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Student Spotlight: Society Committees

Published on

collage of 2 students, one in cap and gown, the other sitting outside on a sunny day
(L-R) Paige Hall and Chloe McGrath, LMSS Presidents 20-21 and 21-22

Student Spotlights pass the mic to our student doctors, to hear their take on their School experience and shine the light on a particular role, team or pathway through the School of Medicine.

Joining a Society is a great way of enriching your experience at the School and wider university. You’ll benefit from peer support and teaching in your studies, opportunities to connect with fellow students on topics you are passionate about, and plenty of extracurricular and social activities, not to mention the chance to make friendships that will last a lifetime.

Becoming a member of a Society committee means you are able to shape the direction and scope of the Society and enhance student experience for that academic year. We catch up with outgoing and incoming Society committee members to hear more about their roles, successes and ambitions.

In the spotlight this month:

  • Katie McKenzie, Year 4 Rep 21/22 for LivPsych Society
  • Vanya Barzilova, President 20/21 and Teaching Rep 21/22, Chidora Ekebuisi, Year 5 Rep 20/21 and Vice-President 21/22, Amber Hughes, Academic Rep 20/21 and President 21/22 for Liverpool Acute, Critical and Emergency Medicine Society (LACES)
  • Paige Hall, President 20/21 and Chloe McGrath, President 21/22 of Liverpool Medical Students' Society (LMSS)
  • Matthew Ryan, President 20/21 and Ellie Russo, President 21/22 of Liverpool Paediatrics Society

Tell us what your Society is all about in less than 140 characters

Vanya (LACES): LACES is a great society which allows its members to get involved in numerous opportunities, be it ACE career events, stimulating workshops, or teaching.

Katie (LivPsych): LivPsych is about learning, exploring and developing interests with like-minded people, as well as creating discussion and challenging current beliefs.

Chloe (LMSS): The UK’s oldest and largest medical Society aims to meet the needs of student doctors with academic support, revision sessions, social and charity events and more!

Paige (LMSS): We have the biggest and best events - with balls, daytrips, charity events, sports days and more! Make friends for life and enjoy every minute!

Matthew (Paediatrics): Liverpool Paediatric Society focuses on all things children’s health! We provide teaching to all years whilst supporting children and young people in the local community.  

collage of 3 students, one with a panoramic background, one blowing bubbles at a ball, one sat at a booth(L-R) Chidora, Amber and Vanya of LACES Committee

What responsibilities come with your role?

Vanya (LACES): As President I have overseen the running of the Society whilst working alongside our lovely committee in the planning and delivery of career evenings, the Finals Teaching Series, and our small group monthly Teaching Scheme. It has been a really rewarding experience overall!

Katie (LivPsych): My role as 4th year rep is to be a port of call for anyone with an interest in Psychiatry and wants to know more. I will be making sure people know what LivPsych is organising and how to get involved, as well as being open to ideas.

With year four being the first year on Psych placement, there may be some challenging or even distressing experiences, and I want to ensure that these are spoken about, reflected on and debriefed afterwards.

I hope to be able to create an anonymous sharing platform/group discussion and a Psych 'starter' guide, which may be helpful for younger years.

Chloe (LMSS): As President, I act as the spokesperson of the Society and am responsible for ensuring our events run smoothly throughout the academic year. I work closely with my fellow officers – Oscar and Charlie (Secretary and Treasurer) to make sure our committee is supported, and we are offering a diverse range of opportunities for students to have fun and enjoy.

Paige (LMSS): The President is the head of the Society, they are responsible for its daily running, its committee, and events alongside their fellow officers. They’re the spokesperson and are responsible for leading the Society at external community events as well as internal events. The buck stops with the President!

Matthew (Paediatrics): Helping to oversee the everyday running of the society - creating new events or coordinating the annual events we run each year as well as playing a role in facilitating new ideas from committee members. Finally, like all medical society presidents, I have a responsibility to make the society as friendly and welcoming as possible to all students. 

close up of student smiling to cameraYear 4 Rep for LivPsych, Katie McKenzie

How did you get involved with your Society?

Chidora (LACES): By the end of year four I was leaning towards the Acute, Critical and Emergency Medicine (ACE) specialities so had a look on the Guild website for any relevant societies. LACES seemed the perfect fit, so I was really keen to get involved!

Katie (LivPsych): I heard about the Society on social media and from attending a few of the talks which were held online this year. I have always been interested in Psychiatry so the luxury of Zoom made it easier to attend a lot more than I may have done otherwise. I was lucky enough to write a piece for the LivPsych Mic blog about my experience of having an eating disorder and then lead a talk on the topic.

Chloe (LMSS): I’ve known about the LMSS since Fresher’s week in 1st year and have been hooked ever since! I have always been encouraged by how welcoming everyone was.

I’m extremely lucky to have had this opportunity and to have met some of my closest friends through the society and hopefully this is something I can help many others achieve as President!

Paige (LMSS): I’ve been involved with the LMSS since my Freshers week in first year and my trip on the legendary Bus Tour. The committee were all so welcoming and fun, it was this early on that I knew that the LMSS would be a big part of my university experience. I had mentors and have made the best of friends for life. Ultimately, the LMSS was the first ever place I felt like I could completely be myself.

Ellie (Paediatrics): I joined the committee in second year and have stayed for every year since holding the roles of Second Year rep, Third Year rep, Secretary and now President. I was interested in paediatrics before attending university and attended a few events in first year which I really enjoyed and felt really welcomed by the committee. 

Collage of 2 students smiling to cameraLiverpool Paediatrics Society Presidents Matthew Ryan & Ellie Russo (L-R)

What has been your greatest achievement this academic year?

Chidora (LACES): Definitely setting up the Finals Teaching Series. It did so well with hundreds of attendees from over 50 different countries all around the world at each of the events. It also grew our Facebook followers from 350 to over 7.5K in only a few months, which is great considering it is only our second year as a Society!

 
 
 
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A post shared by LACES (@lacesonline)

Katie (LivPsych): Holding the talk on eating disorders for LivPsych alongside Dr Max Stirk as I am very passionate about improving education on eating disorders and pushing for more in the curriculum. Being able to host this and see the interest that people had, as well as being able to share my personal experience and use it as a positive, was a great thing to be part of.

 
 
 
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A post shared by LivPsych (@livpsych)

Paige (LMSS): My greatest achievement as LMSS President was listening to the student body and introducing a new Diversity Team to our committee comprised of an LGBTQ+ representative, BAME representative and Women’s representative. Along introducing a new gender-neutral language initiative for official documents such as our constitution, as well as with events - their descriptions and dress codes.

 
 
 
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A post shared by LMSS (@lmssonline)

Matthew (Paediatrics): This year has been a struggle with all sessions moving online but we have had lots of positive outcomes. We’ve raised money on a local and national level and organised a socially distanced food bank drive for children and families in South Liverpool together with LMSS in response to the government cutting free school dinners.

Academically, the Society stepped up to support Alder Hey’s Clinical Research Facility during the first wave, with many committee members remotely collecting essential paediatric COVID-19 data for the National Institute of Health Research study (PRIEST Study).

Finally, we put on a fantastic virtual conference this year, with many consultants and professors from the local trusts presenting their work. It was exceptionally well attended and I thoroughly enjoyed hosting the event.

I was blown away by how committed and kind the paediatricians were to help student doctors gain a greater insight into paediatrics! 

What’s one thing you want to achieve next academic year?

Amber (LACES): We have so many plans on how to put LACES out there next academic year. Some of our plans include planning a conference covering the many different avenues available to those interested in an ACE medicine career, whilst allowing our members to get involved in supporting ongoing charity work within the field.

Chloe (LMSS): I want to develop engagement with the Society and the only way to do that is to hear from students! We’d like to create a feedback/review system where we can gather feedback from events, collate this and make any changes necessary. I’d also love to hold an LMSS winter food and craft fair where all medical societies can get involved and raise some money for charity.

Ellie (Paediatrics): We are all very excited to be involved in the National Paediatric Society Fundraising Week (NPSFW) where we will collaborate with paediatric societies from all over the UK to highlight children’s mental health and raise money for Young Minds and local charity, Alder Hey Children’s Charity. We hope to raise even more money than last year through a range of events taking place during that week and make it a really fun experience for all years.

Why should a student doctor join your Society?

Amber (LACES): LACES provides endless opportunities not only for learning but teaching as well, whether that be as a speaker at one of our events or as a small group teacher in our Teaching Scheme.

In our short 2 years of running, we have managed to make many connections in the emergency medicine field and are looking forward to supporting several guest speaker events in the future.

There is so much to gain from being a LACES member, so don’t forget to sign up in the new academic year!

Katie (LivPsych): LivPsych is a great place for student doctors to come and explore a speciality which offers so much and is constantly evolving. Whichever area of medicine you decide to go into, there is always a patient and they always have mental health. As well as being a speciality in its own right, Psychiatry infiltrates into everyday life, and I believe that it is an essential part of being a doctor and studying medicine.

Chloe (LMSS): Our Society offers a huge platform for you to meet loads of new people and get involved in some really fun and exciting events. We are here to support you not just academically, but also as a friendly face to chat! Ultimately, we want to make sure you’re all having a great time at university, so we would love to have you onboard too!

Ellie (Paediatrics): The Society offers a great mix of charity work, teaching events and paediatric focussed opportunities which makes us a very active society! Our committee is super friendly, and our events are a great way for younger years to gain insight into what paediatrics is all about ahead of placements. We provide so many opportunities to get more involved in paediatrics and to learn about a career in paediatrics from healthcare professionals.

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