your friends. I simply could not have found a better place to experience
all this and I thank God, life, and of course all of you for this opportunity. Now my graduation is approaching, an exciting stage begins, time to continue making my dreams come true as a graduate doctor with
many more tools to help people and communities. I will continue working for and with the students, SNO and The Network from
this new stage, as I continue growing I will see you all grow too. Let this be not only a note in the Newsletter, but also a declaration
of love for what we do keep dreaming, and keep working.
Kind regards from Colombia to all of you.”
“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams” - Eleanor Roosevelt
The dream of a 3rd year medical student from the state of Kerala, India, to be a part of The Network: TUFH
family became the motivation to attend the International conference in South Africa in 2015 and in the sub-
sequent year, in China. The journey of 1000 miles began with the selection into The Student Network Or-
ganization team as the South East Asia Regional representative in 2016. The following year, the vice presi-
dent of the team, and now as the president of SNO team 2018-19, let me introduce myself.
“My name is Vishnupriya Vijayalekshmi and I’m a medical graduate from Kerala University of Health Sciences. As someone who has
been attending The Network: TUFH Conferences for the past 4 years, and who has been in the leadership team of the Student Net-work Organization for the past 2 years, it’s my privilege to lead this dynamic network of students who are committed to work together
for the empowerment of people and communities. SNO aims to increase student participation in activities, focused on the advancement
in health care through multi sectoral collaboration, give students the opportunity to connect with peers and health professionals, and
bring an impact in their community through this global network. The coordinated effort of the SNO Team 2017, has been one of the
contributing factors to the success of the Limerick conference and as president of the new team, I believe I can keep up the momentum
and build up the new generation of student leaders. We aim to achieve an efficient execution of the SNO activities during the annual conference, as well as to extend our focus into the
engagement of students in public health related activities at institutional level and ensure that the cardinal principles of social accounta-
bility get implemented at the grassroots level. The amendment in the organizational structure and the recruitment of national repre-
sentatives has been one of the strategies adopted to facilitate the growth of the network. The team will be committed to bring out a
sustainable impact in the student community through interdisciplinary collaboration and thereby create a platform which can serve as
the foundation for an equitable health care system.
Next international conference is in September 2019, in Australia. Hope to see you all there!!!”
Living the Dream
By Veronika Duwel and Vishnupriya Vijayalekshmi See Vishnu’s video here!
Page 5
The Joint Planning Committee, Student Network Organization and Scientific Committee for TUFH 2019 are working hard to make
TUFH 2019 an exceptional conference. It will be hosted by Flinders University in the beautiful Darwin, Australia. The conference
venue is set in a stunning tropical waterfront location, the spectacular Darwin Convention Centre is a world class venue for business
events.
In 2019 The Network: Towards Unity For Health will celebrate it’s 40th anniversary! The 40th Anniversary Committee will assure a
year of memories and a spectacular conclusion at TUFH 2019. Don’t miss it!
The Keynote Speakers confirmed so far: • Paul Worley, National Rural Health Commissioner (Australia)
• Tom Calma, Chancellor University of Canberra
• Jules Iradukunda, student University of Rwanda
The theme for TUFH 2019 is Social Accountability: from Evidence to Action!
T The Sub-Themes are
The Call for Abstracts is NOW OPEN!
Deadline is March 3, 2019. Submit your abstract now and get it approved soon!
TUFH 2019 - The 40th Anniversary of The Network: TUFH - #TUFH2019 By Aricia De Kempeneer
Remote &
Rural health
first NatioN’s HealtH
interprofessional
education and practice Future leaders in socially accountable
education and research
Call for Abstracts
TUFH 2019
November 29, 2018
Submit your ab-
stract now!
Registrations TUFH
2019 open
January 2019
Abstract Submission
closes
March 3, 2019
TUFH 2019
September 10-13,
2019 in Darwin
Australia
New At-Large Board Member Message from the Board of Directors
Community Update Page 6
IMPORTANT DATES
Call For Stories!
Any ideas for stories/
features for our newsletter?
Suggestions on conferences
and events that might inter-
est our members? Feel free
to share them by contacting
us at newslet-
It could be featured in our
next edition!
Klaus Von Pressentin has stepped down as At-Large Board Member of The Network:
TUFH. We want to thank him for his time and commitment as a Board Member.
Klaus was part of the Membership Committee. He actively helped organize TUFH
2018. He presented a TUFH-Talk and posters at the TUFH 2018 Conference. He will
remain an active member of The Network: TUFH. We look forward to fruitful col-
laborations in the future. From all of us a heartfelt Thank You for your
energy and leadership and See You Soon!
We are happy to announce the arrival of a new At-Large Board Member that has
been an active TUFH member since 1991! Prof. Nighat Huda has worked endlessly
in Pakistan for nearly thirty four years promoting community-oriented medical
education and further enhancing the quality of medical and health professions
education. She has worked in the initial planning as WHO Coordinator on the
project of Initiation of Community Oriented Medical Education (COME) in
Pakistan and worked with leaders such as Prof. Zohair Nooman (Egypt) and
Bashir Hammad (Sudan).
Prof. Huda is the Founding member of the Women and Health Task Force (WHTF), and was Chair of
WHTF for eight years (2005-2012). In 2011, Prof Huda was elected as Chair of TUFH. Currently, she is the
interim Chair of WHTF and member of Inter-professional Task Force. In Pakistan, her current position is
Professor and Director Health Professions Education & Head Department of Health Care Education at
Liaquat National Hospital & Medical College, at Karachi. She has special interest in Women’s Health and has
been engaged with National Committee on Maternal and Neonatal Health.
We are very honored to have her as new addition to the Board of Directors. She will undoubtedly help
evolve The Network: TUFH to its fullest potential. From all of us a big WELCOME to the Board of Direc-
tors!
Read her interview here.
Klaus von Pressentin
TUFH 2019 Conference Venue
Prof. em. Jan De Maeseneer, M.D., Ph.D. , the former Secretary General and current Board
Member represented our organization at the WHO Global Conference on Primary Health
Care. His keynote lecture was well received. The flyers off The Network: TUFH and TUFH
2019 were almost all gone.
Professor Godwin Aja, Regional Board Member for Africa, attended the 2nd African Forum for Research
and Education in Health (AFREHealth) held in South Africa. The 1st AFREHealth symposium
generated tremendous interest about The Network: TUFH. Some of those participants and
institutions attented TUFH 2018. The theme of the 2018 symposium was Towards Achie-
ving Universal Health Coverage in Africa: Creating Synergies and
Capacity Through Education, Research and Quality Health Services. Over 385 participants
from across Africa and beyond participated in the symposium. His oral presentation was on
Promoting the achievement of universal health coverage through community-oriented
education: The Role of The Network: TUFH. About 70 participants
attended the session. He will be reaching out to those individuals and institutions.
The Network: TUFH Vice-Secretary General Dr. Elsie Kiguli-Malwadde and Student Net-
work Organization Nigeria National Representative Benedict Essong represented our
organization at the Federation of African Medical Students' Association (FAMSA) General
Assembly at Ibadan, Nigeria.
If you want to represent our organization, you can find the PowerPoint and
Flyer here.
If you want represent SNO, e-mail them at [email protected]
Board Members Representing The Network: TUFH Message from the Board of Directors
Nighat Huda