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Greetings, and the warmest welcome to our newest MSAP members!


It is so exciting to see your new faces joining our incredible community of nearly 900 students! On behalf of the whole executive committee, we'd just like to say that we are beyond excited for the year ahead. We are committed to bringing you bigger and better events/opportunities that are fun, stimulating, and worthwhile to tackle global health issues. Expansive and grave problems like climate change, maternal mortality, and refugee health can seem absolutely insurmountable, especially to us medical students at this stage. However, here at MSAP, we believe medical students can be a force to be reckoned with if we unite and work together as one. 

So, if you care even the slightest about healthcare in worlds outside your own, come engage with us and let us show you how you can begin enacting change. Consider this our official invitation to you to attend our upcoming events below:

  • Launch Night: March 3rd
  • Treevia: March 10th
  • Birthing Kit Night: March 23rd
  • Global Health Short Course: starting May

Find the details for each event on Facebook once the event pages have been created. To get updates and alerts of the next banging happening, follow/like our Facebook page! If you're super keen to join our team, we will also have Wave 2 Subcommittee and First Year Rep applications opening soon so keep your eyes peeled for those opportunities! Lastly, you will receive a Mailout (just like this one!) every month with information on upcoming events and opportunities as well as educational pieces written by our executive committee.

We look forward to seeing you at our events!

Sincerely,
Ash Li Khoo and Brenda Ng
MSAP Co-Chairs 2020
chair@msap.org.au

Upcoming Events

Launch Night: Our First Event of the Year!


Ready to find out what MSAP is all about? Keen to participate in a silent auction for some AMAZING prizes? Come along to Launch Night 2020 on March 3rd, 5:15-7:15PM at Wallace Wurth LG03 to kick off the year with us!
COVID-19: The Myths, the Facts, and the Ugly
 
For most people, the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) needs no introduction. First reported in China in December 2019, news of the virus has rapidly gained global attention. Amongst the rampantly circulating information, however, there is substantial misinformation and confusion. Outlined below are five common myths about COVID-19, followed by currently known facts [1]
Uncovering the Coronavirus-associated Xenophobia

On the 30th of January 2020, the COVID-19 outbreak led the World Health Organization to declare a global health emergency [3]. In the midst of inevitable panic, this announcement unveiled deep-seated racism, with many Australians making insensitive comments and gestures towards people of East Asian origin, and xenophobic posts spreading like wildfire on social media platforms. On the 1st of February, Gold Coast-based surgeon, Dr Rhea Liang, shared her own experience of discrimination: a patient refused to shake her hand, citing the coronavirus as his reason for abstaining from the gesture, though the doctor has not left the country. ‘This is racism,’ she tweeted. This tweet inspired others to open up about similar experiences, revealing a shocking trail of bigotry and fear mongering [4].

Harvey Norman Albury was slammed for displaying this racist sign outside their store earlier this month. [5]
This discrimination has had detrimental effects on the wellbeing of numerous Asian Australians, with many feeling unwelcome in their own country. However, other Australians are taking a stand against racial intolerance -- the sign above was removed after several customers were outraged, and Harvey Norman issued an official apology for the actions of its Albury franchise [5]. People are also sharing facts about the disease to dispel the hysteria enveloping it and student groups are writing posts to comfort international students. These are all steps in the right direction: steps towards acceptance; towards unity. We must continue this march, or in the words of Chinese-Canadian actor Simon Liu, ‘A virus will not tear us apart; fear and bigotry will.’ [4]
[1] Who.int. (2020). Myth busters. [online] Available at: https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public/myth-busters [Accessed 10 Feb. 2020].
[2] Tang. A (2020). Pathologists debunk 13 coronavirus myths. [online] Available at: https://www.businessinsider.com.au/coronavirus-myths-debunked-wuhan-china-2020-2?r=US&IR=T [Accessed 10 Feb. 2020] 
[3] Taylor, D. (2020). A Timeline of the Coronavirus. [online] Nytimes.com. Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/13/world/coronavirus-timeline.html [Accessed 12 Feb. 2020].
[4] Stevens, K. (2020). Surgeon claims she's received racism over coronavirus outbreak. [online] Mail Online. Available at: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7951385/Asian-Australians-say-racially-abused-coronavirus-outbreak.html [Accessed 12 Feb. 2020].
[5] Ebsary, E. (2020). 'No coronavirus in our mattresses': Harvey Norman Albury sign slammed. [online] The Canberra Times. Available at: https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/6621614/no-coronavirus-in-our-mattresses-harvey-norman-albury-sign-slammed/?cs=14231 [Accessed 13 Feb. 2020].
Thank you to our Treevia sponsors,
Going Green Solutions!

Going Green Solutions is kindly sponsoring Code Green's upcoming Treevia Night on 10th March! They have also graciously offered a promotion code exclusively for MSAP members! Check out their website for a range of eco-friendly products and use the code UNSW-Medical for 10% off until 21st August!
Make Change Happen with the UNSW
Founders Program!
Have you ever encountered a real world problem and thought to yourself, “There’s got to be a way I can solve this; I just don’t know where to start.” Well, you're in luck because right here at our very own university, there’s an amazing entrepreneurship hub which can support you in turning your problem-solving ideas into reality. The UNSW Founders Program will provide free assistance and guidance through every step of the journey, from solidifying a world-changing innovation to constructing a physical prototype. Click on the video above to find out more and stay tuned for future collaborations with MSAP!
Make sure to follow us on Facebook for events and opportunities!
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Copyright © Medical Students' Aid Project 2020. All rights reserved.

Rachel Tam
Secretary, Medical Students' Aid Project
msap@msap.org.au

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Medical Students Aid Project · UNSW Medical Students Society PO Box 6117, UNSW Sydney, NSW 1466 Australia · Sydney, Nsw 1466 · Australia

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