I currently work at Barwon health as a casual RN, so. I am familiar with the hospital's policies, procedures and facilit
General Elections Nomination Statements
Executive Positions
GCSC President
Candidate: Joseph Tannous Year Level in 2017: Three Clinical Site: Geelong I am running for a position on the GCSC committee because I am keen to contribute to our student life at Deakin. I have a background of experience in leadership and teamwork positions in university societies such as being vicepresident and an academic representative for the Industrial Chemistry Undergraduate Society at UNSW. In these roles I was tasked with organising different academic and student social events and liaising with academic staff as a student advocate to improve the curriculum and teaching environment. Recently, my PaSe feedback stated that I was “a reliable team member and contributed a lot to this assignment”, “had innovative ideas” and that the “quality of [my] work was excellent … he paid great attention to detail”. With your vote, I hope to contribute my experience and work ethic to the GCSC as a voice for the student doctors of Deakin University. Candidate: Nathan Duong Year Level in 2017: Three Clinical Site: Geelong The most recent leadership role I undertook was as a 2016 Peer Mentor for the incoming 1st year Medical students. As I had gone through the same experience a year prior, I could appreciate their nervousness coming into the course and wanted to do my part in improving that transition - in particular, being able to settle them into the course smoothly. As part of this role I was required to attend a Peer Mentor training day before organising weekly meetings with my assigned PBL group. Having this role allowed me to reflect on my own experiences and identify certain issues in which I could help the 1st years with, which formed the basis of the hourly meetings we had. What I found stimulating was the dialogue that occurred between myself and the PBL group – It was not just giving didactic speeches but rather having down-to-earth conversations with the students about what troubles they were having and what they wanted to know. In a similar vein, I was also in the Student Representative Committee in my last year of secondary school. As part of this role, I would generate as well as receive agendas from fellow peers regarding both the academic and social components of school to bring up in monthly meetings with the staff. As someone who is extremely passionate about proper education and student experience, I would like to take either of the listed roles so I can represent my cohort, have their voices heard, and make a difference to their learning at GCS. The aforementioned roles have been highly rewarding and I welcome the opportunity to make a positive contribution to the GCS experience, as well as take on responsibilities to further develop my leadership skills.
General Committee Positions Community and Wellbeing Chair
Candidate: Sneha George Year Level in 2017: Two Clinical Site: Waurn Ponds Hello all! I’m Sneha and I would really like to be a part of the MeDUSA committee for 2017. I haven’t held any major positions within MeDUSA this year but have plenty of experience holding both executive and general committee positions in previous years including Chairperson of the Student Trustee Council, Special Character Committee, Academic Rep and as a member of Sports and Cultural councils. With this experience under my belt, I know I am capable of leading/representing our cohort to a high standard in this role. I like to think I’m friendly and organised and believe these qualities are an essential part of any sort of leadership role. I enjoy getting involved in the community and with our cohort and am keen to continue on the events that we’ve had this year in conjunction with external organisations such as Diversitat, as well as introduce some new and fun events into the mix. I’m a strong believer of a balanced lifestyle but know how hard that is to achieve in a demanding yet rewarding course like Medicine; I hope to draw on some of my own personal experiences to guide me in this role and aim to bring us closer as a cohort, while also giving back to the great community that we live in. I hope to bring a vibrant, collaborative and fun presence to the committee and promise to do my absolute best to make your ideas and opinions heard. Candidate: Genevieve Moseley Year Level in 2017: Two Clinical Site: Waurn Ponds Community and wellbeing are the foundations of a rewarding and meaningful life. I work to achieve these in my life and I hope through this role to promote them among the Med community. My passions are fitness, nutrition and connecting with others. I am often seen in runners, eating a salad and I live by #healthybodyhealthymind. I believe looking after our physical and mental wellbeing is fundamental to resilience and getting the most out of Med School. MedFit falls under this role and as a keen MedFit goer I am hoping to make it bigger and better next year, adding in MedYoga, MeDUSA team community fun runs and weekend outdoor adventures; bringing our med community together and maintaining our physical and mental health at the same time. I am also keen to organise mental health/exercise/nutrition/mindfulness awareness nights and seminars to promote wellbeing. This month I helped organise Feast on Diversity, a night of food, music, dancing and sport at Deakin. The event brought together med students and refugees from the Geelong region to celebrate culture and community, and it was so rewarding to be a part of. My involvement in this event, as well as volunteering with Edmund Rice Camps, an organisation who run week-long retreats for disadvantaged children, has shown me what can be achieved through bringing people together. I hope to organise more community events like Feast on Diversity, co-ordinate other activities that will raise funds to contribute to community development and establish a volunteering network for Deakin Med students to connect with our community.
Med School isn’t just a stepping stone into the hospital, it’s an opportunity for connection; with each other, the wider community and within ourselves. I see the role of Community and Wellness Chair as fostering this connection and this what I will do if I am elected to the position.
IT Chair
Candidate: Phillip Te Year Level in 2017: Two Clinical Site: Waurn Ponds I’m good at computers. I am a master at Google. I’m Asian. Candidate: Joseph Tannous Year Level in 2017: Three Clinical Site: Geelong I am running for a position on the GCSC committee because I am keen to contribute to our student life at Deakin. I have a background of experience in leadership and teamwork positions in university societies such as being vicepresident and an academic representative for the Industrial Chemistry Undergraduate Society at UNSW. In these roles I was tasked with organising different academic and student social events and liaising with academic staff as a student advocate to improve the curriculum and teaching environment. Recently, my PaSe feedback stated that I was “a reliable team member and contributed a lot to this assignment”, “had innovative ideas” and that the “quality of [my] work was excellent … he paid great attention to detail”. With your vote, I hope to contribute my experience and work ethic to the GCSC as a voice for the student doctors of Deakin University. Candidate: Bobby Ou Yang Year Level in 2017: Three Clinical Site: Geelong My name is Bobby, and I’ll be a 3rd year medical student at Geelong Clinical School next year. I have yet to be a part of the MeDUSA committee, but am looking to get involved, being able to play a role in influencing our medical education journey, and to develop some new skills along the way. I have been a Peer Mentor this year at Deakin, and have previously practiced as a full-time pharmacist, including a mentoring role for pharmacy interns. Candidate: Yannick Roosje-Dol Year Level in 2017: Three Clinical Site: RCCS As child of the 90’s, I was brought up using a PC not an iPad. I’ve used computers since before I learnt to read and still use them well after. I still remember how amazing it felt to crack and patch games as an 11-year-old (please don’t look into the legality of this). During my spare time this year I built a new desktop and sometimes I post workarounds on the Microsoft support site. And while I still can’t code, I’m looking at changing this over the summer by enrolling in courses covering coding (C, HTML, PHP and JavaScript) and website design. I held the position of treasurer of the inaugural year of the Deakin science society (Waurn Ponds). I have previously completed two leadership courses in order to help me understand what is required in a leadership role. I’m aware of how Twitter
and Instagram work, I’m not a regular user myself but it’s something I don’t mind looking into. Naturally I’m well aware of Facebook’s functions and how to get it to do what I want. Even though next year I’ll be located out at Horsham in RCCS, IT is universal and I believe that distance doesn’t matter so much. Please consider me for IT Chair 2017.
Clinical School Committee Positions rd
Ballarat 3 Year Representative
Candidate: Adam Cohen Year Level in 2017: Three Clinical Site: Ballarat I would like to be nominated as the student representative for 3rd year as this is a vital role for our Ballarat cohort, and I believe I will be able to fulfil the role to the best of my abilities. I have been involved in many roles that have required me to take on organisational leadership. One of the main roles I had was working in Canada for a ski resort as not only a ski instructor (which required me to organise and lead a class of up to 12 children), but as the on site manager of the part time staff. This role required me to liaise with the lead manager and organise the part time staff each day to their morning duties and classes they were to instruct. Additionally, I had to organise equal numbers of children into each class level. This job was fast paced, varied and often involved me interacting with many stressed parents. Therefore, I believe the job equipped me with the skills to be able to relay clear instructions as well as organise and lead people within a stressful situation – all of which will be beneficial to me should I be nominated for student representative. Additionally, other areas I have been involved in include organising indoor and outdoor soccer teams and acting as a peer mentor throughout my senior schooling years. These experiences demonstrated to me the importance of being friendly, approachable and reliable, and hence will allow me to help the cohort relay feedback and any concerns that may arise. For these reasons I believe I will be an effective representative for our cohort, and appreciate your consideration. Candidate: Rebecca Lever Year Level in 2017: Three Clinical Site: Ballarat In 2016, I was the Chair for Crossing Borders and therefore have a good understanding of how MeDUSA works. Through this role, I developed expertise in event planning, budgeting and communication, as well as mediating interactions and communication between external parties and the student body. I have strong organisational and time management skills, and in combination with my past experience, I believe I can successfully fulfil the role of Ballarat 3rd Year Rep. I wish to enhance the learning of Ballarat Clinical School students in 2017, with MCQ and OSCE practices, as well as social events to keep us all sane! I am approachable and am always happy to be the voice for anyone who would like me to pass on concerns, ideas or general feedback to the clinical school. Coming from a rural background I understand the need to engage with the community and look forward to helping anyone interested to become part of the Ballarat community in any way we can! Candidate: Shehzaad Peerbux Year Level in 2017: Three Clinical Site: Ballarat
Hi everyone, I’m Shiz and I would love to be your Ballarat 3rd Year Representative My past leadership experiences include School of Public Health and Preventative Medicine (SPHPM) student rep during Honours at Monash, Junior rugby coach at Melbourne High School and a high school mentor for the past 5 years. I’ve worked with most of the (hopefully future) 3rd year Ballarat students in the past either on group assignments, PBLs/tutes or events in the past. So hopefully you would’ve seen that I’m competent, diligent, organised, quite resourceful and overall a friendly/approachable person. I’m also quite passionate, cheerful and always willing to lend a helping hand if required. Along with these attributes, I will also make a great rep because I can pretty much guarantee that we will have cake on your birthday since it’s the best way to celebrate! Thanks for your consideration!
GCSC Secretary
Candidate: Rachel Shingaki-Wells Year Level in 2017: Four Clinical Site: Geelong Hi, my name is Rachel and I'd love to be a representative for GCS in 2017. Currently, I am a Victorian Medical Women’s Society (VMWS) student representative for Deakin. I’m also an administrator for two Facebook pages, one that engages in science communication and another in evidence-based medicine/public health advocacy. I consider myself pretty organized, approachable and friendly. I have had some great experience contributing to VMWS newsletters, coordinating VMWS events and engaging in social media outreach. I have benefitted greatly from the many MCQ nights and events held at GCS. I hope to return the favour in 2017. Candidate: Kim Jennison Year Level in 2017: Three Clinical Site: Geelong We all know that the key skill in being a secretary is looking good and typing fast. I’ve taken a whole year off to work on these skills in preparation for this position, and to be honest; I’ve never looked better. As none of the incoming third year know me, a brief intro – undergrad in physiotherapy, travelled a bit, I took 2016 off to hang with my now husband in the US, worked, travelled and studied for USMLE. I haven’t had the privilege of working with Medusa or any other leadership roles outside of university but I’m confident that I have the capacity and work ethos to give either of these roles a great go in 2017. Any role in third year is an extra burden on top of the countless hours of clinical work and study so the ideal candidate needs to be organised and great with time management. Despite my lack of formal committee or leadership experience, I’ve worked in teams for years – from my days of chip and chicken packing at KFC to the last 6 years spent working as a physiotherapist (less breast, more thigh), I understand what makes a team great and what makes them work well. Communication is my strongest attribute; I’m not flustered by asking difficult questions and will happily approach staff/tutors to ensure we get the most out of our time at Barwon Health. Lastly, and most importantly, I want to ensure that the Deakin program keeps getting better; this will establish our reputation in the healthcare community and key to this is producing great graduates. In collaboration with the incoming president, I’m looking forward to passing along the constructive thoughts of the cohort so that the syllabus and clinical rotation program remains relevant and conducive to producing effective junior doctors. As a bonus, I have a few friends in the year above who are more than willing to take the confusion out of what’s about to come and are keen to provide tips/support throughout the year (I’ll bribe them if need be).
Candidate: Georgia Knapp Year Level in 2017: Three Clinical Site: Geelong Hi everyone, my name is Georgia and I am really excited to run for GCSC Sponsorship representative! I am passionate about the role of advocacy in medical students and this opportunity will allow me to play an active role in enriching the student experience. Previously, I held a similar position as the Volunteer Chairman for a Sydney University society. My primary duty was to liaise with local charity organizations to foster new connections and organise volunteering opportunities for members. Additionally, in my past role of the Events Coordinator of the USYD Fred Hollows Society I was responsible for organising fundraising events including BBQs and trivia nights and approaching local businesses for donations and sponsorship for our events. I believe that these experiences have provided me with the invaluable organisation and communication skills that are required to be successful in this role. Thank you so much for considering me! ☺
Candidate: Andrew Pham Year Level in 2017: Three Clinical Site: Geelong Hi everyone! I’m Andrew and I would love to be your GCSC Secretary. In the past I have taken on multiple leadership roles including Biomedicine Transition Leader and coordinating Honours talk for the Ritchie centre at Monash Medical Centre. During my undergraduate degree, I’ve also been involved in volunteering at a Buddhist temple in the education department where I took on the role of developing and revising the temple’s year 7-10 mathematics course. These roles have given me the opportunity to develop effective communication skills and extensive teambased skills which I believe to be essential in fulfilling this role. I am also very easy going, friendly and approachable and am always happy to help in any way I can. I hope you will consider me for this position and look forward to being your easy-going + friendly + approachable GCSC Secretary. Candidate: Joseph Tannous Year Level in 2017: Three Clinical Site: Geelong I am running for a position on the GCSC committee because I am keen to contribute to our student life at Deakin. I have a background of experience in leadership and teamwork positions in university societies such as being vicepresident and an academic representative for the Industrial Chemistry Undergraduate Society at UNSW. In these roles I was tasked with organising different academic and student social events and liaising with academic staff as a student advocate to improve the curriculum and teaching environment. Recently, my PaSe feedback stated that I was “a reliable team member and contributed a lot to this assignment”, “had innovative ideas” and that the “quality of [my] work was excellent … he paid great attention to detail”. With your vote, I hope to contribute my experience and work ethic to the GCSC as a voice for the student doctors of Deakin University. Candidate: Nathan Duong Year Level in 2017: Three Clinical Site: Geelong The most recent leadership role I undertook was as a 2016 Peer Mentor for the incoming 1st year Medical students. As I had gone through the same experience a year prior, I could appreciate their nervousness coming into the course
and wanted to do my part in improving that transition - in particular, being able to settle them into the course smoothly. As part of this role I was required to attend a Peer Mentor training day before organising weekly meetings with my assigned PBL group. Having this role allowed me to reflect on my own experiences and identify certain issues in which I could help the 1st years with, which formed the basis of the hourly meetings we had. What I found stimulating was the dialogue that occurred between myself and the PBL group – It was not just giving didactic speeches but rather having down-to-earth conversations with the students about what troubles they were having and what they wanted to know. In a similar vein, I was also in the Student Representative Committee in my last year of secondary school. As part of this role, I would generate as well as receive agendas from fellow peers regarding both the academic and social components of school to bring up in monthly meetings with the staff. As someone who is extremely passionate about proper education and student experience, I would like to take either of the listed roles so I can represent my cohort, have their voices heard, and make a difference to their learning at GCS. The aforementioned roles have been highly rewarding and I welcome the opportunity to make a positive contribution to the GCS experience, as well as take on responsibilities to further develop my leadership skills.
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GCSC 3 Year Academic Representative
Candidate: Kim Jennison Year Level in 2017: Three Clinical Site: Geelong We all know that the key skill in being a secretary is looking good and typing fast. I’ve taken a whole year off to work on these skills in preparation for this position, and to be honest; I’ve never looked better. As none of the incoming third year know me, a brief intro – undergrad in physiotherapy, travelled a bit, I took 2016 off to hang with my now husband in the US, worked, travelled and studied for USMLE. I haven’t had the privilege of working with Medusa or any other leadership roles outside of university but I’m confident that I have the capacity and work ethos to give either of these roles a great go in 2017. Any role in third year is an extra burden on top of the countless hours of clinical work and study so the ideal candidate needs to be organised and great with time management. Despite my lack of formal committee or leadership experience, I’ve worked in teams for years – from my days of chip and chicken packing at KFC to the last 6 years spent working as a physiotherapist (less breast, more thigh), I understand what makes a team great and what makes them work well. Communication is my strongest attribute; I’m not flustered by asking difficult questions and will happily approach staff/tutors to ensure we get the most out of our time at Barwon Health. Lastly, and most importantly, I want to ensure that the Deakin program keeps getting better; this will establish our reputation in the healthcare community and key to this is producing great graduates. In collaboration with the incoming president, I’m looking forward to passing along the constructive thoughts of the cohort so that the syllabus and clinical rotation program remains relevant and conducive to producing effective junior doctors. As a bonus, I have a few friends in the year above who are more than willing to take the confusion out of what’s about to come and are keen to provide tips/support throughout the year (I’ll bribe them if need be). Candidate: Andrew Pham Year Level in 2017: Three Clinical Site: Geelong Hi everyone! I’m Andrew and I would love to be your GCSC Secretary. In the past I have taken on multiple leadership roles including Biomedicine Transition Leader and coordinating Honours talk for the Ritchie centre at Monash Medical Centre. During my undergraduate degree, I’ve also been involved in volunteering at a Buddhist temple in
the education department where I took on the role of developing and revising the temple’s year 7-10 mathematics course. These roles have given me the opportunity to develop effective communication skills and extensive teambased skills which I believe to be essential in fulfilling this role. I am also very easy going, friendly and approachable and am always happy to help in any way I can. I hope you will consider me for this position and look forward to being your easy-going + friendly + approachable GCSC Secretary. Candidate: Joseph Tannous Year Level in 2017: Three Clinical Site: Geelong I am running for a position on the GCSC committee because I am keen to contribute to our student life at Deakin. I have a background of experience in leadership and teamwork positions in university societies such as being vicepresident and an academic representative for the Industrial Chemistry Undergraduate Society at UNSW. In these roles I was tasked with organising different academic and student social events and liaising with academic staff as a student advocate to improve the curriculum and teaching environment. Recently, my PaSe feedback stated that I was “a reliable team member and contributed a lot to this assignment”, “had innovative ideas” and that the “quality of [my] work was excellent … he paid great attention to detail”. With your vote, I hope to contribute my experience and work ethic to the GCSC as a voice for the student doctors of Deakin University. Candidate: Nathan Duong Year Level in 2017: Three Clinical Site: Geelong The most recent leadership role I undertook was as a 2016 Peer Mentor for the incoming 1st year Medical students. As I had gone through the same experience a year prior, I could appreciate their nervousness coming into the course and wanted to do my part in improving that transition - in particular, being able to settle them into the course smoothly. As part of this role I was required to attend a Peer Mentor training day before organising weekly meetings with my assigned PBL group. Having this role allowed me to reflect on my own experiences and identify certain issues in which I could help the 1st years with, which formed the basis of the hourly meetings we had. What I found stimulating was the dialogue that occurred between myself and the PBL group – It was not just giving didactic speeches but rather having down-to-earth conversations with the students about what troubles they were having and what they wanted to know. In a similar vein, I was also in the Student Representative Committee in my last year of secondary school. As part of this role, I would generate as well as receive agendas from fellow peers regarding both the academic and social components of school to bring up in monthly meetings with the staff. As someone who is extremely passionate about proper education and student experience, I would like to take either of the listed roles so I can represent my cohort, have their voices heard, and make a difference to their learning at GCS. The aforementioned roles have been highly rewarding and I welcome the opportunity to make a positive contribution to the GCS experience, as well as take on responsibilities to further develop my leadership skills. Candidate: Kesh Faye-Chauhan Year Level in 2017: Three Clinical Site: Geelong Hello all (and mostly fellow second years): “Crucible (noun) – a situation of severe trial, or in which different elements interact, leading to the creation of something new”
… this beautifully sums up how I feel about our upcoming 3rd year, and I’d love the opportunity to be an intermediary between you and the elements that will make up our medical education. My claim to recent leadership experience is limited. Instead, I’ve always sought and maintained good relationships with both teaching staff and my peers. Core values of mine include kindness, hard work and harmonious communication, and I enjoy working to live up to these values. I’m also motivated, organised and willing to put in the effort to make next year flow as smoothly as possible for everyone – what will hopefully be a year of learning on our feet. Despite my limited experience, I believe these qualities make me an apt candidate for GCSC 3rd year academic rep. Thanks for your consideration! Candidate: Bobby Ou Yang Year Level in 2017: Three Clinical Site: Geelong My name is Bobby, and I’ll be a 3rd year medical student at Geelong Clinical School next year. I have yet to be a part of the MeDUSA committee, but am looking to get involved, being able to play a role in influencing our medical education journey, and to develop some new skills along the way. I have been a Peer Mentor this year at Deakin, and have previously practiced as a full-time pharmacist, including a mentoring role for pharmacy interns. Candidate: Sian Brooker Year Level in 2017: Three Clinical Site: Geelong Hello everyone, I’m Sian and I would love to be your academic representative at GCS for 2017. I understand that part of this role involves advocating for the student cohort and making sure we are heard on academic issues. Over the years I have become proficient in the art of the wisely worded email and have to say I'm quite proud of my track record in getting positive outcomes! I would be honoured to advocate on behalf of the cohort at GCS as we transition to the clinical years. I will organise extra learning opportunities and am more than happy to be guided by the cohort in regard to this. In terms of leadership experience, I have worked in a tertiary hospital for 5 years as an RN. I am well versed in communicating with senior clinicians and operating in a leadership role in a clinical environment. Advocating for staff and patients under my care was always the number one priority. I currently work at Barwon health as a casual RN, so I am familiar with the hospital’s policies, procedures and facilities. I was a school leader in high school and I was also given the honorary title “PBL Mum” (reppin’ the original PLB 13), for my skills organising a big group of people. I am so excited for next year, and hope to make the best of it. Good luck to all other applicants, and I hope that I can represent you next year :) Candidate: Tayler Watson Year Level in 2017: Three Clinical Site: Geelong It’s no secret that third year is going to be tough, but remember, thanks to having an actual knight coming to our rescue (Dr. Ross that is) it’s all going tibia ok. At the risk of sounding too humerus, as your 3rd year academic
representative I would do my best to ensure that all of your academic concerns are listened to and communicated. I understand the responsibility and commitment that comes with this role and am motivated to fulfil it to the highest of standards. With your support I believe I can bring an energetic, positive and approachable attitude to the role of GCSC academic representative. So given the opportunity, I would love to help make third year as smooth and painless as possible, much like the perfect DRE.
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GCSC 4 Year Academic Representative
Candidate: Rachel Shingaki-Wells Year Level in 2017: Four Clinical Site: Geelong Hi, my name is Rachel and I'd love to be a representative for GCS in 2017. Currently, I am a Victorian Medical Women’s Society (VMWS) student representative for Deakin. I’m also an administrator for two Facebook pages, one that engages in science communication and another in evidence-based medicine/public health advocacy. I consider myself pretty organized, approachable and friendly. I have had some great experience contributing to VMWS newsletters, coordinating VMWS events and engaging in social media outreach. I have benefitted greatly from the many MCQ nights and events held at GCS. I hope to return the favour in 2017. Candidate: Lorne Dunlop Year Level in 2017: Four Clinical Site: Geelong During my undergraduate course I was the president and a founding member of the Ukulele Appreciation Society social group at Monash University, and held a general committee position (‘Food and Environment’) on the International House Student Committee. These roles required me to • Lead committee meetings and communicate outcomes to external stakeholders • Liaise with executive members, external groups and the student body • Organise events and manage committee funds • Advocate for student needs • Adhere to institutional policies These experiences have allowed me to develop an appreciation of both the role that student committees play in facilitating positive student experiences and the challenges that they face. In addition, I have found the events run by the 4th year Academic Representative to be extremely valuable to my ongoing learning and development from a student to a competent medical professional. This position is a valuable opportunity to provide future students with the same learning opportunities that I have been privy to and if elected I would strive to maintain and improve high quality learning environments for the student body.
GCSC Sponsorship Officer Candidate: Georgia Knapp Year Level in 2017: Three Clinical Site: Geelong
Hi everyone, my name is Georgia and I am really excited to run for GCSC Sponsorship representative! I am passionate about the role of advocacy in medical students and this opportunity will allow me to play an active role in enriching the student experience. Previously, I held a similar position as the Volunteer Chairman for a Sydney University society. My primary duty was to liaise with local charity organizations to foster new connections and organise volunteering opportunities for members. Additionally, in my past role of the Events Coordinator of the USYD Fred Hollows Society I was responsible for organising fundraising events including BBQs and trivia nights and approaching local businesses for donations and sponsorship for our events. I believe that these experiences have provided me with the invaluable organisation and communication skills that are required to be successful in this role. Thank you so much for considering me! ☺ Candidate: Joseph Tannous Year Level in 2017: Three Clinical Site: Geelong I am running for a position on the GCSC committee because I am keen to contribute to our student life at Deakin. I have a background of experience in leadership and teamwork positions in university societies such as being vicepresident and an academic representative for the Industrial Chemistry Undergraduate Society at UNSW. In these roles I was tasked with organising different academic and student social events and liaising with academic staff as a student advocate to improve the curriculum and teaching environment. Recently, my PaSe feedback stated that I was “a reliable team member and contributed a lot to this assignment”, “had innovative ideas” and that the “quality of [my] work was excellent … he paid great attention to detail”. With your vote, I hope to contribute my experience and work ethic to the GCSC as a voice for the student doctors of Deakin University.
RCCS Representative
Candidate: Nik Partsanis Year Level in 2017: Three Clinical Site: RCCS Hey everyone! I’m running for the RCCS Representative in 2017. You might remember me from from my role as the Chair of GPSN at Deakin and those random jokes I sometimes make in front of you all. I’d love to be the RCCS Representative in 2017 and I think that given my role with GPSN in 2015 and 2016 I have the requisite experience. I have already spoken with Colleen as the GPSN representative and I would be delighted to continue working with her on your behalf in 2017. I am always available to talk about issues you may be experiencing in RCCS and more than happy to raise them with Colleen. This year I organised the wound management lecture with A/Prof Sussman, which was a huge success! In 2017 I’d love to continue identifying opportunities for you to expand your careers and hear from experts in the medical field. Third year is a tough year for us, but with my trusty Akubra by my side anything is possible! So vote Nik Partsanis in the elections to ensure stability, transparency, reliability and to keep the Akubra spirit alive! Candidate: Rebecca Barrett Year Level in 2017: Three Clinical Site: RCCS It would be an invaluable opportunity to be able to represent the RCCS cohort in 2017. Despite not having RCCS as my preferred preference for my clinical years I am extremely excited about the opportunities that we will all
experience. I am planning to make the most of the year academically and socially for not only myself but the entire cohort. I dedicated to make this year one of the best years of our university experience and for us to perform the best we all possibly can academically. Additionally, I have already established myself in a supportive role for the preclinical students undertaking the Preclinical Vice President and Peer Mentor roles. I am particularly eager to undertake a mentor role 2017 in order to encourage more students to consider RCCS as well as continuing to improve the support for current and future students. Lastly, given I am being placed independently in Hamilton I would particularly like to undertake this role in order to stay connected to the RCCS and wider student cohort throughout the year. Candidate: Nathan Lay Year Level in 2017: Three Clinical Site: RCCS I chose RCCS as my first clinical school preference because I genuinely believe that RCCS is a fantastic program to be involved in. As such, I will bring that same passion and excitement to the role of the RCCS Representative in 2017. While I have had not a leadership role in MeDUSA before, I successfully co-founded and ran the Deakin Geelong Queer Collective in 2015. I am easy going and approachable and look forward to supporting the 2017 RCCS student cohort as best I can. As a bonus, I will have Jon Watson’s ear once a month in Stawell.
Preclinical Committee Positions Preclinical Vice President
Candidate: Madison Phung Year Level in 2017: Two Clinical Site: Waurn Ponds Hi guys, I’m Madison and I would love to be your preclinical vice president! I was fortunate enough to have been involved with MeDUSA and MSCV as MDNM convenor this year where I got the opportunity to organise a successful intervarsity medical student event. Additionally, I also got to help organise and make our med ball wonderful as Med ball sub-convenor. From these experiences, I have been able to develop my organisational and leadership skills. As vice president, I aim to go above and beyond to ensure cohesiveness within the Medusa committee and ensure that all committee members are well-supported. I am also super approachable and friendly and would love the opportunity to represent the preclinical cohort and make sure that all our concerns and issues are addressed so that we all have an incredible year ahead! Thank you for your consideration and good luck to other candidates! Candidate: Blake Vorias Year Level in 2017: Two Clinical Site: Waurn Ponds I sincerely want to improve and facilitate the holistic experience of preclinical school. By working together with other members of the committee I will endeavour to support students and manage a wide variety of educational, social and co-curricular activities. In particular, if elected my major goal is to commence a new program for
preclinical students to work collaboratively in clinical situations. This will involve social and academic interaction between first and second years, providing a platform for introduction into clinical school. From my own passion for this project, I have already made progress and if elected, hope to have it running in first semester of 2017. Along with the passion for this role, I believe I have the experience necessary to reach these ambitions from my previous leadership roles (including my current role as the first year social representative) and I look forward to 2017.
Preclinical Community and Wellbeing Representative
Candidate: Kimberley Houlihan Year Level in 2017: Two Clinical Site: Waurn Ponds In such a demanding degree as medicine I think we all understand the importance of prioritising our own wellbeing and staying connected to the community in which we live. However, on the odd occasion we forget, as Community and Wellbeing Rep, I’d love to be the one to bring you the gentle reminder! As much as we’d like to think we’re doing great at pretending to adult, sometimes we need to be reminded to get more than 7 hours of sleep, to leave the fluorescent lighting of the PBLs and enter the sunshine, and eat a diet that’s broader than cereal and whatever makes it to PBL. Wellbeing is such an individual and personal topic, with everyone tending to their wellbeing in their own unique way, and as such I think this should be reflected in what this role delivers. I’d love to see a variety of events/initiatives directed towards outdoor activities, arts and crafts, mindfulness and healthy eating (or not, cause carrots and dip can’t quite replace the good old fashioned bake sale, #treatyoself), as well as promoting the awesome work AMSA and other organisations are already doing with mental health. I’d love to strengthen the culture of self-care as much as possible at Deakin, as well as getting everyone in touch with what’s going on in the surrounding community, because it’s easy to forget there’s life outside the Ponds. Whether it be great places to hike, local volunteering opportunities, upcoming fun runs, or promoting already existing mental health campaigns, I think we’d all benefit from a little more info, and a little more wellness. Candidate: Sneha George Year Level in 2017: Two Clinical Site: Waurn Ponds Hello all! I’m Sneha and I would really like to be a part of the MeDUSA committee for 2017. I haven’t held any major positions within MeDUSA this year but have plenty of experience holding both executive and general committee positions in previous years including Chairperson of the Student Trustee Council, Special Character Committee, Academic Rep and as a member of Sports and Cultural councils. With this experience under my belt, I know I am capable of leading/representing our cohort to a high standard in this role. I like to think I’m friendly and organised and believe these qualities are an essential part of any sort of leadership role. I enjoy getting involved in the community and with our cohort and am keen to continue on the events that we’ve had this year in conjunction with external organisations such as Diversitat, as well as introduce some new and fun events into the mix. I’m a strong believer of a balanced lifestyle but know how hard that is to achieve in a demanding yet rewarding course like Medicine; I hope to draw on some of my own personal experiences to guide me in this role and aim to bring us closer as a cohort, while also giving back to the great community that we live in. I
hope to bring a vibrant, collaborative and fun presence to the committee and promise to do my absolute best to make your ideas and opinions heard.
Other Committee Positions DSIG Clinical Representative
Candidate: Tayler Watson Year Level in 2017: Three Clinical Site: Geelong Hey, you! Yes you, sitting at your computer about to cry thinking, ‘why did I leave this PHM assignment until the night before it’s due?’ Or wondering if it’s possible to get so lost in the hospital next year that you find yourself hiding face down, weeping in an MRI machine. Well unfortunately I can’t help with any of that, but I’m sure I can be a great 2017 DSIG representative for all you wonderful clinical students. I would love the opportunity to contribute to the operations of DSIG next year. If you would like a year of cutting edge puns that will have you in stitches hopefully, thanks to you, I’ll make the cut. Candidate: Alana Greenberg Year Level in 2017: Three Clinical Site: Warrnambool How many times have you heard someone say: “Surg is awesome, but there’s no way I could manage the lifestyle! It’s not for me.” ? Perhaps you have even thought this yourself, particularly if you plan to have a family (men and women!). Aside from this, have you ever wondered about how the training program works? Or do you just love interesting surgical stories? If you elect me as your DSIG Clinical Representative, I will endeavour to address all of these questions when I assist in the organisation of your DSIG events in 2017. I am passionate about improving our understanding of surgical careers as medical students. Within this, my particular interest is with respect to juggling surgical careers with family life for both men and women. I also place high value on increasing medical student understanding of what junior doctors should plan to do to meet the criteria for selection to the training program. The experience I bring to this role comes from two years on the UHAD (Universal Health At Deakin) committee. I have served as President in 2016 and as 1st Year Representative in 2015. In these two years, I have demonstrated my commitment to enriching the experience of my fellow medical students, as well as my ability to collaborate with a committee. My experience with promoting UHAD events face-to-face and by Facebook will carry over to my position in DSIG, as will my experience liaising with guest speakers and sponsors. I am confident that the experience I have gathered through my involvement with UHAD will prepare me to be a professional, innovative and dedicated DSIG Clinical Representative.
